Daily Current Affairs – 05-03-2026

International News

U.S. Sinks Iranian Warship Near Sri Lanka

A United States submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena using a torpedo in the Indian Ocean near the coast of Sri Lanka, marking the first known instance of an enemy vessel being destroyed by a torpedo since World War II. The attack occurred in international waters about 40 nautical miles off Galle, located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. According to confirmation by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the torpedo strike caused the vessel to sink while it was returning to Iran after participating in the International Fleet Review 2026 held in Visakhapatnam, India. Following a distress call, the Sri Lankan Navy conducted rescue operations, rescuing 32 sailors and recovering 83 bodies from the site of the incident.

Reports and Indices

India Ranks Second Globally in Childhood Obesity

According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026 report released on March 4 – World Obesity Day by the World Obesity Federation, India ranks second globally in the number of children with high Body Mass Index (BMI). In 2025, about 15 million children aged 5–9 years and more than 26 million children aged 10–19 years in India were reported to be overweight or obese. Globally, over 200 million school-age children (5–19 years) with obesity are concentrated in 10 countries, with China ranking first with 62 million children with high BMI, followed by India with 41 million, including 14 million children with obesity, and the United States with 27 million. The report projects that health conditions linked to high BMI such as Hypertension and Hyperglycaemia in India may increase significantly by 2040. It also states that 74% of adolescents aged 11–17 in India do not meet recommended physical activity levels, and 32.6% of infants aged 1–5 months do not receive adequate breastfeeding. Among women aged 15–49 years in India, 13.4% have high BMI and 4.2% suffer from Type-2 Diabetes, while children aged 6–10 years consume an average of 50 ml of sugary drinks per day.

Study on DNS Censorship and Website Blocking in India

A research report titled “Poisoned Wells: Examining the Scale of DNS Censorship in India” highlighted inconsistencies in website-blocking practices by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in India. The study, conducted by researcher Karan Saini, confirmed that 43,083 unique apex domains were blocked through DNS filtering, which is about six times higher than a previous study that recorded 6,787 blocked domains. During the research, more than 23 crore domain names were tested. The study was supported by the Open Technology Fund (Washington, D.C.) and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It found that only 40% of websites identified for militant and terrorism-related content were blocked uniformly across major ISPs such as ACT Fibernet, MTNL, Airtel, Jio, Connect Broadband and YOU Broadband, while blocking rates were 4.54% for pirated film and TV websites, 0.53% for pornography websites, and 13.48% for gambling websites. The report also noted that DNS filtering is the primary method used for internet censorship in India, while alternative methods such as Server Name Inspection are also used, and the legal framework in India does not mandate a specific technical method for internet traffic filtering, allowing ISPs to adopt their own blocking mechanisms.

Sports News

Finn Allen Records Fastest Century in T20 World Cup History

New Zealand cricketer Finn Allen scored the fastest century in the history of the T20 World Cup, reaching the milestone in 33 balls during the semifinal match against South Africa. With this achievement, he surpassed the previous record held by West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle, who scored a 47-ball century against England in 2016 in the T20 World Cup. Finn Allen’s unbeaten 100 runs in the semifinal also became the highest score recorded in a T20 World Cup knockout match.

Tamil Nadu News

UK Museum Returns 16th-Century Thirumangai Alvar Bronze Statue to India

The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (United Kingdom) returned a 16th-century bronze statue of Saint Thirumangai Alvar to the Government of India after detailed provenance research conducted with Indian authorities. The statue originally belongs to the Sundararaja Perumal Temple in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, and the handover ceremony took place at the High Commission of India in London. The event was attended by Ashmolean Museum Director Xa Sturgis and Professor Mallica Kumbera Landrus, Head of the Department of Eastern Art. The statue had been acquired by the Ashmolean Museum in 1967 from a private collector J. R. Belmont, as recorded in the Sotheby’s catalogue. In November 2019, a French scholar identified the statue using a 1957 photograph preserved in the archives of the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP) linking it to the temple. On February 11, 2020, the temple’s executive officer filed a police complaint stating that the original idol had been replaced with a replica, after which the Indian High Commission formally requested the return of the statue on March 3, 2020.

Punal’ Integrated Drinking Water Grievance Redressal Centre Launched in Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated the Tamil Nadu Integrated Drinking Water Grievance Redressal Centre “Punal” with the toll-free number 1916. The centre has been established by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD Board) to provide a unified platform for registering complaints related to drinking water availability, water quality and supply disruptions. The system operates 24 hours a day and integrates multiple departments including the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, Directorate of Municipal Administration, Directorate of Town Panchayats, and the Commissionerate of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. The platform allows the public to register complaints through IVR service, the toll-free number 1916, the website punal.tn.gov.in, the “Punal Citizen App”, and the WhatsApp number 94 9999 1916, and complaints are automatically forwarded to the concerned departmental officials for resolution.

Personalities, Awards and Events

‘Kalai Semmal’ Awards 2025–26 Presented by Tamil Nadu Government

The ‘Kalai Semmal’ Awards for 2025–26 were presented by Tamil Development and Information Minister M. P. Saminathan to outstanding artists in traditional and modern painting and sculpture at a ceremony held at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, Chennai. The award is given annually by the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu and includes a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a copper plaque, and a certificate of appreciation, and is awarded to six artists every year. For 2025–26, M. Balasubramanian was selected in the traditional painting category, D. Srikanda Sthapathi and T. U. Padmanabhan in the traditional sculpture category, Ko. Vilvanathan and Mu. Raja in the modern painting category, and S. Santhi in the modern sculpture category. The event was attended by Dr. K. Manivasan, Secretary of the Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department, S. Valarmathi, Director of the Department of Art and Culture, and J. Karkuzhali, Joint Director.

Mojtaba Khamenei Selected as Iran’s New Supreme Leader

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (56), the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected as the new Supreme Leader of Iran by the Assembly of Experts, a body consisting of 88 Shia clerics responsible for choosing the country’s Supreme Leader. The selection followed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader and religious authority, who was killed along with more than 40 leaders in an attack carried out jointly by the United States and Israel. Prior to the appointment, Alireza Arafi had been serving as the interim Supreme Leader of Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei, who had been considered the long-time successor and had played a role in Iranian politics for 27 years, has now assumed the position of Supreme Leader of Iran.

Malayalam Declared Sole Official Language in Kerala

The Governor of Kerala, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, gave assent to the Malayalam Language Bill–2025, which makes Malayalam the sole official language in the administration of Kerala. The bill was earlier passed in the Kerala Legislative Assembly in October 2024. According to the provisions of the bill, Malayalam must be taught as the first language up to Class 10 in all government and government-aided schools in Kerala. The bill provides exemptions for students whose mother tongue is not Malayalam, including students from other states and foreign countries, who are exempted from writing the mandatory Malayalam language examinations in Classes 9, 10, and Higher Secondary level. The legislation also allows linguistic minorities such as Tamil and Kannada speakers in Kerala to continue their communication with the Kerala Government in their respective mother tongues.