Table of Contents:
1. Saudi Arabia to send its first woman into space
2. Akbar Kakkattil Award 2023 winner – Subash Chandran 
3. 22^nd President of Bangladesh - Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu 
4. Khanan Pahari – Mobile Application for Reporting Unauthorised Coal Mining Activities

Saudi Arabia to send its first woman into space

Saudi Arabia will send its first ever woman astronaut - Rayyana Barnawi, on a space mission later this year. Rayyana is to travel to the International Space Station along with Ali Al-Qarni, a fighter jet pilot. As per the Official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Report it is a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), said adding that they will fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. It is part of a mission by the private space company Axiom Space. 

The crew will be launched to the ISS by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Along with them will be Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who will be making her fourth flight to the ISS, and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee who will serve as pilot. 

The Royal Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan Bin Salman was the first Saudi Arabian to travel to space in 1985. He too travelled in a US-organized space flight.

Akbar Kakkattil Award 2023 winner – Subash Chandran

Writer Subhash Chandran’s novel Samudrashila has been chosen for the Akbar Kakkattil Award. Samudrasila was picked by a jury comprising of writer Sethu, Dr Mini Prasad and KC Narayanan. Novels released in the past five years were considered for the award. The award is given by Akbar Kakkatil Trust. The award comprises of Rs 50,000 and a sculpture designed by Paul Kallanod.

Subash Chandran

• Malayalam novelist, short story writer and journalist 

• Important works: Ghatikarangal Nilaykunna Samayam, Manushyanu Oru Aamukham, Samudrashila, Parudeesa Nashtam, Thalpam, Bloody Mary, Vihitham, Kaanunna nerathu, Das Capital 

• Awards Received: 

          Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, 2001: Ghatikarangal Nilaykunna Samayam(Story)

          Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, 2011: Manushyanu Oru Amukham (Novel) 

          Odakkuzhal Award, 2011: Manushyanu Oru Amukham 

          Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, 2014: Manushyanu Oru Amukham 

          Vayalar Award, 2015: Manushyanu Oru Amukham 

          Padmarajan Award, 2019: Samudrashila 

          O. V. Vijayan award for best novel, 2020: Samudrashila 

22^nd President of Bangladesh - Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu 

A former judge and freedom fighter, Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, was elected unopposed as Bangladesh’s 22^nd President. A gazette was issued on the appointment of the new Bangladesh President by the Chief Election Commissioner. According to the country’s Chief Election Commission, 74-year-old Chuppu will replace President Mohammad Abdul Hamid. The tenure of incumbent Hamid, the longest-serving president of Bangladesh, will end on April 23. According to the Constitution, he cannot hold a third term. 
 

Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu 

• Born in the northwestern Pabna district

• Leader of Awami League's student and youth wings in the late 1960s and early 1970s

• Took part in the 1971 Liberation War  

• Imprisoned for waging a protest after the August 15, 1975 assassination of Bangladesh's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahma 

•  In 1982, he was inducted into the country's judicial service

Bangladesh  

• Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina 

• Currency: Bangladeshi Taka  

• Capital: Dhaka 

Khanan Pahari – Mobile Application for Reporting Unauthorised Coal Mining Activities 

To curb illegal mining in the country, Government of India launched a new mobile application and a surveillance system. The mobile app launched is called KHANAN PRAHARI and the surveillance system is Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS). 

Khanan Pahari 

• Mobile app for reporting Illegal coal mining activity 

• It can be reported to the concerned authorities from the respective place of incidents in the coalfield area with 100 meters buffer

• One can upload geo-tagged photographs of the incident along with textual information directly to the system

• satellite data and human information will be used to capture information on the unauthorised mining activities

• Once reported, the information will be automatically directed to the nodal officers to take suitable action

• The complainant can track his complaint through the system

• The identity of the complainant shall not be revealed

Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) 

• Basic objective: Reporting, monitoring and taking suitable action on unauthorised coal mining activities

• Web based GIS application through which location of sites for unauthorised mining can be detected

•  The complaint originating from coal mines allotted to Coal India will go to Coal India Offices and those originating from coal blocks not allotted to Coal India will go straight to the State Government Officers and for each complaint the alert will also go to the District Magistrate and SP of the district