Latest Current Affairs – March 12 2018
1. Founder of French luxury label Givenchy passes away aged 91
French fashion designer Hubert Taffin de Givenchy, the founder of the luxury fashion label Givenchy, has passed away at the age of 91. Givenchy’s friend former haute couture designer Philippe Venet stated that he died in his sleep. Givenchy was known for designing for actress Audrey Hepburn and former First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy.
2. ‘Kattappa’ actor Sathyaraj to get wax statue at Tussauds
Actor Sathyaraj, who is known for portraying the character ‘Kattappa’ in the ‘Baahubali’ film franchise, is set to get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds wax museum. Sathyaraj is said to be the first Tamil actor, who will be getting a statue at the popular wax museum. The statue will reportedly be in the form of his character ‘Kattappa’.
3. India, France pledge to build world’s largest nuclear plant
PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to begin work on “the largest nuclear power plant in the world” in India by this year. Urging Electricite de France SA and India’s Nuclear Power Corporation to accelerate discussions on a contract and start work at Maharashtra’s Jaitapur, the leaders said the plant would have a 9.6-gigawatt capacity.
4. Railways stops online booking of i-Tickets from March 1
The Railways has withdrawn the sale of i-Tickets through its IRCTC website reportedly from March 1. Launched in 2002, i-Tickets were same as tickets booked at the counters and were delivered to the address specified by the passengers. IRCTC charged additional ₹80 per ticket for sleeper class and ₹120 per ticket for AC classes for i-Tickets.
5. Govt approves Bengaluru’s plan to get a garment university
A garment university will be established in Bengaluru’s Bommanahalli and the Union Textile Ministry has approved a proposal for the same. The minister further said that the Bommanahalli constituency has several garment factories which provide employment to a large number of women.
6. Saudi Arabia sets up department to probe corruption cases
King Salman has approved a plan to create legal departments, under the authority of the attorney general’s office, specialized in curbing corruption. They will undertake investigations and prosecutions in instances related to corruption lawsuits.
Saudi Arabia’s position in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has continued to improve with the country jumping five places in the index. In total, 180 countries were ranked on the basis of a number of best practice indicators, including international standards linked to business ethics. Saudi Arabia jumped to 57 in 2017 from 62 in the previous year.
7. Legendary comedian Ken Dodd dies at 90
Comedy icon Ken Dodd has passed away just days after leaving hospital. He was 90. Dodd was famous for his very long stand-up shows – with which he was touring until last year – along with his Diddy Men and the tickling stick. He was a chart-topping singer too. His signature tune “Happiness” was released in 1964 and his single “Tears” was the third highest-selling song of the 1960s in Britain, beaten only by two Beatles singles.
8. Chandigarh to host two-day sports literature festival
Chandigarh is set to host a two-day sports literature festival, a first of its kind in the northern region, on March 17 and 18. The ‘Play Write 2018’ will bring together sports personalities who have either written books or have been the subject of one of more books themselves. The sport literature festival will feature 10 sessions covering games like hockey, cricket, marathon, soccer, boxing, women’s rugby and kabaddi etc.
9. PM Modi, French President launch Solar Plant at Mirzapur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday inaugurated 101 megawatt solar power plant at Dadar Kala village in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. This is the largest solar projects in the country set up by French company ENGIE. The company was awarded the project in 2016 with the cost of Rs. 680 crore.
This plant is spread over 328 acres and is connected to the Jigna power plant’s grid. Currently, 75 mega watt electricity is being generated. India is generating 20 GW of energy from solar power with an aim to scale this up to 100 GW by 2022.
10. Colombia votes with FARC as political party for the first time
Polls have closed in Colombia’s congressional elections that saw former members of the Farc guerilla group take part for the first time. The ex-rebels, now known as the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force (also FARC), were given 10 congressional seats as part of a historic peace deal signed in 2016.
But opinion polls give the left-wing group little chance of making gains. The vote is being viewed as a test ahead of May’s presidential elections.
