Get ready for a cruel Indian summer

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Get ready for a cruel Indian summer

The context: The world’s weather is most visibly affected by two phenomena: El Niño and La Niña. La Niña is formed when parts of the Pacific Ocean cool down—and its opposite is El Niño—which occurs when the Pacific heats up. This affects the movement of trade winds—and there is a knock-on effect around the world (explained at great length here). In India, El Niño can lead to record-breaking heatwaves—as was the case in April 2024—while La Niña can lead to a less intense summer season and a wetter monsoon—as was the case between 2020 and 2022.

Waiting for La Niña: The weather phenomenon was expected to set in around July 2024—but that did not happen. In December, the Indian Meteorological Department moved the goal post—-predicting that La Niña will definitely be here by early 2025. OTOH, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) was less upbeat—forecasting a 55% likelihood before March—but warned it would be ‘short-lived’.

Scorching shocker: Contrary to IMD’s wishful thinking, the year kicked off with unseasonal heat waves—which arrived months ahead of schedule in parts of coastal Maharashtra and Goa. On February 26, Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 38.7°C—a staggering 5.9 degrees above normal. The trend was the same down the entire western coast—including Gujarat and Karnataka. The primary culprit: a drier than usual winter—likely caused by climate change—which may account for the glaring absence of our lady of summertime succor—La Niña:

This year, the country experienced one of the driest winters in recent memory. An anticyclone over Madhya Pradesh has been pushing warm easterly winds across the West Coast, delaying sea breezes while prolonging land breezes, contributing to rising temperatures. High humidity levels near the coast have worsened discomfort.

Where we are now: Perhaps shamed by its springtime failure, the IMD has done a full 180. The Director-General predicts a summer of heatwaves:

This year, states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha could see as many as 10 to 11 heatwave days, Mr Mohapatra said in a press conference on Monday. "From April to June, most parts of north and east India, central India, and the plains of north-west India are expected to experience two-to-four more heatwave days than normal," he added.

Sadly, no one will go unpunished. The IMD predicts higher than normal temperatures for most of the country.

Why this really matters: Heatwaves are lethal for the working poor—who labour in the sun. And they are under-reported by the government. Example: Last summer, the health ministry reported 143 deaths caused by heatwaves—between March 1 and June 20. An independent count estimates the number is closer to 733. The total number of heatstroke cases in 2024: 40,000.

Whatever happened to La Niña: Sadly, a very mild version arrived in January—and has already dissipated—as predicted by WMO and others. Hence, Mr Mohapatra expects ‘neutral’ conditions in the monsoon season. As for the rest:

We will have to wait for the April forecast to get a sense of the monsoon rainfall this year. Regional factors and conditions in oceans surrounding India [Indian Ocean particularly] also have to be considered during forecasts.

The sorta good news: At least woh sala El Niño isn’t coming back.

The big picture: La Niña occurs when the temperature of the ocean surface cools—which is less likely with each passing year:

In 2024, ocean heat content reached its highest level in the 65-year observational record. Each of the past eight years has set a new record, with the rate of ocean warming over the past two decades being more than twice that of 1960-2005.

Reading list: BBC News has the latest announcement on the heat waves. Mint explained their early arrival back in February.

A new implant gives ‘voice’ to your thoughts

An American woman has regained her ability to speak—after nearly two decades—since a stroke in 2005. The reason for this miracle: A new brain-computer interface (BCI) that translates her thoughts into audible speech in near real-time.

What’s a BCI? It’s a device that connects the brain to a computer, allowing neural signals to control external systems—from robotic limbs to speech synthesizers. Traditional BCIs for speech are slow—and require users to complete entire sentences before generating sound.

What’s this new BCI? The new system—developed by US researchers—can stream words within three seconds—so she can speak fluently, and effortlessly. Here’s how they did it. First, they implanted 253 electrodes on her brain cortex. Then this:

A team in California recorded the woman’s brain activity using electrodes while she spoke sentences silently in her brain. The scientists used a synthesizer they built using her voice before her injury to create a speech sound that she would have spoken. They trained an AI model that translates neural activity into units of sound.

