National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and NTT Data to launch Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Japan
[National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), NTT Data, Japan]
Key Updates:
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with Japanese IT services firm NTT Data to roll out Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Japan on a trial basis in fiscal 2026.
- The initial phase of the service will be available to Indian tourists visiting Japan, allowing payments to be debited directly from their bank accounts in India.
- Japan will join eight other countries that have already adopted the UPI platform, including Bhutan, Singapore, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sri Lanka, Qatar, Mauritius, and France.
- UPI transactions in India grew by 42 percent in fiscal 2024, reaching a total of 185.8 billion transactions.
- A June 2025 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) described UPI as the world’s largest real-time payment system.
- Data from 2023 shows that 49 percent of all instant-payment transactions worldwide were processed through the UPI network.
- NTT Data provides payment terminals and processing services to approximately six million stores in India and plans to promote UPI adoption among merchants in Japan.
Similar Coverage
- IMF June 2025 study Growing Retail Digital Payments (The Value of Interoperability) placed UPI ahead of other global real-time payment platforms.
- ACI Worldwide Prime Time for Real-Time 2024 report estimated UPI accounted for about 49% of global real-time payment transactions.
- India recorded 129.3 billion UPI transactions, followed by Brazil, Thailand, China and South Korea at significantly lower volumes.
- Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) subsidises deployment of point-of-sale devices and QR codes, creating around 5.45 crore digital touchpoints as of October 31, 2025.
- In FY 2024–25 approximately 56.86 crore QR codes were deployed to roughly 6.5 crore merchants.
- ZET secured NPCI approval for a Third-Party Application Provider licence.
- ZET integrates UPI payments with credit card rewards using RuPay’s UPI-on-credit-card capability.
- ZET expects monthly UPI transactions via credit cards to reach about Rs 100 crore.
- ZET’s platform has around 10 lakh eligible users, nearly 75 percent of whom are first-time credit card users.
- ZET’s UPI ecosystem is powered by Juspay’s technology stack and enabled through a partnership with RBL Bank.
- National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data shows UPI recorded over 19 billion transactions worth ₹24.58 lakh crore as of November 28.
- UPI recorded 15.48 billion transactions valued at ₹21.55 lakh crore in November 2024.
- UPI transaction volume in November 2025 grew by about 23 per cent from November 2024.
- UPI transaction value rose by nearly 14 per cent year-on-year.
- UPI transactions increased by nearly 70 per cent in volume and over 41 per cent in value from November 2023.
- UPI logged 4.18 billion transactions valued at ₹7.68 lakh crore in November 2021.
- UPI transaction volume grew more than fourfold from 2021 to 2025.
- UPI total transaction value increased by over threefold from 2021 to 2025.
- UPI processed 12.41 billion transactions for financial year 2025-26 so far with average daily volume of 689.60 million.
- UPI average daily value for FY 2025-26 so far stood at ₹91,324.77 crore.
- Corresponding period in FY 2024-25 had UPI average daily volume of 516.07 million and value of ₹71,839.58 crore.
- UPI-linked credit card transactions now account for nearly 40% of total credit card transactions by volume, up from 10% at the end of FY24.
- RuPay’s credit card market share has climbed to nearly 16%, from 3% two years ago, after the RBI allowed RuPay credit cards to be linked exclusively to UPI in late 2022.
- More than 50 million merchants now use UPI for transactions, while fewer than 10 million merchants have point-of-sale devices that accept all credit cards.
International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) grants in-principle PSP approval to Buyforex at GIFT IFSC.
[International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)]
Key Updates:
- EbixCash World Money’s subsidiary Buyforex has received in-principle approval from the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) to operate as a Payment Service Provider in GIFT IFSC.
- Buyforex becomes the first Authorised Dealer Category-II entity to secure such approval in GIFT IFSC.
- The approved services include account issuance, e-money issuance, merchant acquisition, and cross-border fund transfers.
Similar Coverage
- The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Indonesia's polio outbreak over.
