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Cigars may have a reputation for being safer than cigarettes , but they may be just as harmful and addictive, researchers, including one of the Indian-origin, have warned. A study by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University in the US shows that small cigars have just as much if not more nicotine than cigarettes. They analysed the nicotine in smoke from popular brands of "small" or "filtered" cigars — that are almost identical to cigarettes except they are wrapped in leaf tobacco instead of paper. In the study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, they found that the level of nicotine found in small cigar smoke is similar to or greater than cigarette smoke. "There seems to be a perception in the public that cigars are not as harmful as cigarettes," said Reema Goel, from the Pennsylvania State University. "However, our study shows that nicotine is pretty high in this class of cigars, and future regulati

The Rajputs in Rajasthan — or rather, a fringe group that claims to represent the entire community — has ensured that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati is consigned, at least for the time being, to a limbo. Its release has been indefinitely delayed, different state governments have waded into the muddy debate and banned the film or have asked for legal action against its makers, a senior worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party has put out a bounty on the heads of the director and actors and yet continues to roam around freely. The rule of law has been suspended for the time being to satisfy demands of a violent group, as political parties measure what electoral gains can be squeezed out of the current imbroglio. One of the claims of the belligerent Rajputs is that the 14th-century fictional queen of Chittor, Padmavati, is like their mother. Inherent in this, is a celebration of jauhar. Whether or not Bhansali’s film celebrates this barbaric tradition or is a more feminist retelling

India has become inexplicably safer over the past years since the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks but her vulnerabilities have not diminished, argues Ajai Sahni. Crucially, India's policing apparatus – the 'first responders' in case of terrorist attacks and the most productive sources of counter-terrorism intelligence – remains decrepit, ill-equipped, and substantially unprepared. India's internal security apparatus continues to move with characteristic and elephantine slowness nine years after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, when the national leadership had promised it would take all possible measures to ensure that such incidents would never be repeated. A constellation of factors – domestic, regional, and global – have nevertheless worked to ensure that there have been no repeats of the 26/11 attacks since, but vulnerabilities remain endemic. Indeed, speaking of the threat of Islamist terrorism, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh rightly observed, "The

The body of a 40-year-old man was found hanging from the outer walls of Nahargarh Fort here on Friday morning, with the message "' Padmavati ' ka virodh" - in protest against the film "Padmavati". The message, written on the stones near the fort wall adjacent to the body, read, "Hum putle nahin jalate....latkate hain" (we don't burn effigies, we hang them). "It is early to comment on it as the matter is under investigation. The identity of the man, around 40-years-old, is yet to be ascertained," Satyendra Singh, DCP Jaipur (North), told IANS. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmavati" has been mired in controversies since its shooting started. Activists of the Karni Sena, a Rajput community, besides other groups have been protesting against the movie, claiming the film "distorts" historical facts. "They are trying to defame queen Padmavati by distorting historical facts. It is not acceptable,&qu

A controversy has been raging over the release of the Hindi film Padmavati . As community leaders oppose its release on the grounds of hurt sentiment, others have offered huge bounties for beheading the filmmaker and the female lead. Various political leaders across states have spoken in favour of protesters. What is the political motivation behind this support? In this Business Standard Special, Mrinal Pande looks at why Padmavati has been used as a political weapon in the year 2017. In today's India, one does not need to ask for history lessons. They come all the time from unexpected places, uninvited and longwinded. All castes, clans Gotras and Khaps seem to have discovered their own fantastical historical heroes and villains whom they would proudly whip out and flash to strangers like friends’ selfies, as filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali discovered – perhaps too late -- in Rajasthan. For the past eight centuries, the blade of Rajput history has been sharpened on the flin

Union minister K J Alphons was confronted by an enraged woman passenger at the Imphal airport over the delay in her Kolkata-bound flight she was taking to rush to Patna to attend a funeral of her relative. Alphons on Wednesday said he was not responsible for the delay of the flight due to VVIP security protocol after a video footage of the passenger identified as a lady doctor arguing and directing her ire at him on seeing the minister at the Imphal airport went viral. The video of the incident that happened on Tuesday showed the woman complaining to Alphons about the flight being delayed due to VIP movement. Alphons, who is Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, had come to Imphal to attend the Northeast Development summit which was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday. President Kovind's aircraft was due to land in Imphal around the time of departure of the Kolkata-bound aircraft. "I have to reach Patna. The body is waiting, o

