EVERYDAY EXPLAINERS NEWS - Page 20

The concept of SPAC has existed for nearly a decade now, and several investors and company promoters have used this route to take their investments public. (Representational/File)

Explained: What are SPACs for which a regulatory framework may be in the works?Subscriber Only

April 23, 2022 12:20 IST

The concept of SPAC has existed for nearly a decade now, and several investors and company promoters have used this route to take their investments public. The vehicle gained momentum in 2020, which was a record year for SPAC deals; this record was broken in 2021.

Each DBU must offer certain minimum digital banking products and services. (Express Illustration/File)

Explained: What are Digital Banking Units, and what services will they provide?Subscriber Only

April 20, 2022 13:13 IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reiterated her Budget announcement on setting up 75 digital banking units in 75 districts of the country this year. What are DBUs, and who will set them up?

Incumbent President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres (left) at a polling station during the election in Dili, East Timor on March 19, 2022; and presidential candidate who is also former President Jose Ramos-Horta. (AP Photo/Lorenio Do Rosario Pereira, File)

Explained: The history, politics and economy of East Timor as it goes to polls

April 19, 2022 10:57 IST

East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, holds the second and final round of its presidential election on Tuesday. Here's a look at the country's history, politics, economy and geography.

Prince Harry with members of Team Italy at the track and field event at the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, April 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Explained: What are the Invictus Games, patronised by Britain’s Prince Harry?Subscriber Only

April 18, 2022 13:18 IST

The Invictus Games are an international sporting competition similar to the Paralympics, but meant for wounded, injured, and sick military service personnel and war veterans.

Russian news outlets have described the Moskva as one of the Russian Navy’s biggest ships. In pic: A sailor looks at the Russian missile cruiser Moskva moored in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Ukraine 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)

Explained: Why is the Black Sea crucial to Russia, and the loss of ‘Moskva’ a significant blow?Subscriber Only

April 30, 2022 23:17 IST

The sinking of the warship Moskva, the 600-foot, 12,500-tonne flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet — whether due to a Ukrainian missile strike or, as Russia claims, a fire on board — is a serious setback for Russia.

In its FAQs on the monsoon, the IMD gives the example of the LPA of the southwest monsoon rainfall over Kerala: 556 mm, 659 mm, 427 mm and 252 mm for the months of June, July, August, and September respectively. (Express Photo by Abhisek Saha)

Explained: What is the ‘Long Period Average’, IMD’s benchmark for monsoon prediction?Subscriber Only

April 15, 2022 11:34 IST

The IMD's prediction of a normal monsoon on Thursday was based on the LPA of the 1971-2020 period, during which India received 87 cm of rain for the entire country on average

Men suffer from a higher incidence of colour blindness than women. Around the world, every tenth male is estimated to have some form of colour deficiency. (FIle Photo)

Explained: What is colour blindness, and can you get it later in life?Subscriber Only

April 13, 2022 23:28 IST

Colour blindness, also known as colour deficiency, is the inability to see colours in the normal way. Colour blind individuals often cannot distinguish between certain colours — usually greens and reds, and sometimes blues as well.

(From left) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. (Twitter/@DrSJaishankar)

Explained: What is the ‘2+2’ format of dialogue between India and US?Subscriber Only

April 18, 2022 11:49 IST

Over the years, the strategic bilateral relationship with its partners, including the dialogues held in the 2+2 format, have produced tangible and far-reaching results for India.

Kuldeep Yadav of Delhi Capitals celebrates after taking a wicket. (Photo: PTI)

Explained: Chinaman, the rare art of left-arm wrist spinSubscriber Only

April 13, 2022 12:55 IST

They are a rare tribe, but when they come, often once in a generation, they make heads turn, like Kuldeep Yadav.

Explained: What is SDF, the RBI’s new tool to absorb excess liquidity to control inflation?Subscriber Only

April 8, 2022 13:58 IST

The main purpose of SDF is to reduce the excess liquidity of Rs 8.5 lakh crore in the system, and control inflation.

A general view during a session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Explained: What is the UN Human Rights Council, whose membership Russia may lose after the Bucha massacre?Subscriber Only

April 7, 2022 14:27 IST

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, which is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.

Explained: What are Weapons of Mass Destruction, the existing law on which India now wants to amend?Subscriber Only

April 9, 2022 09:37 IST

The Bill seeks to amend The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005, to provide against the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in line with India's international obligations.

Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica. (Reuters Photo: Natalie Thomas, File)

Explained: What is the IPCC, and why are its Assessment Reports important?Subscriber Only

April 5, 2022 07:31 IST

The IPCC's Assessment Reports (ARs), which are produced every few years, are the most comprehensive and widely accepted scientific evaluations of the state of the Earth’s climate.

