A team of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) engineers with support from Indian Navy has successfully plugged a gas leakage on an unmanned offshore platform in Mumbai High South around 180 KM from the sea shore in the Arabian Sea.
A gas leakage was noticed in one of the unmanned wellhead platforms S1-6, in the south field of Mumbai High. As a safety measure, the platform team immediately initiated all remote actions to shut down the well platform and to bleed off the pressure in the pipe lines. Fire-fighting vessels were instantly deployed near the platform to provide water blanketing by continuously spraying water.
Due to extremely bad weather conditions with high wind speeds of up to 35 knots, swell of 3.5 meters and strong surface currents in sea, it was not safe for ONGC team to land at unmanned platform by helicopter or transfer them by Multi Support Vessel. Attempts were however being made to transfer ONGC team to the unmanned platform taking all safety precautions, a statement issued by the ONGC said.
Having exhausted all available options to transfer ONGC team to S1-6 Platform, ONGC approached Indian Navy for help. After detailed discussions between ONGC and Indian Navy, it was decided to winch down ONGC team with the help of Indian Navy commandos.  Â‘Sea king’ helicopter N555 of Indian Navy reached ONGC process platform and took ONGC technical team to S1-6. ONGC team consisting of Mr. BKB Patel, Mr. Sanjib Kumar, Mr. Ravindra Kumar and Mr. S K Khakhalary, well trained in all safety aspects in high seas however, had no previous training or experience of winching down from helicopter. The team displayed extreme courage in adverse conditions, quickly learnt the technique and in synergy with Navy commandos landed on the unmanned well head platform S1-6, the statement said.
Braving rough weather, the team identified the leakage source successfully and safely plugged it within one hour making the well ready to flow. The entire operation was planned and executed with utmost precision. ONGC Team displayed extreme courage, presence of mind and technical acumen in controlling the situation in the least possible time.

The Hijra – tall, athletic, muscular – is conspicuous at the street crossing near my home in Delhi. I get anxious when she approaches my car: the red coloured cheeks, matching lipstick and a glittering orange saree fail to camouflage her masculinity. Her hairy hands pound at the car window and she demands money. I feel extorted. If I were a legislator, my prejudice would pronounce her / him illegal, because my mind floods with repulsion against this shape of sexuality. But being a doctor, I try to understand: what make us so.
Most of us are heterosexual. But our sexuality can manifest in three other ways, often with overlap. First, we could be homo sexual, lesbian or bisexual; second, we could be intersex, when we carry internal organs of one gender, but external organs of the opposite; and third, we could be transgender if we have emotional urge to identify with the opposite gender. 
Let us start at the beginning. We carry 23 pairs of chromosomes in all our cells, the twenty-third pair determines our gender: females carry XX and males have XY chromosomes. At the first dance of fertilization, chromosomes split from their original mates and pair up with new partners. The sex chromosome, XX from the egg splits into X and X and the XY from the sperm, separates into X and Y. The new paring produces either a new male XY or a new female XX. 
When the embryo is six weeks old, the Y chromosome of XY pair signals to the latent embryonic tissue to start differentiating into a male. Testicular tissue sprouts and secrets testosterone, which initiates the formation of what would become future male genitalia: penis, testes and scrotum. The XX pair does not produce testosterone and the embryonic tissue continues to develop into female organs: ovaries, uterus and Fallopian tubes. 
The testosterone and other unknown chemicals also influence the growth of embryonic cells of brain; some cells in male hypothalamus become different from that of a female.
But fetal development is prone to missteps. Chromosomes may combine as XXY or XYY affecting the sexuality of the adult. Or the embryo may produce excessive or insufficient testosterone causing over or under-virilisation.
Disorder of embryonic development result in Intersex. We could carry an XX chromosome with an ovary but have male external genitals or have XY chromosomes with testes but female external genitalia. Or we could carry one ovary and one testes and undeterminable external sex organs.
Genes may also predispose a person to become homosexual, lesbian or transgender. Studies show similar sexual behavior among identical twins; chance of homosexuality in an identical twin of a homosexual male varies from 20% to 60 % in different studies.  Meta-analysis of all available data shows a presence of a marker (called Xq28) on the X chromosome of a significant number of homosexual brothers. And there is higher frequency of homosexuality among uncles and cousins from maternal side. Since these variations are not true in a hundred percent cases, scientists believe, other developmental factors may be at play.
We become sexually different because of our biology, on which we have no control. Should we make such genetic variations illegal? Prejudiced irrational legislation can push innocent individuals into trouble; section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a prime example.
(Dr. Shiban Ganju is the Founder of Save a Mother Foundation. Opinion expressed in the article are his personal. )

