Air India Express To Become The First Airline To Connect Northeast India Directly To West Asia

* Guwahati - Dubai and Guwahati - Abu Dhabi services to begin from 4th and 7th August 2026 respectively.

Air India Express today announced the launch of direct flights between Guwahati and Dubai, and Guwahati and Abu Dhabi, becoming the first airline to directly connect Northeast India with West Asia. The services will commence on 4 August and 7 August respectively, marking a significant milestone in expanding international travel options and strengthening global connectivity for the region.

Guwahati, widely regarded as the gateway to Northeast India, is one of the largest stations in the Air India Express network, with around 120 weekly flights. The launch of direct services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi marks the airline’s first international operations from the city, providing convenient access to two of the UAE’s leading economic and travel hubs. The new routes are expected to support tourism, trade, and cultural exchange, while bringing Northeast India closer to key global markets and opportunities.

Bookings for the new flights are now open on airindiaexpress.com, the Air India Express mobile app, and other major booking channels.With the addition of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Air India Express continues to strengthen its presence across Northeast India, where it now operates over 290 weekly flights from four stations in the region: Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Guwahati, and Imphal. Beyond enhancing connectivity and supporting the region’s economic and tourism potential, the airline also celebrates the Northeast’s rich cultural heritage through its ‘Tales of India’ initiative. Among the distinctive art forms featured on its aircraft tail designs are Assam’s iconic Gamosa and Jaapi motifs, alongside Tsüngkotepsü from Nagaland, Akyobi, Moirang Phee and Saphee Lanphee from Manipur, Idu Mishmi from Arunachal Pradesh, Khneng from Meghalaya, and Puanchei from Mizoram. Through these flying symbols of regional identity, Air India Express showcases the stories, traditions, and craftsmanship of the Northeast to audiences across India and beyond.

About Air India Express

Air India Express is A Tata Enterprise, operating over 500 daily flights that connect 43 domestic and 16 international destinations across South, Southeast and West Asia. The airline has a fleet of over 100 Boeing 737s and Airbus A320 aeroplanes. As India’s most vibrant and inclusive airline, Air India Express embodies the spirit and confidence of India - warm, expressive, and proudly authentic. Encouraging travellers to ‘Xplore More, Xpress More’, the airline transforms flying into an experience that is personal and memorable.

With thoughtfully curated touches - from ‘Gourmair’ hot meals, comfortable seats, and refreshed interiors to exclusive loyalty benefits for over 20 million members, Air India Express blends smart technology with heartfelt Indian hospitality.   

Vi Business MSME Growth Insights Study: 57% MSMEs view AI As A Vital Scale Driver; 25% Already Deploying AI Tools

• India's Digital Maturity Index Climbs to 60.8; Telangana and Karnataka Lead State Rankings, Andhra Pradesh enters the Top 10 for the first time in India Largest Digital Advisory for MSMEs –

Vi Business Ready for Next, Covering over 2.5 Lakh MSMEs

• Introduces Financial Readiness as the fourth pillar of assessment, beyond Digital Customer, Digital Workplace and Digital Operations

• Women-led MSMEs show strong digital progress, outperforming male led businesses

• 46.3% of Indian MSMEs have adopted cyber defence solutions to counter rising online threats

As India rapidly emerges as a global destination for AI adoption and a data centre hub, the growing MSME sector that contributes over 31 percent of the GDP, is accelerating its adoption. The latest edition of the VI Business MSME Growth Insights Study 2026, found that 57% of surveyed enterprises view AI as a core tool that can enhance and accelerate business growth, with 25% of enterprises having already integrated AI in their business practices and operational workflows.

The study maps insights from Vi Business's 'ReadyForNext' platform- India's largest digital advisory for small and medium businesses that engaged with over 2.5 lakh MSMEs across 16 sectors. This year, the Digital Maturity Index (DMI) increased to 60.8, up from 58.0 in 2025 and 55.9 in 2023. The study further identifies three technology vectors that will shape the next phase of MSME scale - AI to drive productivity and decision-making, SaaS-led workplace collaboration to enable scalable operations, and cybersecurity to build trust, resilience and business continuity.

