DAILY G.A UPDATE : 09-11-2016
1. Indian-American Krishnamoorthi wins US Congressional election
Indian-American Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi won the Congressional election from Illinois, defeating Republican former Elmhurst Mayor Peter DiCianni.
Krishnamoorthi, 43, won the Chicago-area US House of Representatives seat, the 8th Congressional District, vacated by Tammy Duckworth who won Illinois' US Senate seat.
New Delhi-born Krishnamoorthi, a laboratory executive, has parental roots in Chennai. He was endorsed by US President Barack Obama.
He is the second Hindu-American to be elected to the US House of Representatives.
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu-American in the US Congress, is seeking her third term from Hawaii.
Krishnamoorthi and DiCianni were both trying to win the seat vacated by Tammy Duckworth who won Illinois' US Senate seat.
Krishnamoorthi had received 81,263 votes against his rivals 54,149 votes when almost 80 per cent of the votes were counted for the eighth Congressional district of Illinois.
Successful in his second attempt, Krishnamoorthi is only the second India-born member of the Congress after Dalip Singh Soundh in 1950. The two other Indian-Americans elected to the House of Representatives - Bobby Jindal and Dr Ami Bera - were born in the US. Bera is seeking his third consecutive term from California.
Krishnamoorthi, who previously was the policy director and a senior advisor for Barack Obama's 2004 US Senate campaign, and served as an advisor to Obama's 2008, served as Deputy Treasurer of Illinois from 2007-2009 under Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and in 2010 ran for the Democratic nomination for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to David E Miller by less than one per cent of the vote.
2. Kamala Harris is elected California's new U.S. senator
California voters elected the state’s first new U.S. senator in 24 years, and made history in the process.
State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris won the race, according to the Associated Press, becoming the first black politician in history to represent California in the Senate.
With Harris cemented as the solid front-runner and Democratic Party favorite, challenger Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) embraced the role of the underdog and attempted to stitch together support from Latinos, Republicans and moderates. But hampered by an underfunded campaign and missteps, her effort failed to take hold.
The Harris-Sanchez Senate race was the first major test of California’s “top-two” primary system, an experiment in democracy that California voters approved in 2010 in an effort to reduce the highly partisan influence of the Democratic and Republican parties and give independents and moderates more clout in the political process.
But having two Democrats face off in the general election also may have dampened interest. Perhaps because a Democrat was guaranteed to win no matter the outcome and not sway the overall balance of power in the Senate, the race failed to entice well-heeled donors or deep-pocketed super PACs, unlike other hot Democrat-versus-Republican Senate contests across the nation.
The Senate race also was largely eclipsed by the daily theatrics and turbulence of the nation's presidential race, leaving up to a third of California voters undecided just months before Election Day.
Harris, the first woman elected as California attorney general, will succeed Democrat Barbara Boxer, who is retiring after serving four terms in the U.S. Senate.
3. RSP leader Ramakrishna Pillai passes away
Former state minister and RSP leader V P Ramakrishna Pillai passed away. He was 86.
He was twice elected to the Assembly from Eravipuram in Kollam district in 1987 and 1996.
He was the labour and irrigation minister in the LDF ministry headed by the late E K Nayanar in 1996.
Pillai, a trade union activist, was RSP state secretary between 2008 and 2012.
He also served as director of Kerala Co-operative Bank, Kerala State Warehousing Corporation and and Kerala State Coir Marketing Federation.
4. India, UK partner for USD 80m Newton Fund research programme
India and the UK announced a Newton Fund research programme worth up to USD 80 million to jointly address global societal challenges.
The announcement was made here by Jo Johnson, the UKs Minister for Universities, Science and Innovation.
The Minister also launched the first annual USD 1 million Newton Prize, which will recognise the Newton Funds best science or innovation that promote economic development and social welfare of partner countries.
For 2017, the prize is open to entries from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam which focus on the grand societal challenge of public health and well-being, covering issues such as anti-microbial resistance, disease, healthcare, and nutrition.
5. India's first LNG-powered bus rolls out in Kerala
Scripting a new chapter in the country's transport sector which moves towards clean fuel, India's first liquefied natural gas-driven bus was launched in Kerala.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan jointly flagged off the first pilot run of the eco-friendly bus on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the Group of Ministers, set up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The LNG-driven bus was rolled out as part of the Centre's plans to use LNG, considered to be a cleaner and safer fuel which emits 50 per cent less carbon, for mass transportation.
It has been a joint effort of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Tata Motors Ltd to introduce LNG as a fuel in commercial vehicles in the state capital.
As it is a pilot project, the LNG-driven bus will run on a trial basis before it can be certified for commercial application.
6. Allama is India's entry for ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at IFFI
National award winning director TS Nagabharanas "Allama" has been nominated as India’s entry for the International Council for Film, Television and Audio-visual Communication (ICFT) UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The film is about the 12th century meta-physician, Yogi Allama, a son of a temple dancer who embarks on a quest for knowledge and answers to his four core sentiments, yearning, and failures and self-realisation.
ICFT Paris in collaboration with UNESCO will award the film that best reflects the Gandhi ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence, a prestigious Gandhi Medal and Certificate.
This competition section shall have eight films including "Allama" that will compete to receive the prestigious ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal.
Other films that will compete in this section are "A Real Vermeer", "Beluga", "Cold of Kalandar", "Exiled", "Harmonia", "The Apology" and "The Family: Dementia".
7. Donald Trump Elected 45th President of the United States
Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States.
Trump becomes the first person without political or military experience to be elected President. In a pre-written acceptance speech, Trump attempted to reach across the aisle by first thanking Clinton for her service to the country.
The surprise outcome, defying late polls that showed Hillary Clinton with a modest but persistent edge, threatened convulsions throughout the country and the world, where skeptics had watched with alarm as Mr. Trump’s unvarnished overtures to disillusioned voters took hold.
The triumph for Mr. Trump, 70, a real estate developer-turned-reality television star with no government experience, was a powerful rejection of the establishment forces that had assembled against him, from the world of business to government, and the consensus they had forged on everything from trade to immigration.
8. RBI issues new series of Rs. 500, Rs. 2,000 currency notes
Taking the nation by surprise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetization of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes. Along with this it was also announced that the new notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 will be issued.
Stone grey coloured Rs. 500 currency notes and magenta coloured Rs. 2,000 currency notes will be put into circulation by the Reserve Bank of India following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes now in use will no longer be legal tender.
The predominant new theme of the Rs. 500 note is the heritage site of Red Fort.
The RBI said it is introducing the new design banknotes of Rs. 2,000 denomination as part of Mahatma Gandhi (new) series. It has motif of ‘Mangalyan’ (ISRO’s Mars mission) on the reverse, depicting the country’s first venture in interplanetary space.
Both the new notes will have the logo as well as slogan of Modi’s pet programnme ‘Swachh Bharat’on the reverse.
Once the new notes are put into circulation, the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes, which are hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements, will become just worthless pieces of paper, the PM said in his address to the nation. The rights and the interests of honest, hard-working people will be fully protected, he added.
