- India ranks 131 on global index of ICT access: Report
- India has been ranked a low 131 out of 167 nations on a global index that measures the level of information and communication technology access
- UN International Telecommunications Union’s flagship annual Measuring the Information Society Report said that globally 3.2 billion people are now online, representing 43.4 per cent of the world’s population, while mobile—cellular subscriptions have reached almost 7.1 billion worldwide, with over 95 per cent of the global population now covered by a mobile—cellular signal.
- India is ranked 131st in the IDI 2015 rank, dropping six notches from the IDI rank in 2010.
- South Korea is ranked at the top of IDI which is a composite measurement that ranks 167 countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills. South Korea is closely followed by Denmark and Iceland, in second and third place.
- The report however noted that India’s mobile—cellular telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants was 74.48 in 2014 growing from 62.4 in 2010.
- 1st December: World AIDS Day
- In boost for ‘Make in India’, railways inks pacts with Alstom and GE Transport
- The first big ‘Make in India’ projects, worth Rs 40,000 crore, were kicked off on Monday evening when Ministry of Railways signed formal agreements with global giants Alstom and GE Transport to set up locomotive manufacturing factories in Madhepura and Marhaura in Bihar.
- GE Transport, as a joint venture with the railways, will manufacture 1,000 state-of-the-art diesel locos at Marhaura at a basic cost of Rs 14,656 crore in the next 11 years
- Alstom will manufacture 800 electric locos in the same period at a cost of Rs 19.904 crore
- Anil Kumble steps down as chief mentor of Mumbai Indians
- Spin great Anil Kumble on Monday stepped down as the chief mentor of Mumbai Indians with immediate effect
- His decision follows a BCCI crackdown on conflict of interest in the board. Earlier in the month, India team director Ravi Shastri was removed from the IPL Governing Council while selector Roger Binny, whose son Stuart is a member of the national team, was asked to leave.
- Roch Marc Christian Kabore elected Burkina Faso president
- Mr Kabore, a former prime minister, secured 53.5% of the vote on Sunday after months of political unrest
- The Independent National Electoral Commission says Mr Kabore, 58, won the elections outright
- IFFI 2015: Colombian film ‘Embrace of Serpent’ wins Golden Peacock
- Colombian film Embrace of Serpent (Al Abrazo de la Serpiente) won the Golden Peacock Award at the finale of the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
- UNESCO Fellini Medal: Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly (Movie – Cinemawala)
- Best director award: Peter Greenaway for Eisenstein
- Best Actor: French actor Vincent Lindon for his role in The Measure of a Man
- Best Actress: Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan and Ilyada Akdogan
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov
- India and France launch $1tn solar power tie-up
- India and France have launched a global alliance to mobilise $1tn worth of investment towards developing solar power around the world, focused on tropical countries that are sun-rich but cash-poor.
- The International Solar Alliance aims to have 121 signatories, including the US and China, as well as a long list of developing countries situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
- Narendra Modi told a press conference that as fossil fuels put the planet in peril, hopes for future prosperity in the developing world now rest on bold initiatives.
- “Solar technology is evolving, costs are coming down and grid connectivity is improving,” he said
- China hosts 1st BRICS media summit
- China has taken the initiative for creating an alternative media platform for the emerging economies by hosting the first media summit of countries belonging to the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping
- China’s Xinhua news agency has been the initiator of the project that is adding one more dimension to the BRICS format, in collaboration with The Hindu group of publications, the Brazil Communication Company, Russia Today International News Agency, and South Africa’s Independent Media
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