- Indonesia was previously declared polio-free in 2014.
- The last confirmed polio case in Indonesia was in South Papua province in June 2024.
- WHO is the abbreviation for World Health Organization.
- World leaders from the Group of 20 broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday.
- Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said the declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members.
- Argentina stated it did not endorse the declaration; President Javier Milei did not attend in solidarity with U.S. President Trump.
- The 122-point declaration urged more global action on climate-related disasters and sovereign debt levels affecting poor countries.
- The U.S. boycotted the summit over claims that South Africa pursues racist anti-white policies and opposes the summit’s focus on climate change and inequality.
- South Africa accused the U.S. of pressuring it not to adopt a leaders’ declaration in the absence of an American delegation.
- South Africa will not hand over the rotating G20 presidency to a junior U.S. embassy official, calling such a handover an insult.
- Canada has lost its measles elimination status, as stated by the Pan American Health Organization (Paho).
- The Americas region as a whole has lost its elimination status because Canada is no longer deemed measles-free.
- The Americas is the first and only region in the world to have been declared measles-free, starting in 2016.
- Prior to Monday, Canada had been declared measles-free for three decades.
- The US risks losing its measles elimination status if it does not stop an ongoing outbreak by January.
- Venezuela and Brazil regained measles elimination status in 2024.
- Mexico ranks among the top 10 countries with the largest measles outbreaks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- November 17 marks the first World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day – mandated by the World Health Assembly.
- The Day supports the core pillars of the WHO’s global elimination strategy: vaccinating 90% of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), screening 70% of women, and treating 90% of those with pre-cancer and invasive cancer.
- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners estimate that the ambitious goal to reach 86 million girls by the end of 2025 has been met.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reports India FDI inflows surge 73% to $47 billion in 2025
[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)]
Key Updates:
- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the Global Investment Trends Monitor report highlighting global investment shifts.
- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to India increased by 73 per cent to reach USD 47 billion in 2025.
- The surge in India was primarily driven by large investments in services including finance, Information Technology (IT), and Research and Development (R&D), as well as manufacturing.
- Global FDI reached an estimated USD 1.6 trillion in 2025, representing a 14 per cent increase from the previous year.
- FDI inflows to China declined for the third consecutive year, falling by 8 per cent to an estimated USD 107.5 billion.
- The United States remained the world’s largest FDI recipient, recording a 2 per cent increase in inflows during 2025.
- India ranked 7th globally as a host country for data centre projects, while France, the United States, and the Republic of Korea occupied the top three positions.
- Total greenfield investment in data centres surpassed USD 270 billion, accounting for more than one-fifth of all investment projects globally.
- Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity declined by 22 per cent to USD 132 billion, despite growth in the semiconductors and telecommunications sectors.
- The total value of international project finance increased by 7 per cent to USD 218 billion, although activity in this segment declined in India and Egypt.
- Major global financial centres including the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Ireland added more than USD 140 billion to the global FDI total.
Similar Coverage
- The cap on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence firms with existing licences under the automatic route is set to be raised to 74% from 49%.
- The government is dropping a condition that stipulates foreign investment beyond 74% is only allowed if it 'results in access to modern technology'.
- A requirement for fully export-oriented defence manufacturers to set up domestic maintenance and support facilities is set to be dropped to attract foreign investment.
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is asking for a 20% increase in spending in the budget for fiscal 2026/27 over the $75.36 billion allotted for the current year.
- India aims to nearly double domestic production of defence equipment to $33.25 billion and boost defence exports to $5.5 billion by 2029.
- Defence exports grew 12% year-on-year in 2024/25 to $2.6 billion - a record high as the nation seeks to reduce arms imports.
- Foreign equity inflows into the defence sector accounted for $26.5 million of total foreign inflows of $765 billion in the 25 years through September 2025.
