Current Affairs 3rd December 2018

Current Affairs 3rd December 2018 - Important Points

• Government puts imports of Gold dore in which category - Restricted category
• FSSAI launches Heart Attack Rewind Campaign for elimination of - Industrially produced trans-fat
• From January 2019, Which country will chair Kimberley Process Certification Scheme - India
• Where was First India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit held - New Delhi
• Asia Pacific Summit 2018 begins in - Kathmandu

Current Affairs 3rd December 2018 - Details

Government puts imports of Gold dore in which category - Restricted category

Directorate General of Foreign Trade under Ministry of Commerce & Industry has imposed imports of gold Dore in limited category. It means, now, importer requires a license to import gold commodity.

Gold dore

It is semi-pure alloy of gold & silver which is refined for extra purification. Proportions of silver and gold can differ widely. It usually shaped at site of a mine and then further transported to refinery for the purification. Refined gold bars are produced from gold dore bar. India imports approximately 900 tonnes of gold every year making it world’s 2nd-biggest gold consumer following China.

Wastage and value addition norms for gold religious idols

Directorate General of Foreign Trade also has prescribed wastage & value addition guidelines for gold religious idols i.e. only gods and goddess, both plain and studded, of 8 carats and up to 24 carats. Under it, % of wastage for plain gold idols will be 2.5 percent, while it will be 5 percent for studded idols. Similarly, % of value addition for plain gold religious idols will be 10 percent and 14 percent in case of idols studded with coloured gems stones. The % for value addition for idols studded with diamonds will be 15 percent.

FSSAI launches Heart Attack Rewind Campaign for elimination of - Industrially produced trans-fat

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India- FSSAI, released media campaign ‘Heart Attack Rewind’, aiming for elimination of industrially generated trans-fat in the food supply. It will support Food Safety and Standards Authority of Indi’s global mark of eliminating trans-fat in India by 2022, a year ahead of global mark by World Health Organization. It is in-line with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s aim to get Freedom from ‘Trans Fat: India@75’ 

Heart Attack Rewind Campaign

It 1st mass media campaign of its kind that will educate customers about the injurious effects and its connection to cardio-vascular diseases. It advises citizens about the health hazards of eating trans-fat and offers strategies to evade them with healthier alternatives. The campaign was established by specialists at Vital Strategies.

Background

Globally, trans-fat intake results in to above 500,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease every year. Trans-fats are made by mixing hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them extra solid and to rise their shelf life. In May 2018, World Health Organisation released comprehensive plan to eradicate industrially generated trans-fats from global food supply by 2023.

From January 2019, Which country will chair Kimberley Process Certification Scheme - India

India will be leading Kimberley Process Certification Scheme- KPCS from 1/January/2018. It was led Chairmanship by the EU during Kimberley Process Certification Scheme Plenary 2018, which was organised in Brussels, Belgium. India as Kimberley Process Certification Scheme Chair will be committed to-

Make Kimberley Process Certification Scheme stronger procedure in terms of inclusiveness, reinforced administration and implementation.

Make Kimberley Process Certification Scheme much efficient in terms of delivery of what its talents, more transparent and empathetic towards living morals of people who are dependent on generation, trade and manufacture of diamonds.

Support Artisanal & Small-Scale Mining with volume building, technical help and education on valuation, differentiation between natural & lab-grown diamonds and significance of legal and formal mining practices.

Kimberley Process

It is combined initiative of governments, industry and civil societies to stalk flow of ‘conflict diamonds’, rough diamonds utilised by rebel groups to finance wars against legitimate governments. It is also explained in UN Security Council resolutions. India is one of the founding associates of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Presently, Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has 54 members representing 81 nations including European Union with 28 members.

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme came into effect from 1st January, 2003 through UN General Assembly Resolution. It outlines the guidelines that govern trade in rough diamonds. It has grown into effective process for stopping trade in struggle diamonds. It forms minimum necessities that each participant must meet.

Where was First India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit held - New Delhi

The 1st India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit was organised in New Delhi. It was planned by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry- FICCI in collaboration with Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of External Affairs.

Aim

• To explore avenues of cross-nation corporations with Indian R&D-based enterprises.
• To get global trends in technology management and strategy.
• To advance progressive ideas for policy improvements and regulatory environment.
• To form avenues for industry-academia-government associations.
• Generate capacities for market assessment and quick commercialization of research.
• Link local and global research and development community for collective engagement.

Highlights :

Joining ASEAN member nations in this summit were Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. On side-lines of this summit, an exhibition to demonstrate best Indian Innovative Technologies, with potential implementation in ASEAN region was also planned. Besides this summit also delivered platform for B2G meetings.

Asia Pacific Summit 2018 begins in - Kathmandu

The Asia Pacific Summit 2018 started on December 1st, 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Summit will last till December 3rd, 2018.

The Theme of 2-day Summit is ‘Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity, and Universal Values’.

The Summit, held by the South Korea-based Universal Peace Federation and reinforced by the Nepal Government, have participation by the leaders from the Asia-Pacific region including India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan and Philippines.

About 1500 participants from 45 nations are attending the summit. They will deliberate various global issues, together with peace, development, good governance and part of parliamentarians, climate change and role of media.

Address by various leaders and participants 

The Summit started with an opening address by Nepal's PM K.P.Sharma Oli who called for vigorous partnership between governments, private sector and diverse social groups. 

While, former Indian PM H.D. Deve Gowda, who is representing India there, addressed the problems of terrorism and climate change as the biggest challenges worldwide. 

Myanmar State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi worried the necessity for collective efforts to combat terrorism, hunger, migration and displacement, poverty, discrimination and injustice.