Archives April 2026

Apr 15 (BNP): Indian stock markets ended the day on a strong note on Wednesday, as investors turned upbeat amid positive global cues and hopes of renewed talks between the US and Iran.

The Sensex jumped 1,263.67 points (1.64%), while the Nifty 50 climbed 389 points (1.63%) to settle at 24,231.

Broader markets saw even stronger momentum, with both midcap and smallcap indices rising more than 2%, showing that buying interest was not limited to large companies.

All sectoral indices ended in positive territory. The Nifty IT index led the rally with gains of around 2.8%, while media and realty stocks also saw healthy buying, rising over 2% each.

Investor sentiment improved as easing geopolitical tensions lifted global risk appetite and helped bring crude oil prices under control.

Market experts said that while earnings expectations remain mixed in the near term, overall sentiment is supported by reasonable valuations and hopes of stronger corporate performance in FY27.

Port Blair/Dhaka, Apr 15 (BNP): A major maritime tragedy has unfolded in the Andaman Sea after an overcrowded trawler carrying Rohingya refugees capsized, with around 250 people feared missing. The vessel, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, is reported to have sunk due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Preliminary reports suggest the trawler was carrying nearly 280 passengers, most of them Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution and conflict in Myanmar. The passengers are believed to have come from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, which host over a million displaced people from Rakhine state.

Rescue Operations Underway
The Bangladesh Coast Guard said one of its vessels rescued nine survivors, including a woman, on April 9. In a separate incident, the Bangladeshi-flagged vessel MT Meghna Pride spotted several individuals adrift on makeshift flotation devices and rescued them from deep waters near the Andaman Islands. Search and rescue operations are ongoing amid challenging sea conditions.

Survivor Accounts Reveal Ordeal
Survivors described harrowing conditions, alleging they were lured by traffickers with promises of employment in Malaysia. One survivor reported that several passengers died even before the capsizing due to inhumane conditions onboard. He also sustained burns from spilled fuel and drifted at sea for nearly 36 hours before being rescued.

Ongoing Rohingya Crisis
Thousands of Rohingya, a persecuted minority from Myanmar, undertake dangerous sea journeys each year to escape violence and dire living conditions. Many attempt to reach Malaysia, often relying on human trafficking networks. Meanwhile, Rakhine state continues to witness intense fighting between the military and the Arakan Army, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

UNHCR Raises Alarm
The UNHCR termed the incident a stark reminder of the “dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions” for the Rohingya community. It called for urgent global efforts to address the root causes of displacement and ensure safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of refugees.

Recurring Sea Tragedies
The Andaman Sea, bordering Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, has frequently witnessed such incidents. Last year, at least 427 Rohingya were feared dead in two separate shipwrecks off Myanmar’s coast, underscoring the persistent risks associated with such perilous journeys.

Further details on the missing persons and rescue efforts are awaited as authorities continue operations in the region.

Apr 15 (BNP): Odisha’s fast bowlers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain made a strong impact in the Indian Premier League while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.

The duo shared eight wickets between them, with Sakib Hussain taking 4 for 24 and Praful Hinge claiming 4 for 34, effectively dismantling the opposition batting lineup with pace and accuracy.

Their performance, rooted in years of training in Bhubaneswar’s cricketing circuits, highlights the growing presence of Odisha talent on the national cricket stage.

The match has further underlined the rise of emerging players from the state, who are steadily making their mark in top-level competitions like the IPL.

New Delhi, Apr 15 (BNP): The Centre has proposed a major expansion of the Lok Sabha, increasing its strength to up to 850 seats as part of efforts to implement 33% reservation for women from the 2029 general elections. The proposal forms part of a constitutional amendment aimed at operationalising the provisions of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

Under the proposal, around 815 seats would be allocated to states and 35 to Union Territories. This would require an amendment to Article 81 of the Constitution to revise the existing cap of 543 Lok Sabha seats.

Linked to Census and Delimitation
Seat allocation is proposed to be based on population data from the latest census, as determined by Parliament. The Centre is also expected to introduce a Delimitation Bill to redraw constituency boundaries in line with the revised seat structure.

Special Session of Parliament
The government is likely to table the constitutional amendment during a special sitting of Parliament scheduled from April 16 to 18. The session will focus on enabling the implementation of women’s reservation, which was passed in 2023 but remained contingent on a fresh census and delimitation exercise.