President Donald Trump has warned his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani that if Tehran threatened the US again, it will suffer “consequences the likes of which few have ever suffered before”.
The tweet in all-caps was posted on Sunday night and followed an apparent warning by Rouhani, in which he cautioned that Americans “must understand that war with Iran is the mother of all wars and peace with Iran is the mother of all peace”, according to Iranian state media reports.
Rouhani also shared a message for Trump, saying “do not play with the lion’s tail, because you will regret it eternally”.
“In response, the US leader said: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE US AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE AND DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!” “
Trump’s tweet came shortly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered his own blistering speech on Iran’s leaders, accusing the clerics that rule the country of using the country’s revenue to line their own pockets and fund terrorism at the expense of average Iranians, according to CNN.
“To the regime, prosperity, security and freedom for the Iranian people are acceptable casualties in the march to fulfill the Revolution,” Pompeo said on Sunday night at the Ronald Reagan National Library in California.
“The level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government.”
In May, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, which will come into force in August.
Trump criticized the earlier pact and demanded a more aggressive one which restricts the Iranian ballistic missile programme.
The 2015 nuclear agreement, signed by Iran and the P5+1 Group comprising the US, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany, limited Tehran’s nuclear energy programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But now its future is unsure after Washington’s measures.

New Delhi : Virtually kicking of its campaign for the 2019 elections, the Congress on Sunday said it will oust the BJP-led alliance from power and authorised party chief Rahul Gandhi to take a final decision on both pre and post-poll alliances.
 Rahul Gandhi was also announced the party’s face and Prime Ministerial candidate.   The Congress’ decision to forge state-to-state alliances as also a larger alliance was taken at the meeting of an extended Congress Working Committee, also attended by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which discussed a poll strategy with a heavy focus on farmers, youth, women, minorities, backward classes and other weaker sections.    The decision about Rahul Gandhi being the final word on alliances came amid perceptions that Sonia Gandhi had a wider acceptability among present and potential allies and was better placed to negotiate with them.   The CWC discussed preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as also its readiness to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh – where elections will be held at the end of this year. It also discussed Mizoram where elections are due this year.   With the party having suffered electorally due to “indiscreet remarks” of some of its leaders close to elections, Rahul Gandhi emphasised on “gravitas of the language and conduct” and to keeping the party line in mind while making statements.   While he asked party workers not to leave any stone unturned to oust the “failed” Narendra Modi government, party sources said several leaders stressed the need to strengthen the party at the booth-level, and outpace the BJP in poll management.      Announcing the decisions on alliances, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said the party President was also authorised to form a small committee for the purpose, if needed as well as campaign committees and other panels for 2019 elections.    Sources said Gandhi is likely to form a committee with a leader from each state to get feedback on alliances.  The issue of alliances, which is crucial for Congress to come to power again, saw “widespread discussion at the CWC meeting,” said Surjewala, adding that Rahul Gandhi told the meeting that he will negotiate in this regard “without compromising on the interests of Congress” as also the national interest and had no hesitation in forging a “larger alliance”.    Asked about party’s stance to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to people to give all 42 Lok Sabha seats to Trinamool Congress, Surjewala said her statement should not be taken as final posture.    Asked if Rahul Gandhi will be face of the election, he said: “Congress will fight this election under the stewardship, leadership and by putting forward our leader Rahul Gandhi. On that we neither have a doubt, nor we have any second thoughts.    “Naturally the people of India will decide once the Congress becomes the single largest party, touches the magic figure of 200 or more… Naturally the Congress President will be the only face to be projected.   Meanwhile, in her remarks at the meeting, Sonia Gandhi cited “the reign of despair and fear heaped upon India’s deprived and poor” and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rhetoric “shows his desperation reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi government has begun”.    Manmohan Singh said the BJP-led NDA was unlikely to reach the average growth rate achieved by the UPA government.  The CWC also decided to support demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, while Surjewala said it identified some core issues affecting people – farmers’ distress, unemployment, performance of economy, “atrocities” on Dalits, tribals, and women, “indifference” to OBCs,  “failure on foreign policy”, continued disturbance in Kashmir, “lack of institutional integrity” and situation in the northeast  – and decided to build a mass movement.   About 35 members spoke in the meeting that lasted nearly five hours and was the first of the CWC re-constituted by Rahul Gandhi. 

