Archives April 2026

London – UK, 09 April 2026

SLR today announced the launch of its enhanced Digital Services following the acquisition of Planetrics and ClimSystems – two of the market’s most advanced climate‑modelling and analytics platforms. The move significantly strengthens SLR’s digital climate-intelligence capabilities and responds to growing demand from investors, businesses and public sector organisations to understand and address climate risk and associated value at risk with greater accuracy.

As momentum behind long‑term climate commitments fluctuates globally, climate‑related risks continue to intensify. Decision‑makers across sectors are increasingly focused on understanding how physical impacts – such as flooding, shifting rainfall patterns, heat, and wildfire – create both risks and opportunities for how business and governments operate. With physical impacts accelerating alongside heightened regulatory expectations, the financial implications are increasingly material across almost every sector. Organisations face growing pressure to base decisions on robust, science-driven climate intelligence. Traditional risk models – built on historical data – are increasingly unable to capture fast-moving transition dynamics and asset level climate shocks, leaving many businesses exposed. As a result, companies across energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, real estate, financial, consumer markets and the public sector are turning to science-based climate modelling for clearer foresight. These analytics – grounded in decades of validated research and high-resolution climate projections – equip organisations to make more confident investment and planning decisions, strengthen risk management, and build long term resilience into their operations and portfolios.

Strengthening SLR’s digital, technical and advisory capabilities

The acquisition of Planetrics and ClimSystems enhances SLR’s strategic advisory, climate and technical expertise, significantly advancing its digital climate analytics and modelling capabilities to create a powerful foundation for the next generation of climate intelligence. These acquisitions build on SLR’s long-standing investment in advanced digital tools and data driven‑intelligence that help organisations to understand, quantify and respond to climate-related risks and opportunities.

Planetrics, acquired from McKinsey & Company, delivers advanced climate scenario modelling through its PlanetView platform, widely trusted by leading banks, insurers, asset owners, managers and corporates. PlanetView converts complex physical and transition risks and opportunities into clear financial metrics – including changes in earnings, asset value shifts and portfolio-level impacts. It also enables organisations to assess how different transition pathways – such as an accelerated energy transition or policy developments could influence operational and financial performance, and impact long-term value. Planetrics data and analytics are used for risk management, stewardship and engagement activities, investment research, opportunity identification, regulatory climate stress testing exercises, such as those conducted by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, and are commonly featured in climate disclosures, such as TCFD, ISSB, CSRD and CA SB 253 (forthcoming). Planetrics and SLR will continue to collaborate with McKinsey through an ongoing alliance, bringing a world class suite of capabilities to help organisations address critical sustainability challenges while ensuring continuity for clients. SLR is excited to deepen this relationship and to work alongside McKinsey’s board level networks and transformational business leadership.

Building on the strategic partnership established in 2022, and now formalised as a full acquisition, ClimSystems brings 20 years of market-leading physical climate intelligence to SLR, delivering detailed, science-driven modelling that quantifies how climate-related hazards could impact asset values, infrastructure resilience and supply chain exposure. ClimSystems supports a global client base, including market leaders in agriculture, mining, infrastructure and financial services. Its product suite include interactive, tailored dashboards that integrate with business, risk and financial oversight functions – enabling business owners to engage and interact access high-resolution physical hazard risk assessments at an individual asset or portfolio level, crop-specific yield modelling to identify risks, and opportunities of changing climate, residential and commercial real-estate climate risk assessments, and rapid-response due-diligence physical climate risk support.

Together, these technologies set a new standard for accuracy, transparency and usability. By translating complex climate signals into clear, actionable intelligence, SLR enables organisations to make future-proof decisions to price risk more accurately, anticipate regulatory shifts, protect asset value and uncover new opportunities.

Bradley Andrews, Chief Executive Officer at SLR, noted, “Our clients are navigating a new level of complexity – balancing transition opportunities, physical climate impacts, and the transformation required for long-term risk, resilience and reward. In this environment, confidence is only possible with robust scientific evidence. For more than 30 years, SLR has been Making Sustainability Happen by combining deep technical expertise, strategic advisory and cutting‑edge digital intelligence to give clients not only clarity and assurance, but science‑based foresight and insight they can act on.

Today marks a major milestone in SLR’s digital journey. With the integration of Planetrics and ClimSystems, we have two of the most advanced climate platforms enabling organisations to quantify climate risks, explore multiple futures, and understand how physical and transition impacts translate into operational outcomes and financial value-at-risk across assets and portfolios.”

