Author: Neel Achary

Indulge in Seafood Wednesdays at Grand Market Pavilion, ITC Royal Bengal

Kolkata’s midweek just got a whole lot more delicious. Grand Market Pavilion at ITC Royal Bengal presents Seafood Wednesday — an immersive culinary journey celebrating the very best the ocean has to offer.

Every Wednesday evening, seafood lovers are invited to explore a magnificent spread of ocean-fresh treasures, from succulent flame-grilled prawns and delicately baked fish to tender squid, scallops, octopus, pomfret, lobster and a host of signature specialities. Each dish is thoughtfully crafted with contemporary flair, drawing inspiration from coastal cuisines around the world.

A highlight of the evening is the exclusive North East Live Counter, where seafood takes centre stage through a distinctive and theatrical presentation that showcases the region’s bold, earthy flavours in an entirely unique way. Rounding out the experience, the counter also features a refreshing selection of seafood salads — light, vibrant and thoughtfully composed to complement the richness of the spread. Adding to this, the other live counters bring their own flair to the table — with skilled chefs grilling a diverse selection of the freshest catches to order, paired with an exciting array of signature sauces that add depth, character and a touch of adventure to every bite.

Seafood Wednesdays are available every Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, until 30th June 2026.

CCI Projects Pvt Ltd Completes 85 Lakh Kg Temperature-Controlled Concrete Pour Covering 3,400 Cubic Metres

Mumbai, May 28: Demonstrating exceptional engineering precision and execution excellence, CCI Projects Pvt Ltd has successfully completed a massive 3,400 cubic metre temperature-controlled concrete pour for the raft foundation of Rivali Park 2’s new tower, marking a significant construction milestone for their ambitious mega-project Skyleap.

The operation involved pouring of nearly 8,500 metric tonnes, equivalent to approximately 85 lakh kilograms of temperature-controlled concrete through a meticulously coordinated effort spanning three shifts daily.

The achievement stands as a testament to the scale, complexity and technical sophistication of the project, requiring weeks of detailed planning, preparation and cross-functional coordination. More than 1,000 metric tonnes of reinforcement steel were cut, bent and tied for the raft foundation prior to the pour.

Speaking on the milestone, Rohan Khatau, Director, CCI Projects said,

“This achievement reflects the extraordinary planning, teamwork and commitment demonstrated by our teams, consultants and contractor partners. Executing a continuous temperature-controlled pour of this scale over multiple days requires an exceptional level of coordination, technical expertise and on-ground discipline. We are proud of this collective effort that has enabled us to achieve an important milestone successfully.”

To ensure structural integrity and maintain precise thermal conditions during execution, the team deployed advanced temperature-control and monitoring mechanisms, including:

·Extensive mock-up trials prior to execution

·Use of ice to regulate initial concrete temperature

·Embedded sensors to continuously monitor thermal variations

·Protective coverings to shield the concrete from external heat

·Smog guns to create mist and reduce ambient temperature during pouring

The operation was seamlessly while parallel construction and external development works continued across Rivali Park 2’s other towers. 

From AI in New Zealand to STEM in Italy: ROI-led choices reshape Indian students’ study-abroad map

National, May 28: Leap Scholar, South Asia’s largest AI-powered study-abroad ecosystem, has released new data showing that Indian students are widening their study-abroad choices by increasingly looking beyond traditional destinations. The data shows rising demand for New Zealand, Italy, Singapore, France and wider Europe, as students evaluate global education through a sharper lens of career outcomes, specialised courses, affordability and long-term ROI.

The shift indicates that destination choice is becoming more strategic. Students are no longer looking only at the most popular countries; they are comparing markets based on what they offer in terms of future-ready courses, employability, lower-cost public university options and post-study value.

A strong example of this shift is New Zealand, where AI-led education is gaining significant traction. The University of Auckland’s Master of AI programme saw demand rise by 33,800% YoY, contributing to the university’s 865% overall growth. This highlights how a sharply positioned programme in a high-demand field can quickly influence destination preference among Indian students.

Singapore is also emerging as a serious contender. It appeared in 26.6% of student conversations, making it the second-most discussed destination after the UK in this dataset. Its proximity to India, strong academic ecosystem and technology-led job market are making it increasingly relevant, though students still need clearer India-specific guidance on costs, jobs, PR pathways and long-term outcomes.

Italy is gaining ground as a fresher-STEM destination. Freshers account for 65.8% of STEM demand, while STEM fields make up 52.9% of all fresher demand for the country. This positions Italy as a strong high-ROI option for Indian engineering and science students, especially due to its lower-cost public university ecosystem.

France is moving beyond its MBA-led perception, recording 541.8% YTD growth, driven by specialised non-management degrees such as MSc Finance and MSc Marketing.

Interest is also building across Europe beyond the UK and Germany, with the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and other destinations appearing in 17.6% of student conversations. However, students continue to seek clarity on tuition, language requirements, work rights, PR pathways and job-market realities.

A separate destination-wise cost comparison for Singapore, France, Italy and New Zealand can also be shared with journalists as background data, for reference and publication at their editorial discretion.

Methodology

This trend report is based on anonymised lead-generation and student-interest data from Leap’s internal database. The insights have been drawn from a relevant subset of students within Leap’s overall database of 1.1 million+ students, filtered basis the specific geography, time period, destination interest, course preference, and student behaviour patterns analysed for this report.

The data has been reviewed to identify directional shifts in study-abroad intent, emerging destination preferences, course-level demand, and student decision-making trends. The report is intended to provide a timely view of how Indian students are evaluating global education opportunities and the factors shaping their choices.

Tata AutoComp and Jahwa Electronics Announce Joint Venture to Drive Advanced Thermal Management Solutions for India’s EV Market

New Delhi, India, May 28: Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd. has entered a joint venture with Korea’s Jahwa Electronics to locally manufacture and supply advanced low-voltage and high-voltage PTC heaters. This partnership leverages Jahwa’s engineering and magnetic material expertise to address the surging demand for efficient thermal management solutions in India’s electric and hybrid vehicle segments. 

This joint venture combines Jahwa Electronics’ high-efficiency thermal technologies with Tata AutoComp’s robust local manufacturing ecosystem, customer relationships, and market leadership. The joint venture positions India as a key strategic hub for Jahwa, leveraging localized low- and high-voltage PTC heaters to tap into booming EV and hybrid investments from global and domestic OEMs. 

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Chanyong Kim, CEO Jahwa Electronics said: “Jahwa Electronics considers it highly meaningful to contribute to the rapidly growing Indian electric vehicle market and infrastructure ecosystem through cooperation with Tata AutoComp. 

By combining Jahwa’s precision component technology with Tata AutoComp’s strong local network and expertise, we aim to provide high-efficiency thermal management solutions optimized for the Indian market. 

“With domestic automakers and global OEMs aggressively scaling investments in electrification, India’s electric and hybrid vehicle markets are expanding rapidly. This is a critical juncture for us to establish a firm market entry foundation as a key supplier of both high-voltage and low-voltage PTCs. Forging this venture with Tata AutoComp is a deeply strategic decision; the Tata Group’s formidable market influence, business scale, and exceptional corporate credibility ensure we secure a stable foothold and drive sustainable growth across the region.” 

Commenting on the joint venture, Mr. Arvind Goel, Vice Chairman, Tata AutoComp Systems said: “This joint venture marks another milestone in Tata AutoComp’s strategy of bringing world-class automotive technologies to India. I am confident that our partnership with Jahwa Electronics, a globally recognized leader in specialty electronic components, will help introduce innovative sustainable solutions to the evolving mobility landscape of India.” 

Tata AutoComp Systems MD & CEO Mr. Manoj Kolhatkar added, “Jahwa Electronics exceptional technological prowess perfectly complements our robust manufacturing ecosystem. This JV is testimony to our vision of value delivery through constant innovation.”

APJ Organisations Losing Millions Annually Due to Workforce Culture and Capability Gaps, Cornerstone Report Finds

SINGAPORE, Thursday, May 28: Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., a global leader in workforce readiness solutions, today announced new research showing that organisations across Asia-Pacific and Japan are losing millions of dollars each year to preventable workforce capability gaps tied to culture.

The report, The Hidden Number: The Economic Value of Culture and Capability, finds that for every 1,000 employees, the cost of unaddressed culture and capability failures is estimated at SGD 1.25 million in Singapore, INR 7.03 million in India, JPY 62.38 million in Japan and AUD 1.64 million in Australia. Notably, around 85% of these costs are tied to retention and absenteeism, pointing to existing teams rather than hiring pipelines as the largest source of workforce cost.

The research measures workforce capability across six pillars to highlight where organisations are losing value and demonstrate how culture and capability investment translates into commercial outcomes. The findings expose a consistent disconnect between how leaders perceive their organisations and how employees actually experience them.

HR leaders across Asia-Pacific and Japan rate their organisations’ workforce capability significantly higher than employees do in every market surveyed, a gap that holds whether the market is high-growth or mature. Researchers warn the disconnect may be distorting strategic decisions on AI investment, restructures and hiring.

Among the report’s findings:

●    APJ HR leaders rate workforce capability at 81.5 out of 100, while employees rate it more than 15 points lower across every market surveyed, a consistent gap regardless of market maturity.

●     Around 85% of the economic cost tied to capability gaps comes from retention and absenteeism rather than hiring inefficiency.

●    AI and Workforce Planning is the most significant blind spot region-wide, with employees reporting far lower confidence in their preparedness for automation and role change than HR leaders assume.

●     Indonesia and India lead the region in HR leader confidence but record the largest disconnects between leadership and employee perceptions.

●     Japan posts the lowest capability maturity score in the region and the weakest employee confidence in AI readiness.

●     Capability gaps widen in larger enterprises, where organisational complexity amplifies disconnects in leadership credibility, workforce planning and internal talent mobility.

The findings echo a separate Cornerstone study recently released, which found that in a survey of 2,000 US and UK employees, 46% reported using AI tools at work without any formal training from their employer, and 65% were building AI skills independently outside of work.The consistent pattern of employees navigating AI adoption without adequate organisational support points to a structural gap in how organisations globally are managing the human side of AI deployment.

 “The most important drivers of performance in modern organisations have historically been invisible. They sit across attrition, lost productivity, delayed hiring, contractor reliance and failed transformation outcomes, but are rarely measured as one workforce lever,” said Brenton Smith, Vice President, Asia-Pacific & Japan at Cornerstone OnDemand.

“This research gives APJ leaders a new way to see their Invisible P&L. The organisations that will outperform over the next five years are those that treat workforce capability as a measurable commercial system, not a soft HR metric.”

To help organisations address these gaps, Cornerstone launched Cornerstone Workforce AI™, the intelligence platform for workforce readiness, designed to deliver the insights leaders want, the skills people need, and AI agents that make action easy.

At its core are the Cornerstone People Graph™ and Cornerstone Skills Engine, which combine to turn two decades of workforce data across 45 million users, terabytes of labour market intelligence, a taxonomy of more than 55,000 skills, over 1 billion workforce profiles, and signals from systems-of-record into an inference layer that powers every decision. 

The rich, dynamic context this creates, coupled with agentic orchestration, makes Cornerstone Workforce AI a powerful ally for organizations who want to deliver strategic outcomes faster and turn continuous workforce readiness into a competitive advantage.

MG Introduces MAJESTOR 4X2 Automatic in India

May 28 : JSW MG Motor India today announced the launch of the much-anticipated MG MAJESTOR, India’s First D+ SUV. Designed for customers who want more from their next SUV, the MAJESTOR combines an imposing road presence, advanced engineering, and enhanced all-terrain capability.

Commenting on the launch, Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, JSW MG Motor India, said,

“The MG MAJESTOR marks a bold addition to our portfolio as India’s first D+ SUV, delivering a powerful blend of performance, premium comfort, advanced technology and superior reliability. With its unmatched dimension, off-road mastery and multiple segment-first features, the MAJESTOR sets new benchmarks and offers a truly differentiated value proposition in the Indian SUV landscape.”

The MAJESTOR is engineered for true SUV performance. Its twin-turbo diesel engine delivers best-in-class 215.5 PS and 478.5 Nm torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission in both 2WD and advanced 4WD. The intelligent 4WD system offers 10 off-road modes, seamlessly balancing everyday efficiency with rugged capability. In Auto Mode, it runs in 2WD under normal conditions and instantly switches to 4WD when traction is lost  ideal for rain, snow, or slippery surfaces.

Strengthening its off-road credentials, the MAJESTOR is the first in its segment to feature front, rear, and centre differential locks, enabling recovery even when wheels lose traction. With Crawl Control Mode, 219 mm ground clearance, and 810 mm water wading capacity, it is built to conquer the toughest terrains with durability and reliability.

With a commanding 2950 mm wheelbase, the MAJESTOR stands unmatched at 5046 mm length, 2016 mm width, and 1870 mm height. Its Mosaic Matrix Grille, Dragon Eyes DRLs, Tri-beam headlamps, connected LED tail lamps, raised hood line, and 19-inch alloys create a bold yet refined presence.

Inside, the cabin offers a black-themed sanctuary with plush leather, ventilated and massaging seats (12-way driver, 8-way passenger), panoramic sunroof, 64-colour ambient lighting, and three-zone AC. Available in 6- or 7-seater configurations, it integrates dual 12.3-inch displays, wireless Android

Auto/Apple CarPlay, 12 JBL surround-sound speakers, dual wireless chargers, a 220V outlet, and 75+ iSMART-connected features for a tech-forward drive.

Safety is a core pillar of the MAJESTOR. Equipped with Level 2 ADAS, it provides assisted steering, braking, and acceleration. Additional features include a 360° HD camera, ESP with ABS, EBD, TCS, and RMI, ensuring confidence and control in every drive. The MAJESTOR is available in four colour options – Pearl White, Concrete Grey, Metal Black, and Metal Ash.

The MG MAJESTOR comes with the unique car ownership program “MG SHIELD. Through this program, MAJESTOR customers will avail the various after-sales benefits, including a three-year warranty with unlimited kilometers, three years of Roadside Assistance, and three labour-free periodic services. The owners can also customise their coverage by extending the warranty or roadside assistance or opting for the Protect plans, the company’s pre-paid maintenance packages for added peace-of-mind and stress-free ownership experience. Additionally, MG offers an assured buyback program that provides up to 70% buyback value.