• Relations between India, the world's largest democracy, and the Maldives, one of the world's newest democracies, are still at risk of derailment. The 'India Out' campaign, supported by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) of the opposition, is in full swing in the Maldives, which has more than a thousand islands.

Reason for anti-India campaign

• This campaign says that India's military officers and equipment should be removed from the Maldives. This campaign started in 2018.

• Then the then President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen asked India to take two of its helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

• These helicopters and aircraft were kept by India for search and rescue operations in Maldives.

• Maldives then said that if India has gifted it, then the pilots on it should be from Maldives and not from India.

campaign in favor of china

• Concerns have always been raised about China's debt in the Maldives.

• Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has been a big supporter of China. Due to which he was also prosecuted for intentionally supporting China unethically and he was also sent to jail.

• Yameen is angry with India as to why India did not protest against sending him to jail.

Maldives important for India

• Maldives is a strategically important destination for China.

• The sea in which Maldives is strategically situated is very important. China's presence in Maldives is part of its strategy in the Indian Ocean. In 2016, Maldives gave a 50-year lease of an island to a Chinese company for just $4 million.

• On the other hand, Maldives is no less important for India. Maldives is very close to India and if China sets foot there, then it is natural for India to be worried. Maldives is about 700 km from Lakshadweep in India and 1200 km from the mainland of India.

• In the opposite situation, it will be easier for China to keep an eye on India from Maldives. Maldives has signed a free trade agreement with China. This was also a surprise step for India. It is clear from this how far Maldives is from India and how close it is to China.

• Scientists have found such a dinosaur egg, in which the embryo was fully developed and it was in the process of breaking out of the egg.

• It's like breaking a hen's egg and a chick comes out.

• The egg was found in Ganzhou, southern China, and researchers estimate that the embryo may be at least 66 million years old.

• It is believed to be the embryo of a toothless theropod dinosaur or an oviraptorosaur. Oviraptorosaurus, which means - egg-stealing lizard.

• This fetus has been named 'Baby Yengliang'.

Oviraptorosaurus

• These were feathered dinosaurs.

• They lived in what is today part of Asia and North America.

• This was the last period of the Cretaceous period, when these dinosaurs were found.

• India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla has arrived in Myanmar on a two-day visit. During this tour he will visit Naypyitaw and Yangon.

• Shringla will meet with the President of the State Administrative Council, General Aung Laing. General Aung Laing overthrew the elected government in February 2021.

India-Myanmar Relations

• The relations between India and Myanmar are centuries old and Buddhism is a strong bond of these relations. The deep impression of Buddhism on the society and culture there is clearly visible. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established after the end of the British rule in 1948.

• Myanmar (at that time Burma) was a province of British India during the British period. Because of this, the relationship between the two was very strong.

• But in March 1962, the army removed the democratic government from power. After this the relations between the two countries started deteriorating. For the next 49 years, the army remained in power and ignored the voices raised for democracy.

• During this, only Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had visited Burma in 1987. After a long struggle, the supporters of democracy won and after the general elections in 2011, Jamhooriyat returned to the country.

• In these elections Aung San Suu Kyi's party came to power, a prominent face of the pro-democracy movement in Burma and studied at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi.

Challenges for India

• India's concerns aside but the attitude of western countries on Myanmar has changed after February 1, 2021. Ever since the military seized power, Western countries, including the US, have imposed strict economic sanctions on the country.

• Due to the closeness India and the US have drawn in recent years, friendship with a country that has been imposed by the US is not easy. But India has extended its hand to Myanmar despite possible US objections. Some experts are also calling it 'Tight Rope Walk'.

• On December 19, 2021, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the end of censorship in cinematic releases.

• To attract foreigners, the UAE administration decided to end censorship.

• As per the latest announcement, the government will not cut sensitive scenes that hurt Islamic sentiments.

• The administration has also introduced a new category 'Above 21 Years' for the viewers.

• Now, films will be screened in cinemas according to their international version and will be classified based on standards for media content in the UAE.

What were the criteria earlier?

• Earlier, scenes showing nudity and other inappropriate content were removed from films in the UAE. This sometimes influenced the plot of the films.

Other Government Decisions to Attract International Employees

• Recently, the government of the United Arab Emirates has changed the working week in the country. The decision was taken because the authorities are trying to promote the UAE to attract international workers. The government also reformed its Islamic legal code. The working week for government employees will be from Monday to Friday and half day on Friday.

• In addition, the UAE has also introduced some social or "secular-leaning reforms". The UAE had decriminalized the consumption of alcohol and allowed cohabitation outside marriage.

• An experiment called "MicroAge" will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.

• The MicroAge Experiment will help people live longer and healthier lives.

• Under this experiment, human cells will be sent into space.

• The experiment will be launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

How would the cells be sent into space?

• Human cells are placed in small 3D containers. These cells will be electrically excited once they reach space. Electrical stimulation will help induce contractions in the muscle tissue. This experiment will help scientists to examine the cells more closely.

Who will analyze these cells?

• These cells will be analyzed by researchers from the University of Liverpool. The research will be funded by the UK Space Agency. The UK Space Agency has provided 1.2 million pounds for the experiment.

Why is this being used?

• It is well known that astronauts rapidly lose muscle mass in space. This has led to speculation whether it is an accelerated aging phenomenon. Astronauts on the space station face a similar problem. Each astronaut on the space station exercises 2.5 hours a day. Despite this, they lose a significant amount of muscle mass. After returning back to Earth, they find it difficult to walk for some time.