Key highlights from the report include:

· Cybersecurity Adoption: Nearly half (46.3%) of Indian MSMEs have adopted cyber defence solutions to counter rising online threats, acting as a major driver for the country's overall DMI growth

· India's entrepreneurial landscape shows strong digital progress, with women-led MSMEs achieving a DMI of 61.6 and male-led businesses reporting 60.4. The sharp rise in digital maturity from 58 in 2025 to 60.8 in 2026 underscores how entrepreneurs are increasingly leveraging digital technologies to drive business growth, improve operational efficiency and build resilient enterprises.

· Digital Workplace has emerged as the fastest growing pillar of transformation, rising from 57.5 in 2023 to 65.7 in 2026, reflecting growing adoption of workplace collaboration platforms, productivity suites, HRMS solutions and digital ways of working. Digital Operations also recorded strong progress, increasing from 56.5 to 62.0 during the same period, as MSMEs increasingly leveraged technology to streamline processes, improve efficiency and strengthen business resilience.

To turn these digital gains into sustainable business growth, Vi Business has expanded its ReadyForNext assessment by introducing Financial Readiness. Serving as the fourth pillar alongside Digital Maturity, Digital Workplace, and Digital Operations, the Financial Readiness pillar will benchmark MSMEs funding readiness and risk coverage awareness. This strategic addition will allow next year’s study to map how effectively Indian enterprises are converting digital tools into financial strength.

Speaking on the occasion M P Sunil Kumar, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited. said "India's MSMEs are moving beyond basic digitisation towards building intelligent, secure, and future-ready enterprises. The growing adoption of AI, rising digital maturity levels, and increasing investments in workplace and operational technologies reflect a perceptible shift. By collaborating with global tech giants, Vi Business is scaling its capabilities to provide solutions across cloud, security, communication and other enterprise solutions leading to measurable, impactful outcomes. By introducing the Financial Readiness Pillar, we aim to provide an all-inclusive ecosystem blueprint that helps small and medium size businesses evaluate their resilience, secure funding, and scale sustainably in a highly competitive global market."

Addendum – Detailed insights of the Vi Business MSME Study:

Sectoral Rankings & Digital Evolution: Digital maturity continued to improve across sectors, although the pace of transformation varied significantly. Financial Services emerged as India's most digitally mature sector with a DMI of 67.3, overtaking IT & ITeS (66.2), while Transportation (63.6), Energy & Utilities (62.9) and Tourism & Hospitality (62.0) also ranked among the leading sectors.

• Looking at the longer-term trend since the study's inception in 2023, Financial Services recorded the strongest improvement since 2023, gaining 14.3 points, driven by widespread adoption of digital payments, online onboarding, customer engagement platforms and cybersecurity solutions. Retail emerged as the second-most improved sector, recording a 9.9-point increase in DMI from 52 to 61.9, reflecting growing adoption of omnichannel engagement, digital payments and online customer acquisition channels. IT & ITeS (+7.2 points), Tourism & Hospitality (+7.0 points) and Energy & Utilities (+6.9 points) also registered strong gains, supported by increasing adoption of AI, cloud technologies, workplace collaboration tools, smart infrastructure and digital service platforms.

• Despite this progress, digital transformation remains uneven across sectors. Manufacturing, Agriculture, Telecom, Logistics, Mining, Media & Entertainment and Professional Services continue to lag in digital maturity growth, highlighting opportunities for deeper technology adoption, capability building and digital enablement across India's MSME ecosystem.

Regional and State Highlights: The study points to an uneven digital transformation landscape across the country. While South and West India continue to dominate the digital maturity rankings, no Eastern state features among the top ten digitally mature MSME ecosystems, underscoring the need for greater technology adoption, digital enablement and ecosystem support across emerging business centres in the region.

