More dead turtles, dolphins, whales wash ashore in SL

by Argus News

Colombo, June 26: A total of 118 turtles, 17 dolphins and four whales have died and washed ashore on Sri Lanka's beaches in recent weeks following the burning of the X-Press Pearl container ship, the Department of Wildlife Conservation said.

In a statement on Friday, the Department said that the initial post-mortem carried out on the dead marine species revealed the likely cause of death was due to the seepage of chemicals into the ocean resulting from the burning of the vessel, reports Xinhua news agency.

Wildlife officials said according to the initial post-mortem, the deaths of marine species were not natural deaths, and evidence of breathing difficulties prior to death was apparent.

Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Ratnayake said further investigations into the death of marine species were being carried out, while the Department of Wildlife Conservation added that the final report will be produced in the court soon following investigations carried out by the government analyst.

Ministry spokesperson Nimal Yatiwela quoted in the local Ceylon Today said a total of 118 turtle deaths, 17 dolphin deaths and four whale deaths had been reported and certain external burns on these species had made it evident that it was not death by a natural cause.

The X-Press Pearl ship, registered under the flag of Singapore was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira in India on May 15.

The vessel sent out a distress call while being close to the Colombo Port on May 20 and soon caught fire.

The Marine Environment Protection Authority said the burning of the vessel had caused a massive environmental disaster as beaches from the south coast along the western coast had been damaged due to the debris which was washed ashore.

A criminal probe is underway to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

(IANS)

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Madhya Pradesh Assembly Results: BJP Leading On 73 Seats, Congress On 28 Seats

by Swati Sucharita

Bhopal, Dec 3: The latest trends in Madhya Pradesh show that the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading on 73 seats and Congress on 28 seats in the state.

Union Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia arrives at the residence of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Bhopal.

As per the latest official EC trends, BJP is leading on 73 seats and Congress on 28 in the state.

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said that he is "confident" about his party forming the government.

Speaking to the reporters here, the Congress leader said that he has 'trust' in the voters of the state.

"I have not seen any trends; I don't need to look at any trends till 11 am. I am very confident; I trust the voters of Madhya Pradesh..." he said.

However, it is to be noted that all leads now are based on the counting of postal ballots.

The BJP fought the poll under a largely collective leadership while Congress projected former Chief Minister Kamal Nath as its chief ministerial face.

Nath has been the MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president for several years. He has represented the

Chhindwara parliamentary seat for nine terms since 1980, becoming one of the longest-serving MPs in the country.

In a run to the assembly polls, Nath targeted Chouhan for his alleged misgovernance, corruption, and failure to control crimes against women, tribals, and Dalits, focusing his campaign on hyperlocal issues, even as the

Congress made several pro-poor and pro-farmer welfare promises.

The counting of votes of assembly elections held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17 began at 8 am on Sunday.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections were held on November 17, 2023, to elect all 230 members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Voting was carried out in a single phase.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) stand as the primary political forces. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati and the Samajwadi Party (SP) also hold significance in the state's political landscape.

Most exit-poll projections released on Thursday put the BJP in the lead, with the Congress seen to be coming up short and not cashing in on the 'anti-incumbency' as they had hoped to. Some exit polls, however, gave an advantage to the Congress party.

Also read Assembly Results: BJP Leading On 23 seats In Chhattisgarh

Early counting trends in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday showed the BJP had taken a commanding lead in 37 seats according to results put out by the Election Commision of India.

Meanwhile, Congress was leading in 7 seats according to the trends put out by the EC at 9:30 am.

Read more National News

The first phase was held in 20 constituencies on November 7 with 223 candidates in the contest while the polling in the remaining constituencies with 958 candidates were held in the second phase on November 17.

The voter turnout for both phases combined was 76.31 per cent, slightly lower than the 2018 polls. In the first phase, 78 per cent of voter turnout was recorded and in the second phase, it was 75.88 per cent.

The four main contenders in the Chhattisgarh Elections 2023 are the BJP, Congress, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Other regional outfits like the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), Hamar Raj Party (HRP) and the Left parties are also in the contest.

(ANI)

Bihar's Tradition Of Men Being Kidnapped For Marriage Back In News

by Swati Sucharita

Patna, Dec 3: ‘Forced marriage’ or ‘Pakadwa Vivah’ is again in the news these days in Bihar after one such case was reported from Vaishali district in the state.

However, the practice of this kind of marriage in Bihar is quite old. After ‘Pakadwa Vivah’, many couples are living a contented married life while several marriages have broken down.

In, 'Pakadwa Vivah’, neither the consent of the boy nor the girl is taken for marriage. Boys are taken hostage by kidnapping or coaxing and then married to a girl as per customs and traditions. In this, the wishes of the boy and girl, who become bride and groom, have no importance.

Recently, a case of a newly appointed teacher of a government school being forced to marry has come to light in the Patepur police station area of Vaishali district of Bihar. Before this incident, the Patna High Court had given a decision against forced marriage in November.

It is said that in the 1970s and 80s, this type of marriage was conducted very frequently. There were many districts of Bihar where this marriage was prevalent. Such areas include Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Jehanabad, Nawada.

If we look at the statistics, in previous years, 2000-3000 such cases were registered in the police records in a year. However, these also include many cases of love affairs.

According to senior citizens, the main reason for this was that people were unable to marry their daughters to employed men due to their inability to pay dowry. However, they wanted to marry their daughters in a good family, and hence this type of marriage was started by them.

Earlier, ‘Pakadwa marriages’ were organised as a social initiative, but after criminal gangs got involved, people started getting their daughters married to boys after kidnapping them with the help of criminals. It is said that around 1990, this trend completely came into the clutches of criminals.

Annu Kumari, a resident of Gopalganj and a sociology researcher at BHU, told IANS that the biggest reason for forced marriage is the demand for dowry and illiteracy among girls. In such a situation, the parents are inclined towards such marriages despite their reluctance. She said that only a few cases come to light these days because nowadays girls are also educated and are taking their own decisions in life.

Kumari Shalini, professor of psychology at ITI Bihta, believes that this type of marriage is a result of feudal ideology. This trend is seen in Bihar. She says that it would also be considered a perversion where people think that by marrying off the girl they are relieved of their burden. However, she also said that now these practices are decreasing.

More dead turtles, dolphins, whales wash ashore in SL

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