AI
Artificial intelligence
Computer systems that perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognising images or making decisions.
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Glossary
30 words from the news, explained in plain language.
In the news now
World
European Union
A political and economic union of European countries with a single market, shared laws in many areas and, for many members, the euro.
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Politics
Election commission
The independent body that organises elections, registers voters and enforces election rules.
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Entertainment
Streaming service
A subscription or ad-supported service that delivers films, series or music over the internet on demand.
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A
Business
Acquisition
The purchase of one company by another, giving the buyer control of the target's business.
AI
Artificial intelligence
Computer systems that perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognising images or making decisions.
B
Entertainment
Box office
The money a film earns from cinema ticket sales, reported for opening weekends and in total.
C
World
Ceasefire
An agreement between warring sides to stop fighting, temporarily or as a step toward a lasting peace deal.
Economy
Central bank
The public institution that manages a country's currency, money supply and benchmark interest rate, such as the Federal Reserve or the Reserve Bank of India.
Politics
Coalition government
A government formed by two or more political parties that agree to work together because none has a majority alone.
Energy
Crude oil
Unrefined petroleum extracted from the ground; Brent and WTI are its main global price benchmarks.
D
Technology
Data centre
A facility that houses large numbers of servers and networking equipment to store and process data.
E
Politics
Election commission
The independent body that organises elections, registers voters and enforces election rules.
World
European Union
A political and economic union of European countries with a single market, shared laws in many areas and, for many members, the euro.
F
Startups
Funding round
A stage in which a startup raises money from investors, named in sequence such as seed, Series A and Series B.
G
World
Geopolitics
The way geography, resources and power shape relations and rivalries between countries.
H
Environment
Heatwave
A period of unusually hot weather for the time of year, lasting several days or longer.
I
Economy
Inflation
The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises over time, usually measured over twelve months.
Economy
Interest rate
The price of borrowing money, expressed as a percentage of the amount borrowed. A central bank sets a benchmark rate that other rates follow.
L
AI
Large language model
An AI system trained on very large amounts of text to understand and generate human language.
N
Economy
National debt
The total amount a government owes to lenders, built up from past budget deficits.
World
NATO
A military alliance of North American and European countries whose members agree to defend each other if one is attacked.
O
Energy
OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a group of oil-producing nations that coordinates output; OPEC+ also includes allies such as Russia.
Politics
Opposition party
The political parties in parliament that are not part of the government and challenge its policies.
P
Politics
Parliament
A country's elected law-making body, which passes laws, approves budgets and holds the government to account.
R
Business
Revenue
The total money a company earns from selling goods or services before any costs are subtracted.
S
World
Sanctions
Penalties such as trade bans, asset freezes or travel bans imposed by one or more countries on another country, group or person.
Science
Satellite
An object that orbits a planet; usually a spacecraft used for communication, navigation, weather or observation.
Technology
Semiconductor
A material, usually silicon, used to make the chips that process and store information in electronic devices.
Startups
Startup
A young company built to grow quickly, often around a new product or technology, usually funded by investors.
Entertainment
Streaming service
A subscription or ad-supported service that delivers films, series or music over the internet on demand.
W
Environment
Wildfire
An uncontrolled fire spreading through vegetation such as forests, grassland or bush.