NEW DELHI:Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said the upcoming State capital Amravati would be the “innovation hub’’ of India. Addressing a gathering of investors and businessmen here, Mr Naidu explained the steps his government is taking to make Andhra Pradesh as the number one to live and do business. He said Andhra Pradesh tops all States in the country in ease of doing business index. Â“We are committed to make AP the best state to work and live in the country. We will make it the innovation valley. Amravati will be the hub of this innovation which will comprise nine cities – Media City, Government City, Justice City, Finance City, Knowledge City, Tourism City, Electronics City and Sports City,’’ he said.
“The crucial part of Amravati will be the Amravati Media City (AMC), which will focus on media, entertainment, social media and other cutting edge technologies. This city will act as its hub,” Mr Naidu said at the workshop – “Andhra Pradesh: The Emerging Hub of Indian Media”, organised by the Centre for Strategy and Leadership.
“Our hardships have posed as obstacles, but have not distracted us from taking our minds off our single-minded goal of developing Andhra Pradesh. We have grown significantly at around 10-11% per annum with significant increase in per capita income”.
The Chief Minister stressed that his government is constructing nine cities and the vision is to make them not just the best cities in terms of technology and services, but as ‘Happy Cities’ with a perfect work-life balance for its residents.
“No compromises will be made. These cities will not just be sustainable and state-of-the-art, but will bring out the best in people as these cities will strive to help its residents find a perfect work-life balance so that they can commit themselves to being out the best in themselves,” he said.
On Media City, Mr Naidu said it will act as the hub for four elements — Films and Television, Animation, VFX and Gaming, Digital Advertising and Social Media and Telecom.
“Amravati will be India’s first future city that will fuel the growth of India.  . Amravati will compete with world’s top global cities. It will be hub of all major activities in India. It will also attract other countries and organisations to associate and invest with Amravati. Amravati is already creating a buzz in India and abroad,” said Vikas Sharma, Director, Centre for Strategy and Leadership.
Vision 2036 for Media City at Amaravati is to develop it into a world class media hub with a long term vision to host International events like Cannes Film festival and Grammy awards.
Media City at Amaravati will create around 60,000-65,000 direct jobs by 2036, more than Sangam Media City (Seoul, South Korea), which currently has 40,000 direct jobs and Dubai Media City that currently has 64,000 direct jobs.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday took everyone in the Lok Sabha by surprise when he went and hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi after tearing into the BJP-led government during the no confidence motion.

“I have not an iota of hatred or hard feelings against you. You hate me, I maybe ‘Pappu’ for you. But I love you and respect you because I am the Congress,” Gandhi said at the end of his fiery speech.

He then walked across to the ruling benches and hugged Modi who was also taken by surprise.

The Prime Minister, a little taken aback at first, called Gandhi back and shook hands with him with a pat on his back. The two exchanged some words.

As the opposition members gave Gandhi a standing ovation and thumped their desks, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said such conduct was against the rules of the House. 

Rahul Gandhi said French President Emmanuel Macron had told him that there was no secrecy pact with India on the Rafale jet deal, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied to the nation about it.

“I personally met the French President and asked him if there was a secrecy pact with India. He told me that no such pact was signed between the two countries. He said he had no hesitation in saying this and that I can tell this to my country,” Gandhi thundered in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi said the price per plane during the UPA regime was Rs 520 crore but when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to France and “with some magic” powers, the price per plane increased to Rs 1,600 crore.

“Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is here. She said she would reveal the price. But after that she said clearly she cannot because the French and Indian governments have a secrecy pact.

“The Prime Minister has lied to the country. Sitharaman under pressure from the Prime Minister has lied to the country. They must tell the nation. The Prime Minister and the Defence Minister must tell the nation.”

The mention of the Rafale deal triggered noisy protests from the ruling party MPs.

