bengaluru l friday l november 15, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 52 l late city EDITION Developed nations told to honour climate finance pledges at Cop29 $1 tn needed per year to cope with warming A group of developing countries including India told developed nations to honour commitments to provide climate finance during COP talks in Baku Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) said developed nations must not dilute their obligations to provide climate finance under the Paris accords. It comes as a new report by the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance said $1 trillion will be needed every year by 2030 to help developing countries cope with the effects of global warming ■ 1.3 Earth remains on track to get 2.7°C hotter ■ ■ An analysis showed for the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven’t lowered projections for how hot the world will get The Earth remains on a path to be 2.7°Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times by 2100, Climate Action Tracker said The UN climate talks in Baku entered its fourth day on Thursday Degrees celsius is how much the world has warmed since pre-industrial times CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Second edition of the RNG Sahithya Samman today Pa r a m i ta G h o s h @ New Delhi I deally, works of literature should never have to compete, but what would literary prizes be without such competition? The second edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman instituted by The New Indian Express group will on Friday unveil the names of winners across three categories from among some of India’s most exciting voices in fiction and non-fiction. At the ceremony to be held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, a citation, a trophy and a cash prize will be award, ed to each of the three winners. The selection process kicked off in July with a long list of prospective winners based on suggestions and submissions from senior editors from each of TNIE’s 30-plus centres across the country — in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and The Morning Standard and Sunday Standard in Delhi — as well as from publishers. The list was finally whittled down to a shortlist by an internal jury . In the non-fiction category four books were , in the fray — The Day I Became A Runner by Sohini Chattopadhyay The Yellow Sparrow by , Santa Khurai, H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit, and Neerja Chowdhury’s How Prime Ministers Decide. The fiction section had three contenders — Acts of God by Kanan Gill, The Scent of Fallen Stars by Aishwarya Jha and Western Lane by Chetna Maroo. Decisions on these two segments apart, the jury had also the task of zeroing in on one among a shortlist of literary luminaries for a Lifetime Achievement Award, the top honour instituted in the name of the group’s iconic founder Ramnath Goenka by TNIE Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Kumar Sonthalia. Chaired by Pavan K Varma, former Ambassador and author, the external jury consisted of former foreign secretary and writer Vikas Swarup and the popular writer on history Manu S Pillai. They were joined by an internal jury comprising Editor Santwana Bhattacharya and Consulting Editor Ravi Shankar for extensive deliberations. The non-fiction prize, in particular, was most keenly contested and led to a nail-biting finish. Await the names to be unveiled at the award ceremony today! AFSPA back in 6 areas of Manipur Situation continues to be volatile with intermittent firing in parts of the troubled state, says Centre MU K E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi With the situation in Manipur continuing to be grim, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday re-imposed the tough Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas in the Imphal valley after declaring them as disturbed areas. The announcement came on a day when there was no trace of six Meiteis — three women and three children — missing after Monday’s gunfight in Jiribam district that left 10 ‘militants’ dead. The police said search operations were continuing even as political parties joined various organisations in demanding the release of the six captives. Till now, most of Manipur was in the disturbed areas category except for 19 police stations in the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley . The geography of the disturbed areas has now been extended to the jurisdictions of Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Moirang in Bishnupur, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Jiribam police station in five districts. The imposition of AFPSA is warranted to carry out well-coordinated operations to maintain the security situation and contain the activities of insurgent groups there, the ministry said in its notification. A truck damaged after militants set it on fire, in Jiribam district | PTI The ministry said Manipur continues to be volatile with intermittent firing in violence prone areas in the fringe areas of Bishnupur-Churachandpur, Imphal East-Kangpokpi-Imphal West and Jiribam districts. There was active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence. AFSPA