10 August 2019 - Daily Current Affairs
1. 66th National Film Awards Winners Announced in New Delhi
- The 66th National Film Awards have been announced by Rahul Rawail, head of the Jury for feature films.
- The jury unanimously conferred the award for the Most Film Friendly State to “Uttarakhand” for furthering the growth of the film industry in the state including creating an environment for ease of filming in the state
- Earlier, The Chairpersons and other Jury Members submitted a report on 66th National Film Awards to Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar.
| Sr. No. | Category | Winners |
| 1. | Best Feature Film | Hellaro (Gujarati Film) |
| 2 | Best non-feature film | Son Rise by Vibha Bakshi and The Secret Life of Frogs by Ajay and Vijay Bedi |
| 3 | Best Director | Adhitya Dhar for Uri: The Surgical Strike |
| 4 | Best Actor | Ayushmann Khuranna for Andhadhun and Vicky Kaushal for Uri: The Surgical Strike |
| 5 | Best Actress | Keerthy Suresh for Mahanati |
Note:
- The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremonies in India. Established in 1954.
- It has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.
2. NITI Aayog to launch the Fourth Edition of Women Transforming India Awards
- The policy think tank of the government of India, NITI Aayog has launched the Fourth Edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards in the capital.
- The Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards is being organized in collaboration with the United Nations to recognize women entrepreneurs from across India.
- This year’s theme is 'women and Entrepreneurship’, in continuation of the theme for WTI Awards 2018.
- During the launch Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog, Ms. Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN Coordinator in India and partners of Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) were present.
- The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is a Government of India initiative by NITI Aayog to promote and support aspiring as well as established women entrepreneurs in India.
State News
3. Uttar Pradesh extends bilateral cooperation with the Netherlands in various fields
- The Uttar Pradesh government and that of the Netherlands has extended the bilateral agreement of cooperation in several fields by another five years.
- The agreement for extending the life of earlier memorandum of understanding till 2024 was signed by officials in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Netherlands ambassador to India, Marten van den Berg.
- The MoU, signed earlier, sought cooperation and exchange of the knowledge and techniques in the fields of solid waste management, spatial planning, water management including restoration of water bodies and mobility planning.
- The MoU also related to cooperation in fields of transport management, energy efficiency, sewerage and effluent treatment, agriculture, dairy and horticulture, development of smart cities in UP, cultural heritage and the cycle track infrastructure development in various cities of the state.
4. e-Rozgar Samachar launched to spread awareness about job opportunities
- The e-version of Rozgar Samachar has been launched recently by Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar.
- It has been launched with a view to make aspirants aware of job opportunities in government sector including public sector enterprises.
- It will also provide information and guidance about admission and career opportunities in various streams through career-oriented articles by experts.
- It can be accessed by visiting the website www.employmentnews.gov.in and clicking on the e-version tab.
5. India signs UNISA; experts call for local laws supporting treaty
- India has signed a key UN convention on International Settlement Agreements, even as experts called for local laws to support the treaty’s implementation in business contracts.
- The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) was signed by India’s High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf.
- 46 countries signed the treaty named Singapore Convention on Mediation.
6. India, Bangladesh to set up committee for optimum utilization of water resources
- India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up a Joint Technical committee for optimum utilisation of Ganges water as being received by Bangladesh under the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty 1996.
- Both the countries also agreed to prepare a framework for interim water-sharing agreement for eight rivers including Feni, Gumti and Teesta.
- Both the countries also discussed issues related to pollution of trans boundary rivers.
- It is an important step in enhancing bilateral cooperation in the water resources sector between India and Bangladesh.
- The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna mega-basin is the second largest hydraulic region in the world.
7. World's thinnest '2D' gold measures just two atoms
- Scientists at the University of Leeds have created the world's thinnest gold measuring just two atoms thick or million times thinner than a fingernail.
- In its 2D form, gold becomes flexible that adds to its potential of being used more efficiently such as in bendable screens, electronic inks, medical diagnostic tests, and water purification systems.
8. Mountaineering team to hoist Indian flag atop Mount Elbrus on Independence Day
- An expedition team of mountaineers were flagged off by Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik to Mount Elbrus in Russia.
- The team is aiming to hoist the Indian national flag atop the mountain on Aug 15, on the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day of India.
- The expedition team of eight professionals from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling, led by its principal GP Captain Jaikishan.
- The team will also perform 'asanas' atop the mountain in an attempt to showcase the importance of Yoga to the international community.
9. Govt sanctions over 5,000 electric buses under second phase of FAME India scheme
- Government has sanctioned five thousand 595 electric buses in 64 cities for intracity and intercity operations under the second phase of FAME India scheme.
- The objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront incentives on purchase of electric vehicles.
- Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in a release said, this will give a further push to clean mobility in public transportation.
10. Bangladesh to host Zimbabwe despite ICC ban
- Bangladesh will host Zimbabwe for a tri-nation Twenty20 tournament in September despite the African nation being suspended by the International Cricket Council.
- The ICC suspended Zimbabwe last month over the country's failure to keep the sport free from government interference, putting its participation in multi-nation events in doubt.
- Afghanistan is the third team in the tournament scheduled to be held from September 13 to 24.
- Bangladesh was originally scheduled to play a bilateral series against Afghanistan in September, but officials said Zimbabwe had been included in the series following a request from the strife-torn country.
11. Serena Williams tops Forbes list of best-paid female athletes
- Serena Williams (37-years) topped the list of the highest-paid female athletes 2019 published by Forbes.
- She has topped the annual list for a 4th the consecutive year with estimated total earnings of USD 29.2 million.
- Naomi Osaka (Japan) was 2nd on the list with earnings of USD 24.3 million.
- Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu came in tied for 13th (USD 5.5 million) rounding out the top 15 of Forbes list of best-paid female athletes.
- US World Cup-winning striker Alex Morgan is the first non-tennis player at 12 after earning $5.8m (£4.77m).
| Ranks | Player’s Name | Total earnings (in USD) | Prize money/salary (in USD) |
| 1. | Serena Williams | 29.2 million | 4.2m |
| 2. | Naomi Osaka | 24.3 million | 8.3m |
| 3. | Angelique Kerber | 11.8 million | 5.3m |
| 4. | Simona Halep | 10.2 million | 6.2m |
| 5. | Sloane Stephens | 9.6 million | 4.1m |
| 13. | P.V. Sindhu | 5.5 million | 500 k |
