“No disruption is expected for homes and vehicles [using piped gas]. The government has given priority to these two sectors,” says Rahul Chopra, managing director for the Haryana City Gas Distribution Limited, a countrywide gas company with around 100,000 domestic consumers and 195 CNG fuel stations.
NEW DELHI: Airlines will now have to offer at least 60% seats “on any flight” without any selection charge and passengers travelling on the same PNR — who are usually family members or the travelling in a group — will need to be seated together, “preferably on adjacent seats,” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Wednesday issued these passenger-friendly directives, in a bid to address one of the biggest grouses of air travellers.Now, airlines have been asked to make available “minimum 60% of seats on any flight to be allocated free of charge to ensure fair access” and that “passengers travelling on the same PNR to be seated together, preferably on adjacent seats.How this is implemented remains to be seen as pre-booked seats can affect availability of passengers travelling on same PNR being seated together. The issue of people travelling in groups being seated separately if they do not pay extra for seat selection has been irking travellers across the world and not just in India. The US, for instance, has been grappling with this issue for years.Then US President Joe Biden had on February 5, 2023, said on X (former Twitter): “Some airlines charge extra to pick your seat, including for parents who want to sit next to their child on a plane. Congress should pass the Junk Fee Protection Act so we can crack down on these fees and give hard-working Americans just a little bit more breathing room.” In April 2024, the DGCA had mandated that airlines will have to ensure that young children are seated with at least one of their parents or guardians on flights without being required to pay extra for seat selection charge if travelling on the same PNR (booking reference). Following numerous complaints from passengers travelling in groups about being seated separately — especially from their children — if they choose not to pay extra for seat selection, the DGCA had two years back issued this directive to airlines: “Airlines shall ensure that children upto the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained.”Also read: Iran confirms death of national security chief Ali Larijani, president Pezeshkian offers condolences
Going a step ahead for protecting consumer rights, the regulator has now directed that “carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments (should) be facilitated in a transparent and passenger-friendly manner, subject to applicable safety and operational regulations. Airlines shall also bring out clear, transparent policies for carriage of pets.” The DGCA has called for “strict adherence to passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations and denied boarding; prominent display of passenger rights across airline websites, mobile applications, booking platforms, and airport counters; and clear communication of passenger entitlements in regional languages to ensure wider accessibility and awareness.”In a statement issued Wednesday, the aviation ministry said it “remains committed to enhancing passenger experience, ensuring transparency, reducing grievances and upholding the highest standards of safety across the aviation ecosystem.”
-1773810366637_d.png?w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "Senegal has been stripped of their AFCON title months after a historic win")
-1773810366637_d.png "Senegal has been stripped of their AFCON title months after a historic win")
Senegal`s triumph was overturned in an extraordinary verdict, and Morocco has been crowned the Africa Cup of Nations champions. In January, Senegal defeated the Atlas Lions 1-0 in a game marred by intense controversy and utter turmoil.
Months later, Senegal have now been adjudged to have forfeited the match when they walked off the pitch in protest at a penalty that was awarded to Morocco following a VAR check.
Senegalese manager Pape Thiaw gave his team the order to leave the ground in protest as Real Madrid star Diaz came up to take the spot. Despite his manager`s orders, Captain Mane encouraged the players to take the pitch again.
Sadio Mane ordered his Senegal teammates to return to the pitch, following a 16-minute delay, and the penalty was missed by Brahim Diaz. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, denounced the actions of certain Senegalese players and coaching staff after the game, calling them “unacceptable scenes.”
However, the ruling states that Senegal’s actions caused them to throw the match with Morocco, now declared the winners
According to a statement from CAF, the CAF appeal board upheld an appeal filed by Morocco`s football association. Although Senegal is reportedly already pursuing legal alternatives and may potentially file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation released a statement immediately after the ruling.
“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has taken note of the decision issued by the CAF Appeals Committee. The Federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations,” the statement said.