As one of the lead researchers describes: “It works similarly to existing systems used to transcribe meetings or phone calls in real time.” The BCI tracked Ann’s brain signals every 80 milliseconds, even before she started "speaking." Think of it as a very sophisticated iteration of predictive text.

A small caveat: The device converted her thoughts into speech at 47-90 words per minute—a significant leap since previous systems were at 20 words per minute. But it is still shy of natural conversation speed (160 words per minute). You can see how it works below. (Nature, paywalled, Science Alert)

Behold the most exxxtra watch ever!

This is a new watch with a name that likely belongs in a Harry Potter book: Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication. Made by Vacheron Constantin, it is described as the “most complicated watch in the world”—because it can do all sorts of insane (though not useful) things. For starters, it has three separate measures of time (ah, a philosophical watch!):

A conventional 24-hour-day, the sidereal time (the time taken for Earth to spin on its axis, which is around four minutes shorter than a calendar day) and the solar day (which is adjusted for the Earth’s elliptical orbit).

The jaw-dropping 41 complications—functions that go beyond traditional time-telling—also include:

Well, imagine tracking the tides, the position of the sun and the moon throughout the day, and even having the ability to find a particular star at night... There’s also a Gregorian perpetual calendar... including an astronomical moon phase indicator with the age of the moon displayed.

Also available: “A rotating display featuring the zodiac’s 13 constellations [that] can be adjusted to show when those stars will next be visible in the sky.” All of which makes for a very complicated life. Needless to say, mandatory bling is included: a case made of 18-karat white gold with over 200 jewels, including several sapphire discs. And it’s actually wearable! There is only one of a kind—without any disclosed price. In other words, 100% billionaire bait. The launch video is below. (CNN)

Support this sanctuary: An important appeal for Bangalore’s dogs

As you well know, we are mad about animals over here at splainer—so the shout-out for this fundraiser means a lot to us. Established in September 2024, Goodoo is an animal welfare organisation that is dedicated to rescuing, treating, releasing and rehoming injured, abused and abandoned dogs in the Bangalore area.

The organisation is currently over halfway short of its modest Rs 5 lakh goal—needed to build the inaugural shelter space for dogs. Every little bit of financial contribution counts—so please head over to Goodoo’s Milaap page if you can.

PS: One of the board members is Chitra Raghavan—who is a splainer subscriber and legal advisor from our very inception. So we have full faith in Goodoo’s integrity.

what caught our eye

business & tech

India’s economy is set to stay strong in FY26, buoyed by government spending and a possible boost in private investments, but escalating US tariffs and a growing trade war pose risks to exports, say rating agencies.
Google cheers as NCLAT slashes its antitrust penalty in India by over 75%. Note that this is yet another way to appease Trump: by easing up on US companies.
China’s state-owned brain chip company is racing past Neuralink, aiming to implant its experimental device in 13 patients by year’s end.
Wall Street just had its worst quarter since 2022, with the S&P 500 dropping nearly 5% as Trump’s tariff threats rattle investors.
Switching over to Indian markets now, fears of US reciprocal tariffs sent stock markets tumbling, with the Sensex plunging 1,390 points, or 1.8%, and Nifty-50 dropping 1.5%.
We now know why Mark Zuckerberg is all cuddled up with Trump. He wants Washington to bully the EU into dropping its strict regulations, rulings and taxes--at least for US tech companies.
With a TikTok ban still in existence, platforms are scrambling for your attention. Substack just jumped in, launching a TikTok-style video feed to help creators reel in more subscribers.
SoftBank is betting big on OpenAI, pumping in $10 billion now with a potential $30 billion more later in the year 2025—valuing the AI giant at a whopping $300 billion.

sports & entertainment

The makers of Malayalam movie ‘Empuraan’ have cut all references to the Gujarat riots—reducing its duration by around 2.08 minutes. For context on the controversy, see here.
Sony drops big Spider-Man news at CinemaCon—Tom Holland’s ‘Brand New Day’ swings into theaters July 31, 2026.
Countries with a substantial Indian diaspora like the US, the UK, Canada, and Malaysia now account for as high as 40% of total revenue for regional language OTTs based in India.
Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson, and Joseph Quinn are set to play the Beatles in a four-film saga directed by Sam Mendes—Hollywood’s Fab Four is locked in.
Thanks to quickfire half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings completed an 8-wicket demolition job over the Lucknow Super Giants—with 22 balls to spare.