- Foreign firms currently operating in India include France's Airbus, Lockheed Martin of the U.S. and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
- Presently, foreign investors can only own 74% of an Indian defence business under the automatic route when the companies are seeking new licenses.
- The government sought to bolster funding following a conflict with Pakistan in May in which drones and fighter jets took centre stage.
- India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rose over 18% in April-September to USD 35.18 billion.
- FDI equity inflow during April-September stood at USD 16.55 billion.
- Inflows from the US more than doubled to USD 6.62 billion in April-September.
- Services sector accounted for 16% of total FDI equity inflow, amounting to USD 5.10 billion.
- Maharashtra received the highest share of FDI equity inflow at 31%, totaling USD 10.57 billion.
- Karnataka and Gujarat followed with 21% and 15% of FDI equity inflow respectively.
- India has received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth USD 51 billion in the last six months.
- DPIIT will organise National Startup Day on January 16, during which 75 Grand Challenges will be launched to foster innovation and problem-solving across sectors.
- More than 3,000 requests have been received to participate in National Startup Day.
- 20 National Startup Awards will be presented on National Startup Day to recognise excellence in entrepreneurship.
- The United States and Singapore together accounted for over one-third of the FDI in India during 2024-25.
- Out of 45,702 responding entities, 41,517 reported foreign direct investment and/or overseas direct investment in their balance sheet for March 2025.
- The US share of total FDI during 2024-25 was 20 per cent, followed by Singapore (14.3 per cent), Mauritius (13.3 per cent), the UK (11.2 per cent) and the Netherlands (9 per cent).
- Total FDI in 2024-25 stood at Rs 68,75,931 crore, up from Rs 61,88,243 crore in the preceding year.
- The manufacturing sector held the highest share of total FDI equity capital at market value (48.4 per cent) and at face value (37.8 per cent).
- Outward direct investment in 2024-25 was Rs 11,66,790 crore, with Singapore (22.2 per cent), the US (15.4 per cent), the UK (12.8 per cent) and the Netherlands (9.6 per cent) as top destinations.
- Growth of ODI in rupee terms (17.9 per cent) outpaced that of FDI (11.1 per cent) in 2024-25, bringing the inward-to-outward DI ratio to 5.9 times from 6.3 times a year earlier.
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Launches Bamboo Projects with Rs 82.5 Crore Outlay
[Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER)]
Key Updates:
- The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) launched two major bamboo sector projects with a combined outlay of Rs 82.5 crore in Guwahati.
- The initiatives are being implemented by the North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC).
- The first project, Strengthening Traditional Bamboo Artisan Clusters, aims to revitalise artisan clusters across all eight North Eastern States, benefiting over 4,500 artisans.
- MDoNER signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Amazon India and Flipkart to provide digital market access and capacity building for artisan groups.
- The second project, Promotion of Engineered Bamboo Products, focuses on industrial-scale manufacturing in Karbi Anglong (Assam) and Mokokchung (Nagaland).
- The second initiative includes the development of 1,000 hectares of certified bamboo plantations and the training of 1,000 youth and artisans in advanced processing.
- An MoU was signed with All Time Plastics (ATP) Ltd. to support product development, industrial applications, and sales promotion for engineered bamboo products.
- The projects were inaugurated by Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region.
Similar Coverage
- The Government of India has notified a policy mandating biomass pellet or torrefied municipal solid waste charcoal co-firing in all coal-based thermal power plants.
- Thermal power stations must co-fire 5 per cent biomass or MSW charcoal by weight, while Delhi-NCR units must achieve a 7 per cent blend.
- For NCR plants, at least half of the biomass must be sourced from local paddy residue and stubble.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor in Assam.
- The corridor is aimed at ensuring safe wildlife movement across the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and reducing road accidents on National Highway-715.
- The project is intended to boost ecotourism while generating local employment opportunities.
- Two Amrit Bharat trains were virtually flagged off in the Nagaon district of Assam.
- The foundation stone for the project was laid on 18 Jan 2026.