empowers officers of the armed forces to “fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death” after giving due warning against “any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area” if they are of the opinion that it is necessary to maintain public order. The law protects officers from prosecution. “No prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act.” Autopsy report The autopsy report of a 31-year-old tribal woman killed in Jiribam district on November 7, revealed that she was subjected to thirddegree torture and suffered 99% burns House panel not to summon Buch for its next meeting PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi glee and green School students, on a visit to the Krishi Mela 2024 at GKVK, enjoy themselves under a short spell of rain in Bengaluru on Children’s Day. The four-day event is on till November 17 | Allen Egenuse J | P2 SIT to further probe D’Cunha report on K’taka Covid scam E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru In a major political development, the Congress government on Thursday indicated its reported plan to prosecute BJP leaders former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and former health minister B Sriramulu for their involvement in the alleged Covid scam in 2020. The cabinet resolved to set up a police Special Investigation Team (SIT) with three officers headed by an IGP to further probe the alleged scam based on Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s report on the alleged misappropriation of funds during the pandemic, which mainly included import of 3 lakh PPE kits at inflated prices from China. SIT to probe six iron ore smuggling cases The Siddaramaiah cabinet on Thursday decided to hand over six cases of smuggling of iron ore to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) refusing to probe them. P4 Recently, a leaked report of the commission reportedly recommended prosecution of Yediyurappa and Sriramulu. But in their reply Yediyurappa and Sr, iramulu stated that they are ready to face any consequences, claiming that they did not commit any mistakes, but had saved m a n y l iv e s d u r i n g t h e pandemic. The government appointed the commission to probe the alleged corruption during the pandemic. A cabinet sub-committee headed by DCM DK Shivakumar examined the commission’s report and presented its views before the cabinet. P4 THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, headed by senior Congress leader K C Venugopal, has decided not to summon Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch for its next meeting on November 19. Buch, who is in the eye of a storm over allegations of conflict of interest raised by US-based short-seller Hindenburg, was asked to appear before the House panel on October 24, but she skipped the meeting at the last hour citing personal reasons. The meeting was postponed after officials informed the PAC about Buch’s inability to attend the meet. Venugopal later said the Sebi chairperson had sought exemption but he denied the request. Although her no-show could be considered as contempt of the Parliamentary panel, Venugopal said the committee took a lenient view on grounds of her being a lady . According to the schedule published on Lok Sabha website, the PAC has decided to call representatives of the Ministry of Coal on the financial scam involving Dewan Housing Finance Corporation for its next meeting on Tuesday It has no mention of summoning . Buch and Sebi officials, though it was widely expected. Venugopal’s move to call Buch last time had sparked a political row after BJP members accused him of taking unilateral decisions. CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE WITH THIS I S S UE 52 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Liquor shops in K’taka to shut on Nov 20 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru In protest against the alleged corruption in the excise department, the Federation of Wine Merchants’ Associations of Karnataka on Thursday announced that there will be no sale of liquor across the state on November 20. “The government is not listening to our demands. We have decided to remain closed on November 20. This will lead to a loss of around Rs 120 crore to the state exchequer,” said general secretary of the federation B Govindaraja Hegde. Hegde told reporters here that all categories of liquor shops will remain closed on November 20. This is to protest against the alleged corruption in the excise department. Members of the federation will stage a demonstration at Freedom Park. “Liquor sellers are being harassed by excise officials for bribes. The sale of illicit liquor in the state has increased. To address the issues within the excise department and fulfil our demands, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should convene a meeting of excise and police officers,” Hegde said. Hegde said that none of the federation members wrote to the governor regarding corruption in the excise department. “The letter was written by an RTI activist. The federation did not mention the alleged Rs 700-crore corruption in the department, which was referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Maharashtra recently This . claim is not true,” he said. Hegde told TNIE that the federation has three major demands -- the government should issue directives to the excise department to stop its interference and unnecessary suspension of licenses, retail liquor sales should yield at least 20% profit, and alcohol consumption should be permitted on CL-2 licensed (retail shops) premises.  