health & environment

The Trump administration could approve deep-sea mining, with a company seeking his help to extract battery materials from the ocean floor, in what is an environmentally fraught and dangerous move.
A trial shows microdosing LSD does nothing for ADHD—those on the drug fared no better than the placebo group.
A Norwegian study has found a link between using phones before bed and bad sleep—“each additional hour of screen time was linked to a 63% increase in insomnia risk, and 24 minutes less sleep.”

meanwhile, in the world

Myanmar's military leader warned the death toll from the devastating earthquake could surpass 3,000, with over 2,700 confirmed dead.
The White House is withholding millions from Planned Parenthood clinics that provide essential services like contraception, STI testing, and other reproductive health care to low-income Americans.
Next on the hitlist: Princeton University. $210 million in research grants has been suspended amid an ongoing investigation, according to the White House and the Department of Energy.
Fifteen aid and rescue workers from the Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defense, and the UN were recovered from a grave in southern Gaza, officials confirmed.
Eyewitnesses claim these workers were shot at by Israeli forces and had their hands tied, with one senior doctor saying the men appeared to have been ‘executed.’
Hamas calls on global supporters to take up arms against displacement of Palestinians—as Israel issued a new evacuation order for Gaza—slamming the plan as a deadly mix of massacres and starvation.
Sticking with Israel and its offensives, its airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs killed four, including a Hezbollah official, further testing the fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, in line with Trump’s push to revive capital punishment in federal cases.
Imran Khan, former Pakistan PM and jailed since August 2023, received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
A major gas pipeline fire near Kuala Lumpur injured over 100 people, with several having to be rescued as their homes were engulfed in flames.
US Senator Cory Booker broke the record for the longest speech ever delivered in the Senate—timed at 25 hours and four minutes. It was “a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump, in which he warned of a ‘grave and urgent’ moment in American history”.
Experts make a case for fringe friends—a universal experience where one becomes a non-essential pal, the person who’s “always welcome but never invited.”

meanwhile, in India

Telangana government is clearing land in a village near Hyderabad—to build world-class infrastructure and IT parks. But but but, University of Hyderabad students are protesting against it—claiming that the land is protected forest land.
According to the government, over 13,000 sq km of forest area—i.e. more than the total geographical area of Delhi, Sikkim and Goa combined—is under encroachment. FYI: The report does not clarify encroached by whom.
Hoorah for conservation—Haryana government has declared two Harappan sites in the villages of Tighrana and Mitathal as protected monuments and archaeological sites.
Over 10,000 Indians are presently jailed abroad across 86 countries—with the highest in Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Three things to see

One: Come hither Fawad Khan fans! The trailer for ‘Abir Gulaal’—which marks the Pakistani actor’s much-awaited Bollywood comeback after 9 years—is finally here! Reminder: India placed an unofficial ban on Pakistani actors and other performing artists—after the 2016 Pulwama attacks—ruining Fawad Khan’s Bollywood career right when it was peaking. The movie is slated for May 9. See the trailer below. (Indian Express)

Two: A surprising discovery in Texas’ Big Bend National Park has unveiled a new member of the sunflower family—Ovicula biradiata, affectionately dubbed the “wooly devil.” With its fuzzy white leaves and maroon-striped florets, this quirky plant thrives in the rocky desert landscape, blooming only after a rain. Though it doesn’t quite resemble its bright, sunburst cousins, it’s unique enough to be classified as a whole new type of plant. Sadly, climate change threatens such specialised plants, so this sighting could be one of the last glimpses of its kind. Catch it below. (Gizmodo)

Three: Here are our fave brand April Fools stunts—some of which we secretly wish were true. Say hello to Hyundai’s mobile toilet called the Mobilet—described as “a sort of Uber for toilets”. A self-driving cubicle that you can book like Uber—and comes equipped with AI noise cancellation technology plus an aroma air diffuser.