EVERYDAY EXPLAINERS NEWS - Page 18

Explained: What are cloudbursts, and why they occur more in places like AmarnathSubscriber Only

July 11, 2022 00:13 IST

Flash floods in Amarnath may have been a result of a short, intense rainfall, and not necessary a cloudburst.

In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar walk together during their bilateral meeting ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Friday, July 8, 2022. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Explained: What is the G20, of which India becomes president later this year?Subscriber Only

July 9, 2022 08:42 IST

The G20 was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit East Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. Its aim was to secure global financial stability by involving middle-income countries.

As the storm hit, it turned the skies green, with even many experienced storm chasers claiming to have never witnessed such atmospheric optics. (Photo: Twitter/@cory_martin)

Explained: What is a derecho, a storm that turned the sky green in the US?Subscriber Only

July 8, 2022 11:20 IST

States of Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois in the US were hit by a storm system called a derecho on Tuesday. What is a derecho, how did it turn the US skies green?

The Vice Presidential election is scheduled for August 6, and July 19 is the last date for filing nominations.

Explained: How the Vice President of India is elected, what the Constitution says about the postSubscriber Only

August 6, 2022 06:55 IST

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is the NDA's candidate to succeed M Venkaiah Naidu. The Opposition has fielded Margaret Alva for the election scheduled for August 6.

The IMU recognised Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska's work on the sphere-packing problem in 8 and 24 dimensions.

Explained: What is the Fields Medal, so-called ‘Mathematics Nobel’ awarded to Ukrainian professor and three others?Subscriber Only

July 5, 2022 21:37 IST

The Fields Medal is awarded by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organisation.

Structurally, the LHC is a 27-km-long track-loop buried 100m underground on the Swiss-French border.

Explained: What is the Large Hadron Collider, now readying to seek answers to fundamental questions of particle physics?Subscriber Only

July 7, 2022 11:20 IST

The Large Hadron Collider is a giant, complex machine built to study particles that are the smallest known building blocks of all things.

G-secs carry the lowest risk of all investments. After all, the chances of the government not paying back your money are almost zero. It is thus the safest investment one can make. (File)

Explained: What are G-Sec yields, and how and why do they go up and down?Subscriber Only

July 1, 2022 19:24 IST

G-secs, or government securities or government bonds, are instruments that governments use to borrow money. Governments routinely keep running into deficits — that is, they spend more than they earn via taxes. That is why they need to borrow from the people.

ISRO's PSLV-C53 carrying DS-EO satellite along with two other co-passenger satellites successfully launched from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Thursday, June 30, 2022. (PTI Photo)

Explained: What is ISRO’s ‘POEM’ platform?Subscriber Only

June 30, 2022 21:36 IST

Besides placing three Singaporean satellites in precise orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday also achieved the feat of successfully launching the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or ‘POEM’.

Some 3-4 times the usual strength of security personnel have been deployed around the yatra in the light of a greater potential threat from militants this year, PTI reported.

Explained: As Amarnath pilgrimage begins, the origin, route and security concerns around the yatraSubscriber Only

June 30, 2022 10:15 IST

The Amarnath Yatra to the cave of Lord Shiva, perched high in the Himalayas, is considered to be one of the most revered pilgrimages in the country. Each year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travel to the shrine.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the 47th meeting of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, in Chandigarh, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (PTI Photo)

Explained: What is the GST Council, and what does it do?Subscriber Only

June 29, 2022 13:37 IST

The members of the Council include the Union Finance Minister (chairperson), the Union Minister of State (Finance) from the Centre. Each state can nominate a minister in-charge of finance or taxation or any other minister as a member.

Hermit is a spyware on the lines of Pegasus by NSO Group. (Image Source: Pixabay)

Explained: What is Hermit, the Pegasus-like spyware that targeted Android, iOS devices?Subscriber Only

June 29, 2022 06:32 IST

Hermit, a sophisticated spyware, is believed to have targeted iPhone and Android devices in Italy and Kazakhstan. How is it deployed on a device, and what exactly does it do? How did it get past both Apple and Google's security measures?

Medical workers inoculate students with the vaccine against the coronavirus at a university in Qingdao, Shandong province, China. (Photo: Reuters/File)

Explained: What is a ‘zero-Covid’ strategy?Subscriber Only

June 28, 2022 13:43 IST

Zero-Covid strategy aims to drive down the number of Covid-19 cases by imposing strict lockdowns, closing borders and imposing travel bans.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in front of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Council President Charles Michel during the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany June 26, 2022. (Photo:Pool via REUTERS)

Explained: Who are the G7, whose Summit in Germany India has been invited to?Subscriber Only

June 26, 2022 22:07 IST

The G7 is an informal forum of leading industrialised nations, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Representatives of the European Union are always present at the annual meeting of the heads of state and government of the G7. Germany holds the presidency of the G7 in 2022.

