Explainers News - Page 12

KBC kid controversy: What is the six-pocket syndrome that everyone’s talking about?

Ishit Bhatt, a 10-year-old contestant on Kaun Banega Crorepati 17, sparked controversy after his short appearance on the quiz show. Many felt the boy's tone was snarky and disrespectful towards the host, Amitabh Bachchan. His behaviour has now triggered a wider discussion on what many experts call the ‘six-pocket syndrome’ in children

They’re all dropping out of Brics, claims Trump. This is far from the truth

Donald Trump is at it again. The US president, defending his tariff policy, said that countries are abandoning the Brics after he threatened to impose levies on them. The remark is, however, incorrect. Here are the facts

South Koreans trapped, tortured and trafficked in Cambodia: How did a job scam turn into a diplomatic crisis?

South Korea has imposed its highest travel warning on parts of Cambodia after uncovering a vast human trafficking and online fraud network that has trapped hundreds of its citizens. The death of a young student exposed the brutality of these scam compounds, triggering a diplomatic crisis and a nationwide rescue operation by Seoul

Is China feeling threatened by India's growing EV market?

China has moved the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against India over its subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries. The development comes as Beijing imposed curbs on exports of heavy rare earth magnets, and amid passenger sales in India hitting a record due to GST cuts, coupled with festive demand

Israel says hostage's body released by Hamas not of IDF soldier: Whose remains are they?

Israel has denied Hamas’ claim that a body released by Hamas, along with the remains of three other hostages, on Tuesday night belonged to an Israeli soldier. Reports say the body handed over by the militant group was of a West Bank Palestinian man captured last year. This is not the first time that Hamas has sent the wrong body. Israel has threatened to resume fighting if the group does not honour the terms of the US-backed ceasefire in Gaza

'Time to begin healing together': The story of the Israeli hostage couple who reunited after 2 years 

Israeli couple, Noa Argamani and Avinatan, was among the 251 Israelis kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. While Or was one of the 20 hostages released earlier this week, Noa was rescued last year in a dramatic IDF operation. Even after her release, Noa never gave up hope of finding her 'soulmate' and lobbied world leaders for his release. Now, the couple is finally reunited after spending 738 agonising days apart

How India has overtaken China in air force rankings

India has surpassed China to become the third-strongest aerial power in the world, as per rankings published by the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft. While the country may have lesser aircraft than Beijing, it’s capabilities were amply displayed during Operation Sindoor when the Indian Air Force outperformed Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on Chinese military imports

Did PM Modi really promise Trump to stop buying Russian oil?

US President Donald Trump claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would halt Russian oil imports — a potential shift in New Delhi’s energy strategy. While Trump framed it as a breakthrough, trade data reveals that India continues to rely heavily on discounted Russian crude

YouTube down: Why the video streaming service faced a major outage

YouTube and its related streaming apps, YouTube Music and YouTube TV, suffered a global outage on Wednesday, affecting over 800,000 users. The platform began displaying error messages around 7 pm ET (4:30 am IST Thursday), with mobile apps displaying, ‘something went wrong’. Google later confirmed that the issue was resolved. But what caused the outage?

How Afghanistan Taliban displayed pants of Pakistani soldiers, leaving them red-faced

After fierce and bloody clashes along the border, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire. The Pakistani military claims that the pause came after Kabul insisted on it. But images tell a different story. Taliban fighters have been shown holding up the pants of Pakistani soldiers, who reportedly fled their posts amid the fighting

History Today: How Britain ‘divided and conquered’ India through the partition of Bengal

Citing administrative difficulty in governing such a large province, the British formally divided Bengal on October 16, 1905. However, the Indian National Congress stated that it was an attempt to ‘dive and rule’. Fortunately, the partition of Bengal was reversed in 1911. On this day, the Cuban Missile Crisis also began between the world’s two superpowers — America and the Soviet Union

FirstUp: Sri Lanka PM to visit Delhi, Nitish Kumar to launch Bihar poll campaign... Big news today

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya will be on a two-day visit to India. She is expected to hold bilateral talks with Indian leaders and visit IIT-Delhi, her alma mater, Hindu College, and Niti Aayog. In Bihar, CM Nitish Kumar will begin JD(U)'s campaign for the upcoming state elections

Musk’s SpaceX satellites are falling to Earth every day. Is it a reason to worry?

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which owns satellite Internet firm Starlink, is said to control the vast majority of the satellites orbiting Earth – around 8,000 in all. The world’s richest man has also said he wants to put thousands more satellites into space every year. But Starlink satellites are falling to Earth every day. Do we need to worry?

Pakistan-Afghanistan announce 48-hr ceasefire: Who could bring conflict to a permanent end?

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a 48-hour temporary ceasefire today (October 15). The development came a day after fresh clashes broke out at the border, leaving dozens dead and each side accusing the other of instigating the conflict – the deadliest between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. But which countries could play mediator?

