Important Current Affairs 19th November 2018 English

(International News)

Kilograms get a new definition
Currently, it is defined by the weight of a platinum-based ingot called "Le Grand K" which is locked away in a safe in Paris. On Friday, researchers meeting in Versailles voted to get rid of it in favour of defining a kilogram in terms of an electric current.
The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
Le Grand K has been at the forefront of the international system of measuring weights since 1889. Several close replicas were made and distributed around the globe. But the master kilogram and its copies were seen to change - ever so slightly - as they deteriorated. The fluctuation is about 50 parts in a billion, less than the weight of a single eyelash. But although it is tiny, the change can have important consequences.
General Conference on Weights and Measures
It is the supreme authority of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
The inter-governmental organization established in 1875 under the terms of the Metre Convention.
It meets in Sèvres (south-west of Paris) usually once every four years.

(National News)

Government may not issue directions to RBI under Section 7
The Union government may not invoke Section 7 of the RBI Act to issue directions to the central bank, in a bid to reduce the tension between North Block and Mint Road
The central board of the RBI will meet on Monday to discuss contentious issues that figured at the last board meeting — economic capital, governance issues of the central bank, boost for the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for banks.
Section 7 has never been used in the 83-year history of the bank.
About RBI Meeting
The Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meets every month to discuss inspection reports of banks and systemically important financial entities, and other routine issues of supervision.
The Board now has 18 members, inclusive of the Governor and four Deputy Governors and two top bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry. In addition, the government nominates 10 public representatives from different fields of activity to the board.
Always a dull affair, but it has come into news after the government decided to appoint Mr. Gurumurthy, known for his conservative views and swadeshi economics.
The last Board meeting on October 23 was reported to be a stormy affair that lasted about eight hours but ended up discussing only three of the 20 items on the agenda. A public speech on October 26 by Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, in which he said governments that do not respect the central bank’s independence would incur the wrath of the markets sent the RBI-government relations further downhill.
The upcoming meeting is crucial in the backdrop of the fraught relationship between the government and the RBI as it can result either in resolution or lead to a point of no return. The choices are clear: the RBI and the government have to arrive at an understanding on the issues listed above through a spirit of give and take.

Elimination of Trans fat in eatery foods 
The Health Department and the Food Safety wing are joining hands to reduce  trans fatty acids (TFAs), salt and sugar in commercially available foods in the State.
The initiative, with technical support from the World Bank, WHO and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is being launched as unhealthy diet is pushing up metabolic syndrome and premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Keralites.
WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake and has called for the total elimination of TFAs in global food supply by 2023. FSSAI has proposed to limit TFA limit in foods to 2% and eliminate trans fats from foods by 2022.
What are trans fats?
There are two broad types of trans fats found in foods: naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally-occurring trans fats are produced in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals (e.g., milk and meat products) may contain small quantities of these fats. Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.
Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
World Health Organization
It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Head: Tedros Adhanom

Ad Filmmaker Alyque Padamsee dies at 90 
Alyque Padamsee, who was known for his role as Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the film Gandhi, died today at the age of 90.
Padamsee was widely regarded as the Father of modern Indian advertising, as he founded Lintas, which is considered one of the top advertising agencies in the country. He was the man who gave us iconic ads like Liril with the girl in the waterfall, Hamara Bajaj, the Kamasutra couple and many such memorable commercials.
He was also an eminent theatre personality. He made his stage debut at the age of 7 in Merchant of Venice, a William Shakespeare play, directed by his brother Bobby Padamsee. The first play that he directed was Taming of The Shrew.

Swachh Bharat Mission to celebrate World Toilet Day 
The focus is on usage  of toilets, which is closely linked to the Prime Minister’s call for a Swachh Bharat by October 2019.
The objective is to engage with communities and reaffirm the national resolve to a sustain the Sanitation achievement.
Since the inception of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the rural sanitation coverage of India has increased significantly, from 39%      in October 2014 to over 96% today. Over 8.8 crore household toilets have been built by rural Indians. As a        result, 25 States/Union Territories, 530 districts, and over 5.2 lakh villages have declared themselves free from open      defecation.   The number of people practicing open defecation in rural India has gone down from 550 million in 2014, to less than 100 million today through the progress made under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
About Swacch Bharat Abhiyan
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) or Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to 2019 that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, towns, and rural areas. The campaign's official name is in Hindi and translates to 'Clean India Mission' in English.

(Sports News)

Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur won title in WTA Taipei Open

Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi -- India's top two singles players -- combined well to win their maiden title on the WTA Tour, grabbing the doubles trophy at the USD 125,000 Taipei OEC Open
Playing first time together on the Pro circuit, the Indians clinched the title when Russia's Olga Doroshina and Natela Dzalamidze opted out of edge-of-seat contest due to latter's injury.