• 20 nations sign framework agreement of International Solar Alliance

  

• Over 20 countries, including India, Brazil and France have signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
• The framework agreement of ISA was opened for signatures on the sidelines of CoP22 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Marrakech, in Morocco.
• The signing of the framework agreement has to be followed by ratifications by countries.

The agreement will become operational after at least 15 countries have ratified it.

Nitish Kumar launches free power connection programme

                

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on launched a programme to provide free electricity connection to about 50 lakh households above the poverty line.

The “Har Ghar Bijli Lagataar” programme, which aims to supply power to every household in the state in the next two years, is a part of the CM’s “seven resolves” during the Assembly polls.

Google releases films to mark ‘Transgender Awareness Week’

               

Google has released a series of short films ‘#transvoices’ to share stories of transgender people as “regular people, doing regular things”, as part of ‘Transgender Awareness Week’.

One of the films is about Jasmine, who was the first transgender to open a tattoo shop in Philadelphia.

Notably, many of the crew who worked on the films also identified as transgender.

Viswanathan Anand wins 2016 Chess Champions Showdown

                   

Indian chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand won the 2016 Champions Showdown in St Louis, USA

The tournament was played across five days, with two classical round robins, two rapid round robins and four blitz round robins, giving each competitor 24 matches in all.

Anand won a total of seven matches and drew 16.

13 years old Kerala boy sets freestyle swimming world record

                    

Marital, a 13-year-old boy from Kerala, set the world record for the longest distance covered in freestyle swimming after covering over nine kilometres in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

• The 13-year-old was given a target of 7 kilometres but he went on to cover 9.2 kilometres in three hours through 368 laps, which consisted more than 22,000 strokes.

Africa launches its first cycle-share scheme in Morocco

                    

• Africa’s first fully functioning cycle-share scheme has been launched in Marrakech, Morocco to kerb urban congestion and boost sustainable transport.
• The idea, initiated by French bike company Smoove, further seeks to revive Marrakech’s biking culture.
• About 300 cycles named ‘Medina bikes’ after the city’s ancient centre, will help transport cyclists between 10 hubs.

Pro-Russian Igor Dodon elected Moldovan President

                      

• Socialist leader and pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon has won the Moldovan presidential elections
• Dodson has promised to pursue closer ties with Russia rather than EU, which is in direct contradiction of the pro-European stance of the current government.
• Notably, Moldova’s President can return laws to parliament and has the power to dissolve the assembly.

Google buys search startup “Undecidable Labs”

                 

• Google has reportedly acquired search-focused startup Undecidable Labs, co-founded by Apple’s former Director of Engineering, Cathy Edwards.
• San Francisco-based Undecidable Labs reportedly raised under $1 million (₹6.7 crore) funding before its acquisition without releasing any products.

Sonam Kapoor to receive Icon of India award

              

• Actress Sonam Kapoor will be awarded the Icon of India award at the upcoming 11th Asiavision Movie Awards.
• She will also receive the Best Actress Award for her performance in the film ‘Neerja’.
• Actress Radhika Apte will be awarded for her performances in the films ‘Parched’, ‘Phobia’ and ‘Kabali’.

Rashmee strikes fourth skeet gold

              

• Rashmee Rathore won the skeet gold for the fourth time as she beat the young Ganemat Sekhon 13-11 in the 60th National shotgun championship at the JDA Range
• The scores from the National championship form the basis for the selection of the National squad.

Harish Bhat appointed chairman of Tata Global

                      

• Tata Global Beverages on Tuesdayreplaced Cyrus Mistry with group veteran Harish Bhat as its chairman.
• This is the second Tata group firm where Mistry has been removed from the post of chairman since he was ousted as the chairman of group holding firm TataSons on

DataWind bags award for outstanding contribution to ‘Make in India Mission’

                   

• DataWind Inc the leader in delivering Internet access to emerging markets has been recognized for the Outstanding Contribution to Make in India Mission at the Digital Terminal Conclave 2016, New Delhi.
• This Award honours the contribution of companies, organizations, institutes, and individuals among others, who has taken initiatives to render momentum to the socio-economic growth of the nation, enabling India to become a global leader.
• Akufo-Addo To Receive Mother Teresa International Award For Social Justice

                        
• The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is set to receive the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice at an event in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, November 20, 2016.
• The event will also posthumously honour Faaraz Ayaaz Hossain, the brave Bangladeshi youth who was killed in the Dhaka terror attack on July 1st, 2016 for refusing to leave behind his friends who were from other countries.
• 3 stars who won President’s awards

                      
• Three students from Devamatha CMI Public School, Thrissur, who excelled in extra-curricular activities, have received President’s awards.
• World chess champion Nihal Sarin, pianist Milen Manoj Earth, and artist Anujath Sindhu Vinay Lal received the 2016 National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement from President Pranab Mukherjee at function in New Delhi