• Andhra Pradesh entered the Top 10 rankings for the first time, a significant marker of digital adoption spreading beyond established tech hubs into emerging MSME markets

• Telangana (68.3) and Karnataka (65.7) emerged as India's most digitally mature MSME ecosystems, followed by Maharashtra (65.2), Kerala (63.7) and Gujarat (62.8)

• Maharashtra recorded the highest digital maturity among women-led MSMEs

• Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi emerged as the top states for AI adoption and intent among MSMEs

• Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana reported the highest adoption of cybersecurity solutions

• Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala led in the use of digital payments for business transactions

• Telangana recorded the highest Digital Maturity Index in Manufacturing, while Maharashtra led in Financial Services and Haryana topped the rankings in IT & ITeS

Among the overall key takeaways from the report, it was found that four-fifths of MSMEs are now online in some form, with over 35% having their own websites. However, there exist certain gaps, such as one-fifth of MSMEs still being fully offline and a significant chunk without a website presence.

To read more Download the ReadyForNext MSME growth Insights Study 2026: https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/business/msme/RFN5.0-Vi.pdf

To Take the ReadyForNext assessment please click here: https://www.myvi.in/business/enterprise-segments/smb/msme-readyfornext-digital-assessment

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is amongst India’s leading telecom service providers. The company holds a large spectrum portfolio including mid band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave spectrum in 16 circles. The Company provides Voice and Data services across 2G, 4G and 5G platforms and is expanding 5G services across 17 circles. To support the growing demand for data and voice, the Company is committed to delivering delightful customer experiences and contributing towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company’s equity shares are listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the BSE in India. For more information, please visit: www.MyVi.in

About Vi Business:

Vi Business, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea Limited, is committed to providing innovative Telecom solutions that empower businesses across India. With a focus on connectivity, cloud, IoT, communication and security, Vi Business aims to be at the forefront of technological advancements that drive growth and efficiency. For more information, visit: www.myvi.in/business  

Air India Launches ‘Easy Connect’ Flights – Bringing The World Closer To Every Indian

· Operationalises Government’s Hub-and-Spoke model from Varanasi

· ‘Easy Connect’ flights to soon begin from 11 additional cities: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam

Air India today marked a defining milestone in the Indian aviation industry with the inauguration of its first 'Easy Connect' flight under the Government of India's new hub-and-spoke framework, launching the transformative model aimed at linking the length and breadth of India seamlessly with the world, and vice versa.

The inaugural Easy Connect service, flight AI1111, departed Varanasi at 09:23 AM today, with international passengers on the flight connecting onward from Delhi to 9 destinations outside of India, such as Dubai, Colombo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kathmandu, Phuket.

Mr Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, inaugurated the first ‘Easy Connect’ flight from Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. At the occasion, he said: “Today we take a major step forward towards realising our vision of making air travel more accessible and building a future-ready, self-reliant Indian aviation industry that is efficient, inclusive, and globally competitive. Our new hub-and-spoke model paves the way for a monumental shift in how our citizens travel - where regardless of the city one lives in India, one can begin their international journey from their home city and travel across the globe with ease and confidence, on India’s own wings.”

At the launch, the Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, presented the first passenger to check-in for the inaugural Easy Connect flight with a commemorative boarding pass. Also present at the occasion were Mr Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Mr. Puneet Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Mr Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India; Mr Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India; Mr P. Balaji, Group Head – Governance, Risk, Compliance & Corporate Affairs, Air India; among other senior officials from government agencies and Air India.

Nationwide rollout

As the first airline to begin the hub-and-spoke services, Air India is leading a phased nationwide rollout that will progressively connect more domestic “spoke” cities in addition to Varanasi to the airline’s primary hubs in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, unlocking seamless, end-to-end international travel for millions of Indians.

Over the next few months, Air India aims to introduce ‘Easy Connect’ services from several other Indian cities progressively, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara, and Visakhapatnam, thus fundamentally changing the way Indian travellers access destinations around the world.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “India is a major force in global aviation, and yet, for decades a meaningful share of Indian travellers flying abroad have routed their journeys through overseas transit points - often at the cost of comfort and convenience. Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ flights is a response to that reality, and we are grateful to the Government of India for its vision and support in enabling this framework.”

Wilson added: “In today’s India, a family in Varanasi, Amritsar, or Vishakhapatnam should not have to navigate unfamiliar transit environments to reach the world. They should be able to begin their international journey from their home city, on their own soil, feeling confident, comfortable, and proud as they connect seamlessly to global destinations.”

Nearly 25 million passengers travel long-haul to and from India annually, of which close to 20 million are connecting travellers – and around 85% (approximately 17 million) of whom currently transit through overseas hubs rather than Indian airports.

