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India’s 1st underwater metro opens for public in Kolkata

On March 15, 2024, when the day’s first train began its journey from the Howrah Maidan station on the East-West metro corridor at 7 am with hundreds of people cheering, it marked a historic first in the country. Commercial services of country’s first underwater metro finally commenced in the city where it all began.

A special illumination of the inner wall of the tunnels under the river has been arranged to give the effects of water around the train. Whenever the lights turned blue, passengers understood the train is then underwater.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>Kolkata was the first city in India to have underground metro railway, way back in 1984. It is the only metro system in the country to be controlled directly by Indian Railways. 

>The work for the East-West corridor began in 2009. After facing many hurdles and delay, tunneling under the Hooghly river commenced in 2017.

>Howrah metro station, that also aligns with Howrah Railway Station, is the deepest metro station in India. It is built to accommodate more than 40000 passengers.

>The original idea of an underwater railway was conceived by the British in 1921, around the same time when the Thames Tunnel was coming up in London. However, a feasibility analysis hindered them from going forward. It took more than 100 years to achieve this historic breakthrough.

Belgium’s new away kit is inspired by Tintin

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) unveiled the new home and away kits for its male and female internationals on March 14, 2024. While the new home kit features the traditional dark shade of red, the away kit is a homage to Belgian cartoonist Hergé and his most famous creation: Tintin. It is composed of a blue jersey with a white collar, brown shorts and white socks.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>Tintin first appeared in Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), a supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century), in 1929 through “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets“. His adventures have sold more than 270 million comics worldwide and have been translated into 70 languages since.

>Tintin’s adventures take him to various corners of the globe, from the Congo to Tibet, and from Egypt to the US. He has also been to the Moon, 19 years before Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin.

>Alongside Tintin, the series features a memorable cast of characters, including his loyal dog Snowy (Milou in the original French), the grumpy but good-hearted Captain Haddock, the bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson (Dupont et Dupond in French), and the absent-minded Professor Calculus.

>Belgium has sported themed jerseys before as well. The EURO 2016 away kit was a playful salute to the cycling heritage of the country while the FIFA World Cup 2022 away jersey and capsule collection was inspired by the famous fireworks of Tomorrowland, an annual electronic dance music festival held in Boom near Antwerp.

IUCN says lions in Gujarat 19 times safer than in Africa

In a remarkable turn of events, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reclassified the Asiatic lion, found primarily in Gujarat, from “endangered” to “vulnerable“. The report highlights that the Asiatic lion’s population decline risk is 19 times lower than that of their African counterparts, primarily due to effective measures against poaching and habitat loss in India.

The Asiatic lion was categorized “endangered” in 2008. This change reflects the significant strides made in conservation efforts, leading to a more stable and growing population of these majestic creatures.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>Asiatic lions evolved in Europe, migrated to Asia Minor and eventually to the Indian subcontinent due to climatic changes. Hunting was regulated and later banned by the Nawab of Junagadh. After India’s independence, serious conservation measures were initiated, and the Gir lion sanctuary was declared in 1965 in the erstwhile Nawab’s private hunting area.

>The history of the IUCN’s species classification system dates back to 1964 with the establishment of the Red List of Threatened Species. This list has become the most comprehensive global approach for evaluating the conservation status of global flora and fauna.

>The Red List categorizes species into nine different conservation statuses:

– Not Evaluated (NE): Species not yet assessed against the criteria.

– Data Deficient (DD): Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.

– Least Concern (LC): Species evaluated with a low risk of extinction.

– Near Threatened (NT): Species close to qualifying for or likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

– Vulnerable (VU): Species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

– Endangered (EN): Species at a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

– Critically Endangered (CR): Species at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

– Extinct in the Wild (EW): Species known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its past range.

– Extinct (EX): No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.

Academy Awards 2024: A Quick Recap

The 96th Academy Awards ceremony took place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer swept the night with seven awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy) and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.). The other categories in which it won include Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>The Oscar season finally brought down the curtains to the Barbenheimer saga. While Barbie was more successful in the box office, it won a solitary Oscar, for Best Original Song, that went to Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?

>The 96th Academy Awards marked many firsts. This was Christopher Nolan’s first Oscar for Best Director. Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest became the first-ever British film to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. 

>After being nominated eight times over the last 22 years, Wes Anderson finally won his first-ever Academy Award, in the Best Live Action Short Film category, for his adaptation of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. There’s a Kolkata connect as well. Dev Patel plays Dr Z. Z. Chatterjee in the film.

>War-torn Ukraine won her first-ever Oscar. 20 Days in Mariupol, which tells of the Russian invasion, was named Best Documentary Feature. Talking of war, Jonathan Glazer‘s speech addressed the Israel-Palestine conflict. Various celebrities also wore red pins in support of a ceasefire in Gaza.

>It was a season of seconds too. Emma Stone won her second Best Actress Oscar for Poor Things, after previously winning for La La Land. Hayao Miyazaki won his second Oscar, as his swansong The Boy and the Heron was named Best Animated Feature Film, more than two decades after winning his first Oscar for Spirited Away. The legendary animator also received an honorary Oscar in 2014.

