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PTI

BENGALURU, May 26: The Congress on Tuesday termed as “mere speculation” the talk about any leadership change in Karnataka and asserted that the day-long discussions between the central and state top brass were solely focused on the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha and the state’s Legislative Council.

Though Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had convened a meeting to decide party candidates for two elections, the point of interest remained the protracted leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who were summoned to Delhi, and whether there would be any resolution.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had arrived in the national capital accompanied by the MLAs supporting them.

At the core of the leadership tangle in the southern state is Shivakumar’s demand that he be elevated to the chief minister’s post in accordance with a “promise” which his supporters claim was made to him during state assembly elections in 2023.

The Congress’s central leadership held deliberations for several hours with its Karnataka state leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who is also the state party chief, at the Indira Bhawan headquarters.

The party leaders, however, insisted that the issue of any leadership change was not discussed at the meeting attended by Congress president Kharge.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, among others.

“Today, the entire discussion was only concentrated on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and (Legislative) Council elections of Karnataka.

“Whatever speculation you people are doing, that is only speculation, no reality at all.

Today we discussed about the Rajya Sabha seats and the Council seats of Karnataka,” Venugopal told the media after the meeting.

He was flanked by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

He said the candidates of the Rajya Sabha and Council seats of Karnataka will be announced along with the other seats like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“This is what we have decided today, and nothing else was discussed,” he asserted.

Asked about any leadership change, Siddaramaiah also said, “It is only a speculation”.

Asked if there was any discussion on leadership change, he replied emphatically with “No”.

On a possible cabinet reshuffle, the chief minister said, “It did not come up for discussion.”

Of the four Rajya Sabha seats getting vacant in Karnataka, the Congress can win three seats and the BJP one.

Kharge’s Rajya Sabha seat is getting vacant in June and he is likely to be re-elected from Karnataka.

The party may also field Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh as one of the Rajya Sabha candidates, as well as a woman or an OBC nominee.

Suresh has been a former Rajya Sabha member from the state.

Besides, the Congress leaders are also learnt to have discussed the party candidates for the legislative council seats.

The Congress is likely to get four seats in the legislative council out of the seven vacancies, going by its present strength in the state assembly. (PTI)

India, US sign landmark pact to secure critical minerals supply chain amid China concerns

(PTI)

NEW DELHI, May 26:The Quad grouping on Tuesday expanded cooperation in critical minerals and energy while unveiling new measures to boost maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s growing military posturing in the region.

The new measures were announced following a meeting of the grouping’s foreign ministers here, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

We affirm our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific that allows countries to develop resilience and strengthen capacity to determine their own paths. To that end, we concur on further enhancing cooperation and advancing concrete initiatives to deliver tangible benefits to the region, the ministers said in a joint statement.

The Quad foreign ministers called for uninterrupted flow of global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, criticised Iran’s imposition of tolls on commercial shipping in the region and voiced serious concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

“We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilising or unilateral actions, including by force or coercion, that threaten peace and stability in the region,” the ministers said in the statement, sending a message to China.

“We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and coercive actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels,” they said.

“We are seriously concerned by the militarisation of disputed features,” they said.

In his media statement, Jaishankar announced a critical minerals framework an Indo-Pacific energy security initiative under broader Quad agenda to confront major challenges facing the region.

“Much of the discussions and indeed the bilateral exchanges were devoted to the current state of the world,” Jaishankar said at the end of the meeting.

Naturally, the focus of the deliberations was on issues of relevance to the Indo-Pacific, he said.

“Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value.

“We spent some time on the question of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce and reaffirmed the significance of scrupulously observing international law,” he said.Jaishankar said a free and open Indo-Pacific has many dimensions and facets and the Quad meeting took stock of the progress in many of them.

We believe strongly that economic resilience should be promoted and supply chains should be strengthened, he noted, adding the deliberations also touched upon current energy and fertiliser availability and that of critical minerals.

“In the coming days, whether it is economic activity, energy trade or maritime commerce, the Indo-Pacific will become even more important to the world. The responsibilities of the Quad will grow commensurate, and we must prepare for that,” he said.

The external affairs minister said countering common threat of terrorism also figured in the talks.

“There must be zero tolerance for terrorism, and nations subject to terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves,” he said.

In his media statement, Rubio said the Quad meeting decided to launch an Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative It will leverage each of our country’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, he said.

Rubio also announced the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative among the Quad nations.

The US Secretary of State also said the Quad has decided to roll out a new initiative to boost port infrastructure in the Pacific Islands.

He argued that it is a vital national interest not just to the four Quad countries, but to countless countries around the world.

“The second initiative: we’re going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure, in response to insufficient port capacities in the Pacific Islands,” he said.