More about Easy Connect flights

Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ services are flights from spoke airports to hub airports, earmarked to provide seamless connectivity to international destinations beyond the hub airports. This means travellers from cities that do not have direct flights to many international destinations can now begin their international journey from their home city with unprecedented ease:

· Through check-in to final destination at the origin airport

· Immigration clearance at the point of departure instead of doing so at the hub airport

· Seamless international transit through the hub airport, without having to re-check baggage

This enables travellers to fly via Delhi or Mumbai as international transit passengers, eliminating the need for repeated processes and significantly reducing travel complexity and unfamiliarity usually associated with the transit experience at a foreign hub.

Passengers travelling on Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ flights are required to complete certain pre-departure and transit processes to ensure a seamless journey, including mandatory DigiYatra enrolment for Indian nationals. Indian passport holders connecting internationally on ‘Easy Connect’ flights are required to enrol in DigiYatra and ensure their boarding passes are uploaded on the app prior to departure. Web check-in and Customs declaration are not available at spoke airports.

Bookings for Air India’s Easy Connect flights under the new hub-and-spoke model are now open across all channels, including Air India’s website, mobile app, contact centre, and travel agents.

Flight AI1111 from Varanasi-Delhi offers seamless connections to 17 international destinations within four hours of arrival at Delhi, including London, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, among others.

About Air India Group

The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.

Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation programme, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.

The Air India Group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress.

With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

For more news on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom

SonicWall Research Sounds Code Red On Healthcare Cybersecurity As Attack Rates Refuse To Decline

* New Healthcare Protect Brief reveals 13.3 million remote desktop exploitation attempts and more active ransomware families than any other tracked vertical

SonicWall today released its 2026 Healthcare Protect Brief, a vertical-specific companion to the SonicWall 2026 Cyber Protect Report, revealing that healthcare cybersecurity remains the most persistently targeted industry in SonicWall’s global telemetry, and that the gap between healthcare and every other sector is widening, not closing.

While attack volumes across most verticals declined between 17% and 56% year-over-year, healthcare recorded the smallest decline of any tracked industry. The finding is not simply that healthcare is heavily targeted - it’s because attackers are less willing to leave healthcare than anywhere else.

"Healthcare is the most targeted industry for several reasons, and none of them are accidental," said Michael Crean, SonicWall SVP of Managed Services. "What our research makes clear is that attackers have done the math. Hospitals cannot go dark; downtime is measured in patient outcomes and the pressure to pay is unlike anything in any other sector. None of that changes until healthcare stops relying on security architectures built for a world that no longer exists and starts treating Zero Trust not as a future initiative, but as the baseline they needed yesterday."

SonicWall’s Healthcare Protect Brief draws on data from SonicWall’s global network of more than one million security sensors to document the specific attack patterns, exploitation vectors and ransomware campaigns defining the healthcare threat landscape in 2026.

Key Findings from the 2026 SonicWall Healthcare Protect Brief

Healthcare recorded the smallest attack decline of any tracked vertical, just 17% year-over-year

UltraVNC buffer overflow attacks generated 13.3 million hits in five months, a finding unique to healthcare

IoT exploitation spanned 243 unique attack signatures targeting connected medical devices

Ten active ransomware families operated simultaneously against healthcare — more than any other vertical

Log4j generated 11.4 million hits despite being patched in 2021

Malware hits per firewall reached 102,209 in H1 2026 — four times the next-highest vertical

Three Problems. One Industry. No Easy Exits.

Healthcare's attack surface has three structural problems that attackers have learned to exploit with precision. Remote desktop tools (necessary for distributed clinics, telemedicine and third-party vendor access) generated 13.3 million UltraVNC exploitation attempts in the first five months of 2026 alone. When those tools are internet-exposed without layered controls and backed by VPN architectures that grant broad network access the moment credentials are validated, a single stolen login compromises the entire environment.

