CMYK THURSDAY 18 MAY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CENTRE LAUNCHES IT HARDWARE PLI 2.0 RUSSELL REMEMBERED~I P6 WEATHER P8 P5 Quad summit in Aus off Humid and discomfort weather very likely. Rain/thundershower likely to occur towards evening/night. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 36 °C and 27°C respectively. After US President Joe Biden cancelled Australia trip RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY he Quad Summit of India, Australia, Japan and the United States scheduled on 24 May in Sydney has been cancelled after US President Joe Biden decided not to go ahead with a planned visit to Australia due to debt ceiling negotiations back home in America. The White House announced early on Wednesday that Mr Biden will return to the USA after the conclusion of the G7 Summit in Japan and not travel to Papua New Guinea and Australia as planned earlier. Mr Biden has also conveyed his decision to Australian Prime Minister Antho- Max. 88 % TEMPERATURE Min. 59 % Max: 35.4°C (0) Min: 29. 1°C (+2) SUN RISES SUN SETS 04:57 hrs 18:10 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 03:9 hrs 16:3 hrs New Moon on 19 May THUMBNAILS Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time: One year in the next five will almost certainly be the hottest on record and there’s a two-in-three chance a single year will cross the crucial 1.5 degree Celsius global warming threshold, an alarming new report by the World Meteorological Organization predicts. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 MAY T US President decided not to go ahead with a planned visit to Australia due to debt ceiling negotiations back home in America. ny Albanese. Mr Albanese confirmed to the media this morning that the Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney had been cancelled. “This is a decision that’s been made overnight...in the United States. The Quad leaders’ meeting will not be going ahead in Sydney next week,” he said. He said the leaders of the four Quad countries could meet on the margins of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. “We thought will be having that discussion between Quad leaders in Japan...The Quad is an important body and we want to make sure that it occurs at the leadership level, and we’ll be having that discussion over the weekend,” Albanese said. All four Quad leaders ~ President Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Suspense continues over new K’taka CM; Surjewala says decision likely in 48-72 hrs ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Suspense continued for the fourth day today on who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka with the central Congress leadership finding it difficult to settle the issue despite marathon talks with the two main contenders for the post, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Pradesh party chief D K Shivakumar. AICC-in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, however, sought to play down the speculation that the leadership issue in the state, where the Congress registered a resounding victory in the Assembly elections, remains unresolved because of the refusal of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to back down. Mr Surjewala said AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has been authorised to appoint the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and he was still holding deliberations. “Whenever Congress makes a decision we will inform you. In the next 48-72 hours, we will have a new cabinet in Karnataka,” he told reporters. The Congress leader appealed to the media not to resort to any speculation. “Whenever a decision is taken by the Congress president, we will be happy to inform you. I am only here to quash multiple rumours and hearsay ...that are being played on multiple news channels. Please don't believe them,” he said. Attacking the BJP Mr Sur, jewala said the party itself took 10-15 days to decide on the chief ministerial post while the Congress leadership was committed to resolving it as quickly as possible. He also said the next Congress government in Karnataka was committed to fulfilling the five guarantees it made to the people of the state. “We will implement the five guarantees as promised by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi,” he added.He also said that the party will ensure there was no “40 per cent commission government” in the state.Earlier today, there were reports that 75-year-old Sid- daramaiah, who has been camping in the national capital, would be named as the new chief minister this evening. However, Mr Shiva- kumar, who too is in Delhi, met senior leader Rahul Gandhi and is belie- ved to have stuck to his demand that he be given the chief ministership since Mr Siddaramaiah has already held the post in the past. Mr Shivakumar also met the AICC chief later. Mr Siddaramaiah also met the top central leaders to reinforce his claim to the chief ministership. Sources said that the central leadership had offered Mr Shivakumar the deputy chief ministership along with the post of the PCC chief which he currently holds but he did not agree. Former AICC president Sonia Gandhi is also learnt to have spoken to Mr Shivakumar in an attempt to convince him. SC seeks fresh status report on Manipur STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Reminding