Daily Current Affairs – 03-01-2026
Important Days
International Mind-Body Wellness Day - January 3
International Mind-Body Wellness Day is observed on January 3 to highlight the importance of the connection between mental and physical health. This day encourages individuals to focus on holistic well-being, emphasizing that mental health is as crucial as physical health for overall wellness. Activities on this day promote practices such as mindfulness, meditation, physical exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits, all of which contribute to improving both mental and physical states. The day serves as a reminder to maintain a balance between mind, body, and spirit to achieve a healthier, more fulfilled life.
Sports News
Venus, 45, Set to Become Oldest Woman to Play at Australian Open
Venus Williams, the 45-year-old American tennis player, has been granted a wildcard to compete in the Australian Open, making her the oldest woman to ever participate in this season-opening Grand Slam. This will be the first time she competes in the main draw since 2021. Venus Williams is one of the most decorated players in tennis history, having won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including five Wimbledon titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) and two US Open titles (2000, 2001). She is also one of the most successful tennis players in Olympic history, with a total of five Olympic medals, including four gold medals in singles (2000 Sydney Olympics) and women's doubles (2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London), and one silver in mixed doubles (2016 Rio Olympics). Venus Williams is the only tennis player to win Olympic medals in all three disciplines: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Usman Khawaja to Retire; Expresses Anguish Over Racism
Usman Khawaja, the senior batsman of the Australian cricket team, announced his retirement from cricket after the current Ashes series. The final Test of the series will begin on January 4 in Sydney, marking Khawaja's 88th Test match. He has scored a total of 6,206 runs in 87 Tests, including 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries. Additionally, in 40 One-Day Internationals, he has accumulated 1,554 runs, with 2 centuries and 12 half-centuries, and in 9 T20 matches, he has scored 241 runs. Despite a long career with the Australian team, Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan and is a Muslim, expressed his anguish over facing racism. He mentioned that former players and the media in Australia have criticized him more than others due to his background.
National Shooting: Gold for Amra
In the 68th National Shooting (Rifle) Championship held in Madhya Pradesh, Amra Arshad and Tilottama Sen won gold medals in their respective categories. In the 10m Air Rifle Senior Women's category, Amra Arshad from Haryana secured the gold with a score of 251.9 points. Rajshree Sancheti from Delhi won the silver with 251.8 points, and Pranjal Shri Somani from Chhattisgarh earned the bronze with 230.5 points. In the Junior category, Tilottama Sen from Karnataka clinched the gold with 253.1 points, while Samiksha Subhash Patil from Maharashtra and Ramita from Haryana took the silver and bronze respectively. In the Youth category, Tilottama Sen won gold with 251.6, Amra Arshad won silver with 251.4, and Avantika Shelke from Maharashtra secured the bronze with 229.4 points. In the Senior Teams category, the top three positions were secured by Haryana, Railways, and Madhya Pradesh. In the Junior Women's Teams category, Haryana, Karnataka, and Gujarat won medals. In the men's Trap event, Zuhair Khan from Uttar Pradesh won first place with 43 hits, while Shapath Bharadwaj from Uttarakhand won silver with 40 hits, and Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad took bronze with 33 hits.
Sjoerd Marijne Reappointed as Indian Women’s Hockey Coach
Sjoerd Marijne from the Netherlands was reappointed as the head coach of the Indian women's hockey team. Harendra Singh, who was in the position, resigned in December after the team faced setbacks under his guidance, with controversies regarding his coaching style. Sjoerd Marijne had previously served as the coach from 2017 to 2021, during which the Indian women's team achieved a remarkable 4th place in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. After his resignation due to family reasons, the team faced challenges, especially with the retirement of key players like Rani Rampal, Vandana Katariya, and Nikki Pradhan, and failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite this, the team won bronze medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 Asian Games, and secured silver at the Asia Cup. However, the team could not qualify for the World Cup. Marijne is now taking charge again at a critical time for the team. Along with him, Matias Vila from Argentina has been appointed as the analytical and data-driven advisory coach, and Wayne Lombard from South Africa will serve as the coach for scientific advice. The first assignment for the new coaching staff will be the World Cup Qualifier tournament in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14, 2025.