The Internet of Things (IoT) footprint makes it worse. Exploitation spanned 243 unique attack signatures targeting connected medical devices that cannot be patched, cannot run endpoint agents and share network segments with clinical systems. A Hikvision vulnerability from 2021 is still generating millions of detection events in 2026. Legacy vulnerabilities do not expire. Against that backdrop, ten ransomware families operated simultaneously against healthcare in the first half of 2026. That is not opportunism. It is a calculated market decision driven by one simple reality: healthcare cannot absorb downtime, and the pressure to pay is unlike anything in any other sector. "Healthcare does not have a cybersecurity problem,” continued Crean. “It has three of them, and attackers have figured out how to use all of them at the same time."

The Architecture Problem Has a Known Solution

The vulnerabilities documented in the Healthcare Protect Brief are well understood, and the controls that address them exist. What slows deployment is not the technology; it is the absence of a repeatable process for standing it up across facilities that open on compressed timelines.

SonicWall Cloud Secure Edge (CSE) solves the architectural problem by applying Zero Trust principles to every access request, granting application-level access only and continuously re-verifying identity and device posture. A compromised credential no longer means a compromised network.

SonicWall partner Fornida proved that deployment at scale is achievable. Working with ExaltHealth across five operating rehabilitation hospitals and eight more in planning, Fornida embedded Zero Trust into a standardized opening playbook. It ships pre-configured with every facility's equipment package. Legacy VPN is retired facility by facility. No network rebuild required.

"What the ExaltHealth engagement taught us is that security cannot be an afterthought in a hospital opening," said Farzad Vahid, Founder and CEO, Fornida, a trusted SonicWall partner. "By the third facility, Zero Trust was built into our standard playbook. Five hospitals operating. Eight more planned. That only works if security is a system, not a fire drill."

Availability The SonicWall 2026 Healthcare Protect Brief is available at https://www.sonicwall.com/threat-report. It is the first in SonicWall’s 2026 Vertical Series, accompanying the SonicWall 2026 Cyber Protect Report released in March 2026.

About SonicWall

For more than 30 years, SonicWall has championed a partner-first model that combines purpose-built technology, cloud-delivered security services and real-time threat intelligence to help businesses prevent breaches, reduce risk and stay operational in the face of evolving modern threats. We are committed to delivering the best security outcomes for our customers where others deliver features and functions. Through its unified cybersecurity portfolio and global community of over 17,000 partners, SonicWall enables managed service providers to actively manage, continuously optimize and measurably protect networks, cloud environments, endpoints and applications. The company is redefining cybersecurity around outcomes that matter to business leaders, including breach prevention, compliance achievement, cost efficiency and reduced human error, because protection is not about what a product can do but about what it actually delivers.

Hyatt Invites Travelers Across Asia Pacific To Let Their Curiosity Reward Them With The World Of Hyatt Brand Explorer Award

* Members can earn a free night with every five unique Hyatt brands they stay with, plus enjoy limited-time savings with eligible stays

From luxury retreats to lifestyle hotspots and hotels that elevate the everyday essentials, Hyatt invites guests to explore its diverse portfolio of brands across the Asia Pacific region and be rewarded along the way.

Through the World of Hyatt Brand Explorer Award, members can earn one Free Night Award at a Category 1–4 hotel for every five different Hyatt brands they experience. Members can continue exploring and earning, with an additional Free Night Award available for every five unique Hyatt brands stayed at over the lifetime of their membership.

“The Brand Explorer Award is unique to the World of Hyatt program and is designed to reward guests as they discover the breadth of experiences across our brands. Whether traveling for leisure, business, or special occasions, guests can explore 36 unique brands under World of Hyatt, including 17 in the Asia Pacific region, catering to different travel needs and preferences,” said Tammy Ng, Vice President of Brand & Marketing, Hyatt Asia Pacific.

A Stay for Every Mood & Occasion

Hyatt’s Luxury portfolio offers exceptional experiences tailored to discerning travelers. Park Hyatt hotels present refined, residentially inspired elegance through architecture, housed world-class art, and curated immersive culinary experiences, all complemented by an intuitively personalized level of service. Alila hotels and resorts invite travelers to discover a more connected world through cultural and environmental immersion, enriching experiences, and holistic wellbeing. The Unbound Collection by Hyatt hotels are more than a compilation of independent, one-of-a-kind hotels, a thoughtful curation of stories worth collecting, whether a modern marvel, a historic gem, or a revitalizing retreat.