After a successful run of its selfie-focused flagship smartphone V7+ in India, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Monday launched V7 with the 24MP selfie and 16MP rear camera for Rs 18,990. Available in Champagne Gold and Matte Black colours, Vivo V7 will reach retail stores from November 25. The device was available for pre-booking orders on Flipkart from Monday. "With the launch of V7, we are offering consumers another compelling proposition featuring an excellent camera and powerful performance at a competitive price point," said Kent Cheng, chief executive, Vivo India. The device with 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM has 5.7 HD "FullView" display and houses 3000mAh battery. The device comes with "Moonlight Glow" and "Face Access" features. Coming to India in late 2014, Vivo has established itself as one of the top smartphone brands in India. According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) latest "Quarterly Mobile Ph

Apple Inc. has reportedly slashed the retailers’ margin on the anniversary edition iPhone X by nearly 30 per cent, according to a new report in the Economic Times. While other brand manufacturers offer retailers’ a margin of 10-15 per cent on their latest mobiles, Apple has been offering 6.5 per cent on the newly launch iPhone X. Now, the company has reportedly reduced the retailers’ margin to 4.5 per cent, which is almost 30 per cent less. Subhash Chandra, managing director at Sangeetha Mobiles, told the Economic Times that the margins have been reduced from 6.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent and it further reduces to mere 1.5-2 per cent if the customer opts to pay by card for the iPhone X. According to the report, India’s leading brands -- Samsung and Xiaomi -- offer more than double the margin that Apple offers -- around 12-15 per cent. Other mobile phone manufacturers, especially Chinese brands such as Oppo and Vivo, offer higher than usual margins to retailers to gain ma

From criticism to protests to the life-threatening bounty placed on the cast and crew of the movie ‘Padmavati’ has attracted all sorts of controversies, with the latest being Maharashtra Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal demanding a ban on the screening of the film in the state. "I have written a letter to the chief minister demanding a ban on the movie if it distorted historical facts," the BJP leader said. He said any "objectionable scenes" in the movie should be deleted before its release is allowed. Rawal said he has written to the CBFC to cancel the "certificate given to the movie" and that it be shown to a committee of expert historians. ALSO READ: If not 'Mughal-e-Azam', then why 'Padmavati'? asks Rahul Rawail "Requesting the CBFC to immediately cancel the certificate given to the movie 'Padmavati'. A committee comprising expert historians be allowed to watch the movie and edit the defamatory fanta

The severe air pollution in parts of north India has led people to find private solutions to a public problem in the form of air-purifiers. This follows the purchase of water purifiers by households because of poor quality of water supplied by civic authorities . Do these solutions represent the failure of our state? The author writes about how the state has abandoned public good in this Business Standard special. What is the connection between the air that we breathe, the on-going massive advertising campaigns for indoor air-purifiers and relationships between citizens and the state? It is a history of the present that tells us a great deal about some of the most fundamental aspects of our lives and the choices we might make for a decent future. In the period since 1991, the most significant aspect of our national life has been the changing nature of the state. In all post-colonial societies, the state apparatus has – till recently – enjoyed almost sacred status as the pro

With less than a week left for Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), India is getting decked up for the delegates from 150 countries, especially US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump. Ahead of her maiden visit to India, Ivanka Trump said she is looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Hyderabad, and is excited to attend a summit that is for the first time being co-hosted (by India and the United States) and themed (on women's entrepreneurship). But can 'America First' and 'Make in India' work together? Ivanka, in a call with journalists from India and US on Tuesday, said President Trump's assertion of America First and PM Modi's call to 'Make in India' are not mutually exclusive or contradictory. Putting speculations to rest, Ivanka, who is also advisor to the US President said, "most governments prioritise people of their country, but that is not in a vacuum.

After deciding to revoke the legal tender of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November last year, the Narendra Modi -led central government might now be working on another disruptive step to boost digital transactions — banning the cheque book. A senior functionary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on November 16 said the Centre might withdraw the bank cheque book facility in the "near future" to encourage digital transactions. CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said the government needed to encourage the use of debit and credit cards. "In all probability, the Centre may withdraw the cheque book facility in the near future to encourage digital transactions," he said. Impact of cheque book facility withdrawal Demonetisation was a big disruption for most Indians, right from poor labourers to big industrialists. Now, the withdrawal of the cheque book facility could have a massive impact as well. Most business transactions are

