On July 10th, 2025, India & the world witnessed important developments across various sectors. India's strengthened ties with Brazil underscore Global South cooperation, while Bulgaria's Eurozone entry marks significant European integration. Amidst these, a rare Great Hornbill sighting in Kerala emphasizes urgent biodiversity conservation needs. Simultaneously, the tragic sinking of Nyangai Island vividly illustrates climate change's severe human cost, offering crucial insights for UPSC aspirants.

Awareness regarding daily UPSC current affairs is crucial for cracking the UPSC Prelims, excelling in UPSC Mains. It helps perform well in the UPSC personality test, thus becoming an informed and effective UPSC civil servant.

Below are the current affairs and headlines of the day taken from The Hindu, Indian Express, Press Information Bureau & All India Radio as required for UPSC preparation:

🤝 India-Brazil Relations

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper II (International Relations)

IN NEWS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Brazil following the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro. During his visit, he held bilateral talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasilia. These discussions emphasized the crucial importance of India–Brazil ties for the Global South. A significant highlight of the visit was PM Modi being conferred Brazil’s highest civilian honour, the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.

✅ Key Outcomes from the 2025 Visit

• Bilateral Agreements Signed:
  • Combating International Terrorism & Transnational Organized Crime
  • Sharing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) – including UPI adoption in Brazil
  • Renewable Energy Cooperation
  • Agricultural Research Collaboration – involving ICAR & EMBRAPA
  • Exchange & Protection of Classified Information
  • Intellectual Property Rights – cooperation between DPIIT & Brazil’s MDIC
• Major Announcements:
  • A target was set to increase bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030.
  • A Ministerial-level mechanism will be created to monitor trade and investment.
  • Defence industry cooperation is slated for enhancement.
  • Digital infrastructure collaboration will be deepened through India’s UPI system.
  • Both nations recognized their shared stand on prioritizing diplomacy and dialogue for resolving global disputes.

📊 India–Brazil Relations: Sectoral Overview

• Economic Cooperation: Bilateral trade between India and Brazil was approximately $15 billion in 2024, with an ambitious goal to reach $20 billion by 2030. Key Indian exports to Brazil include pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and machinery. Conversely, Brazil's main exports to India comprise crude oil, sugar, soybeans, and aircraft (from Embraer). Brazil is also a member of Mercosur, with which India has a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), facilitating trade. Indian companies maintain a significant presence in Brazil, particularly in the IT, pharmaceutical, and agro-chemical sectors.
• Political and Strategic: Both countries share a strong commitment to UN Security Council reforms. They actively collaborate in various multilateral forums, including BRICS, IBSA, G20, and BASIC (a group focused on climate change issues). Brazil consistently supports India’s aspirations for greater representation within the UN system.
• Defence and Security: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on counter-terrorism and organized crime. Both nations are exploring synergies to enhance defence industrial cooperation. Brazil’s Embraer and India’s HAL have also explored co-development opportunities in aviation.
• Science, Tech & Innovation: Cooperation extends to space technology, IT, and renewable energy. Both countries collaborate under the International Solar Alliance (ISA). They are also committed to sharing best practices in Digital Public Infrastructure, drawing lessons from Indian models like UPI and CoWIN.
• Cultural and People-to-People Ties: The relationship is enriched by a vibrant Indian diaspora in Brazil and robust cultural exchanges. Indian culture, including Bollywood, yoga, and cuisine, enjoys popularity in Brazil. There are also growing academic collaborations and scholarships, particularly in agricultural sciences and sustainable development.

🇪🇺 Bulgaria joins the Eurozone

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper II (International Relations)

IN NEWS: Bulgaria received final approval from EU finance ministers to adopt the euro as its official currency starting January 1, 2026. This decision means Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the Eurozone, replacing its national currency, the lev, with the euro.

🔙 Background

Bulgaria joined the European Union (EU) in 2007. Since the late 1990s, it had already pegged its national currency (lev) to the euro under a currency board system. This demonstrated a long-standing commitment to monetary stability. Adopting the euro is part of its EU accession obligations, which require strict compliance with the Maastricht criteria.

💶 What is the Eurozone?

The Eurozone refers to the group of EU member states that have adopted the euro (€) as their official currency. As of 2025, there were 20 Eurozone members before Bulgaria’s inclusion. The European Central Bank (ECB) manages monetary policy for the Eurozone, while the Eurogroup coordinates economic policies among member states.

📈 Criteria for Joining the Euro (Maastricht Criteria)

To join the Eurozone, a country must meet specific economic and legal conditions known as the Maastricht Criteria:

• Price Stability: The inflation rate must not exceed 1.5 percentage points above the average of the three best-performing EU member states in terms of price stability.
• Sound Public Finances: The government budget deficit must be less than 3% of GDP. Public debt must not exceed 60% of GDP, or it should be approaching that level at a satisfactory pace.
• Exchange Rate Stability: The national currency must have participated in the ERM II (Exchange Rate Mechanism II) for at least two years without severe tensions or significant devaluation.
• Interest Rate Convergence: Long-term interest rates must not exceed 2 percentage points above the average of the three EU countries with the lowest inflation. Bulgaria successfully met these criteria after implementing reforms in fiscal discipline, ensuring central bank independence, and controlling inflation.

