All posts tagged: Explainer

Iran war: What is happening on day 52 of US-Israeli attacks? | Explainer News

Iran war: What is happening on day 52 of US-Israeli attacks? | Explainer News

Published by Sam Flores

EXPLAINER Islamabad talks in limbo as Tehran says it will retaliate after US marines capture an Iranian-flagged ship near the Strait of Hormuz. Published On 20 Apr 202620 Apr 2026 Donald Trump announced on Sunday that a second round of US-Iran talks is to be held in Pakistan on Monday – but Tehran has not confirmed participation, two days before a ceasefire deal expires. The capture by US Marines of an Iranian-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday has further clouded the Islamabad talks, as Tehran has pledged to retaliate. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The attack came hours after President Trump announced he is sending a team to Islamabad for talks, while once again threatening to knock out Iran’s power plants and bridges if there is no deal. The ceasefire, which ended more than a month of war, expires on Wednesday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, spoke on Sunday with Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, as he reaffirmed his government’s readiness to mediate the conflict. Here is what we …

What to know about US-Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz | Explainer News

What to know about US-Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz | Explainer News

Published by Sam Flores

The Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil, has again become the chaotic centre of the United States-Israel war on Iran, as a standoff between Washington and Tehran is complicating efforts to end the war. Iran on Saturday reversed its decision on reopening the strait, and its military opened fire at a ship trying to pass through the waterway after US President Donald Trump said Washington will continue its blockade on Iranian ports. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Trump has refused to end the blockade until a deal is finalised. On Saturday, he said that there have been “very good” discussions, but Washington won’t be “blackmailed”. After a short-lived rise in transit attempts on Saturday, ships in the Gulf once again stayed put, after reports of vessels coming under fire mid-passage and being forced to withdraw. Their pullback restored the strait to its pre-ceasefire status, raising the risk of a worsening global energy crunch and increasing the likelihood of renewed fighting. Here is what you need …

Iran war: 10 frequently used words and their meanings | US-Israel war on Iran News

Iran war: 10 frequently used words and their meanings | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Nearly two months into the US–Israel war on Iran, the conflict has killed thousands of people and disrupted major energy flows. At the centre of the crisis is the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint where about 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies normally flow, which has been repeatedly restricted or threatened with closure by both parties, Iran and the US. During the war, many of the words and terms dominating the headlines carry deeper historical, religious, or political meanings. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Here are ten key terms shaping the language of the war and what they mean. Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. It is one of the most strategically important maritime routes in the world. Since the start of the war, access to the strait has been heavily restricted, with periods of partial or near-total closure. The exact origin of the name Hormuz is contested; however, the most widely accepted theory links it …

‘L’Abuso’: Real Italian magazine cover of Israeli settler sparks online storm – Truth or Fake

‘L’Abuso’: Real Italian magazine cover of Israeli settler sparks online storm – Truth or Fake

Published by Sam Flores

Prominent left-leaning Italian weekly L’Espresso is at the centre of a diplomatic storm online, after the Israeli ambassador to Italy slammed its choice of front cover as “manipulative”. The magazine titled its latest edition “L’Abuso” or “The Abuse”, illustrating the cover with a photo of an armed Israeli settler sneering, whilst pointing his smartphone at a visibly distressed Palestinian woman. Israeli envoy Jonathan Peled said the image of the grinning settler “distorts the complex reality with which Israel must coexist, promoting stereotypes and hatred.” Online, pro-Israel accounts are casting doubt over the photo’s authenticity, questioning if it is fake or AI-generated, with some saying it dehumanises Jews and reinforces anti-Semitic stereotypes, likening it to Nazi propaganda during the Holocaust. In response to the criticism, the photographer of the image, Pietro Masturzo, confirmed that it is indeed real, sharing a video filmed from the incident in Idhna, west of Hebron on October 12, 2025. He explained that it was captured on the first day of the olive harvest there, when an armed group of Israeli settlers …

‘Erosion of a country’s future’: What has the war cost Sudan? | Conflict News

‘Erosion of a country’s future’: What has the war cost Sudan? | Conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Three years into its civil war, Sudan has become unrecognisable with more than 40,000 people killed, about 14 million of its people – a quarter of the population – forced to flee their homes and civilian infrastructure across the country extensively damaged. “We are not just facing a crisis – we are witnessing the systematic erosion of a country’s future,” Luca Renda, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) resident representative in Sudan, told Al Jazeera. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list A report by the UNDP and the Institute for Security Studies lays out the scale of Sudan’s economic collapse since the war began in 2023 due to a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Even under the most optimistic scenario of peace being achieved in 2026, Sudan would still lose an estimated $18.8bn in its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2043, the report said, illustrating just how deeply the war has already reshaped the country’s economic trajectory. The report warned that the damage goes beyond lost …

Explainer: What are ultraprocessed foods?

