Current Affairs 18th December 

Ukraine’s EU membership

GS Paper 2: Indian Polity and International Relations: Important International Institutions.

Context-:
At a meeting this week, leaders of the European Union (EU) agreed to start negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had vowed to oppose this move, allowed the decision to go through.
But he blocked the EU’s €50 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Why Hungary Blocked the aid-:
He has been opposed to the financial package because a non-EU member should not be getting such huge funds at a time when Hungary, an EU member-state, has been denied funds that were specifically allocated for it.
Hungary believes that Ukraine should first serve as a strategic partner of the EU for some time before membership talks can begin.

Backdrop of the Move -:
The EU had frozen substantial funds earmarked for Hungary because Hungary had violated EU norms on law and order and judicial independence.
Analysts believe Hungary has sought to use its veto power on Ukraine’s long-term funding as well as formal membership talks as a bargaining chip to get the EU to unfreeze these funds.
A day before the summit meeting, the EU released €10 billion of frozen funds to Hungary.

Hungary’s stance on aid to Ukraine:-
Prime Minister Orban, a right-wing leader, is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In April 2022, after his re-election, he named Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as one of the “opponents” he had to overcome.
He believes that the regime in Ukraine is beset by corruption and that the country is not yet ready for EU membership.

Ukraine’s EU membership status-:
Accession to the EU is a long-drawn process, where a country has to fulfill several governance-related and other requirements.
If we exclude the six founding members, on average, it took about nine years for each of the other 21 members to gain membership.
For Ukraine’s membership to go through, it will have to be approved by the Parliaments of all the EU nations, including Hungary.


Why the EU aid package is important-:

• President Zelensky is extremely worried about war fatigue eroding support for Ukraine’s resistance to Russia, especially in the U.S.
• Reports indicate that a substantial number of Republican lawmakers — and their followers — are losing patience with the lack of military successes and are concerned about funneling American taxpayer dollars into a conflict that is increasingly looking like a war their side cannot win.
• The Republicans want President Joe Biden to tighten immigration policy in exchange for their support on approving a further $61 billion of aid to Ukraine.
• Presidential elections are due next year, and a victory for Donald Trump and his ‘America First’ foreign policy could bring an end to the generous U.S. aid for the Ukrainian war effort.
• This leaves a relatively small window for Mr. Zelensky to not only obtain whatever financial aid he can but also secure binding political support —such as membership in the EU, NATO, and so on — which would more readily translate into financial and military aid.

Global coal demand likely to decline: IEA

GS Paper 2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Context:
Despite production of coal reaching a record this year, global demand is expected to decline by 2026, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.

Reasons of Decline:
This decline is set to be driven by a major expansion of renewable energy capacity.


Highlights of the report:

• The global demand for coal rising by 1.4% in 2023, surpassing 8.5 billion tonnes for the first time.
• This increase, however, masks stark differences among regions.
• While demand in the European Union and the United States is expected to drop by 20% each.
• It is expected to rise by 8% in India and 5% in China in 2023 due to electricity demand and diminished generation of hydroelectric power.
• The use of unabated coal would need to fall significantly faster to drive down emissions at a rate consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Domestic coal production has long been the cornerstone of energy security policy for China and India.
• Five global North countries - the US, Canada, Australia, Norway, and the UK - account for a significant 51% of the planned expansion from new oil and gas fields through 2050.

Context-:
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Varanasi, his Parliamentary constituency to participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme at Barki Gram Sabha of Sewapuri development block.

Details-:
In a short span of just one month, the Yatra has reached more than 2.50 crore citizens across 68,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country.
Further, nearly 2 crore individuals have taken Viksit Bharat Sankalp and over 2 Crore beneficiaries of Central Government Schemes have shared their experiences under the ‘Meri Kahani Meri Zubani’ initiative.
People can take the ‘Sankalp’ (pledge) by filling out a form on the scheme’s website and then downloading a certificate.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra-:
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is a government initiative being undertaken across the country, to raise awareness about and track the implementation of flagship central schemes, such as Ayushman Bharat, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Surkasha Bima, PM SVANidhi, etc.
The program is being undertaken with the active involvement of various Union ministries and state governments.

Aim-:
The Scheme has four aims:

1. Reach out to the vulnerable who are eligible under various schemes but have not availed benefit so far;
2. Dissemination of information and generating awareness about schemes;
3. Interaction with beneficiaries of government schemes through their personal stories/ experience sharing; and
4. Enrolment of potential beneficiaries through details ascertained during the Yatra.”

Noma Disease

Context:
World Health Organization (WHO) announced the inclusion of noma (cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis) in its official list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

About Noma Disease:

• Noma is a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth and face.
• Its pathogenesis is linked with non-specific polymicrobial organisms and a range of modifiable risk factors and underlying social determinants shared with other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
• Noma mainly affects children aged 2−6 years old and is found most commonly among those living in poor communities.
• Africa is the most affected continent, although cases have also been reported in Asia, the Americas and other regions.
• It may also manifest in immunocompromised adults, stemming from conditions like HIV, leukaemia, and other illnesses.
• Initially appearing as a soft tissue lesion (a sore) in the gums, it progresses into acute necrotizing gingivitis, swiftly damaging soft tissues and advancing to involve the hard tissues and facial skin.
• It's commonly regarded as an opportunistic disease and isn't typically transmitted between individuals.
• Cases have been observed not only in African regions but also across Asia, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.
• Research suggests that the causative agents of noma comprise various non-specific polymicrobial organisms.
• No documented evidence supports direct person-to-person transmission.