125-ft statue of Bir Lachit Borphukan unveiled in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 125-ft statue of Bir Lachit Borphukan at the latter’s ‘maidam’ (burial site) in Assam’s Jorhat district. This was part of the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project at Hollongapar, a Rs 214 crore to develop the place into a major tourist spot.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>The legendary Ahom general is celebrated for his leadership against the Mughal Empire, led by Raja Ram Singh Kachwaha of Amber, in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat, a decisive victory that secured Ahom sovereignty over the region.

>The statue, named ‘The Statue of Valour’ has been crafted by the 99-year-old Padma Bhushan Ram Vanji Sutar, the veteran scuptor most famous for his work on Sardar Patel, the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, which is the tallest statue in the world.

Sweden becomes 32nd NATO member

Sweden became the latest country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ten months after neighbour Finland joined the military alliance. As of February 2024, NATO has 32 member nations.

Political parties in both the Nordic countries decided in the face of Russia’s aggresion, they needed the security guarantees that only come with full membership in the alliance, led by USA.

KnowALLedge Plus:

>With the aim to block expansion of the former USSR, NATO was formed in 1949 by 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

>An armed attack against one or more of them is considered an attack against them all. The countries must uphold democracy and strive towards market economy.

>When Iceland signed the Treaty in 1949, it did not have – and still does not have – armed forces. However, Iceland has a Coast Guard, national police forces, an air defence system and a voluntary expeditionary peacekeeping force.

Sudarshan Setu: India’s Longest Cable-Stayed Bridge

Sudarshan Setu is a marvel of engineering and architecture that connects the island of Beyt Dwarka to the mainland of Okha in Gujarat. The bridge, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 February 2024, is India’s longest cable-stayed bridge, with a total length of 2,320 metres. The bridge also features solar panels on the upper portions of the footpath, which generate one megawatt of electricity.

KnowALLedge Plus:

> Originally called Signature Bridge, it is renamed after Sudarshan Chakra, the divine weapon of Lord Krishna. It has a pedestrian path embellished with verses from the Bhagavad Gita. The bridge provides round-the-clock access to the Dwarkadhish temple, which is one of the most revered shrines of Lord Krishna.

> The bridge has a central double-span cable-stayed portion of 900 metres, which is also the longest in India. The bridge has four lanes, two in each direction, and a 2.5-metre-wide footpath on each side.

> The bridge was constructed by SP Singla Construction Pvt Ltd at a cost of ₹978 crore. The bridge is designed to withstand wind speed of up to 200 kmph and earthquake of up to 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.

Odysseus becomes the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the moon

US makes a historic return to Moon after over 50 years as Odysseus becomes the first private lunar lander to touch down on the lunar surface. This feat took place on February 22, 2024. Odysseus was developed by Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based company, and was launched on February 15, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

KnowALLedge Plus:

> Odysseus, also known as Ulysses, was a legendary Greek hero and the protagonist of Homer’s epic poem, the “Odyssey.” He is best remembered for his long and perilous journey home to Ithaca after the conclusion of the Trojan War. During this journey, he faced numerous challenges, which is why the name is apt for any adventurous voyage.

> During the Cold War, the USA and USSR were engaged in a space race, which culminated with Apollo XI carrying man on the moon. In the 21st century, China, India and Japan have all landed spacecraft on the moon — with the latter two making their first touchdowns within the past six months.

> Odysseus also carried a piece of art by Jeff Koons, a renowned American artist, as a symbol of humanity’s creativity and curiosity. Called “Moon Phases,” the 125 min-sculptures of the moon show 62 lunar phases as seen from Earth, 62 phases visible from other viewpoints in space, and one lunar eclipse. Each sculpture is inscribed with the name of a famous figure, including Aristotle, David Bowie, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, Billie Holiday, Gabriel García Márquez, Andy Warhol and Virginia Woolf.

> In an unexpected turn of events, Odysseus stopped working two hours before touchdown, when NASA’s Navigation Doppler LIDAR came to rescue. In fact, LIDAR, a technology developed by NASA for lunar landings, has a more earthly application. It is used in self-driving cars, among others.

From 1883-2024, Lyle’s Golden Syrup held a unique Guinness World Record

The original logo of Lyle’s Golden Syrup has remained constant for over 140 years, earning the Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest unchanged brand packaging. However, in 2024, the company decided to modernize its logo and packaging design to appeal to a 21st century audience. The new logo features a lion’s head and a single bee, both in a golden syrupy shape.

KnowALLedge Plus:

> The story of the logo of Lyle’s Golden Syrup is based on a biblical tale of Samson and the lion. According to the Book of Judges, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands and later found a swarm of bees and honey inside its carcass. He ate some of the honey and gave some to his parents, without telling them where it came from. He also posed a riddle to his wedding guests: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.”

> The founder of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, Abraham Lyle, was a religious man who chose this story as a symbol of his product. He registered the image of a dead lion surrounded by bees as his trademark in 1883, along with the slogan “Out of the strong came forth sweetness“.

> In terms of just the logo, another British company, Twinings Tea has used the same logo — capitalized font beneath a lion crest — continuously for 237 years, making it the world’s oldest unaltered logo in continuous use.

> The first registered trademark ever issued by the British government belongs to the red triangle logo of the Bass Ale, in use since 1876. It became so popular that Edouard Manet featured it in his 1882 work “A Bar at the Folies Bergere”.

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