- The Public Investment Board (PIB) approved the ₹26,070-crore, 1,720 MW Kamala hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The project will be implemented on a build-own-operate-transfer basis through a joint venture company, with NHPC (NHPC) holding 74% equity and the government of Arunachal Pradesh holding 26%.
- The project is expected to generate nearly 6,870 million units of green energy annually and provide flood relief in the Brahmaputra valley.
- The central government will provide grants of ₹1,340 crore for enabling infrastructure and ₹4,744 crore for the flood moderation component.
- The project involves the construction of a 216-metre-high concrete gravity dam and an underground powerhouse on the Kamala River with a scheduled completion period of 96 months.
- The project is estimated to have a levelised tariff of ₹5.97 per unit and will generate approximately 300 direct jobs and 2,500 contract jobs during peak construction.
World Customs Organization (WCO) marks International Customs Day 2026 on January 26
[World Customs Organization (WCO)]
Key Updates:
- International Customs Day 2026 was observed on January 26.
- The World Customs Organization (WCO) announced the 2026 theme as 'Customs protecting society through vigilance and commitment'.
- The day traces its origin to the first session of the Customs Cooperation Council held in Brussels, Belgium in 1953.
- The Customs Cooperation Council is today known as the World Customs Organization (WCO).
- WCO represents 183 member countries working to strengthen customs systems worldwide.
Similar Coverage
- Specialists from the University of Peshawar confirmed that the coins bear the image of Emperor Vasudeva.
- The obverse of the recovered coins depicts Vasudeva, while the reverse features a female religious deity.
- Fragments of metamorphic decorative stone identified as lapis lazuli were also uncovered.
- Researchers from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and Tamil Nadu’s Department of Archaeology used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on four sediment samples from Keezhadi pits KDI-1 and KDI-2.
- OSL ages span roughly the last 1,200 years and vary with depth, matching layered flood deposits.
- The study concludes that burial of the urbanesque structures at Keezhadi likely happened a little over a thousand years ago—around 1,155 years before present—due to a high-energy flood event that deposited sands and then finer silts and clays on the floodplain.
- Fine silty-clay layers sit over brick structures and coarse sand layers deeper down, with potsherd layers and fragments of roof tiles at some levels.
- Diwali was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) held at the Red Fort in Delhi.
- India currently has 15 elements inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, including Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Garba dance of Gujarat, yoga, the tradition of Vedic chanting, and Ramlila.
- Sangeet Natak Akademi, the nodal agency for ICH matters of the Ministry of Culture, formed a committee comprising experts, academicians, practitioners, poets, and writers for the nomination of Diwali.
- India has sent a nomination dossier for Bihar’s Chhat Puja for the next year’s cycle for the consideration of the UNESCO committee.
- Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics titled 'The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One' at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex.
- The exposition marked the reunification of the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha after 127 years.
- The exhibition displays relics, gem relics and ancient reliquaries excavated from the Piprahwa site in 1898 and during subsequent excavations between 1971 and 1975.
- The repatriated relics are exhibited alongside artefacts preserved in the collections of the National Museum in New Delhi and the Indian Museum in Kolkata.
- Modi paid tributes to social reformer Savitribai Phule and freedom fighter Rani Velu Nachiyar on their birth anniversaries.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) cancels plan to operate Islamabad International Airport after President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to India
[United Arab Emirates (UAE), Islamabad International Airport]
Key Updates:
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) scrapped plans to operate Islamabad International Airport days after President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s surprise visit to India.
- The airport project was under discussion since August 2025 but collapsed after Abu Dhabi failed to find a local partner and reportedly lost interest.
- The Express Tribune confirmed the cancellation was not officially linked to politics.
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE are publicly at odds, particularly over Yemen, with Riyadh opposing UAE-backed separatist factions.
- Pakistan deepened defence ties with Saudi Arabia, aiming to form an 'Islamic NATO' alongside Turkey.