March Madness is most commonly used in respect of the men's basketball tournament, a single-elimination competition among 68 teams that takes place over seven rounds. (Twitter/@UNC_Basketball)

Explained: What is March Madness, the extremely popular US college basketball tourney?Subscriber Only

April 5, 2022 08:13 IST

The term March Madness was first used to refer to basketball by an Illinois high school official in 1939.

Journalist Rana Ayyub was stopped in Mumbai on Tuesday evening based on a look out circular (LOC) issued by the ED, which is investigating her in a case of alleged money laundering. (Rana Ayyub/Facebook)

Explained: What is a look out notice, and when is it issued?Subscriber Only

April 2, 2022 09:23 IST

Journalist Rana Ayyub was stopped in Mumbai on Tuesday evening based on a look out circular issued by the ED. What is LOC, and when is it issued? Who can issue it?

India's Current Account Deficit increased to $23 billion (2.7% of GDP) in Q3 of 2021-22.

Explained: What is the Current Account Deficit, which widened in Q3 of the last FY?Subscriber Only

April 2, 2022 09:26 IST

The widening of CAD in Q3 of 2021-22 was mainly on account of higher trade deficit, according to the Reserve Bank of India.

India had long felt that the potential of SAARC was being under-utilised, and opportunities were being missed due to lack of response and/or an obstructionist approach from Pakistan.

Everyday Global: What is BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal grouping of nations?Subscriber Only

April 2, 2022 09:28 IST

BIMSTEC includes countries of the Bay of Bengal region, and seeks to act as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia.

The government has clearly distinguished such crops from genetically modified crops and has prescribed relatively easier norms for their introduction. (File/Representational)

Explained: What is genome editing technology and how is it different from GM technology?Subscriber Only

April 1, 2022 11:03 IST

The Centre has paved the way for easy introduction of genome edited crops. What is genome editing and how is it different from genetically modified crops?

The empty western niche in Bamiyan where a giant statue of the Buddha stood before it was brought down by the Taliban in 2001. (Photo: Jim Huylebroek/The New York Times)

Explained: What were the Bamiyan Buddhas, and why did the Taliban destroy them?Subscriber Only

March 31, 2022 07:58 IST

The Buddha statues, hewn from sandstone cliffs, are said to have dated back to the 5th century AD, and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world. As the Taliban talk of preserving the site of Mes Aynak, recalling the Bamiyan Buddhas and their destruction.

The Amarnath Yatra in 2018. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

Explained: Amarnath Yatra, the legend and the pilgrimageSubscriber Only

March 28, 2022 21:54 IST

Amarnath Yatra: The annual Amarnath Yatra to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva high up in the Himalayas is among the country's most revered pilgrimages.

Explained: What is alopecia areata, the auto-immune disorder that Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from?Subscriber Only

March 30, 2022 11:39 IST

Rock compared Pinkett Smith's shaved head to Demi Moore's look in 'GI Jane', saying he couldn't wait to see her star in "GI Jane 2", to which she rolled her eyes. The comment, however, did not go down well with Smith who walked onstage and slapped the comedian.

Image from the Bucharest Nine Summit held in Warsaw in February.(Photo: Twitter/@PLPermRepEU)

Explained: Who are the Bucharest Nine, countries on NATO’s eastern flank?Subscriber Only

March 25, 2022 17:56 IST

The "Bucharest Nine" is a group of nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe that became part of the US-led military alliance after the end of the Cold War.

Debris at the site of a plane crash in Tengxian County in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo: AP)

Explained: What are black boxes, and why are they important in a crash investigation?Subscriber Only

March 24, 2022 09:33 IST

The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 virtually fell out of the sky on March 21 afternoon, plunging almost vertically from 29,100 feet to 7,850 feet in just over a minute, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, attend at the start of a two-day gathering of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, at the Parliament House in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (AP)

Explained: What is OIC, and what are its relations with India?Subscriber Only

March 24, 2022 07:29 IST

The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) opened in Islamabad on Tuesday. What is OIC, and what are its relations with India?

A Kinzhal missile is carried by a Mikoyan MiG-31K interceptor (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Explained: What are hypersonic missiles, and why is Russia using them in Ukraine?Subscriber Only

March 23, 2022 13:12 IST

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it had used a hypersonic missile for the first time in the war with Ukraine. What are the dynamics of a hypersonic missile and the weapon system used by Russia?

Termed as GST Bachat Utsav by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, the rate rationalisation is meant to leave more disposable income in the hands of people

As GST 2.0 kicks in: what changes for consumers and industry

Explained2 hr ago

The government has introduced significant changes to the GST structure, aiming to lower tax rates for various goods and services. This includes exemptions for Indian bread and health insurance, reduced taxes for beauty and well-being services, and addressing the inverted duty structure. The changes, effective immediately, are expected to boost household spending and encourage investments.

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