Daily Current Affairs and GK | 3 December 2025

Topic: Sports

1. In Football, India men's team has secured qualification for 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup.

• India defeated Iran 2–1 in the men's AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers held at EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
• With this victory, India secured its place in the 2026 AFC Under 17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
• Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the team for qualifying for the AFC Under 17 Asian Cup.
• With this win, India earned three more points. This took India's tally to seven points, matching Iran’s tally.
• Iran already had 7 points. Iran will remain on 7 points.
• India topped Group D because of its higher points in head-to-head matches against Iran.
• This victory made India Men's team the fourth national team that will take part in Asian Cup in 2026, joining the senior women’s team, the U-20 women’s team and the U-17 women’s team.
• AFC U-17 Asian Cup:

• The AFC U-17 Asian Cup was formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship.
• It is a football competition and is organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
• The 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup will be the 21st edition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.
• Saudi Arabia is the host country for the event scheduled during 7-24 May 2026.

Topic: Sports

2. The ‘Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year’ award won by the Archery Premier League (APL) at the India Sports Awards 2025.

• The recognition was presented during FICCI TURF 2025, the 15th Global Sports Summit held at FICCI Federation House, New Delhi.
• The award has been regarded as a major milestone in APL’s debut year, highlighting its innovative approach to competitive archery.
• APL’s introduction was widely appreciated for showcasing fast-paced archery with enhanced professionalism and strong audience engagement.
• Organised by the Archery Association of India, the league is recognised as the world’s first professional archery league.
• The inaugural season was conducted at the Yamuna Sports Complex, New Delhi, from October 2 to 12, 2025.
• Leading Indian and international archers participated in both recurve and compound categories across men’s and women’s events.
• The league’s franchise-based system contributed to greater structure, visibility, and competitive balance.
• Gender-balanced team formats helped promote inclusivity and equal representation in professional archery.
• Its broadcast-friendly design has been credited with transforming archery into an engaging and mainstream spectator sport.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

3. An MoU signed between NHAI and Reliance Jio to deploy telecom-based safety alert system on national highways.

• A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between NHAI and Reliance Jio to introduce a telecom-based safety alert system across the National Highway network.
• Safety alerts will be delivered using Jio’s 4G and 5G networks to warn commuters in advance about accident-prone areas, stray-cattle zones, fog-affected stretches, and emergency diversions.
• The initiative has been aimed at enhancing road safety by ensuring timely information to highway users so they can adjust speed and driving behaviour early.
• Alerts will be shared via SMS, WhatsApp, and high-priority calls and gradually integrated with NHAI’s digital platforms such as the Rajmargyatra app and helpline 1033.
• The system will function automatically for all Jio users travelling on or near National Highways and will give early warnings before entering hazardous zones.
• Existing telecom towers will be used for the deployment, eliminating the need for new roadside hardware and enabling faster implementation.
• The partnership will utilise Jio’s digital infrastructure, which currently serves over 500 million subscribers in India.
• The pilot phase will support identification of risk zones and alert thresholds within selected NHAI regional offices, adhering to regulatory and data-protection norms.
• NHAI will implement similar collaborations with other telecom service providers, aiming to improve commuter awareness, reduce preventable incidents, and strengthen technology-enabled road safety nationwide.

Topic: Sports

4. India finished runner-up in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.

• The Indian men’s hockey team was declared runner-up at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after a 0–1 loss to Belgium in the final in Ipoh, Malaysia.
• Belgium secured their maiden Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title, with Thibeau Stockbroekx scoring the only goal of the match.
• A second-string Indian team was fielded, as skipper Harmanpreet Singh and several senior players were not part of the squad.
• This performance was recorded as India’s second consecutive runners-up finish, with their last appearance in 2019 also ending in a final defeat.
• As five-time champions, India remain the second-most successful team in the tournament, behind Australia, who have won ten titles.
• India’s wait for a title at this tournament continues, with their last championship win dating back to the 2010 edition.
• The team participated in the competition after a six-year gap, returning to the event ranked world No. 7.
• New Zealand finished third after defeating Malaysia 6–1 in the bronze-medal match.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. Kochi selected to host the 7th India International Seaweed Expo and Summit 2026.

• The 7th India International Seaweed Expo and Summit 2026 (IISE&S 2026) will be hosted by the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi on January 29–30, 2026.
• The major seaweed industry event will be organised jointly by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, CMFRI, and CSIR–Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute.
• The expo is expected to attract participants from Brazil, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Sweden, and several other countries.
• Delegates from Latin America, South Asia, and Europe have shown interest, creating opportunities for partnerships, technology exchange, and global market access.
• A key attraction will be the ‘Seaweed 2030’ panel, which aims to present a national roadmap for positioning India as a global leader in sustainable seaweed production.
• Policymakers, industry leaders, scientists, international investors, start-ups, and innovators will gather to discuss industry growth.
• Technical sessions will cover topics such as seaweed potential, policy and regulatory issues, financing, supply chain improvements, bio-prospecting, biotechnology, and product development.
• Discussions will emphasise expanding India’s seaweed value chain, boosting coastal livelihoods, and advancing Blue Economy objectives.

