The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) formalised an important step towards enhancing bilateral financial cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai on November 21, 2024.

The agreement outlines a framework to encourage the use of local currencies—the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)—for a wide range of cross-border transactions.

Under this framework, exporters and importers from both nations will have the option to invoice and settle trade in their respective domestic currencies. The scope of transactions includes current account dealings, such as trade in goods and services, as well as permissible capital account transactions.

Pankaj Tripathi has been bestowed with a special honour. The actor has been appointed as the Festival Ambassador for the Arunachal Rang Mahotsav 2024 (ARM '24). ICYDK: the Arunachal Rang Mahotsav is the largest international theatre festival in Northeast India. The event celebrates Arunachal Pradesh's creative talent and rich cultural heritage. Scheduled to be held from November 22 to December 5, the 15-day ceremony will welcome Pankaj Tripathi and his wife Mridula as honorary attendees.

Sharing his joy on being appointed as the Festival Ambassador, Pankaj Tripathi said, “It is a great honour for me to be associated with the Arunachal Rang Mahotsav 2024 as its Festival Ambassador. Theatre holds a very special place in my heart, as it was my first teacher and my first love of the performing arts. I owe everything I am today to the lessons I learned on the stage and the passion I developed for storytelling during my early days in Gopalganj, performing street plays and rangmanch."

Karnataka Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday said 100 engineering colleges are set to be “adopted” by an equal number of corporates by next year, as the government makes efforts to rope in industries to boost the employment prospects of students.

Citing an example, he quoted a big automobile company as saying that it is ready to provide jobs but students are not employable as they lack training.

“So, we suggested that they give training. We will create an environment for it. Taking a practical approach, they have asked us to provide a framework. So, 100 colleges will be adopted by 100 corporates or GCCs (Global Capability Centres) working in Karnataka as a start probably by next academic year. They have committed,” he said.

In a historic move, the UN Climate Change COP29 has included tourism in its action agenda, with over 50 governments endorsing the COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism. This groundbreaking initiative, spearheaded by the COP29 Presidency under Azerbaijan, aims to transform the global tourism sector into a climate-resilient, low-carbon industry.

A spokesperson for the COP Presidency said these initiatives are set to play a vital role in tackling climate change and promoting urban resilience.

With its tourism declaration, the COP29 Presidency is focused on supporting the tourism sector, a key economic driver, in adopting sustainable practices to reduce its environmental impact.

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan along with Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday launched a World Bank report titled ‘Jobs at Your Doorstep: A Jobs Diagnostics for Young People’ that covers six states in India.

Pradhan complimented the World Bank team for the detailed report and urged them to adopt a pan-India framework as well.

“Such in-depth diagnostics on skilling and jobs will enable stakeholders to create new architectures and make progressive policies for empowering our population,” the minister said.

The Jobs at Your Doorstep report serves as both a diagnostic and roadmap to providing strategic linkages and convergence between education and the jobs agenda of India. It goes deep into the job landscape of six states — Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan — and identifies key priority sectors and roles that offer the highest employment potential for young people graduating from secondary school.

A remarkable archaeological discovery has come to light at Kanhirapoil in Madikkai panchayat where 24 pairs of prehistoric footprints and a human figure have been found carved into rock on private property. Experts believe these carvings date back to the Megalithic period, providing a fascinating glimpse into ancient culture.

The find was first reported by local archaeology enthusiast Satheesan Kaliyanam, following which archaeologist Professor Ajith Kumar and history Professor Nandakumar Koroth confirmed its significance during a site visit.

The carvings, made with iron tools, include footprints varying in size from six to ten inches, suggesting representations of both children and adults. At the end of the footprints, a human figure has been intricately etched, accompanied by four circular pits around it.

Mali’s ruling junta on Thursday appointed a new prime minister from the ranks of the military generals, a day after firing his predecessor for criticising the military regime. The move effectively consolidates all power in the African country in the hands of military generals. Mali has been ruled by military leaders since the junta seized power in 2020 and staged another coup the following year.

Choguel Maiga, who was a civilian and criticised the junta for postponing the presidential election scheduled for 2024, was removed on Wednesday, a move announced in a presidential decree issued by Gen. Assimi Goita, Mali’s leader, and read on state television channel ORTM.

Goita on Thursday appointed Gen. Abdoulaye Maïga as prime minister, according to an announcement on ORTM by Alfouseyni Diawara, secretary general of the Malian presidency. The two Maïgas are not related.

On World Fisheries Day, the Centre launched a number of projects for the marine and inland aquaculture sectors on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

Union Minister for Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the initiatives are aimed at transforming the fisheries sector and strengthening India’s blue economy.

One of the major schemes is the fifth ‘Marine Fisheries Census 2025’, which the Ministry hopes to complete in 45 days with the help of 3,500 staff.

The census, for the first time, will be fully digital, leveraging mobile apps and virtual servers to collect and process data in real-time, the Centre said, making the process 80% faster than before.

Retirement fund body EPFO logged 9.33 per cent growth in net member additions in September at 18.81 lakh compared to the year-ago month, showed payroll data released on Wednesday.

Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) enrolled around 9.47 lakh new members in September 2024, representing an increase of 6.22 per cent over September 2023, the labour ministry said.

This surge in new memberships can be attributed to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits and EPFO's outreach programmes, it noted.

According to the statement, EPFO has released provisional payroll data for September 2024, revealing a net addition of 18.81 lakh members.