Explainer: What are ultraprocessed foods?

Published by skeptic

Can you name every ingredient in a Twinkie? It’s not easy: The list has more than 35. You might recognize the eggs, sugar and flour. But after that, it gets hard. It would take a mighty effort to guess it has hydrogenated tallow. Or sodium stearoyl lactylate. Or the food dye red 40. These chemicals, and many more, are now common ingredients in most U.S. diets. That’s because they’re found in many ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs. In addition to Twinkies, UPFs include chips, baked goods, granola bars and more. “UPFs are industrially manufactured” using “very processed ingredients,” explains Filippa Juul. She works at a medical school, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in New York City. There, she studies how foods affect our health. Scientists say: Chemical Factories chemically alter the ingredients in UPFs to where they no longer resemble the foods from which they came. Then manufacturers combine these to make foods that aren’t like anything you could whip up in a home kitchen. Compare the Twinkie to a cake you might make at home. …

How much will US Hormuz blockade hurt Iran, and does Tehran have an escape? | US-Israel war on Iran News

How much will US Hormuz blockade hurt Iran, and does Tehran have an escape? | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

The United States naval blockade of Iran has come into effect as President Donald Trump’s administration tries to pressure Tehran into accepting its terms for an end to their war by trying to squeeze the Iranian economy. The blockade began at 14:00 GMT on Monday. Iran’s armed forces have called it “an illegal act” that “amounts to piracy”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Even though Iran has become accustomed to US sanctions and has continued to function during the war, a blockade like this could inflict significant damage to Iran’s economy, analysts said. How much can this blockade hurt Iran? Here’s what we know: How will the blockade hurt Iran’s oil revenue? Iran primarily exports oil and gas through its ports. Soon after the start of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28, authorities in Tehran announced what amounted to a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the only waterway out of the Gulf, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass in peacetime. The near-shutdown of …

Who is Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s US envoy leading talks with Lebanon? | Explainer News

Who is Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s US envoy leading talks with Lebanon? | Explainer News

Published by Sam Flores

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, held a first-ever phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, over the weekend, a break from tradition because Israel and Lebanon do not have formal diplomatic relations. The meeting comes as global pressure mounts on Israel to end the invasion of Lebanon, with more than 2,000 people killed in Israeli attacks and over one million people displaced. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Leiter, a settlement activist, is a longtime figure in Israeli political circles. A US-born Israeli, he has held senior advisory roles in government and is closely associated with far-right politics. While his diplomatic position places him at the centre of US-Israel relations, Leiter has drawn controversy during his time in public service, including over his past affiliations, ideological positions, and rhetoric during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and the fighting in Lebanon. So who is Yechiel Leiter, and will the Israel-Lebanon talks succeed? What discussions took place between Leiter and the Lebanese ambassador? Israel will begin official peace talks with …

Iran war: What is happening on day 44 of the US-Iran conflict? | Explainer News

Iran war: What is happening on day 44 of the US-Iran conflict? | Explainer News

Published by Sam Flores

US-Iran talks in Islamabad end without a deal, with each side blaming the other for the failure of the 21-hour-long negotiations. Published On 12 Apr 202612 Apr 2026 ⁠The United States and Iran have failed to reach an ⁠⁠agreement to end their war permanently despite lengthy talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire. On Sunday, each side blamed the other for the failure of the 21-hour-long negotiations to end fighting that has killed thousands, most of them in Iran, and sent global oil and gas prices soaring since it began over six weeks ago. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “The bad news ⁠⁠is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,” Vice President JD Vance, the head of the US delegation, told reporters shortly before he left Islamabad. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Islamabad would continue to facilitate peace talks between the two longtime foes. …

Explainer: What’s Next for NASA After Artemis II? A Mission to Test Lunar Docking and Mars Tech | National News

Explainer: What’s Next for NASA After Artemis II? A Mission to Test Lunar Docking and Mars Tech | National News

Published by Sam Flores

NASA’s most recent spaceflight mission, Artemis II, is now in the home stretch of its 10-day journey.  Artemis II on Monday night began its return trip home after successfully completing a loop around the moon. The crew journeyed 252,756 miles from Earth, setting a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled into space. The Artemis II crew is scheduled for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday. Assuming its success when it touches down, NASA will launch its next mission – Artemis III – next year. What Is Artemis III?  Artemis III is the midpoint of the planned missions for NASA’s Artemis program, currently a five-pronged space initiative to return to the moon with the intention of establishing a permanent base there. The first of the Artemis missions was launched in November 2022, sending an uncrewed test flight on a 1.4 million-mile journey around the moon and back to Earth. Artemis III is scheduled to launch its crew in an Orion spacecraft on top of a …