- During the India visit, the UAE President approved release of 900 Indian prisoners and signed a Letter of Intent for a Framework Agreement on Defence Cooperation with India.
- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025 treating any aggression against one as aggression against both.
Similar Coverage
- Pakistan and the Libyan National Army (LNA) reached a military equipment deal valued between $4 billion and $4.6 billion. [Quote: 'Pakistan has reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army (LNA)']
- The agreement includes the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft. [Quote: '...listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft that has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft']
- The deal was finalised in Benghazi following a meeting between Pakistan military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and LNA deputy commander-in-chief Saddam Khalifa Haftar. [Quote: '...finalised after a meeting last week between Pakistan military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the LNA, in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi']
- The defence cooperation pact encompasses weapons sales, joint training, and military manufacturing spread over a 2.5-year period. [Quote: '...entered a defence cooperation pact with Pakistan, which included weapons sales, joint training and military manufacturing... spread over 2-1/2 years']
- Libya has been under a United Nations (UN) arms embargo since 2011, though a December 2024 report described the restrictions as 'ineffective.' [Quote: 'Libya has been subject to a U.N. arms embargo since 2011... A panel of experts said in a December 2024 report to the U.N. that the arms embargo on Libya remained "ineffective"']
- Pakistan previously signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 to strengthen security ties. [Quote: '...signing a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2025']
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has added 11 fresh conditions to Pakistan’s $7-billion bailout programme during its second review.
- These new conditions push the total to 64 conditions in just 18 months.
- The IMF warned that Pakistan’s economy continues to suffer from “deep-rooted distortions,” driven by chronic corruption, governance failures, and persistent losses across key sectors.
- A key reform mandate requires the government to publicly disclose asset declarations of senior federal civil servants by December 2026 on an official website.
- The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has announced a paid holiday on January 1 for private sector employees.
- The announcement was made through an official X post following the UAE cabinet’s approved list of holidays for public and private sector employees.
- It remains unclear whether offices will reopen on Friday, January 2.
- India has expanded its Visa-on-Arrival program for UAE nationals to three new airports – Kochi, Calicut, and Ahmedabad, joining six existing hubs.
- With this update, UAE citizens can now obtain a Visa-on-Arrival at nine major Indian airports: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Calicut, Ahmedabad.
- The VoA facility is available exclusively to UAE nationals who have previously obtained an Indian e-Visa or a regular paper visa.
- Purpose of visit: Allowed for tourism, business, conferences, or medical treatment only.
- Duration of stay: Maximum of 60 days.
- Entry limit: Allows double entry within the 60-day period.
- Visa fee: 2,000 INR (DH83) or equivalent in foreign currency per passenger, including children.
- The move aims to simplify travel and strengthen bilateral ties.
European Union (EU) Adopts Stepwise Ban on Russian Gas and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Imports on 26 January 2026
[European Union (EU), Russia]
Key Updates:
- The 27 EU member states formally adopted a regulation to phase out imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG.
- The regulation serves as a key milestone in achieving the REPowerEU objective of ending the EU reliance on Russian energy.
- The ban will start to apply six weeks after the regulation enters into force, with a full ban on LNG imports by the beginning of 2027 and pipeline gas by autumn 2027.
- Non-compliance with the new rules may result in maximum penalties of at least €2.5 million for individuals and at least €40 million for companies.
- Companies may face penalties of at least 3.5% of their total worldwide annual turnover or 300% of the estimated transaction turnover for violations.
- EU member states must verify the production country of gas imports and submit national diversification plans by 1 March 2026.
- The European Commission (EC) is authorised to suspend the import ban for up to four weeks if the security of supply is seriously threatened.
- Following the Versailles Declaration of March 2022, Russian gas imports fell to 13% of EU imports by 2025, valued at over €15 billion annually.
- The EC plans to propose further legislation to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2027.
- Michael Damianos, the Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus, stated that the move is a step towards an autonomous Energy Union.
- India link not mentioned in the article.
