About Sierra Leone

• It is a tropical country in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast.
• Borders: It is bordered on the north and east by Guinea, on the south by Liberia, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean.
• Geography: The nation is largely made up of lightly wooded hills with a concentration of mangrove swampsalong the coast. 
• Rivers: Some of the major ones include the Rokel River, Taia River, Moa River, and Sewa River.
• History:
  • Sierra Leone was colonized in 1787 by formerly enslaved people arriving from England; other groups followed from Nova Scotia (1792) and Jamaica (1800).
  • They were sponsored and governed by the private Sierra Leone Company until 1808, when Britain made Sierra Leone a crown colony.
  • In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. 
• Population: It has a population of about 7.5 million people. It is home to 16 ethnic groups. Each group has their own languageand traditional attire.
• Language: English is the official language; however, Krio is the language that is understoodby most of the population.
• Government: It is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. 
• Capital: The capital, Freetown, commands one of the world’s largest natural harbours.
• Economy:
  • Although most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, Sierra Leone is also a mining centre.
  • Its land yields diamonds, gold, bauxite, and rutile (titanium dioxide).

Q1: What are mangrove swamps?

Mangrove swamps are coastal wetlands found in tropical and subtropical regions. They are characterized by halophytic (salt loving) trees, shrubs and other plants growing in brackish to saline tidal waters. These wetlands are often found in estuaries, where fresh water meets salt water and are infamous for their impenetrable maze of woody vegetation.

Source: Sierra Leone declares national emergency on drug abuse

About Agnibaan SOrTeD

• Agnibaan SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator (SOrTeD) is a single-stage launch vehicle powered by AgniKul’s patented Agnilet engine.
  • It is an entirely 3D-printed, single-piece, 6 kilonewton (kN) semi-cryogenic engine.
  • It is the world’s first single piece 3D printedsemi-cryogenic rocket engine.
• It will be launched from India's first private launchpad, ALP-01,located inside the Indian space agency ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport. 

Features

• It is India’s first ever vehicle equipped with a semicryogenic engine, the Agnilet, a subcooled liquidoxygen-based propulsion system developed indigenously.
• The rocket engine will burn kerosene in liquid oxygen and can be directly used in the rocket.
• It stands 18 meters tall and is 1.3 meters in diameter.
• It has the capability to carry a 100-kg payload up to a height of 700 km with a lift of mass of 14,000 Kgs. 
• It can access both low- and high-inclination orbits and is completely mobile.
• It will also have the first ever Ethernet-based avionics architecture and fully in-house developed autopilot software from India.
• The rocket is also designed for launch from more than 10 different launch ports. 
• To ensure its compatibility with multiple launch ports, AgniKul has built a launch pedestal named 'Dhanush' that will support the rocket's mobility across all its configurations.

Points to Remember

• AgniKul Cosmos is an IIT Madras incubated space start up based in Chennai.
• It was established in 2017.
• It became the first company in the country to sign an agreement with ISROunder the IN-SPACe initiative to have access to the space agency’s expertise and its facilities to build Agnibaan in December 2020.
• In 2022, Agnikul inaugurated India’s first private launchpad and mission control centre at Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Q1: What is the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)?

It is a single-window, independent, nodal agency that functions as an autonomous agency in the Department of Space (DOS). It is formed following the Space sector reforms to enable and facilitate the participation of private players. The agency acts as an interface between ISRO and Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) and assesses how to utilize India's space resources better and increase space-based activities.

About Azad Hind Government

• In 1943, on October 21, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose announced the formation of the ‘Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind’ or the provincial government of free Indiain Singapore and declared war on the British Empire.
• Under the provisional Government, Bose was the Head of State, Prime Minister, and Minister of War. 
• Captain Lakshmiheaded the women’s organisation while SA Ayer headed the publicity wing in the newly formed government.
• Revolutionary leader Ras Behari Bose was designated as the supreme adviser by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. 
• The government was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.