Clients can now make investment, planning and risk decisions with far greater accuracy and confidence – with clear financial insight into climate risks and precise visibility into which assets, crops, facilities or supply‑chain links are exposed, and how that exposure will evolve. To understand what these enhanced capabilities mean for your organisation’s risk, value and long‑term performance, connect with SLR’s Digital Services team: www.slrconsulting.com/digital

April 9(BNP): The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with at least 3,640 people reported dead and over 90,000 homes destroyed within just 40 days of intense fighting.

According to preliminary reports from humanitarian agencies and local authorities, thousands of civilians are among the casualties, with many more injured or displaced. The large-scale destruction of residential areas has left countless families homeless, forcing them to seek shelter in overcrowded camps and temporary facilities.

Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and water supply systems, has also suffered extensive damage, severely impacting access to essential services. Aid organizations have raised concerns over the rapidly deteriorating situation, warning of shortages in food, clean water, and medical supplies.

International leaders and global organizations have called for an immediate ceasefire and urged all parties involved to prioritize civilian safety and allow unhindered humanitarian access to affected regions.

The situation remains highly volatile, with continued airstrikes and ground operations exacerbating the crisis. Relief agencies are working around the clock, but access constraints and security risks continue to hamper rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Washington, Apr 9 (BNP): The World Bank has revised India’s economic outlook, projecting GDP growth of 7.6% for FY26 while raising its forecast for FY27 to 6.6%. The updated estimate marks an improvement from its earlier projection of 6.3% made in October.

Despite the upward revision, the global lender expects growth to moderate in FY27 compared to FY26. This anticipated slowdown is attributed in part to external uncertainties, including the ongoing tensions in West Asia, which could weigh on global economic conditions.

 Pic Credit: Pexel

The report also highlights potential inflationary pressures. Strong domestic demand, along with stabilizing food prices and rising energy costs, may push inflation higher in the coming months.

India’s growth continues to be supported by resilient consumption and steady economic activity. However, the World Bank cautions that managing inflation and navigating global risks will be crucial to sustaining momentum.

Overall, while India remains one of the fastest-growing major economies, the outlook suggests a balance between strong fundamentals and emerging challenges in the year ahead.

Bengaluru, April 9:Restaurant Week India (RWI), the country’s pioneering nationwide dining festival, returns in April 2026 after a decade‑long hiatus —marking a significant moment for India’s evolving culinary landscape. Reintroduced with a sharper, more curated approach, the festival reflects how dining out in India has transformed into an experience‑led, culturally driven phenomenon.

 This edition of Restaurant Week India is presented in association with Kotak Solitaire, Kotak Mahindra Bank’s premium banking proposition for affluent customers, focused on privileged access and curated experiences.

Scheduled to take place from 24 April to 3 May 2026, the festival will span Mumbai, Delhi‑NCR and Bengaluru, featuring a tightly curated line‑up of over 55 leading restaurants. Each participating restaurant will offer specially designed three‑course prix‑fixe menus created exclusively for the festival.

Kotak Solitaire cardholders will enjoy a suite of exclusive privileges, including early access to reservations from 15 April, ahead of general bookings opening on 17 April, as well as an additional, specially curated course at participating restaurants.

Launching the initiative, Jyoti Samajpati, Executive Vice President – Head of Affluent and Salaried Propositions, said:

“Kotak Solitaire is delighted to be associated with Restaurant Week India in celebrating and elevating India’s vibrant culinary landscape. While the experience is open to all, we are proud to offer our Solitaire customers early access and specially curated privileges. This collaboration reflects our commitment to creating distinctive, meaningful experiences—bringing our customers closer to moments of discovery and refined indulgence.”

A decade ago, Restaurant Week India familiarized diners with prix-fixe menus and encouraged them to explore a wider range of restaurants. The upcoming edition builds on this legacy while reflecting the evolution of India’s dining culture over the past decade. The 2026 Summer edition is designed for adventurous diners who view dining out as an experience and engage with restaurants for their craft, reputation and storytelling. For participating restaurants, RWI offers an opportunity to showcase ambitious, thoughtfully crafted menus to a receptive audience within a focused, time-bound window.

The 2026 edition is led by Aatish Nath and Gauri Vij, co-founders of Restaurant Week India, with mentorship and guidance from Nachiket Shetye and Chaitanya Rele. Shetye, the original architect of RWI, brings with him the experience and vision that have shaped the festival’s return.