Similar Coverage
- India’s Russian hydrocarbon imports fell to €2.3 billion in December from €3.3 billion in November.
- Turkiye replaced India as the second-largest buyer, importing €2.6 billion of Russian hydrocarbons in December.
- China retained the top position, accounting for 48% (€6 billion) of Russia’s export revenues from the top five importers.
- Russian crude constituted 78% of India’s purchases, totalling €1.8 billion in December.
- Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery halved its Russian crude imports in December.
- State-owned refiners cut Russian crude imports by 15% month-on-month in December.
- Russia’s share in India’s total crude imports dropped to 25% in December from 35% in November.
- Poland expressed satisfaction that India has reduced Russian oil imports.
- EAM S Jaishankar participated in India’s first-ever engagement in the Weimar Triangle format.
- Weimar Triangle consists of France, Germany, and Poland.
- Western nations agonized for years over how they might use Russian central bank assets deposited abroad to support Ukraine’s military and rebuild its shattered economy.
- Many European officials were skeptical, concerned that doing so could amount to illegal expropriation.
- Now that President Donald Trump has cut US funding for the government in Kyiv, Ukraine’s European allies have put aside those reservations and become more radical in their approach.
- GAIL India Limited (GAIL) has tied up with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for the National PNG Drive 2.0 initiative.
- The initiative is part of the #NonStopZindagi campaign which promotes Piped Natural Gas (PNG).
- The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany’s DVGW for blending hydrogen with natural gas.
- India is set to join the United States-led PaxSilica Initiative to strengthen technology and supply chain ties.
- Serbia has imposed import quotas on certain iron and steel products.
United States officially withdraws from the World Health Organization (WHO)
[United States, World Health Organization (WHO)]
Key Updates:
- The United States (US) has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations (UN) agency.
- The US Department of Health and Human Services cited the WHO's alleged mishandling of the pandemic and political influence from member states as reasons for the exit.
- Washington has terminated all government funding and recalled personnel and contractors from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The US has not paid its membership fees for 2024 and 2025, with estimated arrears amounting to $260 million.
- In April last year, the US was the only member state that did not agree to the international pandemic treaty designed for future pandemic response.
- The WHO board is scheduled to discuss the US withdrawal during its upcoming meeting from 2-7 February.
- US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that future engagement with the WHO will be limited to safeguarding American health interests.
- The WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that the withdrawal represents a loss for both the US and the global community.
- India link not mentioned in the article.
Similar Coverage
- The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Indonesia's polio outbreak over.
- Indonesia was previously declared polio-free in 2014.
- The last confirmed polio case in Indonesia was in South Papua province in June 2024.
- WHO is the abbreviation for World Health Organization.
- World leaders from the Group of 20 broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday.
- Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said the declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members.
- Argentina stated it did not endorse the declaration; President Javier Milei did not attend in solidarity with U.S. President Trump.
- The 122-point declaration urged more global action on climate-related disasters and sovereign debt levels affecting poor countries.
- The U.S. boycotted the summit over claims that South Africa pursues racist anti-white policies and opposes the summit’s focus on climate change and inequality.
- South Africa accused the U.S. of pressuring it not to adopt a leaders’ declaration in the absence of an American delegation.
- South Africa will not hand over the rotating G20 presidency to a junior U.S. embassy official, calling such a handover an insult.
- Canada has lost its measles elimination status, as stated by the Pan American Health Organization (Paho).
- The Americas region as a whole has lost its elimination status because Canada is no longer deemed measles-free.
- The Americas is the first and only region in the world to have been declared measles-free, starting in 2016.
- Prior to Monday, Canada had been declared measles-free for three decades.
- The US risks losing its measles elimination status if it does not stop an ongoing outbreak by January.
- Venezuela and Brazil regained measles elimination status in 2024.
- Mexico ranks among the top 10 countries with the largest measles outbreaks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- November 17 marks the first World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day – mandated by the World Health Assembly.
