{"id":74758,"date":"2026-05-23T21:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=74758"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:16:14","slug":"news-in-short-23-05-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-05-2026\/news-in-short-23-05-2026","title":{"rendered":"News In Short 23-05-2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Public Accounts Committee (PAC)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) convened recently under the chairmanship of K. C. Venugopal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Public Accounts Committee (PAC<\/strong><strong>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The PAC is one of Parliament\u2019s oldest financial committees and was first constituted in <strong>1921<\/strong> following the <strong>Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It consists of <strong>22 members<\/strong>: 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. By convention, the <strong>chairperson<\/strong> of the PAC is from the Opposition.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The committee examines government expenditure and ensures that public funds sanctioned by Parliament are spent properly.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It also scrutinises reports submitted by the <strong>Comptroller and Auditor General of India<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Committee may also inquire into irregularities in public finance which have been brought to the notice of the government but have not been audited yet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/reconstituted-pac-meets-bjp-objects-to-panel-taking-up-issuessuomotu\/article71011835.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>India Backs Ethiopia\u2019s WTO Entry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India and Ethiopia signed a bilateral accession protocol in Geneva as part of Ethiopia\u2019s process of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WTO accession is the process through which a non-member country becomes a member of the WTO.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The process involves:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>submission of an application to the WTO,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>formation of a Working Party to examine the country\u2019s trade policies,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>aligning domestic trade and economic laws with WTO rules, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>negotiating market-access commitments with existing WTO members.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After negotiations are completed, the accession terms are approved by WTO members and ratified by the applicant country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ethiopia applied for membership of the WTO in 2003 and is currently at an advanced stage of the WTO accession process.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>World Trade Organization (WTO)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WTO<\/strong> is the international organization that deals with the rules of trade between countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>History:<\/strong><strong>WTO <\/strong>is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) established in the wake of the Second World War.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Marrakesh Agreement<\/strong> establishing the World Trade Organization was signed by 123 countries in 1994, leading to the birth of the WTO on 1 January <strong>1995.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Headquarters:<\/strong> Geneva, Switzerland<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Member: <\/strong>The WTO is run by its 166 members.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mandate: <\/strong>Its aim is to promote free trade, which is done through trade agreements that are discussed and signed by the member states.\u00a0\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The preamble<\/strong> of the Marrakesh Agreement accords primacy to the developmental objectives of this organization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2264383&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=2#:~:text=India%20and%20Ethiopia%20signed%20the,the%20signing%20ceremony%20took%20place.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Myopia Pandemic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By 2050, approximately<strong> 4.75 billion people,<\/strong><strong>nearly half the world\u2019s population, are expected to be myopic.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The prevalence of myopia among<strong> urban children in India has increased from 4.44% in 1999 to 21.15% in 2019 <\/strong>and is projected to rise to nearly <strong>48% by 2050.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Myopia <\/strong>is primarily a <strong>refractive condition <\/strong>caused by <strong>excessive axial elongation of the eye.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In a myopic eye, the <strong>axial length,<\/strong> which is the distance between the front and back of the eye, <strong>becomes too long.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a result, incoming light rays focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it,<strong> causing distant objects to appear blurred.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2cdba\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"655\" height=\"980\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-166.png\" alt=\"myopia pandemic\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-74760\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2cdba; aspect-ratio:0.6683840423309894;width:266px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-166.png 655w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-166-201x300.png 201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Concave lenses, either in the form of spectacles or contact lenses,<\/strong> are used to shift the focus back onto the retina and restore clear vision.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concerns:<\/strong> As the axial length of the eye increases, the tissues of the eye, including the sclera, choroid, and retina, undergo stretching and thinning. This <strong>increases the risk of retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early cataract formation.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High myopia, generally defined as a refractive error of \u22126 dioptres or greater, is associated with <strong>potentially irreversible visual impairment and blindness.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prevention:<\/strong> Research suggests that<strong> more outdoor time may help reduce progression risk.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regular eye exams are important, especially in school-age children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/the-myopia-pandemic-how-changing-childhoods-are-blurring-our-future\/article70977912.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Urban Heat Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An intense heatwave across north and central India has highlighted concerns over the <strong>Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is an Urban Heat Island?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is an area in which the <strong>temperature is higher than in surrounding rural areas<\/strong> due to human activities and infrastructure.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>UHI could lead to temperature differences of <strong>up to six degrees centigrade<\/strong> within a given area or neighbourhood.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"97b8a1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"557\" height=\"335\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-10.webp\" alt=\"urban heat island\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-74759\" style=\"--dominant-color: #97b8a1; width:389px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-10.webp 557w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-10-300x180.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Factors Responsible for Urban Heat Islands<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Built Environment:<\/strong> The materials used in urban construction, such as concrete and asphalt, absorb and retain heat, raising local temperatures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced Vegetation:<\/strong> Urban areas typically have fewer trees and green spaces compared to rural areas, which reduces the cooling effect of shade and transpiration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Activities:<\/strong> Activities like transportation, industry, and energy consumption release heat into the environment, further elevating temperatures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Altered Surface Characteristics:<\/strong> Urbanization often involves replacing natural surfaces with artificial ones, which alters the surface reflectivity (albedo) and thermal properties, contributing to increased heat absorption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Heat exhaustion and heatstroke<\/strong>, particularly among vulnerable populations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy Consumption:<\/strong> Increased demand for cooling, which escalates energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Management:<\/strong> UHIs disrupt local water cycles by altering evaporation rates and reducing groundwater recharge.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/climate-change\/delhi-temperatures-may-touch-45c-as-campaigner-claims-paved-ghaziabad-locality-recorded-50c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) convened recently under the chairmanship of K. C. Venugopal.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About Public Accounts Committee (PAC) <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The PAC is one of Parliament\u2019s oldest financial committees and was first constituted in 1921 following the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It consists of 22 members: 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. By convention, the chairperson of the PAC is from the Opposition.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The committee examines government expenditure and ensures that public funds sanctioned by Parliament are spent properly.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/uncategorized\/23-05-2026\/news-in-short-23-05-2026 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74758"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74766,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74758\/revisions\/74766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}