A Democratic candidate is poised to become the first Somali American to serve in the Maine Legislature after her challenger dropped out of the race.

Republican Fred Sanborn-Silvers’ withdrawal last month cleared the path for Democrat Mana Abdi in her bid for Maine House District 95. Another Somali American, South Portland Mayor Deqa Dhalac, is also running for a different House seat.

If either wins, they would make history in the state.

Maine is home to thousands of immigrants from African nations, including many from Somalia who settled in Portland and Lewiston-Auburn. Several have held elected municipal positions, but none have been elected to the Legislature.

Abdi was born in a Kenyan refugee camp after her family fled war in Somalia. She attended Lewiston public schools, graduated from University of Maine at Farmington, and works at Bates College in the Office of Intercultural Education.

Dhalac, the South Portland mayor, also fled Somalia in the early 1990s as war broke out and settled in South Portland, where she served on the City Council. She’s running against Republican Michael Dougherty in House District 120.

India's rice exports could fall by 4-5 million tonnes this fiscal year due to the imposition of ban on broken rice as well as export duty on non-basmati rice, except for parboiled grains, exporters said.

India, which commands 40 per cent share in the global rice trade, exported 21.23 million tonnes of rice in 2021-22 fiscal as against 17.78 million tonnes in the previous year.

Before the COVID pandemic, the exports were 9.51 million tonnes in the 2019-20 fiscal.

During April-August period of the current financial year, the government data showed that the country has already exported 9.35 million tonnes as against 8.36 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

India exported 3.89 million tonnes of broken rice in 2021-22 fiscal and out of that China imported 1.58 million tonnes of broken rice last fiscal year.

Exports of broken rice stood at 2.06 million tonnes in 2020-21, just 2,70,000 tonnes in 2019-20 and 1.22 million tonnes in 2018-19.

In April-August period of this fiscal year, the export of broken rice increased to 2.13 million tonnes from 1.58 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

The notification comes into effect from, Sep 9, 2022.

As per the DGFT notification, provisions under the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 regarding the transitional arrangement shall not be applicable to this notification.

It added that during September 9-15, certain consignments of broken rice will be allowed to be exported.

The government has made no policy change in parboiled rice so that farmers continue to get good remunerative prices.

There is neither a ban nor customs duty on exports of basmati rice.

Shipments of basmati rice fell to 3.94 million tonne in last fiscal from 4.63 million tonne in 2020-21.

However, during April-August of this fiscal, the exports of premium basmati rice went up to 1.82 million tonnes as against nearly 1.7 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

In non-basmati category, exports of parboiled rice increased to 7.43 million tonnes in FY22 from 6.17 million tonnes in the previous fiscal, while shipments of non-parboiled rice rose to 5.21 million tonnes from 4.23 million tonnes.

The uptick in domestic wholesale and retail prices of rice was also one of the reasons cited by the government for imposing restrictions.

The wholesale prices have risen by 8 per cent to Rs 3,291 per quintal as on September 7 from Rs 3,041 per quintal a year ago, while the retail prices have gone up by 6.38 per cent to Rs 37.5 per kg from Rs 35.25 per kg.

Animal feed prices too have also gone up.

Maize price increased from Rs 19 per kg on January 1, 2022 to Rs 24 per kg on September 8, 2022.

Broken rice price has also increased from Rs 16 per kg to Rs 22 per kg during the same period.

On  Sp 8 , the government imposed a 20 per cent export duty on non-basmati rice except for parboiled rice.

According to a notification by the revenue department, an export duty of 20 per cent has been imposed on 'rice in husk (paddy or rough)' and 'husked (brown) rice'.

The export duty comes into effect from September 9.

The area under coverage for the paddy crop has declined by 4.95 per cent to 393.79 lakh hectare in the ongoing kharif season so far due to poor rains in some states.

Paddy was sown in 414.31 lakh hectares (LH) in the year-ago period, the data showed.

It is the main kharif crop and its sowing begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June and harvesting from October onwards.

India's total rice production during 2021-22 crop year (July-June) is estimated at a record 130.29 million tonnes (111.76 million tonnes in kharif and 18.53 million tonnes in rabi season) as against 124.37 million tonnes in the previous year.

The food ministry has said  has that the country's rice production in kharif (summer sown) could fall by 6-7 million tonnes but the country would still have surplus output.

The Centre is sitting on a stock of 47 million tonnes of rice, including rice equivalent of unmilled paddy, as of July 1.