- The Day supports the core pillars of the WHO’s global elimination strategy: vaccinating 90% of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), screening 70% of women, and treating 90% of those with pre-cancer and invasive cancer.
- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners estimate that the ambitious goal to reach 86 million girls by the end of 2025 has been met.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope produces highest-resolution dark-matter map covering 800,000 galaxies.
[National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), James Webb Space Telescope]
Key Updates:
- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope identified nearly 800,000 galaxies to create the most detailed dark-matter map over such a large sky area.
- The map has twice the resolution of previous attempts using the Hubble Space Telescope and captures galaxies spanning the past 10 billion years.
- The study, led by Diana Scognamiglio of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), was published in Nature Astronomy.
- Dark matter comprises just over 25% of the universe, while ordinary matter makes up only 5% and dark energy fills the remainder.
- Scientists infer dark-matter distribution by measuring how its gravity warps light from distant galaxies, a technique called gravitational lensing.
Similar Coverage
- A powerful outflow generating a persistent bow shock has been discovered around the white dwarf RXJ0528+2838, 730 light-years away.
- The star is described as a ‘supposedly quiet, discless system’ yet drives a spectacular nebula.
- The shock wave indicates the dead star has been ejecting material for at least 1,000 years, contradicting current understanding.
- Researchers state the finding challenges the standard picture of how matter moves and interacts in extreme binary systems.
- NASA dubbed the object 'Cloud-9' and described it as a 'starless, gas-rich dark-matter' hydrogen cloud.
- Cloud-9's core is made up of neutral hydrogen and is about 4,900 light-years in diameter.
- The hydrogen mass is estimated at one million times the mass of the sun, with dark matter totaling about five billion solar masses.
- Cloud-9 is the ninth gas cloud identified on the outskirts of the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 94 and appears to have a 'physical association' with it.
- Hubble Space Telescope observations confirmed there are no stars inside Cloud-9, supporting theories of failed galaxy formation.
- Astronomers studied the young, Sun-like star T Chamaeleontis (T Cha), which is located approximately 350 light-years from Earth.
- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed the presence of complex organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the star's circumstellar disk.
- A sudden burst of accretion in 2022 caused the partial collapse of the disk’s inner wall, allowing ultraviolet (UV) radiation to illuminate previously hidden regions.
- The detection was made using the JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which captured the PAH glow in the 5–15 microns wavelength range.
- Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), led the analysis of the spectroscopic data.
- The study found that the PAHs in the T Cha disk are relatively small, containing fewer than 30 carbon atoms.
- Comparison with archival data from the Spitzer Space Telescope from 2002 showed that the intrinsic properties of the molecules remained stable over nearly two decades.
- The T Cha system contains a wide gap in its disk believed to have been carved out by an emerging protoplanet.
- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has observed the universe's earliest supernova, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe.
- This event shows how massive stars lived short, explosive lives, which helped create the elements needed for planets and life.
- JWST tracked the earliest ever-known supernova back to the very dawn of the universe, providing direct evidence for the harsh and short lives of the first stars.
- Astronomers used the near-infrared cameras of the James Webb Space Telescope, specifically the NIRCam instrument, to spot barely perceptible light variations between two sets of observations.
- The observation was attributed to a core collapse supernova, as per research and a report from the European Space Agency (ESA).
- The deep space explosion was found in a small, tightly packed, and very lively galaxy that existed during the first billion years after the Big Bang.
- The star that caused the supernova was extremely large, ran out of its nuclear fuel very fast, and then collapsed under its own weight, propelling heavy metals and leaving a dispersing cloud of material.
- Supernovae are major factors behind cosmic evolution, as they are the sources of heavy elements needed for forming planets, organic molecules, and complex chemistry.
Indian Army inks MoU with Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore to build indigenous AI for digital battlefield
[Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore]
Key Updates:
- Indian Army signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore to develop a fully indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for military use.
