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NEW DELHI: A Delhi-bound air ambulance with seven people, including two crew members, on board crashed shortly after take off from Ranchi on Monday night. The Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) belonging to Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd (not the pilot training academy) had gotten airborne at 7.11 pm. It is learnt just after climbing to 6,000 feet, the pilots contacted Kolkata air traffic control to request “weather deviation” — meaning they wanted to change course to avoid bad weather. However, the 39-year-old plane crashed soon thereafter.The aircraft operating a “medical evacuation (air ambulance) flight on Ranchi-Delhi sector crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand. There were seven persons on board including two crew members. The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 7.11 pm. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 7.34 pm, aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi. District Administration search and rescue team is at the location and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team is being dispatched for investigation,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA said in a preliminary statement.According to the flight manifest, the aircraft had a patient (Sanjay Kumar), doctor (Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta), paramedic (Sachin Kumar Mishra), two attendants (Archana Devi & Dhuru Kumar) and two pilots — Captains Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh — on board. It was expected to arrive in Delhi at 10 pm.This is the second crash within a month involving small aircraft and raises serious question marks on aviation safety in India. On Jan 28, Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others had died in a plane crash at Baramati airport.In May 2011, a Pilatus PC-12 operating as an air ambulance from Patna to Delhi had crashed in Faridabad. Seven people on board, including two pilots, and three on ground had lost their lives in that crash.
With appraisal season around the corner, conversations about pay hikes, promotions and performance rewards are returning to office corridors as companies reassess compensation strategies.Companies are preparing to roll out an average salary hike of 9.1 per cent in 2026, signalling a shift towards skills-based pay structures rather than uniform annual increments, according to a report, as reported PTI.The fourth edition of the EY Future of Pay report said compensation strategies are increasingly being redesigned around specialised capabilities, productivity outcomes and long-term retention priorities as businesses recalibrate workforce investments.Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are expected to lead salary growth with projected increments of 10.4 per cent, reflecting sustained global demand for specialised digital skills. Financial services firms are likely to follow with hikes of around 10 per cent, while e-commerce companies may see 9.9 per cent increases and life sciences and pharmaceuticals 9.7 per cent, the report noted.The findings are based on inputs from 178 companies across 16 sectors in India.
The report indicated that attrition levels are gradually stabilising, declining to 16.4 per cent in 2025 from 17.5 per cent in 2024, with more than 80 per cent of exits remaining voluntary, suggesting job changes continue to be opportunity-driven rather than restructuring-led.Financial services recorded the highest attrition at 24 per cent, particularly in sales, relationship management and digital roles. Professional services followed at 21.3 per cent, while Hi-Tech and IT stood at 20.5 per cent. GCCs reported relatively lower attrition at 14.1 per cent, underscoring growing workforce stability in the segment.“We are at a turning point in how organisations think about investing in their people. The future of pay in India is no longer defined by the size of the annual increment alone. It is increasingly about precision – deciding which skills to invest in, which outcomes to reward, and how to balance competitiveness with sustainability,” EY India Partner and Leader, Total Rewards, HR Technology and Learning, People Consulting, Abhishek Sen said.Rewards strategies are becoming more deliberate, with sharper differentiation supported by data-driven decision-making, he added.“At the same time, employees are looking beyond the size of the increment; they want clarity, fairness, and consistency in how pay decisions are made,” Sen said.
With artificial intelligence adoption accelerating, compensation models are increasingly aligned with measurable business impact and specialised expertise. Between 50–60 per cent of large organisations now use analytics in compensation planning, making data-led pay decisions central to rewards strategy.Nearly 45–50 per cent of surveyed organisations are shifting towards skill-based pay frameworks, marking a structural change in India’s compensation landscape.Emerging technology roles — including AI, generative AI, machine learning and engineering –can command up to a 40 per cent skill premium, the report added.Companies are also reshaping long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) to strengthen retention and align compensation with performance. About 30 per cent of firms now run two or more LTI plans simultaneously, while ESOP adoption rose to nearly 78 per cent in 2025, up from about 71 per cent in 2024.Nearly 75 per cent of NSE 200 companies now offer LTIs, making them a standard component of CEO compensation, particularly in listed firms.Median CEO pay in Nifty 200 companies reached Rs 7–9 crore in 2025, reflecting a 12–15 per cent year-on-year increase. On average, 25–30 per cent of CEO compensation is fixed pay, another 25–30 per cent comes from short-term incentives, while 45–50 per cent is linked to long-term incentives.COOs and CFOs emerged as the next highest-paid leadership roles, the report said.The study also noted that India’s new Labour Codes are prompting organisations to reassess wage structures, upgrade payroll systems and undertake cost modelling exercises to prepare for compliance changes.