P5 12-Page Special Supplement with this Issue Celebrating Karnataka Rajyotsava Kappatagudda now home to 18 mammals Naxals spotted in Malnad?  3 guns seized from house S u b h a s h C h a n d r a N S  @ Kappatgudda (Gadag) Among the 18 species here, 16 are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, highlighting the importance of the Kappatagudda. Spread across 244.15 sq km in Gadag district with 17,872 ha of hills, the team surveyed 138 sq km in Gadag, Mundargi and Shirahatti taluks The SACON study A study by Coimbatore-based Salim Ali Centre for Ornitholo g y and Natural History (SACON) has revealed the existence of rich fauna in Kappatagudda, where some fir ms are now keen on getting mining leases. According to the study, Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary is now home to 18 mammals, including  wolves, hyenas and antelopes. This sanctuary, which witnessed notifications and denotifications  for mining, has now been left undisturbed by A jungle cat spotted in Kappatagudda the state government due to local people’s movement. The study ‘Denotified and notified protected area: Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary and its importance for conservation of mammals in the Deccan Plateau of Karnataka: India’ by Santanu Mahato, Honnavalli N Kumara and S Babu, SACON, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), South India Centre, and others have found rare dryland mammals and endangered birds here. The study stated that the habitat is lost due to diversion of land without assessing its biodiversity and its impact. The team, which studied the region for more than 1,000 days, said there are three major antelopes in the region. “Many landscapes of the Deccan Plateau have been neglected for research for their biodiversity Kappatagudda Wildlife . Sanctuary (WLS) is one among them – neglected due to lack of express read delhi waqf case nato, eu urge china Release AAP MLA, says court ‘No N Korea troops in Ukraine’ New Delhi: A court on Thursday ordered the release of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board case. Special Judge Jitendra Singh said while there is sufficient evidence against Khan to proceed against him, there was no sanction to prosecute him. Brussels: NATO and the EU are ramping up efforts to persuade China to help get North Korea to stop sending troops to Russia to back its war on Ukraine. Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia’s Kursk border region to help beat back Ukrainian forces there, according to assessments. information about its biodiversity and awareness on its importance. Using 20 camera traps for 1,035 nights, we recorded 18 species of mammals  –  antelopes, four-horned antelopes, chinkaras and blackbucks. This is the only place where we have found three species of antelopes,” HN Kumara, principal scientist, Conservation Biology , SACON, who headed the study , told TNIE. The study said blackbucks are confined to the plains, chinkaras to the slopes and four-horned antelopes to hilltops. Chinkaras were found in Karnataka a decade ago.  P5 Dalla Extradition to be sought by India India said it will seek the extradition of Arsh Dalla, the de-facto chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, after his arrest in Canada. He was designated a terrorist by India in 2023 | P9 The ANF squad in Kadegundi at Subbe Gowda’s house Camps set up ANF camps have been set up at Devalekoppa, Kigga and Kerekatte and combing is on in areas of Sringeri taluk. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chikkamagaluru Naxal activities have reappeared in Koppa and Sringeri taluks after a gap of 13 years, triggering panic among the people of Malnad region. The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) has launched combing operations in Koppa and Sringeri taluks. Security has been beefed up in many places in the region. Based on reports that six armed strangers were spotted in remote villages near the forests in Sringeri taluk, the ANF began its combing operations. Two suspects have been tak- en into custody and are being interrogated, according to sources. During one such operation, an ANF squad, based on a tip off, raided the house of Subbe Gowda at Kadegundi village in Koppa taluk, where the naxals reportedly cooked food and ate it. The squad found three single-barrel guns and some cartridges. Naxal teams led by Mundagaru Latha and Jayanna, also known as John, might have visited the house, the sources said. The sources said the ANF members questioned Subbe Gowda in this regard. A case has been registered at Jayapura police station as weapons were recovered during the operation. Wester n Zone IGP Amit Singh and CID ADGP Pranab Mohanty visited the village. Combing operations are being conducted under the guidance of ANF SP Jitendrakumar Dahima, Western Zone IGP Amit Singh and Chikkamagaluru SP Dr Vikram Amathe.