✨ Significance of Bulgaria Joining the Eurozone

Bulgaria's adoption of the euro carries significant implications for both the country itself and the broader EU:

• For Bulgaria: This step promises greater monetary stability and enhanced investor confidence, as currency conversion costs and exchange rate risks are eliminated. Bulgaria will also gain better access to the mechanisms of the European Central Bank (ECB) and easier integration with the EU's single market.
• For the EU: Bulgaria's entry reinforces the credibility and expansion of the Eurozone. It demonstrates continued economic cohesion within the bloc, even amidst challenges like Brexit and inflation. From a geopolitical standpoint, expanding the Eurozone into Eastern Europe strengthens the EU’s influence in the region.

🐦 Great Hornbill

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper III (Biodiversity)

IN NEWS: A rare sighting of the Great Hornbill (locally called Malamuzhakki Vezhambal) recently occurred in Kakkampara near Ezhimala, in Kannur district, Kerala. This location is notably far from its typical forested habitats. The unexpected sighting has renewed calls for biodiversity conservation, especially in human-inhabited but ecologically rich regions like Ezhimala.

🔬 Details Related to the Great Hornbill

• Scientific Name: Buceros bicornis
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Legal Protection: It is protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Physical Characteristics: The Great Hornbill is one of the largest hornbill species in India. It is notable for its massive yellow and black casque on the bill. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, meaning males are larger and more brightly colored than females.
• Distribution: It is native to the Western Ghats and Northeast India, as well as parts of Southeast Asia. The hornbill is rarely seen in coastal areas. It is usually found in evergreen and moist deciduous forests of:
  • Silent Valley
  • Nelliampathy
  • Athirappilly
  • Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

🏝️ Nyangai Island Sinking

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper I (Geography)

IN NEWS: Nyangai Island, part of the Turtle Islands off southern Sierra Leone, has lost two-thirds of its land area in the last decade. This loss is due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Residents are now among the first climate change-induced internally displaced people in Sierra Leone, drawing global attention to the human cost of climate change on small island communities.

🌍 Details Related to Nyangai Island

• Nyangai Island is part of the Turtle Islands archipelago in southern Sierra Leone, located in the Atlantic Ocean.
• It previously measured much larger, but is now reduced to just 200 meters long and 100 meters wide.
• Sea level rise has led to coastal erosion, land submergence, and loss of biodiversity.
• In the past decade, the island has lost two-thirds of its surface area.

🎯 Question No. 1

Which of the following agreements/announcements were made during PM Modi's 2025 visit to Brazil?

1. Target to increase bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030.
2. Cooperation on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) including UPI adoption.
3. Establishment of a Ministerial-level mechanism to monitor trade and investment.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

✅ Correct Answer: (d)

ℹ️ Explanation: The "Key Outcomes from the 2025 Visit" section explicitly lists all three points under "Major Announcements" and "Bilateral Agreements Signed."

🎯 Question No. 2

Regarding Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone, which of the following Maastricht Criteria must be met?

1. Government budget deficit less than 3% of GDP.
2. Public debt not exceeding 60% of GDP.
3. National currency staying within ERM II for at least five years.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

✅ Correct Answer: (a)

ℹ️ Explanation: The "Criteria for Joining the Euro (Maastricht Criteria)" section states: "Government budget deficit must be less than 3% of GDP" (Statement 1 is correct). It also states: "Public debt must not exceed 60% of GDP" (Statement 2 is correct). For exchange rate stability, it mentions "Two years in ERM II," not five years (Statement 3 is incorrect).

🎯 Question No. 3

The Great Hornbill, recently sighted in Kerala, is classified under which of the following categories by IUCN?

(a) Critically Endangered

(b) Endangered

(c) Vulnerable

(d) Near Threatened

✅ Correct Answer: (b)

ℹ️ Explanation: The "Details Related to the Great Hornbill" section clearly states: "IUCN Status: Endangered."

🎯 Question No. 4

The primary reason cited for the sinking of Nyangai Island in Sierra Leone is:

(a) Excessive sand mining and deforestation.

(b) Frequent seismic activity and tsunamis.

(c) Rising sea levels and coastal erosion due to climate change.

(d) Heavy industrial pollution leading to land subsidence.

✅ Correct Answer: (c)

ℹ️ Explanation: The "IN NEWS" section for Nyangai Island states: "Nyangai Island... has lost two-thirds of its land area in the last decade due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion." The "Details Related to Nyangai Island" section further confirms: "Sea level rise has led to coastal erosion, land submergence..."

🎯 Question No. 5

Consider the following statements about India's international relations:

1. India and Brazil are founding members of both IBSA and BRICS.
2. Brazil is part of Mercosur, with which India has a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

✅ Correct Answer: (c)

ℹ️ Explanation: The "Historical Background of India–Brazil Relations" section states: "Both countries are... Founding members of IBSA... and BRICS" (Statement 1 is correct). The "Economic Cooperation" sub-section states: "Brazil is part of Mercosur, with which India has a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)" (Statement 2 is correct).