- The collaboration targets AI-driven real-time data processing, predictive analytics and decision-support tools tailored to modern warfare requirements.
- IISc-Bangalore will contribute expertise in AI, machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing and autonomous systems.
- The project aligns with Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 and the national Atmanirbhar Bharat push for self-reliant defence R&D.
- Industry partners such as Tata Advanced Systems, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and iDEX scheme startups are expected to support hardware and software integration.
- The initiative aims to reduce dependence on foreign vendors and strengthen India’s position against adversaries’ AI-integrated warfare systems.
- Funding may draw from the Army’s Technology Development Fund and the newly announced INR 1 lakh crore Defence R&D corpus.
- Ethical safeguards include robust data governance, bias mitigation and cybersecurity protocols to protect sensitive military datasets.
- Successful prototypes could undergo trials at the Army’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) before induction within 3-5 years.
- The partnership may extend AI interoperability to the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, embedding AI as a tri-service force multiplier.
Similar Coverage
- The Indian defence forces are working towards creating a joint Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) grid to foil any enemy drone attacks.
- The joint CUAS grid being created by networking all the CUAS systems of the forces will be separate from the existing air defence networks of the defence forces, such as the Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS) of the Indian Air Force.
- The joint CUAS grid would be established with the existing Joint Air Defence Centres (JADC), including the three services, and deployed to monitor all drone movements.
- The Centre is working on Mission Sudarshan Chakra to create a massive air defence shield.
- During Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Army tried to target Indian civilian and military installations in a big way by using Turkish and Chinese-origin drones.
- Major damage to small drones was caused by the L-70 and ZU-23 air-defence guns of the Indian Army.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed laser counter UAS system.
- The Chief of the Defence Staff is responsible for integrating the three forces and enhancing jointness among them.
- The Indian Army signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) to collaborate in the development of software and AI-based solutions for the army.
- Under the MoU, the students and the faculty of NSUT will participate in live problem-solving projects of Indian Army and get hands on experience.
- NSUT will also facilitate capacity building through Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) and tailor-made programmes for Indian Army, strengthening indigenous innovation-driven defence preparedness.
- The Army will get around 850 loitering munitions along with launchers from indigenous sources under fast-track procedures to equip all three defence forces and special forces.
- The Army infantry battalions will now have one Ashni platoon each, which will be responsible for operating drones to be used against enemy locations and also in counterinsurgency roles.
- India is moving towards deploying its own home grown integrated air defence system to protect the Delhi National Capital Region from enemy aerial threats like missiles, drones and fast moving aircraft.
- The multilayered Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) would be based around the indigenous air defence missiles such as the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile systems and Very Short Range Air Defence Systems.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would be working with production agencies who will work on the networking and command and control systems required for such a complicated air defence system.
- India had earlier planned to deploy the US-made National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) but did not move forward on the deal as the Americans were asking for a very high price.
- The IADWS would be responsible for protecting the vital installations in the national capital region and is the responsibility of the Indian Air Force.
- Indian Army has created a pool of over one lakh drone operatives across the force.
- Bhairav, the latest Special Force raised by the Indian Army, is being readied to tackle the challenges of modern warfare.
- All Bhairav operatives are capable of handling drones and using them in real operations for targeting bases and formations inside enemy territory.
- The Indian Army has raised around 15 Bhairav battalions already, with plans to raise around 25 in total.
- The Bhairav battalions bridge the gap between the Para Special Forces and the regular Infantry battalions.
- The Bhairav battalions will carry out Special Operations at tactical to operational depth.
- The desert Bhairav Battalion, also known as the Desert Falcons, is based on the concept of 'Sons of the Soil' with majority troops from Rajasthan.
- The Bhairav battalions underwent operational validation during Exercise Akhand Prahar.
- The Bhairav battalions will participate in the Army Day Parade at Jaipur on January 15 this year.
- Indian Army has also created Rudra Brigades, all-arms formations combining infantry, mechanised units, tanks, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems.