Current Affairs 21st March 2017

Current Affairs 21st March 2017

• World Poetry Day 2017 celebrated on - 21st March 2017
• Forests International Day 2017 observed on - 21st March 2017
• Global teacher prize won by - Canadian teacher
• International Day of Happiness celebrated on - 20th March 2017
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2017 observed on - 21st March 2017
• Roger Federer wins - ATP Indian Wells Masters title

Current Affairs 21st March 2017

World Poetry Day 2017 celebrated on - 21st March 2017

The World  Poetry Day was celebrated on 21st March 2017 globally with the theme to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression as well as to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their societies. 

More about World Poetry Day 

• Each country is icelebrated the day in its own manner with an active participation of National Commissions, 
• non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public and private institutions concerned.
• The day also provides a great occasion to honour poets, promote the reading, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, writing and teaching of poetry.

Forests International Day 2017 observed on - 21st March 2017

The International Day of Forests 2017 was observed globally on 21st March 2017 with the theme ' Forests and energy'. This Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of all types of woodlands, trees and celebrate the ways in which forests sustain and protect us. This year's theme highlights the importance of wood energy in improving the lives of people, mitigating climate change and powering sustainable development.

More on Wood Energy

• Wood is a major renewable energy source, it provides the world with higher energy than other sources.
• It accounts for roughly 45 per cent of current global renewable energy supply.
• Wood energy powers economic development as mostly in developing countries, are engaged in the wood-energy sector on a part or full-time basis. 

 Global teacher prize won by - Canadian teacher

Maggie MacDonnell, a Canadian teacher has won the annual Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony conducted on 19th March 2017 at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. She who teaches at the Ikusik School in Salluit, an Inuit village deep in the Canadian Arctic, was awarded for her achievements within the local community that survives amidst harsh conditions and her efforts in helping to reduce teenage suicide rates.  She was awarded a cash prize of US $1m. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the Emir of Dubai honoured her for her great contributions.

Important Highlights 

• Maggie was among the 10 finalists, chosen from over 20,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries across the globe.
• An astronaut on the International Space Station announced the winner's name through a video link..
• The village, where Maggie teaches, is known to have a high suicide rate. 
• Maggie herself has witnessed over 10 suicides and she described at the event how it felt to be a teacher after the suicide of a student.
• The region is also infamous for teenage pregnancies and high levels of sexual abuse. To help curbing the same, Maggie created life-skills programme specifically for the young girls in the region. 
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Maggie on her victory through a video message and thanked her along with other teachers teaching in the village, which is located in one of the world’s most remote regions, surrounded by snow and ice that has no roads and is only accessible by air.

 International Day of Happiness celebrated on - 20th March 2017

 The International Day of Happiness was celebrated on 20th March 2017 across the world. To mark this occasion, the United Nations released the World Happiness Report 2017, which ranked 155 countries by their happiness scale. In the report, while Norway was the happiest country in the world, India was ranked 122, much behind most of the SAARC nations including Pakistan and Nepal.

More on International Day of Happiness

The General Assembly of the United Nations created the International Day of Happiness through a resolution on 12th July 2012.

Important Highlights

•  On this day, the United Nations invites Member States, international and regional organizations, and civil societies, including non-governmental organizations and individuals,  to observe the day in an appropriate manner. 
• This day also provides an occasion for the policy makers to organize public awareness-raising activities about the importance of happiness in our lives.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2017 observed on - 21st March 2017

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed globally on 21st March 2017 

with the theme 'Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration'.

Interesting Highlights

• Racial and ethnic profiling is defined as a reliance by security and border control personnel on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin as a basis for subjecting persons to detailed searches, identity checks and investigations. 
• Refugees and migrants are in particularly the targets of racial profiling and incitement to hatred. 
• In September 2016, the United Nations launched an initiative titled 'Together' to promote respect, dignity, and safety for refugees and migrants.
• For the same purpose, UN launched other initiatives like Let's Fight Racism! and the International Decade for People of African Descent.
• In addition to that, the UN Human Rights Office also launched a campaign 'Stand up for Someone's Rights Today' to encourage and support actions in our daily lives to defend the human rights of others. 

Roger Federer wins - ATP Indian Wells Masters title

Roger Federer won the ATP Indian Wells Masters title on 19th March 2017 by defeating Stan Wawrinka at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden with 6-4, 7-5.

• Federer joined Novak Djokovic as the only man to win five Indian Wells titles, With this triumph in the all-Swiss final.
• He had won this title consecutively three times between 2004 and 2006 and in 2012 earlier.
• The victory at Indian Wells marks Federer’s 90th tour-level crown. 
• It was also his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.
• At 35, Federer is the oldest ATP player to win one of the elite Master's titles, supplanting Andre Agassi who was 34 when he won in Cincinnati in 2004.
• The BNP Paribas Open, the first of nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, showcases the best men's and women's players at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. 
• The event routinely sets the bar for tennis tournaments across the globe and has been voted the best tournament in its category many times throughout the years.

Do you know?

Earlier in January 2016, Federer won the Australian Open title. It was his first title after returning back from the knee surgery that kept him out of the game for some six months. It was his 18th Grand Slam title.