“We’re announcing plans to work with Fiji to advance that country’s port infrastructure. It’ll be the first time that the Quad partners work together on a port infrastructure project,” he said.

The Australian Foreign Minister said the Quad recognised efforts towards a diplomatic resolution to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

We recognise the importance of maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation and our opposition to any tolling proposition, she said referring to Iran’s plan to demand fees for transiting the Strait.

We are working together to strengthen cooperation against scam centres, particularly in Southeast Asia, Wong said.

The Australian foreign minister said the Quad will coordinate on maritime surveillance efforts initially in the Indian Ocean.

(PTI) PALANPUR (Gujarat), May 26: A man and six others were arrested in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district for allegedly trafficking his wife for Rs 50,000, after which she was reportedly raped and sexually assaulted. The heinous crime came to light during an investigation into a missing person complaint filed by the husband earlier this month. The accused had lodged a complaint on May 11 claiming that his wife had gone missing from Palanpur city. Within two days of the complaint, the husband himself went missing, following which his father filed another missing person complaint. This sequence of events raised suspicion. Cops subsequently traced the husband and later located his wife, whose formal statement exposed the alleged crime. It was revealed that the husband had allegedly sold his wife to his friends for Rs 50,000.

5 labourers killed as soil caves in during well excavation

P A N N A ( M a d h y a Pradesh), May 26: Five labourers were killed after soil caved in on them while they were digging a well in a village in MP’s Panna district. The incident occurred in Biharpurwa village around 12 pm, an official said. Police said that the labourers were working at the site of a public irrigation well, being constructed under the MNREGA scheme, when the soil collapsed on them. The deceased were identified as Ashish Yadav, Rajkumar Yadav, Rampal Yadav, Chunnu Yadav, and Chunvad Pal. The bodies were extricated from the soil and sent for post-mortem, an official said. (PTI)

(PTI)

KOLKATA, May 26: West Bengal’s BJP government’s decision to establish district-level holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants appears to have triggered a fresh “reverse exodus” through the international border, with scores of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators gathering at the Hakimpur checkpoint in North 24 Parganas district seeking to return home, officials said.

The renewed rush comes days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that West Bengal would aggressively implement a “detect, delete and deport” policy against infiltrators.

Speaking to reporters after an administrative meeting at Kalyani attended by officials from Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas districts.

Adhikari claimed that those assembled at the border point were willing to return to Bangladesh.

“Jaldi jaldi bhago nahi toh jo karna hai sarkar karega (Quickly leave, otherwise the government will take necessary action),” Adhikari said.

Referring to the gathering at the border point while directing officials to ensure that those present are sent back to their country at the earliest.

“We do not want to feed them in jails or waste public money on them. This is actually harming the Indians, especially in West Bengal.

The law was there, but was not utilised by a few people (by the previous government) for vote bank politics. We will implement this for the sake of the country and the state,” he said.

Large bags, rolled-up blankets and plastic sheets had returned to the Hakimpur border crossing on Tuesday, reviving a scene that had briefly unsettled West Bengal’s political landscape last winter during the SIR exercise.

Men, women and children sat in clusters under makeshift covers, waiting for their names to be called and for permission to cross over into Bangladesh.

For many in West Bengal’s border areas, the visuals felt like a replay.

The “reverse exodus” of undocumented migrants, first witnessed during the voter roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in November last year, appears to have resurfaced after the state’s newly installed BJP government initiated its “detect, delete and deport” drive.At Hakimpur in North 24 Parganas’ Basirhat subdivision, more than 200 alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators were found waiting over the last two days for a call from BSF personnel at the checkpoint so they could return to their country across the border.

Carrying trolleys, utensils and bundles, they presented reminders of lives packed in haste and uncertainty.

“This reverse exodus started in November last year. Early this year, the numbers had gone down, but over the last two days they have risen significantly.”

“We are following necessary procedures and are in touch with our counterparts in Bangladesh,” a senior BSF official said.BSF personnel indicated that many arriving at Hakimpur were voluntarily approaching authorities seeking repatriation.

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PTI

AIZAWL, May 26: The Mizoram government will introduce a comprehensive new land law aimed at over-hauling the state’s land administration system to meet the changing needs and administrative requirements, a minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, state Land Revenue and Settlement Minister B Lalchhanzova said that “The Mizoram (Land Revenue) Bill, 2026” is currently being drafted to replace the existing Mizoram (Land Revenue) Act, 2013, which no longer adequately addresses evolving administrative and legal challenges.

“Since the existing law requires extensive revisions in view of changing times and administrative needs, a new legislation – The Mizoram Land Revenue Act, 2026 – is currently being prepared and is expected to be completed within this year,” the minister said.

