Republic Top 10 Headlines: Petrol & diesel prices rise; Third COVID wave update & more

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Talks To Rebel Partap Singh Bajwa Ahead Of Sonia Gandhi Meet

In yet another twist in Punjab politics, CM Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday met with rebel MP Partap Singh Bajwa at his Chandigarh residence amid an internal tussle. Sources report that the CM travelled in a private car without his cavalcade to Bajwa's house. Bajwa and Singh have been butting heads since 2016 when Bajwa lost the Punjab Congress chief post to Singh in 2016. This key meeting comes two days before Congress chief Sonia Gandhi takes a final call on the tussle.

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Twitter India MD Gets UP Police Notice Over Ghaziabad Incident FIR; Summoned Within 7 Days

In a big development, the Uttar Pradesh Police has sent a notice to Twitter MD Manish Maheshwari in connection with the viral video of an elderly man. Trouble ensued after some prominent personalities claimed on Twitter that the man in question- Abdul Samad Saifi was not just assaulted with his beard being forcibly cut but also asked to chant slogans such as Jai Shri Ram. 

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Petrol & Diesel Prices Rise Again: Check Fuel Rates In All Major Cities On June 18

In recent times, the prices of petrol and diesel have hiked 15 times in the month of May. Responding to the price hike, Union Minister for Petroleum, Dharmendra Pradhan, said, "I accept that fuel prices are pinching consumers, there's no doubt about this. But over Rs 35,000 crore has been spent on COVID vaccines in a year. In such dire times, we're saving money to spend on welfare schemes. 

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PM Modi Eclipses Joe Biden & Boris Johnson In New Approval Ratings Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Amid rumblings over the Centre's handling of the second COVID-19 wave, a US-based data intelligence firm has found that PM Modi's approval ratings remain higher than most world leaders. As per Morning Consult, a survey entailing 2126 adults in India showed that 66% of persons approved of him as against 28% of respondents who indicated their disapproval. The sample is representative of the literate population in the country.

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Jharkhand Preps For Possible Third Wave Of COVID-19, To Ramp Up Health Infrastructure

On Thursday, June 16, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren reviewed health infrastructure which is being upgraded across the state. He held a discussion with experts to prepare for the possible third wave of COVID. As per a statement, Soren had regular conversations with experts and doctors from across the country to understand the nature, impact and preparations needed to fight against the anticipated third wave. 

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AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan Slams BJP For Politics Over Rohingyas; Demands Refuge From Centre

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan on Thursday responded to the reports of several Rohingya camps that have been set up in the national capital and Uttar Pradesh. Responding to the allegations against him, Amanatullah Khan stated that the Rohingyas near Kalindi Kunj have settled there since 2008. He asserted that neither him nor his party, AAP was responsible for the Rohingyas who settled there. 

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After Suvendu Adhikari, Swapan Dasgupta Seeks Mukul Roy's Resignation From Bengal Assembly

Echoing Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta called for BJP-turned-TMC MLA Mukul Roy's resignation from the Assembly. Maintaining that his defection was a part of politics, Dasgupta reminded Roy that he had resigned from Rajya Sabha in 2017 before joining the BJP. Mukul Roy and his son returned to Trinamool after a 4-year BJP term, triggering a possible return of several TMC turncoats after BJP's Bengal loss.   

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Congress Upbeat Even As Raut Hints At Sena-NCP Tie-up; Says 'joined Govt Only To Stop BJP'

The unease in MVA continued as Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole responded to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's barb on the Sonia Gandhi-led party's desire to go solo in the next Assembly election. Sanjay Raut had told the media on Thursday, "A friend in Maha Vikas Aghadi, state Congress chief Nana Patole said that they'll contest polls alone. T

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'Possible Third Wave Of COVID Unlikely To Affect Children Much': WHO-AIIMS Joint Survey

After months of mulling over any forthcoming waves of COVID-19, a survey on Thursday revealed that the third wave of the viral infection is unlikely to affect children much. As per the survey, which was conducted in five selected states with a total sample size of 10,000 by the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the uninfected children were seen developing antibodies better than the uninfected adults, and thus, it is observed that virus variant is unlikely to disproportionately affect children as opposed to adults. 

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China Slams US Probe Into COVID Origins; Compares It With 'lie That Started Iraq War'

With the US mounting pressure on China seeking a probe into the COVID-19 lab leak theory, China's ambassador to France on Thursday hit out at the Biden administration for 'milking washing powder lie that helped it start the Iraq War.' In an interview with French newspaper L’Opinion, Ambassador Lu Shaye claimed that Washington was initiating a 'modus operandi' against China similar to the one that it had used to wage war against Iraq in 2003 by peddling the virus lab leak theory.

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