Topic: Sports

6. Armand Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletics’ athletes of year.

• Sweden’s Armand Duplantis and America’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were named the World Athletes of the Year at the 2025 World Athletics Awards ceremony.
• Duplantis was recognised for breaking the men’s pole vault world record four times in 2025 and remaining undefeated across 16 competitions.
• He became the first male pole vaulter in modern athletics history to stay unbeaten in a single event for two consecutive years.
• American sprinter McLaughlin-Levrone was honoured for winning the women’s 400m world title in Tokyo with a record-breaking time of 47.78 seconds.
• She made history by becoming the first athlete ever to win world titles in both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles events.
• Duplantis also received the Men’s Field Athlete of the Year award, while McLaughlin-Levrone was declared the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
• Spanish racewalker Maria Perez and Kenyan long-distance runner Sabastian Sawe were named the Out-of-Stadium Athletes of the Year.
• Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi received the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year honour for his standout performances in the 800m.
• Australia’s high jumper Nicola Olyslagers was awarded the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year title.
• Rising Star awards were presented to Edmund Serem of Kenya and Zhang Jiale of China for their world-class achievements at a young age.

Topic: National News

7. PM Modi has given the Prime Minister’s Office a new name, "Seva Tirth".

• "Raj Bhavan" and "Raj Niwas" has been renamed "Lok Bhavan" and "Lok Niwas".
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah called these changes steps toward a developed and service-oriented India.
• He said the government's focused is on service rather than power for past 11 years.
• He added that PM Modi sees himself as the nation’s “Pradhan Sevak.”
• He added that the Prime Minister works  24×7 for the people.
• Prime Minister’s Office is set to move from South Block to a state-of-the-art complex named ‘Sewa Teerth’.
• Prime Minister’s Office will function from Sewa Teerth-1.
• It is the first of three newly built structures in Executive Enclave-I.
• Executive Enclave-I is located adjacent to Vayu Bhawan.
• The remaining buildings are Sewa Teerth-2 and Sewa Teerth-3.
• Sewa Teerth-2 and Sewa Teerth-3 will have the Cabinet Secretariat and Office of the National Security Advisor.
• Earlier, government has renamed Rajpath as Kartavya Path. The Central Secretariat was renamed Kartavya Bhavan.
• The road to the Prime Minister’s official residence is situated was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg in 2016.
• Prime Minister’s Office:

• Prime Minister’s Office was initially called the Prime Minister's Secretariat until 1977.
• It is headed by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (currently Pramod Kumar Mishra).
• It provides secretarial assistance to the Prime Minister.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Union Minister J.P Nadda said that India’s TB death rate has declined from 28 per lakh in 2015 to 21 per lakh in 2024.

• He addressed the Members of Parliament on the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in New Delhi.
• He requested MPs to monitor the campaign’s progress in their areas.
• He requested them to spread information about TB and help reduce stigma around the disease.
• He also requested them to involve local communities in TB efforts.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that about 60 MPs from Uttar Pradesh attended the event.
• These MPs pledged to support TB campaign in their constituencies.
• Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan:

• It was virtually launched by  President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu on September 9, 2022. Its objectives are as follows.
• Provide additional patient support to improve treatment outcomes of TB patients
• Augment community involvement in meeting India’s commitment to end TB by 2025
• Leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities

Topic: Science and Technology 

9. An innovative method to improve catalysts used for water splitting has been developed by Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) in Bengaluru.

• Water splitting is a key process in generating clean hydrogen.
• This development deals with challenge in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is slower and more energy-intensive than the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• The focus of scientists was on improving coordination polymers.
• Coordination polymers are a class of materials formed by metal ions and organic molecules that are used in electrolysis.
• They often show limited activity because solvent molecules block many of their active sites available for reactions.
• Scientists at CeNS used argon plasma to activate the COPs by producing coordinatively unsaturated metal sites.
• Analyses confirmed that Ni- and Co-based polymers were more active without altering their bulk framework.
• The study was published in '"ACS Applied Nano Materials".
• This method has the potential to speed up the development of affordable hydrogen energy solutions.

Topic: Important Days

10. International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 03 December

• International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on 03 December.
• This day celebrates the resilience, contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities (PwDs) worldwide.
• The theme for this year is “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress”.
• United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed 03 December as International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 1992.
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006.
• It is estimated that 1.3 billion people experience significant disability and represent 16% of the world's population.