Current Affairs - International

Japan achieved a significant medical breakthrough by approving the world’s first commercial therapies derived from induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells. One treatment, called Amchepry and developed by Sumitomo Pharma, focuses on Parkinson’s disease by transplanting stem-cell precursors into the brain to replace dopamine-producing cells that are lost in patients. Another therapy named ReHeart, developed by the startup Cuorips, uses heart muscle sheets to promote the formation of new blood vessels and improve heart function in patients with heart failure. These innovations build on the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of scientist Shinya Yamanaka in 2012, and both therapies are expected to become available to patients by Summer 2026.

UNICEF partnered with NITI Aayog to improve nutrition and health outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks across India. The collaboration focuses on strengthening maternal and child nutrition, improving Anganwadi services, and enhancing health systems in underserved regions. The partnership also aims to promote multi-stakeholder engagement involving government agencies, private sector organisations, and local communities. Through this initiative, UNICEF will leverage its IMPAct4Nutrition platform to mobilise businesses and channel Corporate Social Responsibility funds toward nutrition programmes. The initiative supports the broader goals of the Aspirational Districts Programme, which seeks to improve socio-economic indicators in India’s most underdeveloped districts through better governance, monitoring, and service delivery.

Chile achieved a major public health milestone by becoming the first country in the Americas and the fourth globally to receive official verification from the World Health Organisation for eliminating leprosy as a public health problem. This recognition was granted after the country maintained a prevalence rate of less than one case per 10,000 people at the national level for several consecutive years. The achievement reflects decades of consistent government commitment, strong integration of leprosy services into the public health system, and effective strategies such as early detection, multidrug therapy treatment coverage, surveillance, and contact tracing. High treatment completion rates and a very low proportion of cases among children further demonstrated successful control of disease transmission.

Japan renewed its $75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement with India for another three years beginning March 4, 2026. The arrangement was formalised through an exchange of letters between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan (BoJ). This financial mechanism allows either country to access the other’s currency—Japanese yen or Indian rupee—during times of balance-of-payments pressure or liquidity shortages. The agreement, originally established in 2018 and renewed earlier in 2023, strengthens financial cooperation between the two nations and serves as a safeguard to maintain macroeconomic stability and enhance investor confidence during global economic uncertainties.

India has surpassed the United States to become the country with the second-highest number of children affected by obesity globally, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026 released by the World Obesity Federation. The report indicates that around 41 million Indian children had a high Body Mass Index (BMI) by 2025, including about 14 million living with obesity. Projections suggest that by 2040, nearly 20 million children in India may be living with obesity, and around 56 million could be overweight or obese. Rising consumption of sugary beverages, low physical activity among adolescents, and limited access to nutritious food are among the key factors contributing to this growing public health challenge.