The Securities and Exchange Board of India will investigate possible leaks of company earnings in social media chatrooms after a Reuters investigation documented at least 12 cases of prescient messages about major Indian companies being posted in private WhatsApp groups. This author explains why Sebi should try to create means of observing this medium and others like it. A recent Reuters news report identifies a dozen messages that accurately predicted Q2 earnings patterns (and a bonus announcement in one case) for specific listed stocks. In each case, the messages were being passed around, just before the results were officially announced. These messages were being circulated in private Whatsapp groups frequented by equity traders. These were all big companies - in fact, more than half of the stock concerned are members of the Nifty-50. ALSO READ: Predictive messages about Indian cos results circulate in WhatsApp groups WhatsApp, an instant messaging service owned by Fa

Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari is likely to be the last-minute entry as a celebrity speaker at the eighth edition of the Global Entrepreneur Summit to be held in Hyderabad from Nov 28 to 30. Jayesh Ranjan, IT and commerce secretary in the government of Telangana told Business Standard “It’s work in progress.” But Aditi’s confirmation is expected by the end of the day. After Deepika Padukone dropped out of the summit on Monday, the state govt, which is jointly organising the summit along with the Centre and the US, got into the damage-control mode to find a celebrity speaker. Nobody is giving reasons for Deepika opting out. It is learnt that threat perception over the controversy surrounding her film Padmavati, in which she has played the lead role, is the reason. Interestingly, Aditi had recently spoken out against those threatening Deepika with dire consequences over her role in Padmavati. The global summit, for the first time in India, is in the limelight because

The phone takes dazzling photos and sports advanced artificial intelligence. Its display stretches gloriously from edge to edge. And at nearly $1,000, it pushes into eye-watering territory on price. But the Mate 10 Pro isn’t the latest high-end offering from Samsung or Apple. It comes from China — a country that, for all its growing sophistication in technology, has yet to produce a name like Lexus, Canon or Samsung that consumers around the globe associate with premium quality at premium prices. Huawei Technologies , the new smartphone’s creator, thinks the world is ready to pay top dollar for a Chinese product. It is rolling out the Mate 10 Pro — plus two sibling devices, one less expensive and lower spec, the other pricier and sleeker — in Europe, in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia. And it is in talks with AT&T to offer the phones in the United States, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions are not publi

Controversy sells tickets, but with the ongoing crisis over the release of Padmavati reaching a crescendo and the movie’s release being deferred, film makers and marketers are struggling to salvage what was projected as one of the biggest box office grossers of the year. Not only could this convert a bad year for Bollywood into a worse one, it could also force brands to reassess their engagement with big budget films say several marketing experts. Tanishq, one of the most prominent brands associated with the film has designed a special Padmavati collection that went on sale just before Diwali. And although the company, speaking to the media after the launch of its collection had said that the association had been extremely profitable, promotion executives across studios point out that the mud being slung at the film will also likely stick to the brand. The movie starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh is based around a fictional event involving Mughal ki

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017, to be inaugurated by superstar Shah Rukh Khan here on Monday, will have Salman Khan as the guest at the closing ceremony on November 28. Salman will be joined by a special guest, child artist Matin Rey Tangu, who made his debut in Kabir Khan and Salman's movie "Tubelight", read a statement from the festival organisers. According to the statement, "something special" has been planned for Salman as he will take to the stage for a fun interaction, closing the prestigious film festival with a bang. IFFI gets into its 48th year. Its Indian Panorama section, which has been the subject of much controversy over the exclusion of two films -- "S Durga" and "Nude" -- will be inaugurated by veteran actress Sridevi, who has landed here with her husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Jahnvi. Sridevi will also introduce audiences to a special audio-video that pays homage to the legend

The eight-decade-old Gujarat-based ice cream maker Vadilal Industries is perhaps going for a split two years after a long drawn family feud. One of India's largest ice cream brands had started with modest beginnings in Ahmedabad in the early 1900s. Sources claim the company was not on the block even as one of the brothers looked for an exit. Vadilal's managing director Rajesh Gandhi could not be reached for a comment on the split. Founder Vadilal Gandhi started selling ice creams in India much before ice creams were an industry here. From selling sodas in 1907, Vadilal has travelled through four generations of Gandhis to become a Rs 500 crore company now. While exact brand shares are not known, Vadilal roughly enjoys a 14-16 per cent share of India's Rs 4,000 crore ice cream market that is clocking a 15-17 per cent annual growth. The market is well poised to grow as India's current per capita ice cream consumption is low - at 400 ml (as against Pa

Haryana's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Media Coordinator Suraj Pal Amu on Sunday passed derogatory remarks against ' Padmavati ' filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actress Deepika Padukone and actor Ranveer Singh. Amu threatened actor Ranveer Singh, who is playing Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khilji in the movie, for supporting Bhansali. "If you (Ranveer Singh) do not take back your words, we will break your legs [Agar tune apne shabd wapas nahin liye, toh teri taango ko todkar tere haathon mein de dengey)," he said, adding slurs against the actor. He also praised the Meerut youth for announcing Rs 5 crore bounty for beheading Deepika and Bhansali. "I want to congratulate the Meerut youth for announcing Rs 5 crore bounty for beheading Deepika, and Bhansali. We will reward the ones beheading them, with Rs 10 crore, and also take care of their family's needs," he added.