For travelers seeking immersive and culturally rich stays, Hyatt’s lifestyle brands present distinctive experiences inspired by local culture, creativity, and community. Andaz hotels are grounded in local surroundings and infused with local culture, designed for those with a global sensibility. Thompson Hotels are a sophisticated home base when travelling, featuring classics done with a refined sensibility and sense of style housed in an environment where culture thrives. The Standard hotels are culturally driven, known for entertainment, bold design, and convention-defying experiences to be “anything but” standard. The StandardX brand distills The Standard’s signature edge into an uncomplicated, cool hotel experience. The collection of independent JdV by Hyatt hotels is true to its namesake, joie de vivre. The properties are vibrant reflections of their surroundings, inviting guests to embrace discovery in their travels.

The Classics portfolio delivers trusted hospitality for a wide range of travel occasions, combining thoughtful service, contemporary comfort, and memorable experiences in sought-after destinations around the world. Grand Hyatt hotels bring people together through major gateway cities and resort destinations, each offering first-class accommodation, inventive dining, wellness amenities and exceptional spaces for business and celebration. Hyatt Regency properties bring people together through open, welcoming spaces and enriching experiences. The hotels and resorts deliver memorable celebrations, effortless relaxation, notable dining, and expert meetings for guests across generations and cultures. Hyatt Centric hotels are designed for exploration and discovery. Each hotel has streamlined contemporary rooms, vibrant social spaces, locally inspired dining, and expert local insight to help guests experience the best of the destination.

Designed with guest flexibility, convenience, and comfort in mind, Hyatt’s select-service brands, deliver seamless stays with practical amenities tailored to the needs of modern travelers.

Caption by Hyatt hotels are programmed to reflect each destination and its community. At the heart of each hotel is the Talk Shop: an all-day spot where guests can eat, drink, get some work done, hang out with friends, or just chill. The Unscripted by Hyatt brand was created for travelers who appreciate the essentials and love discovering the unexpected. They are a collection of independent hotels each with its own personality and local flavor, catering to those who prefer spontaneity and flexibility. Hyatt Place hotels combine style, innovation and 24/7 conveniences to create an easy to navigate experience for today’s multi-tasking traveler. Guests can look forward to guestrooms featuring distinct zones for sleep, work and play, and free flowing social spaces for seamless transitions from work to relaxation. Hyatt House properties welcome those seeking spacious and well-equipped living accommodations with everything they need and more for a short-or-long-term stay. The brand delivers home-like amenities with purposeful service and contemporary spaces. The UrCove brand is built specifically to meet preferences and growing expectations in Mainland China for a seamless, comfortable and premium travel experience for both business and leisure.

The Brand Explorer Campaign is designed to inspire World of Hyatt members and frequent travelers to experience more of Hyatt across Asia Pacific, including destinations in Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia, Mainland China, India, and beyond.

As travelers discover more ways to stay with Hyatt, every eligible stay at a new Hyatt brand brings World of Hyatt members one step closer to unlocking a Free Night Award. From now until August 17, 2026, World of Hyatt members can also enjoy discounts of up to 20% on club and suite rooms, and up to 15% on standard rooms at Hyatt Asia Pacific hotels, making now the perfect time to begin exploring.

For more information on savings, visit https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/promo/save-asia-pacific

For more information on the Brand Explorer Award, visit Hyatt.com/asiabrandexplorer.