Aatish Nath, co-founder of The Dining Collective, says,

“I’ve had a ringside view of the maturing of India’s culinary landscape. Restaurants and chefs have come to define the zeitgeist in a way that would be unthinkable even a decade ago, and with Restaurant Week India, we aim to introduce committed foodies and regular diners alike to a curated selection of the innovative, consistent and food-forward restaurants across three cities.”

The Dining Collective co-founder Gauri Vij adds: “This edition has the full backing of Kotak Solitaire, as well as the support of India’s premier stand-alone restaurants, which makes RWI’s summer edition an event to look forward to.”

All reservations will be managed through a centralised booking platform in partnership with Putting Scene, with prepaid reservations priced at ₹1,500++ for lunch and ₹1,800++ for dinner.

The 2026 edition features a tightly curated selection of restaurants across cities, including Bar Sama, Comal, Kopitiam Lah, and Tijouri in Bengaluru; Americano, Bar Paradox, The Bombay Canteen, La Loca Maria, and Sobo20 in Mumbai; and Adrift Kaya, Ikk Punjab, Inja and Nisaba in Delhi NCR, among over 45 others.

Restaurant Week India is a limited-time dining festival that brings together restaurants across cuisines and formats to encourage discovery and participation in India’s dynamic, evolving dining culture.

OrbitronAI has announced the launch of NovaOS, a platform designed to support the deployment and management of AI agents in regulated industries such as aerospace, energy, government and industrial enterprises, enabling organizations to deploy AI within legacy enterprise infrastructure without replacing existing systems.

The system introduces a structured approach to AI operations, focusing on auditability, human oversight, and compliance. NovaOS acts as a control layer on top of existing enterprise systems, allowing organizations to manage how AI agents are deployed and operated without replacing current infrastructure.

 “The bottleneck holding enterprises back from AI is not model quality – it is governance, isolation, and operational control,” said Saul Adomaitis, Founder and Global CEO of OrbitronAI. “NovaOS closes that gap. Regulated industries can now deploy AI agents that are fully auditable, human-supervised, and compliant by design – not as an afterthought.”

The platform is architected around a six-layer value stack in which every agent action passes through policy enforcement, approval gates, and a complete audit trail. Human-in-the-Loop supervision is embedded at the platform level: high-risk actions always require human approval before execution. 

Core capabilities include a visual workflow builder (NovaOS Studio) with pre-built components and natural-language Copilot, enterprise integrations via Model Context Protocol (MCP) Gateway enabling connection to ERP and CRM systems without custom code, and knowledge and document intelligence (RAG) that turns internal data into actionable insights.

The platform also supports persistent cross-session memory across multiple dimensions, an agent marketplace for managing deployments across business units, and full observability with evidence export, ensuring that all actions are logged, traceable, and audit-ready.

NovaOS supports four deployment strategies – Managed Cloud, Bring Your Own Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), On-Premise, Air-Gapped, and Hybrid – with production regions active in Middle East, Europe, and North America. All deployment options include tenant isolation, data residency compliance, and encrypted communication between services. 

The platform is AI model agnostic, allowing organizations to run agents on the large language model of their choice without vendor lock-in. The platform is designed for organizations where data sovereignty, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, and Arabic NLP readiness (roadmap Q3 2026) are strategic requirements. 

Kolkata, Apr 9 (BNP): Polling is underway today across Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry, covering a total of 296 Assembly constituencies in a single-phase election.

Voting commenced at 7:00 AM under comprehensive security arrangements, with election authorities ensuring smooth and peaceful conduct across all polling stations. Long queues of voters were seen since early morning, reflecting strong enthusiasm among the electorate.

Kerala is witnessing polling across its 140 constituencies, while Assam is voting in 126 seats. In Puducherry, elections are being held for 30 Assembly segments. Together, these polls represent a significant electoral exercise involving millions of voters.

Initial reports indicate a steady turnout in the early hours, with participation expected to rise as the day progresses. Special arrangements have been made for senior citizens, women, and differently-abled voters to ensure inclusive participation.

The elections are crucial for all major political parties, with keen contests expected in all three regions. Authorities have deployed adequate security forces and monitoring mechanisms to maintain law and order and ensure free and fair polling.

Counting of votes will be taken up in the coming weeks, which will decide the political landscape of the three regions.

New Delhi, Apr 9 (BNP): Money sent home by Indians working abroad is expected to rise steadily, with remittances projected to reach nearly $137 billion by FY27, according to estimates by the World Bank.