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday strongly hit out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi accusing him of arrogance, negativity, childish conduct and a burning desire to become PM.  Modi said he was extending best wishes to the Congress and other opposition parties to bring another no-confidence motion in 2024.     Modi replied to the debate on no-confidence motion, moved by TDP’s Jayadev Galla, against the government in the Lok Sabha,  said the Congress lacked self-confidence and had no faith in Chief Justice of India, Election Commission, Electronic Voting Machines, Reserve Bank of India and programmes like Swachh Bharat.  The motion was defeated by 325 votes to 126.  Modi highlighted the work done by his government for different sections including farmers, youth, women and weaker sections to boost BJP’s prospects in the state elections later this year and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.    Replying to barbs of Gandhi, Modi said he is “kaamdar” and “not a naamdar” and could not see him in the eye.  “They have confidence in nothing. Today the nation has seen the negativity expressed by some members. India saw how some people are so deeply opposed to development. What we saw among members of the opposition was sheer arrogance. The only thing they have to say-remove Modi. To remove one Modi, see who all they are trying to bring together,” he said.  Modi, who was loudly cheered by treasury benches, attacked Gandhi over his remarks on Doklam stand off with China and the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.  “One of the leaders spoke about Doklam. The same leader, who believed the Chinese Ambassador over our forces. What have we come to? Everything does not merit a childish conduct. Due to one careless allegation in the House on Rafale, both nations had to release statements. My appeal to the Congress is please do not bring politics in national security,” the Prime Minister said.   He alleged the Congress had described the surgical strike of 2016 as “jumla strike”. “We have seen how the Army chief was insulted by their leaders. You have called surgical strike a jumla strike, the country will not forgive you. You can abuse Modi but not the forces. Stop insulting the jawans of India,” he said.   Modi, who spoke for nearly 90 minutes alos attacked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her remarks on Wednesday that the opposition had the numbers in the no-confidence vote.  “See her arrogance. I was reminded about 1999 when she stood outside Rashtrapati Bhavan and said-we have 272 and more are joining us. She destabilized Atal Ji’s government and never formed one herself,” he said.   He blamed the Congress for the huge non-performing assets of banks, saying that loans disbursed had increased to Rs 52 lakh crore during UPA rule.  “I want to tell you about the NPA problem. Much before Internet Banking, Congress Party invented Phone Banking and this caused the NPA mess. A phone call would get loans for their cronies and the nation suffered,” he said.    Referring to the triple talaq bill, Modi said the government stands with the Muslim women in their quest for justice.   He also condemned mob lynchings and said any instance of violence brings shame to the nation. “I will once again urge the state governments to punish those who indulge in violence.”  Modi said India is seeing the record pace of work in various sectors such as roads and railways.
 “We are here because we have the blessings of 125 crore Indians.”  Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi over winking to a party colleague after hugging him, Modi said: “The entire nation saw what the eyes did. It is clear in front of everyone. In the morning, the voting was not over, the debate was also not over one member comes running to me saying – Utho Utho Utho…   “What is his hurry to come to power? Let me tell this member it is the people who elected us. That is how we have come here,” he said referring to Gandhi coming to hug him.   Countering Gandhi’s jibe that Modi was not a “chowkidar” but a “bhagidaar” in the gains of corporates, Modi said he was a bhagidar in the march of poor for development, but not a “saudagar” or “thekedar” like the Congress.   He also accused the Congress of practicing the politics of “emotional blackmailing Dalits and the deprived”.   “There is a conspiracy to push the country towards violence. These were the people who made fun of Baba Ambedkar but are now singing his praises. Whoever came in front of the dreams and aspirations of one family was pushed to the sidelines.”  He blamed the Congress for partition between India and Pakistan and said the country was still suffering because of that.   He slammed Congress over the way it had bifurcated Andhra Pradesh and said the government was committed towards its development as also of Telangana.  

Israel’s parliament on Thursday passed into law a controversial bill that defines the country as an exclusively Jewish state.

The “Jewish nation state” bill downgrades Arabic as an official language and says advancing Jewish settlement is a national interest. It also states that the “whole and united” Jerusalem is its capital, BBC reported.

Israeli Arab MPs condemned the legislation but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised it as a “defining moment”.

The bill, backed by the country’s right-wing government, says that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it”.

It was passed after a stormy session in the Knesset that lasted more than eight hours. Sixty-two MPs voted for the bill, with 55 against.

However some clauses were dropped following objections by Israel’s president and attorney-general, including a clause that would have enshrined in law the creation of Jewish-only communities.