Why Greece wants a 13-hour workday

Greece is pushing through a polarising labour reform allowing employees in select sectors to work up to 13 hours a day for limited periods annually. The Mitsotakis government insists the measure boosts flexibility, but unions call it a rollback of workers’ rights

Is Paris bringing down the Eiffel Tower? The claim fact-checked

Social media is rife with rumours that the Eiffel Tower will be demolished in 2026. The temporary closure of the landmark in Paris earlier this month further fuelled speculations. But what’s behind these claims? Are they true?

Why is Hamas killing Palestinians in Gaza as Trump's peace plan rolls out?

After Israel’s withdrawal from parts of Gaza, Hamas has turned its guns inward, launching a violent 'security campaign' marked by executions and mass arrests. The group claims it’s restoring order amid chaos, but rights groups and rival factions accuse it of torture and extrajudicial killings

You can sext with ChatGPT soon. Here's how

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said ChatGPT will soon allow adult users to generate erotic content. This is a major shift in OpenAI’s policy, which previously forbade such material. The move comes after Elon Musk's Grok recently introduced two chatbots that can engage in sexually explicit conversations with users

Is India witnessing a shortage of Apple iPhone 17s?

Ahead of Diwali, many electronic retailers are already struggling to keep up with demand for Apple's latest iPhone 17 series. Several stores report that stocks are depleting rapidly, particularly for the much-popular cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Air models, leaving eager buyers waiting longer than expected

Are green firecrackers less polluting than traditional ones?

The Supreme Court has relaxed the complete ban on firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). This Diwali, the sale and bursting of green crackers has been permitted, albeit with certain conditions. Green crackers do not contain harmful chemicals like sulphur nitrates, arsenic, magnesium, sodium, lead, and barium. But are they less polluting than traditional crackers?

Is Pakistan stoking border clashes with Afghanistan that Trump wants to solve?

Violence has erupted again at the shared border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the Taliban claiming that Islamabad launched attacks on Wednesday morning (October 15) using light and heavy weapons. These clashes come just days after a weekend of violence. Now, US President Donald Trump says he’s willing to step in and resolve this conflict as well

From gas chambers to rape: What young Republicans joke about

According to 2,900 pages of leaked Telegram chats of the Young Republican National Federation, a dozen of its members have been making racist, sexist and inflammatory remarks on a Telegram group since US President Donald Trump’s re-election in January

Why your post-workout protein shake might be doing more harm than good

A report by Consumer Reports, a American non-profit that tests consumer products, found that most protein powders and shakes, including plant-based options, contain high levels of heavy metals. In some cases, a single serving exceeded the safe daily limit for lead, with a few products showing levels more than 10 times higher than recommended. So, are your protein supplements safe?

What is CAPSAT, the military unit that seized power in Madagascar?

Madagascar has entered a new era of turmoil after Colonel Michael Randrianirina, head of the elite CAPSAT military unit, seized control of the government following the impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina. The army has suspended most institutions and announced a two-year transitional period

Explained: The investigation that led to arrest of Ashley Tellis, Indian-origin strategic expert

Ashley Tellis, a renowned American foreign-policy scholar and senior consultant with the US State Department, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully retaining classified defence documents. The arrest comes after he was placed under surveillance in October 2022, during which it was revealed that he held several meetings with Chinese government officials. Later, over 1,000 pages of secret documents were found in drawers and trash bags at his Virginia house

Trump vs Time: From ‘super bad pic’ to ‘devil horns’, US president’s complicated history with magazine

Donald Trump is furious over the latest Time magazine cover featuring him alongside the title ‘His Triumph’. The US president has described the photo, which is taken from a low angle, as the ‘Worst of All Time’. Trump, who has made no secret of his desire to appear on the magazine’s cover, has a complicated history with Time

Why Europe has slapped €157 million fine on luxury brands Gucci, Chloe, and Loewe

European Commission, the antitrust watchdog of the European Union, imposed a €157 million fine on Gucci, Chloe, and Loewe. The labels restricted the ability of retailers they work with to set their own prices, which led to consumers paying more

In Haryana, two cops die by suicide, leaving behind notes. The murky case, explained

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sandeep Kumar, who was posted with the cyber cell in Haryana's Rohtak, allegedly died by suicide. He left behind a three-page note and a video message, accusing the late IPS officer Y Puran Kumar of corruption and 'hijacking the system by using caste politics'. A few days ago, Kumar took his life after allegedly suffering from years of ‘caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation’ by his seniors

Is the Gaza peace plan at risk as Hamas delays release of deceased hostages?

Will the Gaza peace plan hold? It’s a big question haunting West Asia, as the delay by Hamas in releasing the bodies of the hostages — until Tuesday, only eight were returned — has led to fury in Israel. Now, the Jewish nation is cutting the flow of aid by half and is keeping the Rafah Crossing closed

History Today: When actress Alyssa Milano's tweet triggered the viral #MeToo movement

The #MeToo movement took over social media on October 15, 2017. The catalyst for the explosion was a tweet by American actress Alyssa Milano, who, in the wake of numerous sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, encouraged women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted to simply reply with the two powerful words