The buffer stock requirement is to have 13.5 million tonnes of rice as of July 1.

Intel has kicked off work on the new USD 20 billion semiconductor plant in the Ohio state in the US, as President Joe Biden joined the chip-maker and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to celebrate breaking ground in the "Silicon Heartland" in the world's most advanced chip-making facilities.

The chip plant is part of Intel's plans to invest USD 100 billion in Ohio over the next 10 years.

During the first phase, Intel is providing USD 17.7 million for eight proposals from leading institutions and collaborators in Ohio to develop semiconductor-focused education and workforce programmes.

The semiconductor manufacturing site will generate 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 long-term positions in manufacturing and engineering.

The USD 20 billion semiconductor plant is one of the first domestic chip-making facilities after the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act.

Intel had previously delayed the plant's groundbreaking ceremony because its plans largely relied "on funding from the CHIPS Act.

Biden signed the USD 280 billion techs and science bill last month, calling it "a once in a generation investment in America itself."

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik  has launched the official host city logo of the state for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Bhubaneswar is one of the three host cities.

The tournament, scheduled to be held between October 11 and October 30 across Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra, will be the first FIFA women's competition to be held in India.

Expressing his delight at the launch event, Patnaik said, "Odisha is emerging as a leading sports destination and hosting the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2022 is a momentous opportunity for our state.

Q1. Name the person from Jammu and Kashmir who has been who has been appointed to the Rajya Sabha  by the President Draupadi Murmu  ?

1. Ghulam Nabi Azad
2. Farooq Abdullah
3. Gulam Ali
4. Farooq Khan
5. None of These

Q2. Name  the  Democratic candidate who  is poised to become the first Somali American to serve in the Maine Legislature after her challenger dropped out of the race ?

1. Mana Abdi
2. Deqa Dhalac
3. Ayaan Hirsi Ali
4. Monica Ali
5. None of These

Q3. What per cent of global rice trade which India  command ?

1. 10 per cent
2. 20 per cent
3. 30 per cent
4. 40 per cent
5. None of These

Q4. Which of the following party has started 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari  to Kashmir ?

1. BJP
2. Congress
3. TMC
4. JD (U)
5. None of These

Q5. The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is celebrated annually on

1. 1  September
2. 5  September
3. 7 September
4. 10 September
5. None of These

Answers

1----------------------3   Gulam Ali

2----------------------1   Mana Abdi

3-------------------4 40 per cent

4-----------------2   Congress

5------------------4   10 September

President Draupadi Murmu has appointed Gulam Ali to the Rajya Sabha. Ali hails from Jammu and Kashmir.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by Sub-Clause (a), of clause (1) of article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to nominate Shri Gulam Ali to the Council of the state to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nominated members," read a Union Home Ministry notification.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party lauded the appointment saying that now the Jammu and Kashmir community is being recognised after the abrogation of Article 370.

India captain Rohit Sharma gained three slots to be at 14th while Suryakumar Yadav dropped a place to fourth among batters in the ICC T20I rankings issued on Sep 7.

Rohit (612 rating points) climbed three spots after scoring a 41-ball 72 against Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup Super 4 match at the Dubai Interational Cricket Stadium on Sep 6.

However, Suryakumar (775 rating points), apart from his sensational 68 off just 29 balls against Hong Kong, failed to replicate his performances against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the big games.

Star batter Virat Kohli gained four places and is ranked 29th after scoring 60 against Pakistan.

Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (up eight places to 50th) and young pacer Arshdeep Singh (up 28 places to 62nd) have also progressed.

Hardik Pandya remained at fifth spot in the all-rounder's chart.

Topping the batting chart is Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan (815 rating points), who has displaced his teammate and captain Babar Azam (794 rating points).

Rizwan has scored 192 runs in three matches in the Asia Cup and is the leading run getter in the tournament so far.

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka has gained one spot to be placed at number eight, after notching up scores of 20, 35, and 52.

Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz also gained 14 places to be ranked 15th, after his knock of 84 against Sri Lanka in the Super Four clash.

Perfume businessman Piyush Jain, whose premises were raided last year and around Rs 200 crore in cash and 23 kg of gold were seized by central agencies, has been released on bail after spending eight months in jail in Kanpur .

His arrest just before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls had led to a row, with the BJP calling the Kanpur-based perfume trader a "friend" of the Samajwadi Party (SP).

But the opposition party had alleged that Jain belonged to the BJP.

Jain was arrested on December 26 after the raids at his residence led to the recovery of huge cash and other valuables by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI).