Dear Express Explained reader, Air India has placed orders for 470 passenger aircraft split between Airbus and Boeing, the biggest single order of its kind in aviation history, the announcement of which was hailed by global leaders Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, and Rishi Sunak along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sukalp Sharma unpacked the order that has the potential to create a very large number of jobs in flagging Western economies, and which carries an important diplomatic signal from New Delhi at a time of Western sanctions against Russia. The orders also mark a milestone in the Tata Group's expansion plans, and can potentially alter patterns of traffic in India's skies. Do read. After registering her marriage to political activist Farhad Zirar Ahmad, actor-activist Swara Bhasker tweeted about the Special Marriage Act, the secular law under which the state, rather than religion, sanctions an interfaith union. Khadija Khan wrote about the law, its main provisions, and its "notice" clause that has been criticised as having the effect of adversely impacting the very purpose of the Act. The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and five states over the inordinate delay in filling the constitutionally mandated position of the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha/ state Assemblies. The current Lok Sabha, which is about to enter its fifth year, has never had a Deputy Speaker. Khadija and Liz Mathew wrote about the role of the Deputy Speaker of the House, the process of his election, and how the post was envisaged by the Constitution and its makers. The BJP and the Indian government have expressed outrage at the criticism of Prime Minister Modi by the billionaire American hedge fund manager-turned-philanthropist George Soros. Soros is an interesting and complex figure — he is 92 years old with an estimated net worth of $8.5 billion, a Holocaust survivor who has been accused of "breaking" the Bank of England by shorting the pound and convicted of insider trading, an open and powerful critic of Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and possibly the biggest individual donor to the Democratic Party in the US. Aanchal Magazine and Anil Sasi wrote a profile of the man and his activities around the world, including in India. The US and China have been trading charges over apparent espionage using high-altitude balloons. American missiles have shot down four flying objects, but only one of them has been confirmed to have been a Chinese balloon. Amitabh Sinha wrote about these objects that can blow up to the size of a football stadium at heights up to 40 or 50 kilometres, and are mainly used for scientific research. NASA has a full-fledged balloon programme, and Dr Homi Bhabha sent up India's first balloon for cosmic ray research 75 years ago. Keep reading The Indian Express Explained. Some of our best content is now behind a paywall, so if you haven’t subscribed to The Indian Express yet, it may be a good idea to do so soon. Click here to subscribe.
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