Faster Implementation Path
Sources indicate that the government may link the rollout of reservation to an earlier census dataset, such as 2011, to fast-track implementation ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Significant Structural Reform
If approved, the proposal would mark one of the most significant structural reforms to India’s parliamentary framework, expanding representation while paving the way for greater participation of women in national politics.

Further details regarding the bill and its implementation timeline are awaited.

India, Apr 15:  Cloudera, the only company bringing AI to data anywhere, today released its latest global survey, The Data Readiness Index: Understanding the Foundations for Successful AI, examining how prepared enterprises are to support AI at scale. Surveying nearly 1,300 global IT leaders, the report finds that while AI adoption is growing, most organizations still lack the data foundation needed for success.

The global findings highlight a striking paradox: while 96% of organizations report integrating AI into core business processes and 85% say they have a clear data strategy, nearly 4 out of 5 (~80%) admit their AI and data initiatives are still constrained by limited data access across environments. In APAC, organizations appear to be making stronger progress, with only 38% reporting the same constraint. However, gaps remain. While 82% of organizations say they have a clear data strategy, just 27% report that their data sources are fully integrated. 

This highlights an emerging “AI readiness illusion”: the belief that organizations are prepared to scale AI even as critical data challenges remain unresolved.

“Enterprises aren’t struggling to adopt AI, they’re struggling to operationalize it beyond experiments,” said Sergio Gago, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudera. “AI is only as effective as the data that fuels it. Without seamless access to all their data, organizations limit the accuracy, trust, and business value that AI can deliver.You can’t do AI without data.”

“Asia Pacific organizations are not standing still on AI. Many already have clear strategies in place and are moving quickly to put them into action,” said Remus Lim, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Cloudera. “But in the next phase of AI, organizations need to connect, govern, and operationalize their data across environments. That is what turns AI from isolated progress into repeatable business value.”

AI Adoption is High, but ROI Remains Elusive

AI is now embedded across the enterprise, but achieving consistent returns on investment remains difficult. When asked why AI initiatives fall short, respondents globally cited several key challenges: data quality (22%), cost overruns (16%), and poor integration into existing workflows (15%). The leading barriers in APAC were data quality issues (19%) and weak integration into workflows (19%), showing that even in markets making progress on AI adoption, foundational data and operational challenges continue to limit impact.

Infrastructure limitations further compound the issue. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents globally report that performance constraints have hindered operational initiatives, reflecting the difficulty of scaling AI across fragmented environments. In contrast, 28% of APAC respondents said operational initiatives were often hindered by infrastructure performance issues, while another 38% said they were sometimes hindered, showing that infrastructure remains a meaningful obstacle to consistent execution.

The Data Gap: Access, Governance, and Visibility

At the core of these challenges is a lack of complete data access and control.
 
84% of respondents felt confident in the accuracy, completeness, and alignment of their organization’s data. However, this optimism often masks deeper issues, including persistent silos, inconsistent data quality, and limited accessibility. Data that appears reliable in isolation frequently breaks down when used across teams, systems, or AI applications, exposing gaps in governance and consistency across the organization.
 
Less than one in five (18%) respondents said their data was fully governed, highlighting the gap between perceived confidence and reality. While 71% say most of their data is governed, true data-backed initiatives depend on a consistent, organization-wide source of truth. In APAC, governance maturity appears even less consistent, with just 10% of respondents saying all of their data was fully governed.
 
Without comprehensive governance to unify data and enforce clear standards, organizations risk missed opportunities, poor decision-making, and outputs that fall short of their full potential.

How Industries Compare on Data Readiness
 
The landscape of data readiness looks very different across industries. For example, 54% of telecommunications respondents said it is “extremely true” that they have full visibility into where their data resides. In comparison, only 30% of financial services respondents and 31% of public sector respondents reported the same. Regarding access, 51% of telecommunications respondents said they can access all their data at any time, compared to just 24% in financial services and 16% in the public sector. 
 
Despite this strong data readiness, the advantage has not fully translated into operational success. Three out of five (60%) telecommunications respondents said infrastructure performance consistently hinders operational initiatives, the highest among all industries surveyed. 
 
These challenges extend to AI initiatives as well. Barriers to AI ROI differ by industry. While survey respondents most often cited data quality, cost overruns were most prominent in energy and utilities (25%). By contrast, poor integration into workflows was highlighted by respondents in healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services (20%).

