1) Smriti Irani Launches GNFC’s Neem Project In UP
•Since 2015, GNFC, through its Neem Project has collected over 45,000 tonnes of neem seeds by engaging 4.5 lakh rural women in over 60 districts of five states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
2) India Forms Committee To Reform Higher Defence Planning
•The committee is aimed at driving the country’s military and national security strategy, draft capability development plans and guide and accelerate defence equipment acquisitions. The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chief of the Staff Committee (CISC) will be the member secretary of the committee.
3) Gujarat Launches Pocket Cop Project
•The Gujarat police unveiled the Pocket Cop project, which will enable quicker verification of passport applicants, and search of accused persons, among others. The project was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar.
•Under the project, smartphones with data connectivity will be given to 4,900 police personnel, including every police station in-charge, investigating officer, PCR van, and those involved in passport verification.
4) Bangalore Emerges As Top City For Office Expansion: CBRE
•In India, Bangalore has emerged as the most preferred city for office expansion, according to a survey by real estate consulting firm, CBRE South Asia.
•MNCs are focusing on expanding in Bangalore and smaller cities across the country, but have limited growth plans in the Delhi NCR and Mumbai, according to the CBRE Asia Pacific Occupier Survey 2018.
5) Swaziland King Changes Country's Name To 'Kingdom Of ESwatini'
•Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, officially changed the name of his country to the ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’. Accordingly, the country, a member of the Commonwealth, will now be known by its historic name of eSwatini.
•The announcement was made during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the King’s 50th birthday as well as the 50th anniversary of Swazi’s independence from British colonial rule.
6) US Senate Narrowly Confirms Trump's New NASA Chief
•Jim Bridenstine, a congressman from Oklahoma, US Navy veteran, and former pilot, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote and will become the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seven months after Trump named him to lead the agency.
•Bridenstine, 42, has expressed an interest in returning humans back to the moon, spoken of closer ties between NASA and the commercial space industry, and has voiced skepticism about human-caused climate change.
7) Daniel Ricciardo Wins Chinese Grand Prix 2018
•The 2018 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo won the race ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen.
•The race was the third round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship and marked the fifteenth time that the Chinese Grand Prix has been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship.
