Prelim Bits 20-06-2019

Brazil’s slavery ‘dirty list’

• It is a registry of employers that have been found by the Brazil government to have engaged in slave labor.
• Created in 2004, the list is edited a state body staffed by labour inspectors.
• If a labour inspector fines someone for employing slave labour, and if the employer is found guilty, his name or the name of his firm is added to the list.
• It will stay on the list for 2 years. During that time, labour inspectors will monitor the employer to see if labour conditions have improved.
• Beyond having their brand or names associated with slave labour, employers on the list have their access to credit lines by state banks restricted.
• Private banks also use it to gauge credit risk.
• International buyers concerned with their supply chain also look up names on the list.

Solanum plastisexum

• It is a species of bush tomato i.e native to the arid parts of Australia.
• It’s not unusual for flowers to be hermaphrodite, i.e. to bear both male and female organs present in every blossom.
• 85% of the planet species have flowers that are bisexual.
• But for the most part, a given plant species will stick to one primary and predictable type of sexual expression,
• However, this plant can vary between female, others male, and a combination of both.
• Therefore the researchers have named the plant Solanum plastisexum.
• Plastisexum  means “moldable” or “changeable” sex.
• It is the first to be recognised as gender-fluid.
• It strengthens the idea that sexual binary form among all life forms i.e consisting of only two distinct and disconnected forms is, fundamentally false.

Libra

• It is a digital currency launched by Facebook.
• The main reason is to make Facebook’s ads more valuable by enabling smoother transactions and payments online, particularly among those without credit cards or bank accounts.
• It will use the same security and record-keeping principles as Bitcoin.
• But unlike Bitcoin, Libra is backed by several traditional financial companies like PayPal, Visa and Mastercard.
• It will also base its value on multiple real-world currencies such as the US dollar and the euro.
• Yet, Libra faces additional scrutiny over privacy, given Facebook’s poor record on the matter.

Source: The Indian Express