UPSC Mains Current Affairs for 8 July 2025

BRICS Summit 2025 – Advancing Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance

July 8, 2025

BRICS Summit 2025 Latest News

The 17th BRICS Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 6–7 July 2025, under the theme "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance".
This Summit, which concluded with the ‘Rio de Janeiro Declaration’, marks a strategic shift towards inclusivity, expansion, and stronger South-South cooperation.

Key Highlights of the BRICS Summit 2025

Reaffirmation of BRICS spirit and strategic vision:
- Emphasized mutual respect, sovereign equality, democracy, and inclusiveness.
- Strengthened cooperation under three pillars:
  - Political and security
  - Economic and financial
  - Cultural and people-to-people cooperation
- Reiterated commitment to peace, inclusive development, and reform of global governance institutions.
Expansion of BRICS membership and partnerships:
- Indonesia formally joins as a full BRICS member.
- 11 new BRICS partner countries welcomed - Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda, Uzbekistan.
- Expansion reflects an evolving multipolar world order and Global South solidarity.
Key declarations:
- Initiatives launched:
  - BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance
  - Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  - Launch of BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases
- These highlight BRICS’ commitment to inclusive innovation, climate action, and equitable health systems.

Strategic Focus Areas and Commitments

Strengthening multilateralism and reforming global governance:
- The ‘Rio de Janeiro Declaration’ called for equitable, effective, and accountable multilateralism.
- Supported the UN Summit of the Future's "Pact for the Future", including:
  - Global Digital Compact
  - Declaration on Future Generations
- Emphasis on consultation, shared responsibility, and equitable representation in international institutions.
Promoting peace, security, and stability:
- Expressed concern over global military spending surge and regional conflicts.
- Rejected linking climate change with security narratives.
- Advocated development-centric multilateral solutions for poverty, hunger, and environmental crises.
Economic, trade, and financial cooperation:
- Reviewed implementation of Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025.
- Welcomed upcoming Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030, focusing on:
  - Digital economy, trade and investment,
  - Financial cooperation, and
  - Sustainable development.
- Pledged to uphold a transparent and inclusive multilateral trading system.
Climate change and sustainability commitments:
- Strong support for Paris Agreement and UNFCCC principles, especially:
  - Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR)
  - National circumstances of developing countries
- Full backing for COP-30 in Brazil (Belem) and India’s bid to host COP-33 (2028).
- Called for scaled-up efforts and finance for climate adaptation and mitigation.
Social, human, and cultural development:
- Emphasized inclusive development, particularly: youth empowerment, women’s rights, disability inclusion, urbanization, and migration management.
- Recognized demographic changes as both a challenge and opportunity for development.

India at BRICS Summit 2025

India’s leadership vision - BRICS in a “New Form”:
- At the 17th BRICS Summit, the Indian PM announced India’s upcoming BRICS presidency for 2026, outlining a transformative vision and proposing a new interpretation of BRICS -
  - Building
  - Resilience and
  - Innovation for
  - Cooperation and
  - Sustainability
  - Echoed India’s G20 Presidency theme of “People-centricity and Humanity First”, placing Global South concerns at the core.
India’s strategic gains from BRICS 2025:
At the 17th BRICS Summit, India emerged as a leading voice in shaping the BRICS agenda, advancing themes of de-dollarization, climate finance, digital governance, and global institutional reform.
- BRICS Pay and national currency settlement frameworks were discussed, though a common BRICS currency was ruled out.
- A BRICS Multilateral Guarantee (BMG) mechanism was launched by the New Development Bank (NDB) to mobilize private investment in infrastructure, climate, and sustainable development.
- Improving India–China relations:
  - A bilateral between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping led to agreements on:
    - De-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and
    - Resumption of border patrols.
  - This may restore investor confidence, particularly in electronics and manufacturing sectors.

US Opposition to BRICS

BRICS as a growing power bloc: With the addition of new members, BRICS now represents 45% of the global population and contributes 35% to global GDP.
Concerns over BRICS currency alternatives: Despite early speculation, BRICS clarified it does not intend to replace the dollar, but rather aims to offer viable alternative settlement systems to improve market efficiency and ensure inclusive globalisation.
Trump’s tariff threat:
- President Trump warned of a 10% tariff on any country aligning with BRICS’ “anti-American policies”.
- He issued a stronger warning of a 100% tariff on BRICS nations if they move to reduce dollar usage in international trade.
India’s calibrated stand and resistance to Yuan’s dominance:
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar: “India does not target the dollar, but explores alternative trade settlements due to practical constraints.”
- Yuan's role in BRICS: Yuan became the most traded currency in Russia, accounting for 90% of bilateral trade settlements.
- India’s resistance: India refused to use the yuan for Russian oil imports, indicating reluctance to accept Chinese monetary hegemony.

