From impact of heatwaves to Mayank Yadav's blistering spell, here are our top stories of the week

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1) Cruel summer

Taylor Swift crooned her smash hit 'Cruel Summer': Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes / What doesn't kill me makes me want you more. While the song became a rage since the day it came out, the actual summer every year in the recent past makes Indians wonder if they want it anymore. 2023 was one of the hottest years in 122 years, with El Niño conditions worsening. A total of 252 deaths due to heat-related issues were reported by June 2023, a whopping jump from 33 deaths in the same period of 2022. The latest report by the Indian Meteorological Department has warned of a sweltering summer with more than the usual number of heat wave days in this session. How will this impact food-price inflation and even Lok Sabha Polls? Here are some insights.

2) CEO's playbook

Dolf van den Brink is the CEO of the world's second-biggest brewer by sales--Heineken. He took the helm on June 1, 2020, starting out as a trainee in the sales and marketing department right out of college in 1998. The journey has been transformative for him, shaping him to be a leader who refuses to be guided by mere profit. A valuable lesson in the Democratic Republic of Congo, implementing novel tools to make boardroom conversations meaningful, and productive while serving in the US, and taking a stand as and when the world discourse shifts, have made him understand that a leader needs to give first to be able to take something from his team. Heineken has a presence in over 190 countries, with its 300 brands and over 85,000 employees, and this is how Dolf van den Brink leads them.

3) Turbulence in the air

Over the past few weeks, the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines-owned Vistara have encountered turbulence. At least 100 flights have been delayed or cancelled since April 1. The trouble started brewing a few months ago when the merger with Air India began. Tata Group is looking to complete the merger next year, soon to function as the only full-service carrier in India, the world’s fastest-growing civil aviation market. The merger is causing issues, and Vistara flights are now suffering. Where do Vistara and Air India management go from here? What does the future hold? Let's find out.

Discover

1) India's history of finance reforms

In his book 'Slip, Stitch and Stumble', senior journalist Rajrishi Singhal takes a broad-scope look into the evolution of financial sector reforms in India. From Manmohan Singh’s landmark July 1991 Union Budget speech to the current complicated relationship between fintech companies and regulations, the book takes stock of various events, stakeholders and motivations that propelled financial sector reforms in India at different stages, as well as the roadblocks along the way. Singhal joins Divya Shekhar and Nasrin Sultana in this episode of From the Bookshelves of Forbes India podcast to discuss whether India has resisted timely financial sector reforms.

2) New deepfake scam

The world is forever changing because of new tech inventions every day. If you ask Sam Altman of OpenAi, he will tell you it is for the betterment, and if you ask one of the victims of the latest AI/deepfake scams, they will tell you it is simply to torture and exploit them. The new one in the long list of technological scams is where scamsters clone the voice of your child to emotionally break you, scare you, and then extort money from you. Parents are falling for these tricks and are being duped for lakhs of rupees. In addition to being aware and alert in the moment, you can do a few things to avoid falling prey. Here's what experts say.

3) Becoming a Netaji

As Kangana Ranaut makes her official political debut by contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Mandi seat of Himachal Pradesh under the Bharatiya Janata Party banner and Govinda returns to politics after more than a decade, here is a look at some actors who have contested the Lok Sabha polls previously and how they have fared. While some have managed to successfully win people's confidence over the years, others have found the political heat tough to handle.


4) New speed gun of India

Pace has always played a crucial role in winning cricket matches. Fast bowlers who can bowl with speed and precision are a coveted asset in the modern cricket world, and they thrive on the quickness of franchise sports. The 2024 edition of IPL includes Mitchell Starc, Lockie Ferguson, Gerald Coetzee, Anrich Nortje, India's Umran Malik, and Jasprit Bumrah, who have launched blistering deliveries beyond 150 kmph. Joining the list is Mayank Yadav, a 21-year-old pacer who finished with the figures of 4-0-27-3 and helped Lucknow script an easy win of 21 runs. Here's a look at the performance and what it means for his prospects vis à vis the upcoming T20 World Cup.