Former UK ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office as part of an investigation linked to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was seen being escorted from his home and driven away in an unmarked vehicle, reported The Guardian. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest without naming him.A police spokesperson said: “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23 and has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”The Met investigation reportedly relates to alleged leaking of Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to Epstein. A probe was opened after the release of files connected to the late financier.In February, officers searched two properties linked to the 72-year-old in London and Wiltshire. Then Met deputy assistant commissioner Hayley Sewart had said, “The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences, involving a 72-year-old man.” In an earlier statement, she added, “This will be a complex investigation requiring a significant amount of further evidence-gathering and analysis. It will take some time to do this work comprehensively.”Mandelson is understood to believe he has not committed any offence.The development has intensified political scrutiny over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador in December 2024. Starmer had acknowledged he was aware that Mandelson and Epstein were in contact after Epstein was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences, according to the British Daily. .A senior figure in the Labour Party for decades, Mandelson was first elected as MP for Hartlepool in 1992 and was a key architect of the New Labour project under Tony Blair. He later held multiple cabinet roles and played a central role in Labour’s 1997 general election campaign.Following the latest revelations and political fallout, Mandelson quit the Labour Party and resigned from the House of Lords. The police investigation remains ongoing.
TOI correspondent from Washington: Still miffed with the US Supreme Court striking down his liberation day tariffs, MAGA supremo Donald Trump on Monday cautioned countries not to take advantage of the situation and warned them of higher tariffs if they did so. “Any Country that wants to ‘play games’ with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have ‘Ripped Off’ the USA for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to. BUYER BEWARE!!!” Trump said in a post, even as several countries, including India, put a hold on framework trade deals with Washington.
Trump did not name any country but an Indian delegation that was scheduled to arrive in Washington DC this week deferred its visit as New Delhi sought to assess the fallout from the SCOTUS ruling, following which the US president announced a worldwide 15 percent tariff on imports under a separate statute (Section 122) that empowers him to do so. Several countries, including India and many others in Asia/East Asia, who clinched interim trade deals with the US with tariffs ranging from 18 percent to 25 percent, will be happy with the new 15 percent announced by Trump (the maximum allowed under Section 122 for a period of 150 days), but the Trump administration has indicated that “a deal is a deal” and countries cannot renegotiate the agreement, even though India is yet to sign on the dotted line of what has been characterised as a “framework for an interim trade deal,” pending conclusion of a final bilateral agreement. Paradoxically, European nations, which concluded deals that set tariffs at 10 percent are chagrined that Trump has bumped it up to 15 percent and they are also insisting “a deal is a deal” and cannot be changed. This has put the administration in as much of a bind as the world at large amid confusion in trade and business circles. Compounding the confusion, the administration has directed the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to stop collecting tariffs under IEEPA (in deference to the SCOTUS ruling) starting midnight Tuesday. The new Section 122 tariff of 15 percent announced by Trump is expected to kick in immediately. In a separate post on Monday, Trump continued to rail against the SCOTUS ruling, calling it “their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive.” He claimed that while the court had ruled against his “liberation day tariffs,” it has in effect “approved all other tariffs, of which there are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the tariffs as initially used.” “Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!),” Trump said, continuing to insult the six members of the apex court who voted to strike down the IEEPA tariffs by adding he will be using lower case letters for the Supreme Court “based on a complete lack of respect.”
KOLKATA: A 20-year-old woman was allegedly forced into a car by a friend, molested, assaulted, and then kicked out of the moving vehicle on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala on Saturday night.The 18-year-old friend initially fled the spot after throwing the woman out but was intercepted by a team of cops who chased the car for more than 2km. They have seized the vehicle and have arrested the accused, Arnab Shaw.
According to the woman, the ordeal began around 5.30 pm when the resident of Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road (East) in Haridevpur was allegedly picked up in a car by Shaw and they began to argue over something. The matter soon escalated, she alleged, into physical violence inside the moving vehicle.In her statement to police, the woman claimed that Shaw wrongfully confined her inside the car while it travelled between Bagir Khal and Behala Chowrasta along Diamond Harbour Road. She said he assaulted her with fists, blows and kicks, hurled filthy abuses at her with the intent to insult her modesty, and threatened her with dire consequences.The woman further alleged that she was kicked out of the car at Behala Chowrasta, a busy stretch of road during peak evening hours.The incident came to cops’ attention around 8 pm when a traffic sergeant spotted the woman. He immediately alerted other officers who intercepted the vehicle at the crossing of Diamond Harbour Road and Banamali Naskar Road. Cops arrested Shaw, who was at the wheel, and seized the car before handing them over to Behala Police Station.Shortly afterwards, the woman arrived at the police station with her father and other family members, and her father lodged a written complaint. Shaw was produced in an Alipore court on Sunday, where he was granted bail on multiple conditions, cops said.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar launched a scathing attack on young batter Tilak Varma following India’s humiliating 76-run defeat against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The defending champions, chasing a target of 188, were bundled out for a paltry 111 in 18.5 overs, suffering their heaviest defeat in T20 World Cup history.
Speaking on Star Sports after the match, Gavaskar did not mince words while criticising Tilak Varma’s reckless dismissal. Coming in at No. 3 after Ishan Kishan fell for a duck in the very first over, Tilak attempted an ill-advised charge at Marco Jansen, made room, and tried to slap the ball over mid-off, only to edge behind to Quinton de Kock for just 1 run.
“Yes, I think he’s been a very street-smart batter. I was a little disappointed with his approach today because, look, a wicket had already fallen. Yes, the required rate was 9.5 runs an over, but it wasn’t like you were chasing 15 runs an over,” Gavaskar said.
The former India captain emphasised that Tilak should have shown more responsibility, especially with an out-of-form Abhishek Sharma at the other end who had registered three consecutive ducks in the group stage.
“So you could have given yourself a little more time, particularly because at the other end, Abhishek Sharma hadn’t got runs. Therefore, the responsibility was yours to try and stick around with Abhishek and build a partnership, get past those six overs. With a wicket gone, you don’t have to get to 70. Even 55 would have been a good sort of platform,” he added.
The left-hander’s dismissal continued what has been a disappointing campaign for him personally. Across five matches in T20 World Cup 2026, Tilak has managed only 107 runs at an average of 21.40 and a strike rate of 118.88 – well below his usual standards.
Before Sunday’s game, Tilak had amassed 496 runs in 10 T20Is against the Proteas at an astonishing average of 70.85 and a strike rate of 163.15, including two centuries and two fifties. Those numbers suggested a favourable match-up, but Sunday’s outing did not reflect that dominance.
India’s top-order collapse was complete within the powerplay itself. After Kishan’s first-ball duck and Tilak’s dismissal for 1, Abhishek Sharma managed 15 off 12 balls before falling to Jansen’s knuckle ball. At 31 for 3 inside the powerplay, India’s chase was effectively dead.
Beyond Tilak’s dismissal, Gavaskar slammed the entire Indian batting unit for failing to learn from how South Africa rebuilt their innings after being reduced to 20 for 3 inside four overs. David Miller (63 off 35) and Dewald Brevis (45 off 29) added 97 runs for the fourth wicket, playing intelligently on a tricky surface where the ball was not coming onto the bat quickly.
“When you look at how Dewald Brevis and David Miller repaired the South African innings, they played shots more in the V. When the bouncers were bowled, they countered them intelligently because they realised that the ball was not coming onto the bat quickly. Having seen how Brevis and Miller built their partnership, that was the approach needed from the Indian batters,” Gavaskar observed.
“But India did not take notes from South Africa’s innings. They came out and threw their bat at every delivery, hoping for a boundary. That is not how you play T20 cricket. You have to learn from the opposition. If they have scored well on a tricky surface like this, you have to get rid of your ego, observe and adjust. The Indian batters did not do that. They came out with overconfidence, threw their bat at everything and lost wickets. South Africa clearly outsmarted India, and it was a well-deserved win for them,” he added.
Gavaskar also analysed Abhishek’s ongoing struggles, revealing how South Africa cleverly exploited his preference for creating room on the off-side.
“He was a little trapped, and South Africa bowled very cleverly. They know he likes to create room and play through the off-side. Look at Rabada – he kept targeting the pads, even after being hit for a six, he didn’t change his line,” Gavaskar observed.
The 76-year-old advised Abhishek to focus on rotating strike rather than forcing big shots. “He shouldn’t force himself to play big shots across the line. Take a single and get off the mark. Even four dot balls don’t matter,” he advised.
