04 September 2017 Current Affairs
MS Dhoni, 1st Wicketkeeper to effect 100 Stumpings
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 36-year-old Dhoni has also taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. In 90 Tests, Dhoni has taken 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings. In T20 Internationals, Dhoni has taken 43 catches and affected 23 stumpings.
Hyderabad Airport bags Energy Efficiency Award
Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The event held here focused on recognizing companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives and displaying commitment towards energy conservation.
North Korea claims successful test of Hydrogen bomb
North Korea has announced that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that can be placed on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The announcement was made by the state news agency after geological agencies registered a man-made quake in the north-east of the country. As per the analysts, previous North Korean nuclear tests have resulted in earthquakes, however, a 6.3 magnitude tremor indicates that the size of the nuclear test was larger than previous one.
9th BRICS Summit Kicks off in Xiamen, China
The 9th BRICS Summit has started in Xiamen, China with a group photograph of leaders of the five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and was preceded by a warm handshake between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping. Modi was the third leader to reach the convention centre, venue of the 9th BRICS Summit in this port city of China and was followed by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Gurugram Metro stations to get 1,000 new e-rickshaws
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in collaboration with Smart-E company will launch 1,000 e-rickshaws at five metro stations across the city. Smart-E is uniquely poised to address the last-mile connectivity challenge faced by millions of people every day. The launch of 1,000 e-rickshaws in exclusive partnership with DMRC is an important step towards making last-mile commute easy, safe, affordable and eco-friendly for the citizens.
President to lay foundation stone for Link-4 of SAUNI Scheme in Rajkot
President Ramnath Kovind will today lay the foundation stone for the link – 4 of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Scheme -SAUNI- Yojana in Rajkot district. The project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat aims to fill up 115 major dams by diverting overflow of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River. Three phase of SAUNI Yojana already dedicated to the people following completion of the work.
Breakthrough Mission Project detects 15 radio bursts from Dwarf galaxy
Breakthrough Listen project detected 15 Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) coming from a dwarf galaxy about 3 million light years away from earth. The new detection was made with help of Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. It was emitted from FRB 121102, a mysterious source associated with the galaxy in the distant universe. FRB is brief, bright pulse of radio emission from distant galaxies. It was first detected in 2007 with help of Parkes Telescope in Australia.
Pulitzer-Prize Winning Poet John Ashbery passes away
Pulitzer-prize winning poet John Ashbery, a post-modern American trailblazer, has passed away at age of 90 in Hudson, New York. His 1975 collection “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror” made history when he became the lone writer to earn three major accolades the same year for the same work: the Pulitzer in addition to a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award.
UNESCO announces winners of International Literacy Prizes 2017
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the winners of the 2017 International Literacy Prizes that honour excellence and innovation in the field of global literacy. The UNESCO International Literacy Prizes are divided into two categories namely the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy that is sponsored by China and the King Sejong Literacy Prize that is sponsored by South Korea.
UNESCO Confucius Prize 2017
Confucius Prize recognises the projects that benefit rural populations and out-of-school youth, particularly girls and women. This year, the UNESCO Confucius Prize will be given to:
AdulTICoProgram: This program was the initiative of the Secretariat of Information and Communications Technologies of Armenia (Colombia) for teaching digital competencies to seniors.
The Citizens Foundation (Pakistan): The foundation was chosen for its Aagahi Literacy Programme for Women and Out-of-School Girls that includes digital educational needs assessments and provides teaching services to support the education of younger girls and older women.
FunDza (South Africa): The organisation launched readers and writers project to develop a culture of reading and writing for pleasure through an online platform that provides reading courses and writing competitions.
King Sejong Literacy Prize 2017: The King Sejong Literacy Prize is dedicated to mother-tongue literacy education. The winners of King Sejong Literacy Prize 2017 are:
Centre for the Study of Learning & Performance (CSLP): The Centre at Concordia University (Canada) was chosen for its ‘Using Educational Technology to Develop Essential Educational Competencies in Sub-Saharan Africas project’.
We Love Reading (Jordan): This program offers online read-aloud trainings for parents, mobilizes volunteers to read aloud in community spaces to children.
All these five winners will each receive a medal, a certificate and USD 20000. The awards will be handed over to them on the occasion of International Literacy Day on 8 September 2017.