Settlement Minister B Lalchhanzova also said that the state government is undertaking sweeping reforms in land administration, digitisation and revenue generation, with the state aiming to raise around Rs 100 crore annually from stamp duty and registration within the next five to six years. (PTI)

PTI

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, EAM S Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a joint press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NAGAON, May 26: A suspected robber was allegedly killed in a gunfight with the police in Assam’s Nagaon district in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said. Nagaon SSP Partha Protim Das said police had received specific intelligence inputs about a group of robbers allegedly planning another heist in the district. “A team from Nagaon police station launched an operation at Borkandali-Mikipar village in the Rangaloo patrol post area,” he told reporters. Five suspected robbers attempted to flee after spotting the police team. During the chase, one of the suspects allegedly opened fire on the personnel. “In exercise of the lawful right of self-defence, police retaliated with controlled firing, injuring the suspect. He was immediately taken to Nagaon Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” the SSP said. (PTI)

THE SHILLONG TIMES / 2026-05-27, 7, Shillong

(The Conversation)

Across the world, air pollution is associated with more early deaths than any other environmental exposure, raising risks of dying from lung cancer, respiratory infection, heart and lung disease and other causes.

Even in Canada, where air pollution is generally considered a low risk, more than 17,000 early deaths and over USD 140 billion in economic damages each year are linked to it.

Pollution from heavy industry or wildfires, for example, can make outdoor air so polluted that it poses immediate health risks. Climate change can worsen air quality as changes to temperature, winds and rainfall enhance emissions, accelerate their transformation and allow them to build up to unhealthy levels.

In our recently published research, my colleagues and I estimated that, by 2100, 100 million Americans could breathe unhealthy air in the summer, seven times more than in 2000. Without action to keep the air clean, these people would face a regular choice of taking steps to protect themselves, like staying inside, or face higher risks of illness and death.

Growing health risks

Our findings are based on models of the global economy, climate, atmosphere and health. Our approach can leave out factors that could make the situation better or worse.

We modelled how climate change could affect air quality alerts and health risks, finding they could double for sensitive groups. Alerts are rare for most people living in Canada or the United States.

However, alert thresholds are lower for sensitive groups, reflecting their higher risks in relatively clean air. Many groups are considered “at risk” from air pollution, including infants and young children, seniors, pregnant people and those with underlying health conditions such as heart and lung disease, cancer, diabetes and mental illness. People who work or exercise outdoors are also at higher risk.

If people follow alert guidance, they reduce exposure to outdoor air pollution. We find that the health benefits of staying inside during an alert are similar regardless of which pollutant causes it. Seniors above age 65 receive higher benefits each day they adapt, as do young adults aged 18-35 – more than 45 times higher on average.

Everyone, especially sensitive groups, can protect themselves by tracking the air quality in their area and following associated guidance. That guidance usually involves limiting strenuous activity outdoors, keeping indoor air clean and, potentially, wearing a well-fitting N95 or P99 mask for high levels of particles or smoke.

Currently, relatively few people are aware of air quality alerts, and fewer comply. Around 15 to 20 per cent of Americans take some steps to reduce their exposure at least once per year.

Compliance is difficult for many who lack the resources to adapt their behaviour, even when they’re aware of alerts. For example, outdoor workers and people experiencing homelessness may have limited access to clean indoor spaces.

Climate change and deregulation

The effect of climate change on air quality could be more serious than we show because we did not simulate changes to wildfires. In Canada, wildfire smoke is the largest contributor of the most harmful pollutant, fine particulate matter.

Climate change contributes to increased wildfires, like the 2023 season that made Canadian cities some of the most polluted in North America and led to multiple record-breaking particulate pollution in the US.

Our work did not assume anything about future environmental policy or deregulation that could move emissions up or down.

Climate change could erode the air quality gains of the past 50 years of regulation, cutting them in half. So could deregulation of the American fossil-fuel industry, which releases pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter.

We found, instead, that policies to keep climate change from reaching dangerous levels could halt the rise in alerts at mid-century and avoid most of the rise in health risks.

Regardless, equitably protecting health from poor air quality will require action to reduce the emissions that cause air pollution and climate change, as well as boosting people’s ability to protect themselves through adaptation.

If poor air and alerts become common, then improving the air tightness, ventilation and filtration of buildings and access to clean indoor spaces becomes more important as a long-term adaptation measure.

(PTI) GANGTOK, May 26: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday visited the Ridge Park Orchidarium here on the first day of her three-day visit to Sikkim.

During her tour of the orchidarium, she was introduced to the diverse varieties of orchids, including 507 species found across the state, along with cultural symbols such as ‘Thunpa Puen Zhi’ (the four harmonious friends).

A key highlight of the visit was Cymbidium Namo, a unique orchid species named in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The visit highlights Sikkim’s rich Buddhist heritage, cultural legacy, and spiritual traditions,” CM Tamang said.