Conclusion

The BRICS Summit 2025 marks a defining moment in Global South-led multilateralism and highlights BRICS’ growing relevance in shaping global discourse, reinforcing BRICS as a credible alternative to Western-dominated institutions.
India’s proactive leadership at BRICS 2025 and forthcoming BRICS Presidency in 2026 signals its growing influence in shaping a South-led multilateral order, with tangible gains across finance, climate, tech, and trade sectors.
India’s nuanced position on BRICS’ financial initiatives reflects its pursuit of strategic autonomy, economic de-risking, and multipolarity in global governance.

Source: TH | TNIE | IE

BRICS Summit 2025

Q1: Critically examine the implications of BRICS expansion and inclusion of new partner countries on the future of multilateral global governance.

Ans: The expansion of BRICS to include countries like Indonesia and 11 new partners reflects a shift towards a multipolar and representative global order, enhancing the voice of the Global South in multilateral forums.

Q2: Discuss how BRICS 2025 has addressed the challenges of climate change through its declarations and commitments.

Ans: BRICS 2025 reaffirmed commitment to the Paris Agreement, supported COP-30 in Brazil and India’s COP-33 bid, and emphasized climate finance and differentiated responsibilities for sustainable development.

Q3: Highlight the strategic significance of the BRICS Leaders’ Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence in the context of digital sovereignty and ethical technology use.

Ans: The statement on AI governance underscores BRICS' resolve to promote ethical, inclusive, and sovereign digital frameworks amid rising concerns over global technological hegemony.

Q4: How does the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2030 aim to shape future economic cooperation among member states?

Ans: The Strategy 2030 seeks to consolidate mandates and provide frameworks for cooperation on digital economy, multilateral trade, financial integration, and sustainable development among BRICS nations.

Q5: Evaluate the role of BRICS in reinforcing inclusive human development through its socio-cultural and demographic cooperation agendas.

Ans: BRICS aims to foster inclusive growth by addressing issues like youth development, women's rights, disability inclusion, urbanization, and demographic transitions as key areas for cooperation.

Kashmir’s Unprecedented Heatwave: Causes and Climate Impact

July 8, 2025

Kashmir Heatwave Latest News

On July 5, the Kashmir Valley recorded its highest day temperature in over 70 years, with Pahalgam experiencing its hottest day ever. This follows the valley's hottest June in nearly 50 years.

Understanding Kashmir’s Climate: A Balance of Seasons and Natural Cooling

The Kashmir Valley experiences a temperate climate characterized by four well-defined seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are generally pleasant and marked by moderate temperatures, making them ideal for tourism and agriculture.
Winter (December to February) is harsh, with temperatures often plunging below freezing, especially in higher altitudes.
- Snowfall is common—heavy in the mountains and moderate in the plains.
Summers (June to August), in contrast to many parts of India, are relatively mild.
The region benefits from frequent western disturbances during this season, which bring intermittent rainfall that naturally cools the atmosphere.
However, the recent surge in summer temperatures marks a notable deviation from these long-standing climatic norms.

Rising Heat and Erratic Weather Disrupt Kashmir’s Climate Norms

In recent years, Kashmir has witnessed a noticeable shift in its climate, marked by rising temperatures and prolonged dry spells.
The region recorded its hottest June in nearly five decades, with temperatures averaging about 3°C above normal.
On July 5, Srinagar reached 37.4°C—the highest in over 70 years and the third-highest ever recorded.
These trends signal a clear departure from the Valley’s traditionally moderate summer climate.

Consistent Heat, Not Just Isolated Spikes, Raises Concern in Kashmir

Unlike past years where high temperatures were rare and short-lived, 2024 has seen persistently elevated maximum and minimum temperatures.
This consistency in above-normal readings suggests a deeper climatic shift rather than an isolated weather anomaly, making the situation more worrisome for the region’s environmental stability and public health.

Factors Behind Kashmir’s Rising Temperatures

The rise in Kashmir’s temperatures is the result of multiple interlinked factors.
Global warming is the overarching cause, raising baseline temperatures globally.
Traditionally, when Kashmir’s temperature crossed 35°C, rainfall would follow, offering natural relief. However, this pattern is now disrupted due to extended dry spells.
Experts attributed this to a reduction in water vapour, caused by declining snowfall in the mountains.
The little snow that does fall melts by March, leaving the mountains bare and reducing natural cooling.
Additionally, Urban Heat Islands (UHIs)—areas where urbanisation traps heat—are further intensifying temperatures in cities like Srinagar.

Urban Heat Islands: How Cities Like Srinagar Are Getting Hotter

Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) are urban zones that are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.
In Kashmir, rapid urbanisation, concretisation, and the loss of vegetation and water bodies have intensified the UHI effect—especially in cities like Srinagar.
These hard, heat-retaining surfaces absorb and radiate more heat, while limited green spaces offer little natural cooling.
Added to this are vehicular emissions and industrial activities, which further elevate temperatures, making urban areas markedly hotter than their rural counterparts.

Source: IE | NDTV

Kashmir Heatwave FAQs

Q1: What is causing Kashmir’s heatwave?

Ans: Global warming, reduced snowfall, extended dry spells, and urban heat islands are the primary contributors to Kashmir’s rising temperatures.

Q2: How is Kashmir’s climate changing?