the Manipur government that maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the State government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a fresh status report on the security, relief and rehabilitation of the people affected by the violence between Meitei and Kuki communities. Seeking a fresh status report relating to the steps to ameliorate the plight of the violence affected people, a Bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala said that maintaining law and order is a state subject and as the Supreme Court, it will ensure that the political executive does not turn a blind eye on the matter. “We can’t say who is responsible for this... law and order is a State subject. We as the apex court can ensure they don't turn a blind eye. We must as a court also understand that some matters are entrusted to the political arm (of the executive),” said CJI Chandrachud. The Centre and the State government told the top court that a status report has been filed and the situation has improved in the State. The Manipur government in its status report has said that a total of 318 relief camps have been opened where more than 47,914 persons being Meitei community representative Salam Gourakishwor Singh addresses the media outside the SC premises.  ANI provided ration, food, water and medical care including medicines and a total of 626 FIRs have been registered so far. The State government has also sanctioned a contingency fund of Rs. 3 crores for meeting exigencies involving relief measures and it has been decided that to earmark 25 per cent of the MLA Local Area Development Fund for relief measures in respective assembly constituencies, says the affidavit by the Manipur government. Focusing on the measures on the security, relief and rehabilitation of the violence affected people, the court said that it will not deal with the legal issues arising out of the Manipur High Court’s decision, directing the State government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list. DJOKOVIC ACCUSES NORRIE OF UNSPORTING BEHAVIOUR DUMA VOTES TO SCRAP COLD WAR ARMED FORCES DEAL The top court said this noting that the pleas challenging the order of the single judge were pending before the Division Bench of the High Court. The court said that the tribals can move the division bench of the Manipur High Court with their grievances on the quota issue. The top court questioned the Manipur High Court for its order asking the State government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list. Initially CJI Chandrachud said: “We have to stay the order of the Manipur High Court. It is completely, factually wrong and we gave time to Justice Muralidharan to remedy his error and he did not. We have to take a strong view against it now. It is clear if High Court judges do not follow Constitution Bench judgments, then what should we do… it is very clear.” However, the top court refrained from staying it as it noted that an appeal has been filed before the division bench of the High Court against the judgment of the single-judge and next date of hearing is 6 June there. It said aggrieved parties can present their case before the division bench. The top court took into account security apprehensions of Meitei and Kuki communities and ordered that the Chief Secretary and his Security Advisor will assess and take steps to ensure “peace and tranquillity” in the State. CMYK and Mr Albanese ~ will be at the G7 Summit to be held in Hiroshima on Saturday and Sunday. Mr Albanese said a planned bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Australia might still go ahead although there was no immediate word from the Indian side on whether Mr Modi also would change his itinerary, now that the Quad Summit has been cancelled. New Delhi announced yesterday that PM Modi would embark on a visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia on 19 May to participate in outreach sessions of the G7 Summit on 20 May, the Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation on 22 May, and the Quad Leaders Summit on 24 May. P12 SC to SEBI: Submit report on Hindenburg by 14 Aug SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 17 MAY The Supreme Court onWednesday asked market regulator SEBI to submit an updated status report on 14 August on its probe into the AdaniHindenburg controversy, while also directing that the copies of the report of the Justice A. M. Sapre panel will be given to the parties in the meantime to enable them to assist in further deliberations. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing SEBI, that the court could have given time till end of September but on 14 August, "tell us, what stage you are on... Give us an updated report". Mr Mehta contended that 6-months extension sought for the SEBI to complete its report was already compressed. The Bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, told Mr Mehta: “Tell us what you have done and the court had initially granted 2 months and now extended it till August which makes it 5 months,” as it stressed that it cannot give indefinite extension for completing the probe. Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted that in recent years, despite many complaints, SEBI did not do anything. The SEBI had told the Supreme Court that claims that it has been investigating the Adani Group since 2016 are “factually baseless”.