“The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions.. It also wishes to commend all the nations that took part in this edition of the AFCON, which has been a major moment for African football. The Federation will make an official statement tomorrow, after convening its governing bodies,” the statement added.
With this decision, Morocco have legally secured their second AFCON title and their first triumph since 1976.
We have all known Taylor Swift as the ‘queen of heartfelt songs,’ bangs, and effortless style. But now, she can also claim the title of the ‘queen of low key appearances’. Although the blonde beauty did not attend the 98th Academy Awards, she was seen dodging the paparazzi at Jay Z and Beyonce’s after party. According to Harper’s Bazaar, Taylor Swift shimmered in a long golden dress and paired it with red bottomed sandals. Although no photos of the star were captured, a shot of her legs has been circulating on the internet, which was enough to prove it. Swifties later confirmed it was their favourite star. Yes, they can spot her anywhere. The official confirmation came from filmmaker Natalie Musteata, who confirmed that she spent time with Taylor inside the event. The filmmaker who had been enjoying the success of winning an award for Best Live Action Short Film for ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva.’ Meeting Swift added to her happiness. “We got to dance with Jay-Z and Emma Stone and Taylor Swift,” Natalie told The New Yorker in an interview published March 16. “We took photos, we laughed, we cried, and it was just the best evening. We didn’t want it to end.”But this is not the first time that Taylor has tactfully dodged the paparazzi. Her
Taylor Swift’s love for all things low-key isn’t limited to her public appearances only. Her love for minimalism has extended to her beauty, fashion and album launches.
2. Although, the ‘Blank Space’ singer did not join her friends for the Grammys 2026, she stepped out for the Grammys after-party on February 1st. E! News reported that Taylor made a low key appearance at the after party sporting a long-sleeved black top with a scoop neckline. She paired the outfit with layered gold necklaces and chose to keep her hair straight. She finally tied the look with her signature red lip. 3. Taylor Swift’s love for low key appearances is not limited to after parties alone. Even the launch of her album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ happened on a British breakfast radio, away from the spotlight. Speaking to The Guardian, Taylor revealed that she wanted to connect with the British audience better and hence chose this pathway. 4. It would not be wrong to say that Taylor Swift’s low key approach to the limelight reflects in her fashion sense as well. Following her breakup with actor Joe Alwyn in 2023, the Grammy award winning star gave hashtag revenge dressing a minimalist approach. She stepped out for dinner sporting a casual look. Vogue reported that she was seen sporting a pair of grey-wash Agolde jeans with a criss-cross waistband and a black T-shirt with a buttoned V-neckline. She ditched her usual heels, and tied the look with a pair of combat boots. 5. Taylor Swift’s love for all things low key reflects in how she views make up also. People magazine reported that Taylor did her own makeup and hair for the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. The Grammy award winning star was dressed in Stella McCartney from head to toe. She sported a sparkling, burgundy turtleneck and tan trousers with twining burgundy detailing. She completed the look with black heels and pulled her curly hair back into a low bun. The cherry on the cake were her muted coral lips and the minimal makeup base.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova dazzled at the recent Vanity Fair Oscars Party in Los Angeles, USA. The 38-year-old Russian oozed elegance, sporting a white, frilly, low-cut dress, while reportedly mingling with Hollywood stars and singing sensations, including the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Jane Fonda, Bella Hadid, and Dua Lipa.
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The 98th Academy Awards saw its TV audience shrink further by 9% as compared to the previous year, newly released ratings have revealed. The Oscars, held on Sunday and broadcast on ABC in the US, drew fewer viewers, with a ceremony short on upsets or controversies.
The annual film industry gala, regarded as Hollywood’s biggest night, was watched by 17.9 million people, down 9.1% from 2025, according to Nielsen ratings. This comes after the 2025 Oscars had an audience of 19.7 million viewers. This was a five-year high, which many called a resurgence of the Oscars after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it appeared that the 2025 peak was a false dawn as the numbers dwindled again this year.
Hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the event was carried on Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network and its Hulu streaming service as part of a deal that runs through 2028.
