Rush Hour: Airlines to make 60% seats free of selection charge, Assam Congress MP joins BJP and more
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The Union government directed airlines to allocate a minimum of 60% of the seats on every flight without selection charges to ensure fair access. Airlines are also required to seat passengers travelling on the same Passenger Name Record together “preferably in adjacent seats”, according to the orders issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Additionally, airlines have been instructed to make the process of transporting sports equipment and musical instruments more transparent and passenger-friendly. They were further told to publish clear policies on the carriage of pets. Read on.
A day after quitting the Congress in the run-up to Assam Assembly elections, Pradyut Bordoloi joined the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Bordoloi is one of the Congress’ three Lok Sabha MPs from Assam.
He stated that he made the decision as he had felt humiliated on certain matters. The Congress described his resignation as “very unfortunate”.
Before he resigned, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had invited Bordoloi to join the BJP, though he claimed that there had been no direct communication between them. Read on.
Israel claimed that it killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib in an airstrike in Tehran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised the country’s military to “[eliminate] any senior Iranian figure…without the need for additional approval”.
Oil prices fell by more than $2 per barrel after the Iraqi government and the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq reached an agreement to resume oil exports through Turkey’s Ceyhan port.
Later in the day, Iranian officials said that a part of the refineries in Asaluyeh, linked to the South Pars gas field, was “hit by a projectile” fired by the Israeli-United States forces.
Earlier, the US said that it dropped several 5,000-pound, or 2,250 kg, bombs on Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Read on.
The Allahabad High Court said the state must ensure that security is provided to persons facing threats for congregating to hold prayers at private properties in Uttar Pradesh. The bench added that Article 25 of the Constitution protects the right to congregate for worship for every religious group.
However, the provision does not accord protection to the incitement of one faith by another in the garb of prayer, it added. The court also said that congregating for prayer is a facet of the Abrahamic faiths. Read on.
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