Ans: Traditionally mild summers are turning hotter and drier, breaking decades-old temperature records and disrupting the seasonal climate rhythm.

Q3: What are Urban Heat Islands?

Ans: Urban Heat Islands are city zones with retained heat due to concrete, loss of vegetation, and vehicular and industrial activity.

Q4: Why is this year’s heatwave concerning?

Ans: Unlike past short spikes, this year shows consistently high temperatures, indicating a deeper climatic shift affecting public health.

Q5: Which regions in Kashmir are most affected?

Ans: Urban centres like Srinagar and hill stations like Pahalgam have recorded their highest temperatures in decades during the 2024 heatwave.

Tamil Nadu Leads with AI-Based TB Death Prediction Model

July 8, 2025

TB Death Prediction Model Latest News

Tamil Nadu has become the first Indian state to integrate a TB death prediction model into its State TB Elimination Programme, enabling early identification and hospitalisation of high-risk patients to reduce tuberculosis-related mortality.

Introduction

In a landmark step towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB), Tamil Nadu has become the first state in India to deploy a predictive model that estimates the likelihood of death in TB patients.
Integrated with the state’s existing digital triage platform TB SeWA, this model is designed to enable faster hospital admissions for severely ill patients, ultimately reducing TB-related mortality.
This innovation is a collaborative outcome of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE) and the Tamil Nadu State Health Department under the larger framework of Tamil Nadu Kasanoi Erappila Thittam (TN-KET).

The Predictive Model and How It Works

The newly launched predictive model uses five clinical indicators at the time of TB diagnosis:
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Presence of pedal oedema (swelling of feet)
- Respiratory rate
- Oxygen saturation levels
- Ability to stand without support
Healthcare workers input these variables into the TB SeWA application. Based on this input, the model calculates the probability of death ranging from 10% to 50% for severely ill patients.
For those not flagged as severely ill, the predicted mortality risk remains between 1% and 4%.
This sharp differentiation in risk estimation helps frontline healthcare staff prioritise admissions and initiate early treatment, which is especially crucial given that over 70% of TB deaths occur within the first two months of treatment.

Significance of the Integration

Prior to this model, Tamil Nadu's TB SeWA system helped identify severely ill patients using the five indicators, enabling timely inpatient care.
The integration of a quantified probability of death now offers an objective assessment of risk, improving decision-making at the primary health level.
The team at ICMR-NIE noted that while the average time from diagnosis to hospital admission is one day in Tamil Nadu, about 25% of severely ill patients face delays of 3–6 days. The new model is expected to reduce such delays.

Development and Validation of the Model

The model was developed using data from nearly 56,000 TB patients diagnosed across Tamil Nadu between July 2022 and June 2023.
It was observed that 10–15% of adults diagnosed with TB were classified as severely ill at the time of diagnosis.
The model's validation has demonstrated that the five triage variables used in TN-KET are just as predictive of mortality risk as the comprehensive baseline variables in the national Ni-kshay TB portal.
However, Ni-kshay variables typically take up to three weeks to populate, too late to act upon for high-risk patients. In contrast, the TN-KET system captures triage data within a day, ensuring faster action.

Broader Public Health Impact

All 2,800 public health facilities in Tamil Nadu, from Primary Health Centres to Medical Colleges, currently use the TB SeWA application. The model supports:
- Real-time triaging
- Objective risk stratification
- Timely hospital referrals
The success of TN-KET and its associated tools has already contributed to reduced loss in the TB care cascade across two-thirds of Tamil Nadu’s districts.
This innovation serves as a replicable model for other Indian states, where early TB deaths remain a significant challenge despite free diagnosis and treatment.

Global and National Context

According to the World Health Organisation, TB remains one of the top causes of death globally.
India bears the highest burden of TB in the world, with two deaths every three minutes.
A recent study titled “Time to Death and Associated Factors among Tuberculosis Patients in Dangila Woreda, Ethiopia” identifies old age, low body weight, and TB/HIV co-infection as significant predictors of early mortality.
Tamil Nadu’s model, by addressing similar risk factors early, aligns with global recommendations for reducing TB deaths.

Source: TH | Week

TB Death Prediction Mode FAQs

Q1: What is the TB death prediction model implemented by Tamil Nadu?

Ans: It is a model that uses five clinical indicators to predict the probability of death among adult TB patients at the time of diagnosis.

Q2: How does this model help in TB care?

Ans: It enables frontline health workers to prioritize severely ill patients for hospital admission, thus reducing treatment delays and mortality.

Q3: What platform has the model been integrated with?

Ans: The model is integrated with TB SeWA, Tamil Nadu’s state-wide digital triage and care management system under TN-KET.

Q4: How accurate is this model compared to national systems like Ni-kshay?

Ans: The model using five triage indicators was found to be as predictive as the baseline variables in Ni-kshay, and more actionable due to faster availability.

Q5: Why is this model significant for India?

Ans: India has the highest TB burden globally, and Tamil Nadu’s predictive model could serve as a template for reducing early TB deaths across the country.