The TV viewership of the Oscars has fallen way below its all-time high in the 90s, when figures routinely topped 50 million. In 1998, the all-time record was set at 57 million viewers, more than three times the number in 2026. This has been due to a combination of diminishing interest in the awards as a whole and a migration of many viewers to streaming platforms.
This probably justifies the Oscars moving to the internet from TV starting in 2029. From 2029, the ceremony will air globally on Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube streaming platform.
One of the biggest reasons for a low interest in the Oscars this year was the absence of surprises in the ceremony. Most of the top prizes, barring Best Actor, seemed to have had clear favourites weeks before the ceremony. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another was expected to dominate, and it did, winning six awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Its main competition, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, had broken the Academy Awards record with 16 nominations and also won big, taking home four statuettes, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan triumphing over Timothee Chalamet in the Best Actor category was the only highlight of an otherwise predictable evening. Even host Conan O’Brien played it safe in his monologue, and the program was spared the political commentaries and other snafus that have generated controversy in the past.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
Television actor Parth Samthaan has addressed ongoing speculation surrounding his show Seher Hone Ko Hai, firmly denying rumours about a major storyline leap and a possible change in its broadcast timing.
Reports had recently suggested that the show was preparing to take a two-year leap, which would significantly alter the narrative. According to these claims, the storyline would see the lead characters Seher and Mahid drifting apart before eventually reuniting after the time jump, introducing a fresh romantic arc. There were also widespread assumptions that the show might shift from its current 10 pm slot to an earlier prime-time slot of 8:30 pm.
The speculation gained traction after an Instagram page shared a detailed “theory” about the show’s upcoming track. The post also linked the supposed timing change to Parth’s own social media activity, where he had earlier posted a story mentioning “8:30 pm,” leading fans to connect the dots and assume a schedule shift.
However, Parth was quick to shut down these claims. Responding directly to the viral post, the actor dismissed the rumours and wrote, “Achi thi aapki theory, par poori theory galat hai, next time pls confirm from the right sources (sic).” This blunt response made it clear that the circulating storyline and timing changes were inaccurate.
Despite his clarification, the actor did not elaborate on what exactly lies ahead for the show. As a result, it remains uncertain whether there will be any leap at all or if the current schedule will continue unchanged. So far, there has been no official confirmation from the makers regarding any shift in timing or a major narrative jump.
The rumours had originally picked up momentum due to fan theories and online discussions, especially amid the show’s ongoing buzz and controversies related to its storyline. With audiences closely following every update, even minor social media hints have been enough to trigger widespread speculation.
For now, Parth’s statement serves as the only direct response to these claims, urging fans not to rely on unverified sources. Until the makers release an official update, viewers will have to wait and watch to see how the story unfolds in the coming episodes.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is exploring ways to compensate Jasprit Bumrah after a ₹2 crore gap emerged following the board’s decision to scrap the A+ category from the annual players’ retainership system. According to a report in The Times of India, the board is now likely to revisit the valuation structure to ensure that consistent performers are fairly rewarded.
The A+ category was removed due to a lack of multi-format players who could justify the top pay grade. That decision directly impacted Bumrah, who had been a permanent fixture in the highest bracket since the 2018–19 season. While the BCCI is yet to officially disclose the revised contract values, under the previous structure, A+ players earned ₹7 crore annually, while Grade A, B and C players received ₹5 crore, ₹3 crore and ₹1 crore respectively. Notably, even the players are currently unaware of the updated valuations.
The A+ bracket traditionally included only those cricketers who were regulars across all three formats. However, following the T20I retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah was the lone player fitting that criteria. According to the report, this created a structural imbalance, eventually leading to the category being scrapped altogether. As a result, despite being an all-format mainstay, Bumrah has now been pushed down to Grade A, where he is grouped with Jadeja and India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill.
“The board is trying to figure out how Bumrah can be compensated. It is understandable that it will be unfair to slash his fees from ₹7 crore to ₹5 crore. There are some other players also who seem to have moved down a grade despite being performers. There could be a revision in the valuation of the contracts,” a BCCI source told TOI.
