Which country won the 2nd edition of Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships?

The Madhya Pradesh government has taken the ordinance route to increase reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 14% to 27%. In this regard, Governor Anandiben Patel has recently signed the ordinance to amend the Madhya Pradesh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatioyon aur Anya Pichhade Vargon ke Liye Arakshan) Adhiniyam, 1994. With this, MP is possibly the only state in India to have 27% quota for OBCs. At present, the state provides 20% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs), 16% to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 14% to OBCs. OBCs are estimate to constitute nearly 52% of the state's population, and OBC groups have often demanded an increase in reservation to reflect their strength in the state.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launched three important centre's set up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT Madras on 25 January 2019. The first one is the 'DST -IITM Solar Energy Harnessing Centre'. The second centre is the 'DST-IITM Water -IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER'. The third centre is the 'Testbed on Solar thermal desalination solutions'.

Indian Space Research Organization is planning to send a probe to study the sun early next year. ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan currently scientists are exploring possibilities to study more about Sun and the probe named Aditya-L1 will be sent to observe the solar corona, the outer layers of the Sun. The satellite would be ed in a halo orbit around the L1 (Lagrangian point A) of the Sun-Earth system so that it has the advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation or eclipses. The L1 is 1.5 million kms from t the mission to send Indian astronauts to space by 2022 is well on stream.

In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar has recently celebrated on April 17, 2019. The day marks the oath taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur. On this day in 1971, senior leaders of the liberation movement of Bangladesh had assembled at Baidyanathtala to form the provisional government of independent Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was declared the President in absentia as he was arrested and flown to Pakistan after the Pakistan military crackdown on the then 'East Pakistan' on the night of March 25, 1971. The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.

Spain's Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a third consecutive year, and record fourth in total, by beating Abu Dhabi side Al Ain in the final. Real now hold the record for most victories in the competition, which was first held in 2000, moving one clear of Spanish rivals Barcelona.

Indian Coast Guard vessel Veera commissioned by General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff in the presence of Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rajendra Singh, Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Karambir Singh and other senior dignitaries of the central and state government in a ceremony organised at Eastern Naval Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Veera, the third in the series of the new generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) is under the administrative and operational command of the coast guard regional headquarters. This is indigenously designed and built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. at its shipbuilding facility at Kattupali in Chennai. The 98 meters long, 15-metre wide patrol vessel has a 3.6-metre draft and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.

The article titled 'Coalgate 2.0' authored by Nileena M S and published in The Caravan magazine in March 2018 has won the ACJ Award for Investigative Journalism, 2018. The award, which comprises a trophy, a citation, and Rs. 2,00,000 cash prize. It was presented to the winner by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg News, who was the chief guest at the journalism school's annual convocation ceremony. On 3rd May, the final jury comprising Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Nilita Vachani and Dr A R Venkatachalapathy unanimously decided on Nileena's work as the winner. The article is has been recognised for its detailed, exhaustive and persuasive investigation and its clear exposition. It also met the criteria of what comprises a solid work of investigative journalism, combining extensive research uncovering new evidence to reveal a truth, hitherto unknown to most, and of essential public interest.

Filmmaker and former director of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), John Sankaramangalam, died due to age related ailments in Thiruvalla, Kerala. John Sankaramangalam was 84 years old. He hailed from Pathanamthitta in Kerala. He had received two National and four Kerala State Film Awards. He had directed several experimental movies and documentaries. He had secured a diploma in direction and screenplay writing from FTII. Later, he became the director of FTII.

NASA's Anne McClain and Nick Hague took a spacewalk on 22nd March to replace ageing batteries on the International Space Station. Two American astronauts worked for several hours to swap three nickel-hydrogen batteries with more powerful lithium-ion ones. The duo overcame minor struggles in their first task, which involved attaching a tool bag on one of the station's trusses for possible future use. The space station uses solar panels to generate power but the batteries are used when it is in the dark and not getting power from the sun.