Ducks make a splash in Washington

A duck who hatched her brood under the watchful eyes of the US Secret Service took swimmingly to motherhood on Sunday, guiding her 11 duckli...

A duck who hatched her brood under the watchful eyes of the US Secret Service took swimmingly to motherhood on Sunday, guiding her 11 ducklings unerringly to water with the assistance of at least three government departments.

Fittingly for a duck who laid a clutch of eggs at the doorstep of the US Treasury Department, she did it on public land, in Rock Creek Park, the forested ravine that bisects the US capital.

‘‘This is an excellent habitat. We’re happy to take her under our wing,’’ said Laura Illige, the park’s chief ranger.

The duck, a common mallard, laid a clutch of eggs early last month in a mulch pile at Treasury, next door to the White House. She quickly became a star tourist attraction. Treasury Department officials erected security barriers to shield the waterfowl from onlookers and from protesters during an international summit.

The RJD’s key face and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav, party supremo Lalu Yadav’s son, will again contest from his stronghold Raghopur.

Amid Mahagathbandhan crisis, RJD unveils list of 143, drops 36 MLAs, focuses on ‘M-Y’

Political Pulse7 hr ago

The RJD, lead player of the Mahagathbandhan, released its full list of 143 candidates for the November Bihar Assembly elections. Its key face Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur, and 41 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The party has dropped 36 sitting MLAs and fielded young leaders, signaling a bid to consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav vote base. The Congress has fielded 60 candidates.

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