Centre losing ₹2.2L cr in 2 fuel duty cuts: FM Nirmala Sitaraman

HT Daily News Wrap

Delhi was lashed by early morning rain and strong winds, PM Modi arrived in Tokyo to attend the second in-person Quad leaders’ summit, Centre losing ₹2.2L cr in 2 fuel duty cuts: FM Nirmala Sitharaman and other top news in this bulletin.
Delhi was lashed by early morning rain and strong winds on Monday, which led to power cuts in some parts. Air traffic has been affected, the airport body has said. The India Meteorological Department has predicted thunderstorms in the city and the NCR (near capital region) will continue, accompanied by gusty winds with speed of 60-90 km per hour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tokyo early on Monday to attend the second in-person Quad leaders’ summit. The prime minister has a hectic schedule for the next two days as he meets Joe Biden, newly-elected Australia PM Anthony Albanese and the host – Japan’s Fumio Kishida. This will be the new Australian PM’s first Quad meet just a day after his swearing-in. The revenue loss of ₹2.2 lakh crore due to two rounds of duty cuts on petrol and diesel will be borne entirely by the central government, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday, refuting accusations by the Opposition that the reductions were made on the portion of levies that is shared with the states. The United Nations AIDS agency on Sunday called some reporting on the monkeypox virus racist and homophobic, warning of exacerbating stigma and undermining the response to the growing outbreak. UNAIDS said “a significant proportion” of recent monkeypox cases have been identified among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. But transmission is most likely via close physical contact with a monkeypox sufferer and could affect anyone, it added, saying some portrayals of Africans and LGBTI people “reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma”. Actor Kareena Kapoor, who is currently shooting in Darjeeling, shared a video as she enjoyed French fries with her co-star Vijay Varma. Taking to Instagram, Kareena posted a video in which she enjoyed the snacks in the ‘freezing’ hill station. As the video started, a plate full of french fries was seen on a red chair. Three hands, those of Kareena, Vijay Varma and their hair and makeup artist Pompy Hans were seen on the plate. KL Rahul will be leading India when they return to action in the T20I series against South Africa starting June 9, while Cheteshwar Pujara is back in the Test squad for the fifth and final Test of the series against England, scheduled to take place between July 1-5 in Edgbaston. The T20I squad features maiden India call-up for pace sensation Umran Malik, who has set the Indian Premier League on fire for Sunrisers Hyderabad.