Significance of the Azad Hind government

• Soon after the formation of the government, the Azad Hind government proclaimed authority over Indian civilian and military personnel inSoutheast Asian British colonial territory and prospective authority over Indian territory to fall to the Japanese forces and the Indian National Army during the Second World War.
• The provisional government not only enabled Bose to negotiate with the Japanese on an equal footing but also allowed him to mobilise Indians living in East Asia to join and support the Indian National Army (INA). 
• The Indian National Armydrew ex-prisoners and thousands of civilian volunteers from the Indian expatriate population in Malaya (present-day Malaysia) and Burma (now Myanmar).
• The provisional government was also formed in the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands were reoccupied by the British in 1945.
• The Azad Hind government under Bose had in fact started its own bank, currency, civil code, and stamps. 
• Bose had even formed the first women’s regiment of the INA, the Rani Jhansi Regiment, thus laying the foundation for equal opportunity for women in armed forces.

Q1: What is the Indian National Army (INA)?

The INA was formed during World War II by Indian nationalists and prisoners of war dedicated to winning India’s independence from the British Empire. The first Indian National Army (INA) was formed in September 1942 under Captain Mohan Singh. It comprised around 12,000 Indian prisoner of wars (PoWs) willing to secure independence from British rule in alliance with Japanese assistance. Supported by the Japanese army and led by Subhas Chandra Bose, the INA established its own provisional government and initiated an attack against the British in India. After limited success, however, they were defeated during the battle of Imphal in 1944 and disbanded altogether after the defeat of Japan in 1945.

Source: Subhas Chandra Bose's kin fact checks Kangana Ranaut over 'first PM' remarks; authors jump in

About Changpa Tribe

• The Changpa, or Champa, are semi-nomadic people found mainly in the Changtang plateau of southeastern Ladakh.
• A smaller number resides in the western regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China.
• They share linguistic and cultural affinities with Tibetans.
• They are high-altitude pastoralists, raising mainly yaks and goats. They live at an average altitude of 4,500 metresabove sea level. 
• Religion: All Changpa families profess Tibetan Buddhism as their religion.
  • They can be identified by their conical yak-skin tents called reboo.
  • Each reboo invariably accommodates the family deity, and a picture of their spiritual head, in most cases, the Dalai Lama.

Semi-nomadic Lifestyle

• The Changpa who live nomadic lives are known as Phalpa, while those who have settled down in fixed locations are called Fangpa. 
• For many Changpas, rearing of animals and consuming and selling their produce (milk and its products, hair, and meat) is the only means of livelihood.
• They rear the highly pedigreed and prized Changra goats (Capra Hircus) that yield the rare Pashmina (Cashmere) fibre. It is the finest fibre of all goat hair.
• Their Buddhist belief does not allow them to kill animals for meat. It is only when animals die a natural death that the carcasses can be used for meat and hide, which the Changpas use to line their huts and make garments. 

In 1989, the Changpa were granted official status in India as a scheduled tribe.

Q1: What is yak?

The Wild yak (Bos mutus) is a large, wild cattle native to the Himalayas.Wild yaks are among the largest bovids and are second only to the gaur in shoulder height.Yaks can live at altitudes up to 20,000 feet--the highest of any land-dwelling mammal.Wild yaks are social animals that live in herds.Domestic yaks far outnumber wild ones and are bred for their tractability for plowing and threshing, high milk production, meat, hides, and fur.

Source: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, Leh Apex Body call off march to border

About Nimmu-Padum-Darcha Road

• The Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road (NPDR), also known as the Zanskar Highway, serves as a vital link between the Indian Union territory of Ladakhand the state of Himachal Pradesh, traversingthrough the picturesque region of Zanskar, Ladakh.
• It is an all-weather 298-km long road from Manali (Himachal Pradesh) to Leh (Ladakh) through Darcha and Nimmu on the Kargil–Leh Highway.
• It was constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• It is now the third axis, apart from Manali-Leh Road (428 km) and Srinagar-Leh Road (439 km), which connects Ladakh to the hinterland. 
• It derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter vis-a-vis the other two axes, but crosses only one pass—Shinkun La (16,558 feet)—on which tunnel work is about to commence by the BRO.
• It will be the first all-weather roadconnecting Ladakh to the rest of the country.
• The connectivity will strengthen defence preparedness and provide a boost to economic development in the Zanskar valley.

Q1: What is the Border Roads Organisation (BRO)?

The BRO is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to Indian Armed Forces.It was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries.Officers and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.