Data Readiness Will Define the Next Phase of Enterprise AI

As enterprise AI shifts from experimentation to execution, data readiness is emerging as the defining factor separating leaders from laggards.

Organizations able to fully access and govern all their data, wherever it resides, are far better equipped to deliver trusted, scalable AI. Notably, every respondent in the report indicated their organization is at least somewhat willing to adapt existing frameworks to support true data readiness. In APAC, that willingness appears especially strong: 94% of respondents said their organization was very willing to adopt new governance frameworks to improve data readiness, while 92% said senior leadership understands and prioritizes the data infrastructure needed to enable AI at scale. Reflecting this, 69% said CIOs and CTOs are chiefly accountable for delivering data readiness for AI.

As enterprises confront the limits of the AI readiness illusion, the path forward is clear: unlocking AI’s full value will require more than ambition; it will demand genuine data readiness. Those that close this gap will be best positioned to drive lasting impact and lead the next era of intelligent business.

Jaipur, Apr 15: In a landscape long defined by embroidery, a quieter and more tactile form of expression is beginning to take shape. One that does not rely on surface embellishment, but on the way a fabric is shaped, folded, and brought to life.

This season, the Jaipur-based label Pleyne shifts its focus to pleats and tucks as a primary design language, introducing a perspective that feels both considered and contemporary.

At its essence, pleating and tucking offer a different kind of richness. They work with the fabric rather than sitting on top of it. The depth they create is structural, not decorative. As light moves across these surfaces, the garment reveals dimension in a way that feels subtle yet distinctive.

Classic techniques such as knife pleats, box pleats, and inverted pleats bring rhythm and movement to silhouettes, while tucks including pin tucks, shell tucks, and shirring introduce finer, more intricate textures. Together, they form a layered language of construction that is both precise and expressive.

In contrast to embroidery, which often adds visual weight, pleats and tucks allow the garment to remain light and breathable. This becomes especially relevant in the context of Indian summers, where comfort is as important as presence.

“Embroidery has always been a strong part of Indian menswear, but we felt there was space to explore something quieter. Pleats and tucks allow us to create detail without adding heaviness. They let the fabric speak in a more natural way,” says Chirag Sogani.

The silhouettes support this direction. Clean lines, softened structures, and fluid forms ensure that the focus remains on the material and its movement. There is an ease to the garments, but also a sense of precision in how they are constructed.

What emerges is a new design vocabulary. One where craft is expressed through technique rather than ornamentation. One that invites a closer look, rather than demanding immediate attention.

In this shift, Indian menswear finds a quieter confidence.

Apr 15 (BNP): Government wheat procurement has declined sharply in the ongoing 2026–27 rabi marketing season, reaching 15.30 lakh tonnes so far, according to data from the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

This marks a drop of over 69% compared to the same period last year.

Wheat procurement in India typically takes place between April and March, with the bulk of purchases carried out in the initial months of the season by the FCI and state agencies.

FCI data shows that total wheat arrivals so far stand at 34.74 lakh tonnes, while procurement operations began on April 1.

The significant year-on-year decline reflects slower procurement activity in the early phase of the current season.

Rome, Apr 15 (BNP): Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced the suspension of Italy’s defence treaty with Israel, signalling a significant shift in the country’s foreign policy amid escalating tensions in West Asia. The decision coincided with sharp criticism from Donald Trump over Italy’s refusal to support the United States in its military campaign against Iran.

“In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,” Meloni said on Tuesday. The agreement, first approved in 2006, provides for cooperation in military equipment exchange and joint technology research.

The move comes amid growing concern in Italy over recent regional developments, including Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and allegations that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired warning shots near Italian UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon. These incidents have contributed to rising public disapproval within Italy.

While Meloni has so far maintained a measured stance on Israel’s military operations in Gaza, domestic pressure has been mounting, with sections of the public opposing continued hostilities and U.S. military actions against Iran. In a related development, Italy last month reportedly denied U.S. aircraft access to its Sigonella airbase in Sicily for stopovers.

Israel sought to downplay the impact of the suspension. Foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein stated that the arrangement was a long-standing memorandum of understanding without substantive operational content and would not affect Israel’s security.

However, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid described the development as indicative of a broader diplomatic challenge, saying the government was struggling to retain the support of traditional allies.

The developments highlight a shifting geopolitical landscape, with Italy reassessing its strategic positioning amid intensifying regional tensions and increasing domestic political pressure.