Everyday Explainers

Blast kills 20 in Tirah Valley: Pakistan’s Taliban problem

September 24, 2025 17:10 IST

Imran Khan's PTI has claimed that the blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region that killed 20 was an air strike. Authorities have denied this. Here's what is happening.

Members of Aggarwal community take out a procession on the eve of '12th Aggarwal Vaishya Yuvak-Yuvti Parichiye Sammelan' in Panchkula in 2017.

On Agrasen Jayanti, what to know about the revered figure of Maharaja Agrasen

September 22, 2025 15:02 IST

Maharaja Agrasen is believed to have been a legendary king who ruled over Agroha, an ancient city likely in the present-day Hisar district of Haryana. He is regarded as the founder of the Aggarwal community.

In September 2021, TikTok reached a billion active users.

Trump hints at TikTok deal with China: What to know about the app’s criticismsSubscriber Only

September 16, 2025 00:40 IST

What has TikTok’s journey been in the US, and what has happened under Trump?

Indian NGO ‘Educate Girls’ wins Ramon Magsaysay Award: What is this honourSubscriber Only

August 31, 2025 21:56 IST

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is widely considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. This year, Educate Girls has become the first Indian organisation to win it. Here's what to know.

Japan releases AI video of Mount Fuji ‘erupting’: Why now, how a volcanic eruption is predictedSubscriber Only

August 28, 2025 19:38 IST

Why has Japan released the AI-generated awareness video now? Is Mount Fuji close to erupting? How are volcanic eruptions predicted? We explain.

Taylor Swift Album Color Orange Explained

Taylor Swift’s new album has ‘Portofino Orange Glitter’ theme: what is this colourSubscriber Only

August 18, 2025 13:00 IST

Taylor Swift Album Color Orange Explained: Taylor Swift has been wearing orange outfits in the last leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour. The colour has come a long way, from the Impressionist movement to now the Swiftie bandwagon.

S-400 hailed for Operation Sindoor role: What is this Russia-made weapon system, how India bought it under US retaliation cloudSubscriber Only

August 11, 2025 12:11 IST

Operation Sindoor, S-400 missile system: What makes the S-400 missile system so valuable? What risk of US action was India facing when it made this weapons deal with Russia, and what happened after? We explain.

In 12 years, 5 billion starfish ‘wasted away’ from a mysterious disease: How culprit was finally foundSubscriber Only

August 6, 2025 19:07 IST

Why do starfish matter, and why were so many of them dropping dead? Why did it take 12 years to find the cause of the disease? We explain.

Four US Presidents have previously won the Nobel Peace Prize. Jimmy Carter's 2002 prize is on display at his Visitor Centre in Georgia.

After Pakistan and Israel, Cambodia offers Nobel nomination to Trump: How does it work?Subscriber Only

August 3, 2025 18:35 IST

Trump has frequently lamented about not being awarded the prize, and world leaders hoping to develop a deeper relationship with the United States have picked up on the concern.

PM Modi talks of Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Tamil Nadu: What is this initiative, who benefitsSubscriber Only

July 28, 2025 16:41 IST

Launched in 2022, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) aims at development and upgradation of stations over the Indian Railways network.

Members of a military council that staged a coup in Niger attend a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023.

2 Indians killed, one missing in Niger: What is happening in the West African nation?Subscriber Only

July 21, 2025 19:46 IST

How many Indians are known to be in the country, and what is the prevailing political situation there? We explain.

Ind vs Pak WCL., World Championship of Legends

What is cricket’s World Championship of Legends, which saw the Ind vs Pak match cancelled?Subscriber Only

July 20, 2025 17:12 IST

WCL India vs Pakistan cancelled: This is the second edition of the WCL, with India winning the inaugural league last year in the final against Pakistan. Here is what to know.

Robert Vadra coming out from the ED office, in New Delhi on Monday, July 14.

