Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules - 27th April 2019

Index/Report

Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2019

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about GTCI and India specific findings)

What’s the NEWS

The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2019 has released by

INSEAD, Adecco Group and Tata Communications recently.

In the GTCI 2019 India ranks 80 while Singapore takes the lead in this

region.

This year’s report has a special focus on entrepreneurial talent - how it is

being encouraged, nurtured and developed throughout the world and how

this affects the relative competitiveness of different economies.

Know! more about the GTCI report

The report also reveals that cities rather than countries are developing

stronger roles as talent hubs and will be crucial to reshaping the global

talent scene.

This growing importance of cities is due to their greater flexibility and

ability to adapt to new trends and patterns – as nimble economic units

where policy can be changed more swiftly, cities are thus more attractive

for talent, especially entrepreneurial talent.

The report measures levels of Global Talent Competitiveness by looking

at 68 variables. The 2019 index covers 125 national economies and 114

cities (respectively 119 and 90 in 2018) across all groups of income and

levels of development.

In this sixth edition, Switzerland continues to lead the 2019 Global Talent

Competitiveness index, while Singapore and the United States come in

second and third respectively.

The top three is followed by Scandinavian countries, Norway (4th),

Denmark (5th), Finland (6th), and Sweden (7th).

Yemen has finished at the bottom of this year’s index at 125th, just below

Congo (124th) and Burundi (123rd).

India (80th) remains the laggard of this group. It performs better than its

lower-income peers when it comes to growing (48th) talent, primarily by

virtue of the possibilities for Lifelong Learning (38th) and Access to

Growth Opportunities (41st).

Environment

Zoologists discovered two new bird species in Indonesia

Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi-wangi white-eye

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about the discoveries of new birds)

What’s the NEWS

Zoologists from Trinity College with partners from Halu Oleo

University (UHO) and Operation Wallacea, have discovered two new

bird species in the Wakatobi Archipelago of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Details of their discovery of the Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi-

wangi white-eye have been published on April 24, 2019 in the

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Know! more about the Newly found birds

The two new white-eye species found by Trinity and UHO; they are

both found on the Wakatobi Islands, just off mainland South-east

Sulawesi. However, the two species could not be more different.

For sometime Wakatobi white-eye is under debate as researchers are

looking for the answer how species changed from the early 20th century

to the current day.

Another bird, Wangi-wangi white-eye, remained unnoticed until the

beginning of the 21st century when Professor Marples’ research group

visited the island from which it takes its name.

These white eyed birds are adaptable and can have wide variety of fruits,

flowers and insects.

These birds have expertise in making island colonies, which is why so

many different white-eye species have evolved so rapidly, as different

island populations become isolated and split off from their source

populations.

The Wakatobi white-eye is found throughout the Wakatobi Islands and

split from its mainland relatives in the last 800,000 years.

Wangi-wangi white-eye is a much older species found on only one tiny

island, with its closest relatives found more than 3,000 km away.

Know! about Sulawesi

Sulawesi is a particularly peculiar island known for its weird and

wonderful plants and animals.

It lies in the middle of Indonesia, which sits at a geographic boundary

between Asian and Australian species.

Sulawesi has an unusually high number of endemic species (unique

species found nowhere else), due to the deep ocean trenches that isolated

it from other land masses, even during past ice ages, when ocean levels

dropped.

Intellectual Property Rights

World Intellectual Property Day 2019

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about IPR day) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the

field of IPR and issues related to IPR)

What’s the NEWS

The World Intellectual Property Day was observed across the world on

April 26, 2019 to spread awareness about the role that intellectual

property rights like patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright

play in encouraging innovation and creativity.

The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2019 was “Reach for

Gold: IP and Sports”.

Know! more about it

On this day, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) works

together with various government agencies, non-government

organizations, community groups and individuals to hold different events

and activities to promote the day.

This year’s theme dives into the world of sports. It explores how

innovation, creativity and the IP rights support the development of sport

and its enjoyment around the world.

Sports businesses use patents and designs for development of new sports

technologies, materials, training, and equipment. Business relationships

built on IP rights help to secure the economic value of sports.

Know! more about World Intellectual Property Day

In October 1999, the General Assembly of the WIPO approved the idea

of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day.

In 2000, the WIPO designated 26 April as an annual World Intellectual

Property Day to address the perceived gap between Intellectual Property

as a business/legal concept and its relevance to people’s lives.

April 26 was specifically chosen as the Convention Establishing the

World Intellectual Property Organization, first entered into force in 1970

on this date.

International Organisations

India pushes African right to permanent membership in UNSC

Relevance IN – Prelims ( regarding UNSC reforms and the concerned

supporting and opposing nations)

What’s the NEWS

India recently stressed upon Africa's right to representation among the

ranks of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The move aims to bring in a sense of urgency to the long-stalled reform

process of the UNSC.

India is stressing on Africa's right to permanent membership in the UNSC

to break the decades-long blockade of the reform process by a small

group of countries.

The group led by Italy and which includes Pakistan will be made to

directly confront African nations, who have demanded two permanent

seats on a reformed Council and point to the historic injustices done to

the continent.

Know! more about the demands of African Nations

The 55 African nations, who are the single largest group at the UN

making up more than a quarter of its membership, do not have a

permanent member on the Council.

Yet of the 13 UN peacekeeping operations mandated by the Council and

overseen by it, seven are in Africa.

When the UN was set up at the end World War II, the permanent seats

were allocated to the nations on the winning side, which included the US,

Soviet Union (now held by Russia), Britain, France and China.