About World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is Hyatt’s award-winning guest loyalty program uniting participating locations in Hyatt’s Luxury Portfolio, including Park Hyatt®, Alila®, Miraval®, Impression by Secrets, and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®; the Lifestyle Portfolio, including Andaz®, Thompson Hotels®, The Standard®, Dream® Hotels, The StandardX, Breathless Resorts & Spas®, JdV by Hyatt®, Bunckhouse® Hotels and Me and All Hotels; the Inclusive Collection, including Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts , Hyatt Ziva®, Hyatt Zilara®, Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Sunscape® Resorts & Spas and Alua Hotels & Resorts®; the Classics Portfolio, including Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Destination by Hyatt®, Hyatt Centric®, Hyatt Vacation Club®, and Hyatt®; and the Essentials Portfolio, including Caption by Hyatt®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove. Members who book directly through Hyatt channels can enjoy personalized care and access to distinct benefits including Guest of Honor, confirmed suite upgrades at time of booking, diverse wellbeing offerings, digital key, and exclusive member rates. With 58 million members and counting, World of Hyatt offers a variety of ways to earn and redeem points for hotel stays, dining and spa services, wellbeing focused experiences through the FIND platform; as well as the benefits of Hyatt’s strategic loyalty collaboration with American Airlines AAdvantage®. Travelers can enroll for free at hyatt.com, download the World of Hyatt app for android and IOS devices and connect with World of Hyatt on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of March 31, 2026, the Company's portfolio included more than 1,500 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 83 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Luxury Portfolio, including Park Hyatt®, Alila®, Miraval®, Impression by Secrets, and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®; the Lifestyle Portfolio, including Andaz®, Thompson Hotels®, The Standard®, Dream® Hotels, The StandardX®, Breathless Resorts & Spas®, JdV by Hyatt®, Bunkhouse® Hotels, and Me and All Hotels; the Inclusive Collection, including Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Hyatt Ziva®, Hyatt Zilara®, Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid® Hotels & Resorts, Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts®, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas; the Classics Portfolio, including Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Destination by Hyatt®, Hyatt Centric®, Hyatt Vacation Club®, and Hyatt®; and the Essentials Portfolio, including Caption by Hyatt®, Unscripted by Hyatt, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Studios®, Hyatt Select, and UrCove. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Mr & Mrs Smith, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar® DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions® technology services. For more information, visit www.hyatt.com.  

Honeywell And MIT Find Digital Technologies Can Help Increase Energy Supply

* To Reduce Energy Production Cost By Tens Of Billions Annually

Honeywell analysis and MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy modeling project annual savings of up to $225 billion in production costs for oil-based fuels, $80 billion in LNG alone, by 2050, using AI-enabled technologies

Honeywell, in collaboration with the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy, today released new research titled Accelerating Energy Expansion, which shows that digital and AI-enabled technologies can significantly reduce the cost of fuel production annually, citing applications across traditional oil-based fuels and LNG.

The report addresses three focus areas and the supporting policies needed to help achieve energy security and affordability: increasing energy supply, efficiently managing demand, and diversifying energy resources and feedstocks.

“Meeting the world’s growing energy needs will require both investment in new technologies to broaden feedstock options and more efficient use of today’s energy infrastructure,” said Ken West, President and CEO of Honeywell Process Technology. “Honeywell is helping customers apply AI, automation, digital and connected solutions to help get more out of their existing assets while also increasing reliability and throughput. The MIT analysis highlights the significant cost-reduction opportunities AI-enabled technologies can unlock in fuel production, which is top of mind for consumers and policymakers alike as we navigate increasingly complex geopolitical dynamics.”

“Energy demand is rising quickly, and many organizations are looking for practical ways to add power without waiting years for new generation to come online,” said Jim Masso, President and CEO of Honeywell Process Automation. “On-site power generation and energy storage can help operators add capacity where it’s needed most, helping to support the growing demands of AI infrastructure and reduce reliance on already stretched grids. As a result, this enables them to scale more quickly and efficiently.”

Based on Honeywell analysis and modeling by the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy, key themes and findings revealed through the research include:
Digital Technologies, Including AI, Help Increase Energy Supply and Reduce Production Costs

Energy producers are increasingly using physical AI to improve efficiency, reliability and performance across existing infrastructure.

When applied to traditional oil-based fuels, AI-enabled technologies can reduce global annual production costs by up to $55 billion within five years of application, and up to $225 billion by 2050.

For LNG, global production costs could be reduced by $15 billion annually after applying AI-based technologies for five years, and up to $80 billion by 2050. If applied in the U.S. alone, for example, this could help reduce LNG prices by 1.1% by 2050; and, if applied globally, long-term LNG prices could be reduced by 4.5%.

Scaling Power for a New Era of Energy Demand Begins with Improving Existing Infrastructure

With rising electricity demand creating new challenges for energy infrastructure, improving the efficiency and performance of existing infrastructure may be one of the fastest ways to add available energy supply while enabling improved affordability and energy security as longer-term fuel generation projects are developed.