Israeli Arabs make up about 20 per cent of the Israel’s population of about nine million people.

They have equal rights under the law, but have long complained of being treated as second class citizens and say they face discrimination and worse provision of services such as education, health and housing.

Arab MP Ahmed Tibi said the bill’s passing represented the “death of democracy”.

Adalah, an Arab rights NGO, said the law was an attempt to advance “ethnic superiority by promoting racist policies”.

Last week, Netanyahu defended the law, saying: “We will keep ensuring civil rights in Israel’s democracy but the majority also has rights and the majority decides.”

A survey has shown that adolescent girls continue to have limited choice in who and when they marry and that sex education in schools is failing young people. Although girls who marry in early adolescence are particularly vulnerable, marrying over the age of 18 does not guarantee improved freedoms and choices in marital and fertility decision-making.

While adolescent girls and their spouses enter marital life with limited knowledge about modern contraceptive choices, contraceptive options are not reaching the young married couples who want or need them, according to the latest data released under Young Lives India survey. 

Contraceptive use is very low among young married couples and sterilisation of women in their early twenties is common after they have had children, the survey added. Boys and young men are marginalised from sexual and reproductive health services.

Dr. Renu Singh, Country Director, Young Lives India said: “This report highlights the mutually reinforcing influences of families, service providers, economic circumstances, and gendered cultural and social expectations that shaped and constrained the agency and choices of girls and young women as they moved from being ‘daughters’ to ‘daughters-in-law’, ‘wives’ and first-time ‘mothers’. 

“It is critical for society to not look at talking about sexual reproductive health as taboo and we need to create safe spaces where young adolescent girls and boys are able to access both information and services in the community. Making secondary education a fundamental right is critical to prevent child marriage as well as building skills amongst young adolescents that is needed for carving a better future,” she added. 

Young Lives India is a collaboration between CESS (Hyderabad), SPMVV (Tirupati), Save the Children, and University of Oxford (UK). Young Lives is funded by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID). 

Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, following the lives of 12,000 children in four countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) over fifteen years. Young Lives conducts research in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which collectively have almost 85 million inhabitants which is 7% of the Indian population.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are among the top States reporting high adolescent fertility: 12 and 11 per cent of young women in the age group of 15-19 years in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, respectively, were already mothers or pregnant when a survey was carried out in 2015/16

The objectives of the study were to deepen the understanding of the influencers of fertility decisions among young married couples, ascertain the services and support available to married young women and couples and produce research findings for use by policy makers.

The research was carried out as part of Young Lives, a longitudinal study of childhood poverty that, in India, traced the life trajectories of 3,000 children (in two age groups) and their households located in the two states, over a 15-year period. By age 18, around 28 per cent of girls in the Young Lives study had married, and 23 per cent of these married girls had also become mothers.

Think twice before handing over a smartphone to your teenager as new research warns that adolescents who frequently use digital devices are more likely to develop symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Teenagers who are heavy users of digital devices are twice as likely as infrequent users to show symptoms of ADHD, showed the findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

ADHD is a brain disorder with symptoms that include a pattern of inattention, hyperactive behavior and impulsiveness that interferes with functioning or development.

“New, mobile technologies can provide fast, high-intensity stimulation accessible all day, which has increased digital media exposure far beyond what’s been studied before,” said Adam Leventhal, Professor at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in the US. 

“We can say with confidence that teens who were exposed to higher levels of digital media were significantly more likely to develop ADHD symptoms in the future,” Leventhal added.

The study focused on the impact of digital diversions, including social media, streaming video, text messaging, music downloads and online chatrooms, among others, on the mental health of the adolescents.

The team analysed data from 2,587 teenagers for two years who were asked to report how frequently did they use, 14 popular digital media platforms, included for the study.

The investigators sorted media use frequency into three categories — no use, medium use and high use.

Then, they monitored the students every six months during the study period. They sought to determine if digital media use in grade 10 was associated with ADHD symptoms tracked through grade 12.

The results showed that, nine and a half per cent of the 114 children who used at least half of the media platforms frequently and 10.5 per cent of the 51 kids who used all 14 platforms frequently showed new ADHD symptoms.

Contrastingly, 4.6 per cent of the 495 students who were not frequent users of any digital platforms, showed ADHD symptoms, approximate to background rates of the disorder in the general population.