Breaking the blockade would allow India's claim to a permanent seat on a

reformed Council to also move forward.

Know! about the demand of reforms in the UN

India has been calling for the reform of the UN Security Council along

with Brazil, Germany and Japan for long, emphasising that it rightly

deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.

France, which assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security

Council for the month of March, reiterated its support for India as the

permanent member of the powerful UN body. The nation also reiterated

its support for Germany and Japan as permanent members of an expanded

UNSC.

In fact, both France and Germany together stressed on the need to have

reforms, adding that the UNSC will lose its legitimacy if reforms are not

brought on soon.

India's bid for permanent membership of UNSC is now backed by four

of the five permanent members, namely France, Russia, United

Kingdom and the United States.

Space Awareness

NASA Insight Mars lander detects likely 'marsquake' on Red Planet

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about NASA’s InSight Lander Mission ) + GS III (

awareness in the field of space)

What’s the NEWS

There are earthquakes and moonquakes, and now a NASA spacecraft has

detected what's believed to be a "marsquake" on the Red Planet.

NASA's InSight lander, which touched down on Mars in November after

a seven-month journey, sensed the seismic signal on April 6, the space

agency said Tuesday.

Mission scientists are still working to confirm the source of the faint

trembling, though it appears to have come not from the wind or

movement of the lander's robotic arm but from below the Martian

surface. If confirmed, it would be the first seismic activity ever detected

on Mars.

If scientists confirm it would become the first seismic activity ever

detected on Mars.

Know! about NASA’s InSight Lander Mission

NASA’s InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic

Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport is a Mars lander aimed to

undertake the first-ever thorough checkup since it formed 4.5 billion

years ago.

Insight Mission will also measure tectonic activity and meteorite impacts

on Mars. NASA’s Insight is the first outer space robotic explorer to study

in-depth the “inner space” of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.

Studying these internal structures will aid in answering the early

formation of rocky planets in our inner solar system – Mercury, Venus,

Earth, and Mars – more than 4 billion years ago, as well as rocky

exoplanets.

Agricultural Reforms

UK, India experts explore smart tech solution for Indian farmers

Relevance IN - Prelims (steps taken for agriculture reforms + Mains GS III

agri reforms )

What’s the NEWS

India and the United Kingdom, harnessing smartphone technology could

help Indian farmers make better business decisions and tackle the

sustainable cooling challenges being faced by the country.

Know! more about the agreement

The potential of smart technology was highlighted in a new report, which

was launched on April 24, 2019 by the University of Birmingham, which

is working along with the Shakti

Sustainable Energy Foundation and MP Ecosystems to uncover the

cooling needs of farmers in the states of Haryana, Punjab,

Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Know! more about the report findings

The findings of the report titled 'Promoting Clean and Energy

Efficient Cold-Chains in India' suggest that using mobile apps and data

analysis to manage harvesting and logistics could help reduce the amount

of food wasted between farm gate and supermarket shelf, while boosting

farmers' incomes and reducing the environmental impact of much-needed

food cooling.

The findings are a part of a four-point "roadmap" developed by the

experts, which includes promoting new business models that involve

communities taking charge of their own cooling needs and establishing

‘living labs’ in rural communities where new technology can be tested

among many other things.

The researchers propose a radical new approach to cooling provision with

recommendations combined with the government of India action to

address needs from the first to last mile of the cold-chain as well as

those of the broader rural community.

Know! about the Agricultural Problems in India

One of the key problems in India’s agricultural sector is that about 50 per

cent of the food is lost post-harvest because of lack of cold chain.

The new report highlights that only 4 per cent of produce that would

benefit from a cold-chain actually does so, compared with around 70 per

cent in a country like the UK.

The report suggested effective refrigeration as a solution to preserve

food and medicine. It underpins industries and economic growth, while

air conditioning is key to sustainable urbanisation and human

productivity and makes much of the world bearable or even safe to live

in.

As per experts, cold-chains enhance economic wealth, cash flow and

security for farmers and improve food quality, safety and value to the

customer, but they must be achieved with minimum environmental

impact.

Know! about Clean Cooling Congress

The report was launched at the two-day Clean Cooling Congress, which

opened in London and hosted by University of Birmingham with the

World Bank Group and the UK Department of Business Energy &

Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Mission Innovation.

The report’s findings note that with population and income growing,

urbanisation continuing and climate change causing rising temperatures,

the world will need to provide far more cooling.

Prelims Practise Questions

Consider the following statements about The Global Talent

Competitiveness Index

1. The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2019 has released by

INSEAD, Adecco Group and Tata Communications recently.

2. In the GTCI 2019 India ranks 80 while Singapore takes the lead in this

region.

3. This year’s report has a special focus on entrepreneurial talent - how it is

being encouraged, nurtured and developed throughout the world and how

this affects the relative competitiveness of different economies.

Find the correct statement from the option given below

a. 1 and 2

b. 2 and 3

c. 1 2 and 3

d. None

Consider the following statements

1. The two new white-eye species found by Trinity and UHO; they are both

found on the Wakatobi Islands, just off mainland South-east Sulawesi..

2. Scientists have discovered two new bird species in the Wakatobi

Archipelago of Sulawesi, Malaysia

3. These birds have expertise in making island colonies, which is why so

many different white-eye species have evolved so rapidly, as different

island populations become isolated and split off from their source

populations.

Find the correct statement from the option given below

a. 1 and 3

b. 2 and 3

c. 1 2 and 3

d. None

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