As ED attaches Robert Vadra’s properties, here is how the process worksSubscriber Only

July 18, 2025 12:51 IST

How does the ED attach the properties of someone accused in a case, and what happens then? We explain.

A still from the trailer of the BBC documentary 'Gaza: How to

How BBC’s Gaza documentary ‘scandal’ highlights criticism of its war coverageSubscriber Only

July 15, 2025 18:23 IST

Why did the BBC pull its recent documentary on Gaza? And why has the broadcaster come under criticism from both pro- and anti-Israel groups in recent months?

AIIB report: NDRF personnel recover remains of the passenger aboard the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Meghani nagar in Ahmedabad on June 14.

What is the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), probing the Ahmedabad flight crash?Subscriber Only

July 14, 2025 11:42 IST

AAIB India crash report: The AAIB’s 15-page report stated that the two engine fuel control switches onboard transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position, moments after lift-off. What is the AAIB?

Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, talks to the media.

Who is Francesca Albanese, the UN expert sanctioned by the US?Subscriber Only

July 11, 2025 12:27 IST

The UN special rapporteur on Palestinian territories has been accused by the US of ‘unabashed antisemitism’, ‘support for terrorism’, and ‘open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West’. Why?

In 2022, Xi was elected as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party — the most important political position in the country — for an unprecedented third five-year term.

Xi Jinping absent from BRICS summit: What speculations of his ‘weakening grip on power’ missSubscriber Only

July 7, 2025 19:38 IST

This is not the first time that rumours about the Chinese President have swirled close to important events, and past experiences can help understand what such absences might mean.

Why Andhra Pradesh has named a scheme for schoolkids after Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanSubscriber Only

July 6, 2025 17:31 IST

What is the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyarthi Mitra Kits scheme, and how will it help students?

The ED said, “Ranya Rao, in active collusion with Tarun Konduru Raju and others, orchestrated a well-structured operation for smuggling gold into India."

ED attaches actor Ranya Rao’s assets in gold smuggling case: What to knowSubscriber Only

July 6, 2025 14:32 IST

Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case: In early March, after gold was recovered from the actor, DRI officials called Ranya Rao’s case “one of the biggest seizures of gold at Bengaluru airport in recent times.” What is she accused of, and what does the law say?

A Zumba workshop at Panjab University in Chandigarh.

How one Colombian man brought Zumba to the world, and the row over it in KeralaSubscriber Only

June 30, 2025 12:14 IST

One cleric recently said, “Zumba is harmful to the moral life of students” and that girls and boys should not be allowed to “mingle under the pretext of the Zumba dance”.

Rajnath refuses to sign SCO draft statement: Significance, explained in 3 pointsSubscriber Only

September 1, 2025 16:55 IST

SCO Summit: What is the SCO, and what is the significance of Rajnath Singh's action in a China-dominated organisation? We explain in 3 points.

‘He is just wicked smart’: What Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom crew mates have said about himSubscriber Only

June 25, 2025 13:32 IST

Shubhanshu Shukla Axiom-4 Mission: 'I am Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and I am the mission pilot': Here's what Shukla hopes to achieve from the Axiom mission

A cheetah on the lookout, with her cubs.

What is the International Big Cat Alliance, launched by India?Subscriber Only

June 17, 2025 18:36 IST

The Indian government established the IBCA through the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2024, with the mandate to protect seven big cats – the Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.

Ahmedabad plane crash: Why retrieving black boxes matters in aviation accidentsSubscriber Only

June 14, 2025 15:34 IST

Ahmedabad plane crash: Among other things, black boxes will aid understanding of what happened between the takeoff and the crash in the next few days.

Firefighters respond to a car burning during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Trump vs California governor: What triggered protests against immigration authorities?Subscriber Only

June 8, 2025 20:59 IST

Confrontations broke out in the city of Paramount, which has a significant Latino population, over the weekend. US President Donald Trump has now called in the National Guard.

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