- Web Index released by the World Wide Web Foundation : India ranks behind China and other BRICS nations in a comprehensive index aimed at measuring the Internet’s contribution to social, economic and political progress. India’s Internet penetration rate is comparable to Nepal or Namibia’s, and despite promises of a digital revolution, the Web is still inaccessible to a large swathe of the population. Affordability is India’s biggest concern as the cost of broadband access in the country is greater than in countries in the neighbourhood such as Bangladesh.
- A technical survey to restore a 496-km-long historic road link between Guwahati and Dhaka via Shillong and Sylhet, snapped during Partition, began.
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone its annual general meeting (AGM) and election of office-bearers to January- end.
- A proposal to give Rs.5 lakh each to the kin of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims, triggered after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was approved by the Cabinet. The compensation to the families of the riot victims will be given in addition to what they have received so far from the government and other agencies.
- The Maharashtra government on Wednesday banned Web-based cab services in the State following an “advice” from the Centre in the wake of the rape of a 27-year-old woman executive in a taxi in the national capital.
- A goods train from China completed the world’s longest rail journey when it reached Madrid, its final destination. The train connecting China to Spain passed through seven nations in Asia and Europe, covering a mammoth 13,000 km. The train was flagged off from China’s international commodity hub of Yiwu on November 18 with 40 wagons, carrying 1,400 tonnes of cargo, consisting of stationery, craft products and Christmas market products. It will return to China filled with luxury Spanish produce such as cured ham, olive oil and wine, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The historic first journey will be evaluated with the aim of opening a regular two-way rail link between China and Spain, which could commence operations in early 2015.
- Swedish police have raided a server room in Stockholm in an action targeting the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay.
- Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Select Committee Chandan Mitra tabled the report on the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008, recommending a hike in FDI in insurance sector from 26 to 49 per cent.
Credits: The Hindu, Google.
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