Also WATCH: Pakistan TV channel dubs Mohammad Amir an ‘astrologer,’ credits him for India’s defeat to South Africa
NEW DELHI: Ahead of Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s visit to India, his government has started the process to revoke the citizenship of Tahawwur Rana, Pakistan-born businessman, currently being tried in India for helping plan the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.However, the move to cancel his citizenship is not based on terrorism charges, but on alleged misrepresentation in his citizenship application. According to documents obtained by Global News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has accused Rana of lying about his residence history. In his 2000 application, he claimed he had lived in Ottawa and Toronto for four years, with only a six-day absence from Canada. Rana moved to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2001. An investigation by the Canadian police later found that he had actually spent most of that period in Chicago, where he owned properties and businesses, including an immigration firm and a grocery store.In a letter dated May 31, 2024, IRCC told Rana that he had misrepresented his time in Canada and failed to declare his absences. The department described it as a “serious and deliberate deception” and said his actions showed a lack of respect for Canada’s citizenship laws.The case has now been referred to the Federal Court, which will decide whether his citizenship was obtained through false representation or fraud.
NEW DELHI: As Jammu and Kashmir prepare for their maiden Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka in Hubbali, fast-bowling spearhead Auqib Nabi remains the calmest presence in a dressing room filled with nerves. The pacer from Sheeri village in Baramulla has been the driving force behind J&K’s dream run this season.When J&K step onto the field on Tuesday, expectations will once again rest on Nabi’s shoulders. He has taken 55 wickets from nine matches this season — the second-highest tally — at a remarkable average of 12.72. Bowling coach P. Krishnakumar reflected on the shy pacer’s rise into a dominant force.
“If you look at his record, he has got 199 wickets in 40 games. I have been with him for the last three years and he has taken 99 wickets in the last two seasons. In this season, he’s taken 50-plus wickets so far and that shows his skill level has gone to a different level now because he knows how to move the ball, bowl on different pitches and against different batters. So it’s not a one-day process – it took almost one year to develop it and it began in the first year when I came into the Jammu & Kashmir team,” said Krishnakumar to IANS.A fan of Dale Steyn, Nabi made his Ranji debut in 2020 but has flourished in the past two seasons. Krishnakumar credited his bowling action as the foundation of his success.“You see, he has a very, very good action… If you compare and look at it from a biomechanical perspective, his action is perfect… With the swing and seam he has, it becomes very difficult for the batters to get runs against Auqib.”The transformation required relentless effort.“The first year of me being with him, it was all about the process… He bowled a thousand balls in the first year to develop his skills, master his wrist position, and his backspin… it took almost one year to change him,” he said.Nabi’s nine-wicket haul against Bengal in the semi-final, alongside a crucial 42 with the bat, underlined his all-round impact. He also produced career-best figures of 7-24 against Rajasthan and played key roles against Delhi.“Auqib has been fantastic because taking 99 wickets in the last two seasons is unbelievable… I am sure that he will definitely get a nod in some upcoming Test series,” Krishnakumar said.Calling for national recognition, he added, “As a coach, I feel that he should be given a chance when he is performing… Taking almost 100 wickets in two years – what do you want as a player?… If somebody is performing there, I think they should definitely get into the team.”With Karnataka’s star-studded batting line-up awaiting in the final, Krishnakumar believes the occasion will not change Nabi.“The best part about Nabi is, he’s very calm in his mind… If he takes a six-wicket haul, he’s still the same and that is very important,” he said.For Nabi, who once trained without proper facilities, the final is another step in an extraordinary journey — but his focus remains firmly on delivering glory for Jammu and Kashmir.
NEW DELHI: The Congress has sought 45 seats from the DMK for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, but the MK Stalin-led party is hesitant to allocate more than 25, leading to a deadlock, according to sources.The ruling DMK and the Congress kicked off their long-awaited seat-sharing talks on Sunday, with Congress national general secretary KC Venugopal meeting Tamil Nadu chief minister Stalin at his official Chennai residence.A follow-up meeting on Monday saw Congress Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar and state unit chief K Selvaperunthagai meet DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi, Stalin’s sister, in Delhi.During the meeting, the two Congress leaders reportedly conveyed that they want to contest 45 of the 234 assembly seats.While the DMK has been firm on allocating 25 seats—the same as in the 2021 elections—it has yet to formally respond to its ally’s demand for 45 seats.The Congress’ demand is reportedly based on a review of the 2021 election results, when it won 18 of the 25 constituencies it contested, achieving a strike rate of 72%.Party insiders say Congress believes it could win at least 20 of the seats it lost if allotted them this time, pointing to a stronger local presence and better consolidation in direct contests.By contrast, the DMK contested 173 constituencies in 2021, winning 133 and comfortably crossing the majority mark on its own.The back-to-back meetings come amid calls from a section of Tamil Nadu Congress leaders for a share in power, which Stalin has ruled out, saying such an arrangement would not suit the state.The DMK heads the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu, which includes the Congress, the DMDK, Left parties, and the VCK.The Tamil Nadu assembly elections are expected in April.(With PTI inputs)
