Wednesday, Jun 21, 2023
Journalism of Courage
EVERYDAY EXPLAINERS NEWS
The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday in the US
June 19, 2023 18:55 IST
Juneteenth — a combination of ‘June’ and 'nineteenth' — marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.
Google doodle honours Kamala Sohonie: How she made CV Raman change his stance on women in science institutions
June 19, 2023 15:04 IST
Kamala Sohonie was the first Indian woman to get a PhD degree in a scientific discipline. Here is a brief account of her life, and her famous run-in with CV Raman.
Thousands of dead fish wash up on Texas coast: What is ‘fish kill’ and why it happens
June 17, 2023 10:11 IST
Officials of the Quintana Beach County Park on June 10 said that the incident took place due to a phenomenon called, “fish kill”, which involves low levels of dissolved oxygen in water that causes suffocation of the fish.
Cyclone Biparjoy: What is the ‘landfall’ of a cyclone?
June 16, 2023 11:41 IST
Landfall refers to the centre of a storm – or its eye – moving over land from the sea. Cyclone Biparjoy's landfall process has now begun and is expected to last till about midnight.
What will happen after cyclone Biparjoy makes a landfall?
June 15, 2023 15:21 IST
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make a landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat's Kutch district later this evening. Even though the storm has lost some energy, it is still expected to cause signficant damage in Gujarat's coastal areas.
What are some of the deadliest cyclones to have hit India in the past?
June 14, 2023 10:55 IST
Cyclone Biparjoy, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 km per hour (78-84 mph) gusting up to 150 kph, is expected to make landfall on Thursday (June 15) between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan.
Cyclone Biparjoy: What is a cyclone and what are its types
June 13, 2023 12:17 IST
The National Disaster Management Authority classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones. Here is what you need to know about them.
Next Miss World contest to be held in India: Recalling why protests accompanied India’s 1996 hosting stint
June 12, 2023 09:40 IST
The 1996 Miss World, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan's ABCL, had witnessed massive protests. The swimsuit round had to be moved out of the country.
What is the ‘onset’ of the monsoon, and why the delayed onset is not necessarily bad newsPremium Story
June 9, 2023 09:35 IST
The normal date of the onset of the monsoon over the Kerala coast is June 1, and this year's delay is significant. However, neither an early nor a late onset of the monsoon is unusual.
CSE analysis says South Delhi, New Delhi worst affected by ground-level ozone: What is this pollutant?
June 8, 2023 10:09 IST
Also known as tropospheric ozone, ground-level ozone is “a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth's surface (up to 2 miles above the ground),” as per Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
Why is CRS, the body investigating the Odisha rail accident, under the Aviation Ministry
June 6, 2023 14:01 IST
CRS deals with matters related to safety of rail travel and operations, among some other statutory functions – inspectorial, investigatory, and advisory – as laid down in the Railways Act, 1989. The roots of such a body is in India's colonial history.
SC stays Allahabad HC order to verify if rape victim was manglik: What is this superstition, why was it invoked in the case
June 6, 2023 14:25 IST
The woman had claimed that a man raped her on promise of marriage, and later refused to marry her claiming she was manglik. What exactly is manglik?
World Environment Day 2023: A glossary of terms to do with plastic pollution
June 6, 2023 09:49 IST
This year’s World Environment Day campaign #BeatPlasticPollution calls for global solutions to combat plastic pollution.
Hong Kong police detains activists for marking Tiananmen Square anniversary: What happened there in 1989?
June 5, 2023 10:14 IST
In mainland China, any mention of the Tiananmen Square crackdown is taboo and the subject is heavily censored. Not just public gatherings marking the day, but the internet, too, is frequently censored for even coded references around this time every year.
What is a khap?
June 4, 2023 13:01 IST
Currently, several khaps are participating in the wrestlers' protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for his alleged sexual harassment and misconduct.
Telangana statehood day: A history of the state’s formation, in three parts
June 2, 2023 18:34 IST
What is today Telangana was earlier a part of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, then merged with Andhra to form Andhra Pradesh before finally getting statehood in 2014.
For the cool summer so far, thank the frequent spells of rain
June 2, 2023 10:09 IST
India was bracing for a record hot summer. However, western disturbances have brought some much-needed rain and surprisingly pleasant weather.
Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar to be renamed Ahilyanagar: Who was the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar
June 1, 2023 12:27 IST
Jawaharlal Nehru described Holkar’s rule as “almost legendary as a period during which perfect order and good government prevailed and the people prospered. She was a very able ruler and organizer, highly respected during her lifetime.”
How Hvaldimir, the beluga whale suspected to be a Russian spy, fits in the history of animal spies
May 31, 2023 14:23 IST
While we may not know if Hvaldimir is working as a spy for Russia, we do know that he was, then he would is part of a long history of animal spies.
What is XPoSat, India’s first polarimetry mission?
May 26, 2023 15:44 IST
According to ISRO, “XPoSat will study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions” and will carry two payloads.
India will unveil 18 new petaFLOP supercomputers for weather forecasting in 2023: What are FLOPs in computing?
May 26, 2023 10:43 IST
FLOPs or Floating-Point Operations per Second, is a commonly used metric to measure the computational performance – processing power and efficiency – especially in the field of high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Who is a ‘Karen’, the American cultural stereotype invoked in the action against top Uber official
May 25, 2023 10:03 IST
Over the past few years, "Karen" has come to mean a certain type of entitled middle-class white woman who behaves in specific ways in public that range from the embarrassing and unreasonable to the plain offensive, behaviours that are seen to arise out of class privilege, and which are often racist in nature.
UPSC Civil Services Exam result out: How the Union Public Service Commission was set up
May 23, 2023 18:36 IST
The UPSC has its genesis in the Civil Service Commission set up by the British government in 1854.
What is the FIPIC summit that PM Modi attended in Papua New Guinea?
May 23, 2023 14:35 IST
The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was launched during PM Modi's visit to Fiji in November 2014 and includes 14 island countries.
Papua New Guinea’s PM touches Modi’s feet: Why this island country is important for India
May 23, 2023 09:53 IST
Modi is the first Indian PM to visit the country. Papua New Guinea generally doesn’t give a ceremonial welcome to any leader coming after sunset, but an exception was made for Modi.
