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Current Affairs 02nd December 2025
1. APL Wins ‘Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year’ 2025
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Award & Institution: The APL was conferred the 'Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year' award by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) during its annual FICCI TURF 2025: 15th Global Sports Summit held in New Delhi on November 21, 2025.
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World's First Professional Archery League: The APL is specifically recognized for being the World's first professional archery league. Organized by the Archery Association of India (AAI), it introduced a franchise-based model to the sport on a global scale, setting a new benchmark for professionalism and presentation.
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Innovative, Broadcast-Friendly Format: The league introduced a fast-paced, made-for-broadcast format that transformed archery into an exciting, mainstream spectator sport.
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Impact on Olympic Ambitions: A primary goal of the league, and a major factor in its recognition, is its role in strengthening India's Olympic prospects. Athletes and coaches credited the high-pressure, quick-fire format with sharpening match temperament and mental strength, directly contributing to India's recent success in international archery championships.
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Boosted Fan Engagement and Visibility: The debut season, held from October 2 to 12, 2025, drew strong public and media attention, fueled by the league's high production quality and the involvement of global star and Brand Ambassador Ram Charan.
2. India Ranks 8th at World Skills Asia 2025
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Debut and Overall Rank: India secured an impressive 8th rank overall in its first-ever participation at the WorldSkills Asia Competition 2025, competing against 29 Asian member and guest countries.
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Total Medal Count: The Indian contingent won a total of six awards, including three medals and three Medallions for Excellence. The medal breakdown is: Silver Medal, 2 Bronze Medals, 3 Medallions for Excellence
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Standout Women Competitors: Women competitors emerged as standout performers, contributing significantly to the medal tally. They excelled in non-traditional skills and demonstrated the rising leadership of young women in India's skilling ecosystem.
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Global Skilling Recognition: The strong performance, led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NSDC, signals the growing strength of India's skilling ecosystem and reinforces the country's ambition to become a global hub for skilled talent.
3. India Re-Elected to UNESCO Executive Board for 2025–29 Term
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Crucial Decision-Making Body: The Executive Board (comprising 58 member states) is one of UNESCO's three constitutional organs. India's re-election ensures it retains a direct, influential voice in overseeing the implementation of UNESCO's programs and shaping its overall strategic policy and budget priorities for the term.
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Global Confidence in Multilateralism: The successful re-election is viewed as a strong diplomatic win and a reflection of the international community's "confidence" in India's sustained commitment to multilateralism and its proactive engagement across UNESCO's core mandate (Education, Science, Culture, Communication).
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Advancing Human-Centric Vision: India's presence on the board provides a platform to promote its vision of "inclusive, human-centric development." This involves championing themes like Universal Access to Education (especially digital learning) and equitable knowledge-sharing, aligning with its role as a voice for the Global South.
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Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy: The term allows India to enhance its soft power and cultural diplomacy by actively championing its intangible cultural heritage (like Yoga, traditional arts, and festivals), its 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its commitment to multilingualism.
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Key Focus Areas: India will leverage its seat to actively contribute to global policy discussions on priority areas, including: Digital Equity and Foundational Literacy, Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, Scientific collaboration on climate change and digital ethics.
4. Air Marshal Tejbir Singh assumed charge as DG(Inspection & Safety)
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High-Level Appointment: Air Marshal Tejbir Singh (AVSM, VM) took charge as the DG (I&S), which is one of the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) appointments at Air HQ, reporting directly to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS). The position is vital for ensuring the highest standards of flight safety and quality assurance across the IAF.
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Pioneer of C-130J Special Ops: He is credited as a pioneer in the induction of the C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft into the IAF and for establishing the first 'Special Ops' Squadron aimed at joint operations. This highlights his experience in modernising the IAF's airlift and special mission capabilities.
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Vast Flying & Command Experience: The Air Marshal is a highly experienced officer with an illustrious career spanning 37 years and over 7,000 hours of flying. His operational expertise includes commanding two major flying bases, a premier training base, and a frontline operational airbase supporting the Northern sector (including the challenging conditions of Ladakh).
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Strategic Staff & International Exposure: His previous key staff appointments include being the Air Attaché to Bangladesh, Senior Directing Staff (Air) at the National Defence College (NDC), and Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Transport & Helicopters) at Air HQ. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), UK.
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Honours and Predecessor: Air Marshal Tejbir Singh is a decorated officer, having been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2010 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018. He succeeds Air Marshal Makarand Bhaskar Ranade, who superannuated after 39 years of distinguished service.
5. Prashant Dubey appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs
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Service and Batch: Prashant Dubey belongs to the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), an Allied Civil Service of India, of the 2012 Batch. His background is in financial and audit management, which is a valuable asset for the Department's administrative and policy work.
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Appointment Type and Tenure: His appointment is made under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS), which facilitates the induction of officers from various services for central deputation. He will serve in the post for a period of four years from the date he assumes charge.
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Key Role in Consumer Affairs: As Deputy Secretary, he will hold a crucial mid-level policy and administrative position in the Department of Consumer Affairs. This department is responsible for major central initiatives like the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, monitoring prices, and ensuring the smooth functioning of consumer welfare funds.