Source: Shortest route to Ladakh now open from Manali: Distance, time, toll, and more

About Well-known trademark 

• The Trade Marks Act, 1999, provides protection to well-known trademarks to prevent misuse and obligates the Registrar to safeguard them against similar trademarks.
• Once a mark is declared well-known, the owner can prevent others from registering or using identical or similar marks for different goods and services.
• This trademark mark can be licensed or franchised to others, providing the owner with an additional source of revenue.
• Factors that can be considered when determining whether a trademark is well-known are:
  • The degree of knowledge or recognition of the mark in the relevant section of the public in India
  • The duration, extent, and geographical area of any use of the mark
  • The duration, extent, and geographical area of any promotion of the mark in India.
  • The degree of inherent or acquired distinctiveness of the mark
  • The extent to which the mark has been registered in India or in other countries.

Significance of Well-known Trademark

• Well-known trademarks are highly valuable assets for businesses. They contribute to brand recognition, consumer trust, and market competitiveness.
• The recognition of a trademark as "well-known" grants it additional protection against unauthorized use, even for goods or services not directly related to the original trademark. This protection helps prevent consumer confusion and safeguards the reputation and distinctiveness of the mark.

What is a trademark?

• It is a distinctive sign or indicator used by a business organisation to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities.
• It serves as a badge of origin exclusively identifying a particular business as a source of goods or services. Trademark infringement is the unauthorised usage of a sign that is identical or deceptively similar to a registered trademark.

Q1: What is Intellectual property rights (IPR)?

These are the legal privileges granted to the inventor or creator to safeguard their intellectual work (in the arts, sciences, literature, etc.) for a specific period of time. These legal rights grant the inventor or creator, or his assignee, the sole right to fully exploit their invention or creation for a specific amount of time.

Source: Delhi HC declares ‘Haldiram’ as well-known trademark

About Phanigiri

• It is a famous Buddhist site located 110 km away from Hyderabad.
• This site derived its name from the shape of the hillock, which appears to be like a snake hood. The word Phani in Sanskrit means snake and Giri means hillock. 
• It is believed to be one of the important Buddhist monasteries strategically located on the ancient trade route (Dakshinapatha) connecting the west and the east coast of the Deccan.
   

Other findings of the excavation

• Coins: Lead coins with elephant symbol on one side and Ujjain symbol on the other side are found.
• According to the archaeologists, the coins belong to the Ikshvaku period dated between 3rd century and 4th century Common Era.
• Also stone beads, glass beads, shell bangle fragments, stucco motifs, broken limestone sculptures, a wheel of a toy cart, final nails and pottery are excavated.
• Mahastupa, apsidal Chaityagrihas, Votive stupas, pillared congregation halls, Viharas, platforms with staircases at various levels, octagonal stupa chaitya, 24-pillared mandapam, circular chaitya, and cultural materials that included terracotta beads, semi-precious beads, iron objects, Brahmi label inscriptions and holy relic casket are also excavated.
• All the cultural material is datable from the 1st century BCE to 4th century CE.

Q1: What is a stupa?

It is a hemispherical or dome-shaped structure that contains relics of the Buddha or other sacred objects. Stupas are a fundamental element of Buddhist architecture and have been built across the Buddhist world for thousands of years.

Source: Telangana | An earthen pot containing 3,730 lead coins from Ikshvaku period unearthed in Phanigiri, Suryapet

About Arrokoth 

• It is one of thousands of ‘icy worlds” in the Kuiper Belt, or the outer zone of the solar system that lies beyond Neptune. In the language of the Powhatan tribe, Arrokoth means “sky”.
• It is the farthest object in space that has been explored by a human space-craft.It was discovered in 2014 using the Hubble Space Telescope.
• It is a double-lobed object and resembles a snowman. It is believed it may have ancient ‘gaseous ice’ stored deep within it from when the object first formed billions of years ago.

Key facts about Kuiper Belt

• It is also called the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, is a flat ring of small icy bodies that revolve around the Sun beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune. 
• It is named after Gerard Kuiper, a Dutch-American astronomer who hypothesised the existence of such a region in the 1950s.
• There are millions of these icy objects, collectively referred to as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), in this belt.
• Composition: The Kuiper Belt is primarily composed of small icy bodies, such as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets.

Q1: What are Asteroids?

These are sometimes called minor planets, are rocky remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Most of these ancient space rubble can be found orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt.

Source: Science for All | What is Arrokoth?