International News
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal Can Directly Buy Coal from CIL
Coal India Ltd. (CIL) announced that buyers from neighboring countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal can now participate in the online coal auctions directly, bypassing Indian intermediaries. This move is aimed at better utilizing the surplus coal resources and promoting transparency in the process. Previously, consumers from these countries could only access CIL’s dry fuel through domestic coal traders, who were allowed to buy and sell without any end-use restrictions. The change is expected to streamline the process and improve access to coal for neighboring countries.
Govt Warns Elon Musk-led X Over Obscene Content Generated by Grok
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a warning to Elon Musk-led X (formerly known as Twitter) regarding the use of its AI-based services, such as Grok and other xAI tools, to generate, host, or upload obscene, nude, indecent, or sexually explicit content. The ministry directed the platform to comply with its statutory due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules. Non-compliance could result in the loss of legal protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, making the platform liable for action under the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Recently, Grok AI has faced scrutiny for generating obscene images of women through digital alterations and clothing changes. The ministry has requested a detailed review of Grok’s technical and governance systems to ensure it does not generate or promote sexually explicit objectionable content. This issue has also drawn attention from Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who has called for urgent action. The ministry also highlighted the misuse of Grok AI by fake accounts to share obscene images and videos of women.
Personalities, Awards and Events
Awards at the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman
At the third edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman (RNGSS), held by The New Indian Express on January 2, several distinguished writers were honored for their contributions to literature. Dr Chandrashekhara Kambara, a legendary Kannada playwright, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to Kannada poetry, theatre, and folklore. The Best Fiction award was given to Subi Taba for "Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains". Sudeep Chakravarti received the Best Non-Fiction award for "Fallen City: A Double Murder, Political Insanity, and Delhi’s Descent from Grace". The Best Debut award went to Neha Dixit for "The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian".
Tamil Nadu News
11.19 Crore People Travelled in Metro Trains in 2025
In 2025, 11.19 crore people travelled in Chennai Metro trains, as reported by the Chennai Metro Rail administration. The service, which started in 2015, saw 10.25 crore passengers in 2024, and the number increased to 11.19 crore in 2025, marking a significant rise. The increase in passengers is attributed to the introduction of easy ticketing methods, including SMS, QR codes, WhatsApp, PhonePe, and the Singara Chennai Card. A 20% fare discount was also offered to passengers purchasing special metro tickets. However, the fare concession is not applicable to the single-journey paper QR code tickets available at the train station counters.
National News
Export Promotion: Two Schemes Worth ₹7,295 Crore Announced
Central Government announced two export promotion schemes worth ₹7,295 crore. These schemes include a ₹5,181 crore interest subvention scheme and a ₹2,114 crore credit guarantee scheme, both set to be implemented until 2031. The interest subvention scheme will provide a 2.75% subvention to eligible micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the export sector, with a ceiling of ₹50 lakh per year per company. The credit guarantee scheme will offer a loan guarantee of up to ₹10 crore per year for one MSME. The guarantee is 85% for micro and small enterprises and 65% for medium enterprises. These schemes are aimed at boosting the export of certain goods, including defense and special chemicals, microorganisms, goods, equipment, and technologies. This announcement follows the launch of an export promotion scheme worth ₹25,060 crore in November 2025, with an additional ₹4,531 crore released in December 2025 to improve market access.
Central Government Approves ₹41,863 Crore Electronics Manufacturing Projects
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the approval of 22 electronic manufacturing projects worth ₹41,863 crore by the Central Government. These projects include companies such as LCD TV, Reuters, Volkswagen, Samsung, and TCL. This is part of an ongoing effort to establish India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing. The approval is expected to generate 33,791 new jobs and result in the production of goods valued at ₹2,58,152 crore. This move will help reduce India's dependency on imports for electronic goods and promote export growth in the sector. The approved projects will set up factories in several states including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, ensuring balanced development across the country. The government had earlier approved 17 projects worth ₹7,172 crore in November 2025 and 7 projects worth ₹5,532 crore in October 2025.