Bumrah is not the only player affected by the reshuffle. T20I vice-captain Axar Patel, who has been a key figure in India’s white-ball setup over the past season, has reportedly been placed in the B category, previously valued at ₹3 crore. Meanwhile, players like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj have also found themselves in the same bracket despite being regulars in at least two formats.
With growing concerns around pay parity and performance-based recognition, the BCCI’s next move on contract restructuring could set a significant precedent for how India values its all-format and multi-format players going forward.
The US defence secretary designated the AI company a ‘supply chain risk’ after it refused to remove guardrails on its technology.
Published On 18 Mar 2026
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has said in a court filing that the Pentagon’s blacklisting of Anthropic was justified and lawful, opposing the artificial intelligence company’s high-stakes lawsuit challenging the decision.
The administration made its comments in a court filing on Tuesday.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic, the maker of popular AI assistant Claude, a national security supply chain risk on March 3 after the company refused to remove guardrails against its technology being used for autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance.
The Trump administration’s filing says Anthropic is unlikely to succeed in its claims that the US government’s action violated speech protections under the US Constitution’s First Amendment, asserting that the dispute stems from contract negotiations and national security concerns, not retaliation.
“It was only when Anthropic refused to release the restrictions on the use of its products — which refusal is conduct, not protected speech — that the President directed all federal agencies to terminate their business relationships with Anthropic,” the administration’s legal filing said. The filing, from the US Justice Department, said that “no one has purported to restrict Anthropic’s expressive activity”.
Anthropic’s lawsuit in California federal court asks a judge to block the Pentagon’s decision while the case plays out. Some legal experts say the company appears to have a strong case that the government overreached.
In a statement, Anthropic said it was reviewing the government’s filing. The company said that “seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has backed Hegseth’s move, which excludes Anthropic from a limited set of military contracts. But it could damage the company’s reputation and cause billions of dollars in losses this year, according to its executives.
The designation came after months of negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic reached an impasse, prompting Trump and Hegseth to denounce the company and accuse it of endangering American lives with its use restrictions.
Anthropic has disputed those claims and said AI is not yet safe enough to be used in autonomous weapons. The company said it opposes domestic surveillance as a matter of principle.
In its March 9 lawsuit, Anthropic said that the “unprecedented and unlawful” designation violated its free speech and due process rights, while running afoul of a law requiring federal agencies to follow specific procedures when making decisions.
The Pentagon separately designated Anthropic a supply chain risk under a different law that could expand the order to the entire government.
Anthropic is challenging that move in a second lawsuit in a Washington, DC, appeals court.
Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx has expressed his admiration for the Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan. The Django Unchained has shared that he is beyond proud of the Sinners actor for his Oscar win.
The 58-year-old award-winning actor shared several posts to social media congratulating the 39-year-old after Jordan thanked Foxx in his acceptance speech at the 2026 Oscars, reports ‘People’ magazine.
“I can barely breathe right now, you were absolutely incredible in this film”, Jamie Foxx shared as the caption to an Instagram video, showing the moment Adrien Brody announced Jordan won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Sinners. He applauded Jordan as an “amazing actor, an amazing director, truly all of the above”.
He further mentioned, “Honestly, you deserve two Oscars for this one. When I sat down to watch the movie, I already knew it was going to be special the moment I saw a pair of Jordans on screen. Then the first line, ‘Are you guys twins?’ and you hit us with, ‘No… we cousins’, man, I was locked in from there”.
As per ‘People’, in the film, directed by Ryan Coogler, Jordan played twins Smoke and Stack. A second post by Foxx was a clip of Jordan, who became the sixth Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor in the ceremony’s 98-year history, onstage thanking those who came before him.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me, Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith”, Jordan said during the televised event. “And to be amongst those giants, amongst those great greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody in this room and everybody at home, for supporting me over my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me”.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Timothee Chalamet and Wagner Moura were also nominated for Best Actor.
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