Explainers
Explainer
Border disputes
How did a Bollywood backdrop become the highest battleground on Earth?
High in the Himalayas, soldiers have fought hand-to-hand at a border hotly contested by two nuclear-armed giants. Why are they fighting and what is the fallout?
- by Matt Wade
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Explainer
Coronavirus pandemic
So you think you can talk COVID? An A-Z glossary for understanding the pandemic
Do you know your asymptomatic from your presymptomatic carriers? Prefer to say SARS-CoV-2 to coronavirus? Here's a quick guide to "covidese".
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
Conspiracy Theory
'Stop the cabal': What is the conspiracy movement QAnon?
The ideas of an online movement called QAnon have added impetus to protests over lockdown restrictions, 5G and vaccinations. So what exactly is QAnon? How did it gain traction and why?
- by John Buckley
Explainer
Political unrest
Why are there protests against Thailand’s king?
Thailand's king has been a subject of international scrutiny since his school days in Australia. Why are protests against the monarchy so unusual now?
- by Michael Ruffles
Explainer
Coronavirus pandemic
A man was reinfected with COVID-19. What does that mean for immunity?
Do we develop immunity to COVID-19 after we are infected and, if so, what does “immune” really mean?
- by Liam Mannix
Explainer
Concussion crisis
What are CTE and concussion and how do they affect athletes?
What's the difference between CTE and concussion? What are their short-term and long-term effects? And how are football codes handling the problem?
- by Konrad Marshall
Explainer
Science
Time is moving differently during COVID. But is time travel possible?
Marty McFly went Back to the Future but what do scientists think about time travel in the real world? Is it possible? And what are the rules of time and space?
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
Putin's Russia
Beware the tea: Why do Russians keep being poisoned?
The Kremlin's foes have a much higher chance of succumbing to rare poisons than the general population. Who poisoned Navalny? And what does it mean for Russia?
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
Coronavirus pandemic
What is the state of emergency and why is there controversy over extending it?
What would extending the state of emergency mean? Why are there objections to it?
- by Tammy Mills
Explainer
Political unrest
Can a 'housewife' in Belarus bring down Europe's last dictator?
Tens of thousands of people are protesting in Belarus. What do its people want? And what does rebellion in this little-talked about nation mean for the world?
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
Clive Palmer
What are the disputes involving Clive Palmer and the WA government about?
A fast-tracked law and a defamation suit are among the wrangles involving the billionaire and WA's government. How did the trouble start? And why is a new law relating to Palmer so controversial?
- by Nathan Hondros