TNPSC Current Affairs December 11, 2019

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs Dec 11, 2019 (11/12/2019)

Topic: International Events, India’s Foreign Relations

Skills Build Platform

India is the 4th country where this Skills Build platform has been launched on 4th Nov’19. It is a digital platform developed by IBM enabling holistic learning and aligning it with Skills India initiative by Government of India.

Launched by Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

As part of the programme, a two-year advanced diploma in IT, networking and cloud computing, co-created and designed by IBM, will be offered at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) & National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).

Significance of the programme:

The digital platform will provide a personal assessment of the cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius to the students.

They will then learn foundational knowledge about digital technologies, as well as professional skills such as resume-writing, problem solving and communication.

Students will also receive recommendations on role-based education for specific jobs that include technical and professional learning.

This initiative is part of IBM’s global commitment to create a job-ready workforce and to build the next generation of skills needed for new collar careers.

Topic: World Organizations, Latest Diary of Events

IUCN adds 1840 new species to the Red List of Threatened Species

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added about 1,840 new species to its updated “Red List of Threatened Species”, a catalogue of plants and animals that risk extinction. The list now contains over 30,000 species under threat of disappearing.

The group released its Red List update in the middle of COP25 climate talks in Madrid, Spain. The year 2020 will see two global IUCN gatherings, first in June in Marseille, France and another in Kunming, China, in October.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

December 11: International Mountain Day

International Mountain Day predominantly refers to the day, the United Nations marks on December 11 every year since 2003. The same day is celebrated in US and Japan as well as National Mountain Day. The US began to mark mountain day even before the UN since 1877. However, in Japan it is being celebrated since 2014 and is a national holiday.

Theme: Mountains matter for youth

Why Mountain Day? Around 15% of world population live in mountain according to the UN. Today, mountains are under threat due to over exploitation, climate change.

Topic: International Events

CCPI Index, COP25: India among top 10 countries

At the COP25, the Climate Change Performance Index was presented. The Index measures renewable energy share, emissions and climate policies of 57 countries and the European Union.

Key features of India:

India ranked 9th in the ranking provided. The ranking was to the “high category”, where the countries have ambitious 2030 targets. The report noted that India received medium rating in the renewable energy category. Also, the 2030 target set by India was rated high for its well-below 2-degree Celsius compatibility.

Topic: Summits and Reports, Latest Diary of Events

Switzerland to seek closer ties with India at BioAsia 2020

The BioAsia 2020 is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in between February 17 and 19, 2020.

Why Switzerland?

India is Switzerland’s 8th largest trading partner. The trade between the countries amount to 19.7 billion USD. Also, India is one of the eight non-EU countries with which Switzerland intends to deepen its scientific relations.

Topic: International Diary of Events

World’s First Electronic Flight takes off from Canada

The first fully electronic flight in the world completed its test flight successfully on December 10, 2019. The flight is to operate from Vancouver, Canada to the near by islands.

Key facts:

The zero emission completely electronic flight proved that all-electric commercial aviation is possible. The electrical aircraft designed was a 6-seater sea plane that was retrofitted with an electric motor. The first flight lasted for 15 minutes. The electrical flight was designed by the company Harbor Air.

India also promotes and incentivizes the use of electric vehicles.

Topic: Sports and Medals, Latest Diary of Events

2019 South Asian Games concluded in Nepal: India finish on top

South Asian Games 2019 concluded on 10 December in Nepal, with India finishing on top with a best-ever medal haul of 312 medals comprising of 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze. Host Nepal remained second and Sri Lanka got third place in the regional multi-sporting. The year 2019 marks the 13th edition of South Asian Games.

Key facts:

India finished on top, continuing its undisputed domination in regional multi-sporting event by finishing on top for the 13th time-in-a-row. India has topped the medal tally of every South Asian Games since its establishment in 1984.