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Relief from Previous Duties: The DoPT order directed that he be relieved immediately from his previous responsibilities (likely within the Ministry of Defence, as the IDAS cadre is administered by the Ministry of Defence) to enable him to take up the new assignment in New Delhi.
6. SBI & BoI Collaborate to Establish Centre of Excellence for Project Financing
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Objective: Strategic Co-Financing: The primary purpose of the CoE is to institutionalize a framework for joint financing (Co-Financing) of large, complex infrastructure and industrial projects. This approach allows the banks to split the risk and deploy their combined capital more effectively, enabling the funding of projects too large or risky for a single bank to handle alone.
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Focus on India's Growth: This strategic partnership directly supports India's national infrastructure vision and accelerated economic growth targets. It aims to ensure that major public and private projects in sectors like energy, highways, and manufacturing receive the necessary, structured, long-term funding.
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Capacity Building and Expertise: The CoE will serve as a knowledge hub focused on Capacity Building. Both banks will share expertise, training programs, and best practices to develop a strong pool of specialized professionals capable of structuring and managing the technical, financial, and legal complexities inherent in project finance.
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Enhanced Brand Visibility: The collaboration creates a Co-Branded visibility for the two public sector giants. By acting as a unified team, they enhance their credibility and trust in the corporate and international investment domains, positioning themselves as leaders in India's strategic financing market.
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Risk Mitigation and Due Diligence: The joint CoE approach is expected to lead to stronger due diligence and better risk mitigation.
7. Armand Duplantis, McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletics’ athletes of year
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Record-Breaking Dominance (Duplantis): Sweden's Duplantis broke his own men's pole vault world record four times in 2025, culminating in a historic $6.30m$ clearance at the World Championships in Tokyo.
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Undefeated Seasons: Duplantis remained unbeaten in all 16 of his competitions, completing his second successive undefeated season and sweeping both the indoor and outdoor World Titles.
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Historic 400m Feat (McLaughlin-Levrone): The American star successfully transitioned to the 400m flat race, winning the World Championships title in Tokyo with a time of $47.78$ seconds. This was the second-fastest women's 400m time in history.
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First-Ever World Titles Combination: McLaughlin-Levrone became the first athlete in history to win World Titles in both the 400m flat and the 400m hurdles (where she holds the world record), showcasing unparalleled versatility.
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Multi-Time Winners: This was the third time Duplantis has won the Men's World Athlete of the Year award (previously in 2020 and 2022) and the second time for McLaughlin-Levrone (previously in 2022), cementing their status as defining figures in the sport.
8. Dr. Kenichi Iga Wins 46th Honda Prize 2025
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Prestigious International Award: The Honda Prize is Japan's first international award for scientific and technological achievements that contribute to "the creation of a truly humane civilization," focusing on the philosophy of "Ecotechnology."
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Key Innovation: VCSEL Conception: Dr. Iga was honored for his conception, pioneering research, and leadership in the development of the Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL). He first proposed the idea in 1977, overcoming initial skepticism in the academic and industrial communities.
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VCSEL's Significance: The VCSEL is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light vertically from the chip surface, unlike traditional lasers that emit horizontally. This design allows for high-density integration, low power consumption, ease of mass production, and stable oscillation.
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Widespread Practical Application: VCSEL technology is now indispensable to modern life. Its applications include High-Speed Data Communication and Sensing Technology
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Award Ceremony and Prize: The award ceremony was held on November 17, 2025, in Tokyo. As the laureate, Dr. Iga received a medal, a diploma, and a prize of 10 million Japanese Yen (approximately $68,000 USD).
9. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery observed on 02nd December
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Commemoration Date: The date marks the anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others on December 2, 1949 (Resolution 317(IV)).
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Focus on Modern Slavery: The day's primary focus is not historical slavery, but the contemporary forms of slavery that persist globally, including forced labour, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, and forced marriage.
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Scale of the Crisis: Current estimates from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN suggest that approximately 50 million people worldwide were living in modern slavery in 2021, highlighting the urgent need for global action.
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Legal Foundation: The observance is a call to uphold the right enshrined in Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."
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UN and NGO Action: It mobilizes governments, NGOs, and the UN's own Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to provide legal, financial, and humanitarian assistance to survivors and to strengthen efforts to abolish these practices.
10. Oscar-Winning British Playwright Tom Stoppard passed away
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Dramatist of Wit and Absurdism: Stoppard rose to prominence with his groundbreaking 1966 play, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," an absurd, existential tragicomedy that reimagines Shakespeare's Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters. His work is defined by its verbal brilliance, intellectual depth, and playful experimentation.
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Oscar-Winning Screenwriter: He won an Academy Award (Oscar) in 1999 for Best Original Screenplay for the film Shakespeare in Love (co-written with Marc Norman). His screenwriting credits also include work on Brazil, The Russia House, and Anna Karenina.
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Tony Award Record Holder: Stoppard is one of the most decorated playwrights in the history of the Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Play five times.
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Major Later Works: His later plays include the modern classics "Arcadia" (1993), which blends chaos theory and literary history, and his final, most personal work, "Leopoldstadt" (2020).
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