On-site energy production can help heavy energy users increase supply by adding power faster, improving reliability and supporting AI infrastructure growth. Conventional gas-turbine solutions for this purpose currently face permitting and equipment delays, making emerging technologies like fuel-cell-based systems more attractive, as they can be deployed quickly and with lower carbon emissions.

Intelligent energy storage technology can also help address energy demand and resilience through improving grid flexibility and reliability by managing periods of peak demand. By shifting energy to align with periods of high demand, battery energy storage can reduce the need for costly incremental grid and additional fuel generation investments while helping operators manage growing electricity loads more effectively.
Achieving Regional Energy Security by Diversifying Energy Resources with Alternative Fuels

Meeting rising energy demand and addressing energy security will require adding new sources, such as sustainable aviation fuel, to the energy mix at a faster rate.

Technology will play a central role in advancing regional energy security. By creating fuels from a broad range of local feedstocks, regions can make good use of abundantly available biomass, waste oils and non-edible crops for scalable fuel solutions.

Developing resilient regional energy infrastructure helps countries reduce reliance on imports and protects against geopolitical volatility.

The Accelerating Energy Expansion report was released at Honeywell’s 2026 Future of Energy Summit, an annual event that brings together industry leaders, policymakers and technology experts to discuss strategies for strengthening energy security, affordability and competitiveness while meeting growing global energy demand.

About Honeywell

Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world, with a portfolio that is underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and innovations for aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, process automation, and process technology, that help make the world smarter and safer as well as more secure and sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

HCLFoundation And Pearson Launch Discovery Science Center For Underserved Students in Bengaluru

* To Empower Underprivileged Students Through STEM Learning

HCLFoundation which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of global technology company HCLTech in India, and Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) have launched a Discovery Science Center — a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lab to give underserved students in Bengaluru hands-on access to science and technology learning experiences.

The Discovery Science Center will provide underserved students with critical thinking, creativity and innovation skills. It will offer immersive, application-based learning experiences, supported by year-round interventions such as STEM clubs, competitions and workshops. Through these efforts, the initiative is expected to reach over 1,500 students annually, fostering curiosity, problem-solving abilities and early innovation skills.

The launch expands HCLTech and Pearson’s strategic partnership to build skills through AI-powered technology. It also builds on a similar center in Noida, which has already brought hands-on STEM learning to underserved students.

Vishaal Gupta, India Chair and President, Enterprise Learning & Skills, Pearson, said “Every student should have the opportunity to explore science and technology through hands-on-learning. This center gives students in underserved communities a place to explore, build skills and unlock what they can do. Through our work with the HCLFoundation, we’re focused on expanding access to quality learning where it is needed most.”

“This partnership demonstrates what is possible when technology expertise, the science of learning and grassroots execution come together with a shared purpose. By strengthening digital learning ecosystems and embedding inclusion at the core, we are building pathways for the most underserved learners to access quality education and build skills for the future,” said Nidhi Pundhir, Senior Vice President and Global Head, CSR at HCLTech.

Earlier this year, HCLFoundation and Pearson partnered to support 400 students in underserved communities by providing them with smart classrooms equipped with smart boards and laptops. To support inclusive and consistent learning, tailored assistive devices were provided to children with special needs, including those with visual impairments, helping them participate fully in the classroom. By extending support beyond classrooms to help children enroll in and stay in school, the initiative created a community-centric learning ecosystem that combines corporate expertise with on-ground impact.

About HCLFoundation

HCLFoundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India. The Foundation contributes to national and international development goals by investing in long-term sustainable programs and special initiatives with thematic focus on education, nurturing grassroots sports, health and sanitation, skill development and livelihood, environment and disaster risk reduction and response management. To ensure equitable development, child protective strategies, inclusion and gender transformative approaches are at the core of all the programs of the Foundation. To date, the HCLFoundation has positively impacted over 7.5 million lives. To learn more, visit www.hclfoundation.org

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2026 totaled $14.7 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

About Pearson

At Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), our purpose is simple: to help people realise the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our 18,000 employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s leading lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. Visit us at https://www.pearsonplc.com