India has long remained the world’s top recipient of remittances, reflecting the strong global presence of its workforce—from skilled professionals in advanced economies to workers in the Gulf region. These financial flows continue to play a vital role in supporting millions of families across the country.

 Pic Credit: Pexel

For many households, remittances are more than just income—they help cover everyday expenses, fund education, improve healthcare access, and even support small businesses. In rural and semi-urban areas especially, this inflow often acts as a financial lifeline.

The projected growth is being driven by stable employment conditions in key destination countries, rising wages in certain sectors, and the increasing migration of skilled Indian workers. Digital payment systems have also made it faster and easier to send money home, further supporting the upward trend.

At a broader level, these inflows strengthen India’s external position by boosting foreign exchange reserves and helping balance the current account.

Even as global economic uncertainties persist, the resilience of Indian migrants and their continued connection to families back home remain at the heart of this steady rise in remittances.

Dr. Sombrata Roy , Unit Head – CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI says, “Healthcare is increasingly moving towards a technology-enabled, precision-driven approach. Evidence shows that robotic-assisted and minimally invasive surgeries can reduce hospital stays by 30–50%, lower complication rates, and support faster recovery. Milestones such as completing over 100 robotic cancer surgeries in Eastern India by Dr. S. K Bala , surgical oncologist and robotic surgeon at CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI , indicate how rapidly this shift is taking place , not just in terms of technology adoption, but also in building the clinical expertise and teamwork needed to deliver consistent outcomes. At the same time, technology alone does not define better care. Early diagnosis, informed decision-making, and continuity of care remain equally critical. The real progress lies in combining these advancements to make treatment more effective while reducing the overall burden on patients. On this World Health Day, the focus is not just on advancing technology, but on making quality healthcare more accessible, timely, and patient-centric. As medical science continues to evolve, the priority must remain on early detection, informed choices, and equitable access to the right treatment. Building awareness and encouraging people to seek care at the right time can go a long way in improving health outcomes and reducing the overall burden of disease.”

Jammu, Apr 9 (BNP): In a powerful display of devotion, more than 23 lakh pilgrims have visited the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine so far in 2026, reaffirming its place as one of India’s most cherished spiritual destinations.

Located in the scenic Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir, the shrine continues to attract devotees from all walks of life. For many, the journey is more than a pilgrimage—it is a deeply personal experience of faith, endurance, and hope.

Pilgrims, chanting hymns and walking together along the mountain path, create an atmosphere filled with spirituality and shared purpose. The steady rise in footfall also reflects improved facilities, including better connectivity, enhanced safety measures, and more efficient crowd management.

Authorities say these efforts have made the pilgrimage more accessible and comfortable, encouraging even elderly devotees and families to undertake the journey with greater ease.

Beyond its religious significance, the surge in visitors is also providing a boost to the local economy, supporting livelihoods linked to tourism and services in the region.

The continued influx of devotees highlights the timeless appeal of the shrine, where faith continues to draw millions seeking blessings and inner peace.

New Delhi,Apr 9: In a high-voltage encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Gujarat Titans clinched their first win of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, edging past Delhi Capitals by a dramatic one-run margin.

The match went down to the final ball, where a crucial run-out sealed the victory for Gujarat, marking a remarkable turnaround after losing their first two matches of the season.

Chasing a competitive target, Delhi Capitals put up a strong fight led by KL Rahul, who played a brilliant knock of 92 runs off 52 balls. He was well supported by David Miller, who remained unbeaten on 41 off 19 balls, keeping Delhi in contention till the very end.

The match witnessed a dramatic finish in the final overs. Miller showcased his explosive batting, taking on the Gujarat bowlers with aggressive stroke play. In the 19th over, he struck two sixes and a four against Mohammed Siraj, shifting the momentum in Delhi’s favour.

With eight runs required off the last three balls, the tension peaked. Miller smashed a towering six off Prasidh Krishna, bringing the equation down to the final deliveries. However, Gujarat held their nerve, and a decisive run-out on the last ball denied Delhi a famous win.

Earlier in the over, Vipraj Nigam contributed with a boundary but was dismissed at a crucial moment, adding to the late drama. Kuldeep Yadav also played a role in rotating the strike during the final over.

This thrilling victory marks a significant comeback for Gujarat Titans, boosting their campaign momentum, while Delhi Capitals will look to regroup after a heartbreaking defeat.