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Explained: What is a recession, and when is the next one going to begin?Subscriber Only

June 25, 2022 14:51 IST

A brief guide to what you should know about recessions and why some people are talking about the next one now.

Eco-Sensitive Zones are created as "shock absorbers" for the protected areas, to minimize the negative impact on the "fragile ecosystems" by certain human activities taking place nearby. (File Photo)

Explained: What are Eco-Sensitive Zones and why are there protests in Kerala against them?Subscriber Only

June 24, 2022 18:23 IST

The Supreme Court has ordered the establishment of 1-km Eco-Sensitive Zones around all protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. What are Eco-Sensitive Zones, and how are they created? Why are people protesting the court's order?

The public transport service has been recognised for its role in "promoting gender-responsive public services.

Explained: What is Odisha’s Mo Bus, recipient of the UN’s prestigious public service award?Subscriber Only

June 24, 2022 13:54 IST

The Mo Bus service was launched on November 6, 2018 to ensure "transformation of the urban public transport scenario in the city and its hinterland through use of smart technology, service benchmarking and customer satisfaction".

A satellite image shows an overview of Snake Island, Ukraine, on June 21. (Photo: Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)

Explained: The importance of Snake Island, speck of land in the Black Sea, where Ukraine has bombed RussiaSubscriber Only

June 23, 2022 10:39 IST

Ukraine has said it has caused "significant losses" to the Russian military in airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, in the Black Sea. Where is this island, and why is it strategic for Ukraine?

The report underscores the need to trim revenue expenditure (or the money government spends just to meet its daily needs). (File)

Explained: India’s emerging twin deficit problemSubscriber Only

June 22, 2022 12:28 IST

The economic growth outlook is likely to be affected by several factors owing to the trade disruptions, export bans and the resulting surge in global commodity prices —all of which will continue to stoke inflation — as long as the Russia-Ukraine conflict persists and global supply chains remain unrepaired.

The RBI defines prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) as payment instruments that facilitate the buying of goods and services, including the transfer of funds, financial services, and remittances, against the value stored within or on the instrument. (File)

Explained: RBI puts a stop to credit lines on non-bank prepaid instrumentsSubscriber Only

June 22, 2022 12:24 IST

The banking regulator has clarified that its master direction on prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) does not permit loading of PPIs from credit lines -- a practice being undertaken by several fintech credit card companies.

The black swan theory was put forward by author and investor Nassim Nicholas Taleb in 2001, and later popularised in his 2007 book – The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. The Sunday Times described his work as one of the 12 most influential books since World War II.

Explained: What is a black swan event?Subscriber Only

June 21, 2022 16:23 IST

A black swan is a rare, unpredictable event that comes as a surprise and has a significant impact on society or the world.

Mainly, the DMK chief has flagged the lack of regular meetings, saying the Council has met only once in the last six years -- and that there has been no meeting since July 2016. (File/PTI)

Explained: What is the Inter-State Council?Subscriber Only

June 17, 2022 19:20 IST

It is a mechanism that was constituted "to support Centre-State and Inter-State coordination and cooperation in India". The Inter-State Council was established under Article 263 of the Constitution, which states that the President may constitute such a body if a need is felt for it.

Demonstrators protest outside Hillsborough Castle, ahead of a visit by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, May, 16, 2022. (File, AP)

Explained: The ‘Northern Ireland Protocol’ standoff between the EU and the UKSubscriber Only

June 15, 2022 20:13 IST

What has the UK done that made the EU sue it, and why is Northern Ireland at the centre of this controversy? The Indian Express explains.

The fall began last week Friday in sync with the sell-off in the US stock markets triggered by higher-than-expected rise in inflation and the fears of more aggressive interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve. (File)

Explained: Why is the crypto market crashing?Subscriber Only

June 15, 2022 15:28 IST

This is the second major meltdown of the crypto market within a month. Given the overall negative risk sentiment, a reversal of fortune seems unlikely soon. In this latest crash, the crypto market's value slumped under $1 trillion for the first time since January 2021.

Simply put, Web 5.0 is Web 2.0 plus Web 3.0 that will allow users to 'own their identity' on the Internet and 'control their data'. (Representational)

What is Web 5.0 – the blockchain-powered digital network Twitter’s ex-CEO wants to build?Subscriber Only

June 13, 2022 19:04 IST

Being developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's Bitcoin business unit, The Block Head, Web 5.0 is aimed at “building an extra decentralized web that puts you in control of your data and identity”.

The virus that causes Covid-19 can spread from people to animals during close contact, says the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

India’s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals: why the need was feltSubscriber Only

June 11, 2022 12:40 IST

This is the first Covid-19 vaccine for animals developed in India. There were reports from Russia last year that that country, too, had developed a vaccine against animals such as dogs, cats, minks, and foxes.

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