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