The vulnerability of information and technology infrastructures is becoming more visible and alarming by the day. Earlier this year, two separate malware outbreaks – WannaCry and Petya – affected hundreds of thousands of people and organisations around the world. WannaCry crippled over 230,000 computers across 150 countries, with the UK’s National Health Service, Spain’s phone giant Telefónica and Germany’s state railways among those hardest hit. Thousands of machines running on Windows, including ATMs, ticketing machines, hospitals and numerous industrial control systems across the globe were also compromised. First reported in Ukraine, Petya affected government services, banks and power utilities, along with Kiev’s airport and metro system. The radiation monitoring system at Chernobyl was even taken offline for fear of an attack. Petya also affected operations at India’s largest container port JNPT, in Mumbai; data put out by Symantec suggests that India was the worst affect

The Billion Capture+, the first smartphone developed by homegrown e-commerce major Flipkart , is not just another product vying for eyeballs in India’s already-flooded smartphone market. Though a budget device, this smartphone impresses with a performance that is on a par with many a mid-tier device. Flipkart claims that the Billion Capture has been made in India for the Indian consumer, and that it has been designed after analysing user feedback received on the e-commerce portal. But does it pass the test in so far as user need and greed are concerned? Business Standard reviewed the Billion Capture+ to test how it fares in real-life scenario and here are our observations: Design At first look, the Billion Capture+ looks almost the same as the Xiaomi Mi A1. But, a few imperfections – not-so-smooth side curves and out-of- place SIM card tray – become visible on a closer inspection. aspect ratio which leaves huge bezels on the top and bottom. While the top bezel hous

The Shri Rajput Karni Sena on Wednesday called for a ' Bharat Bandh ' (shutdown) on December 1 if Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie " Padmavati " releases on that date, while the Maharashtra government provided a precautionary security cover for the filmmaker in view of the increasing controversies and growing threats. "We will hold rallies across the country, including Gurugram, Patna, Lucknow and Bhopal before the release date," Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder-patron of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, told media persons in Jaipur. He said all communities, including Muslims, supported the Sena on the issue. "We demand a complete ban on the film. Now, we don't want any pre-screening of the movie. All we want is a ban," he said. He claimed that as per the Cinematography Act, the government can withhold the release of a movie for three months even after a go-ahead by the Central Board of Film C

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee has launched the M7 Power smartphone with an 18:9 aspect ratio screen and 3D photo feature at Rs 16,999. The phone will be available in three colour options -- Blue, Gold and Black -- across retail stores in India starting November 25. The phone can be pre-booked on Amazon India from November 17 to November 24. Customers who pre-book the device can avail of exclusive offers -- such as a 6-month warranty for free one-time screen replacement, extra Rs 3,000 off on exchange or 10 GB extra data from Jio for 10 months on a recharge of Rs 309 and above. Additionally, there will be no-cost EMI options on credit cards. Coming to the smartphone features and specifications, the phone sports a 6-inch HD screen in the 18:9 aspect ratio – FullView, as the company calls it. The smartphone has a 5,000 mAh battery powered by Gionee’s intelligent power management system. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor, coupled with 64 GB stor

The season to be jolly is around the corner, and KFC has decided to treat its fans in New Zealand this year, with decorations tailor-made for Christmas. In a video posted on the Twitter account of the fast-food chain's New Zealand branch, there were depicted a number of Christmas tree-worthy decorations in the shape of Colonel Sanders' face, a chicken wing, drumstick, fries and a bucket of fried chicken in a sleek black snack box, in a bid to transform this December 25 into one that's "finger-lickin' good." "We've always thought the Colonel was Santa anyway. KFChristmas is in the air, who's ready to get the tree decorations out? Stay tuned, you might just win a set of KFChristmas decorations for yourself.," the tweet read. Earlier in the month, the fast food giant teamed up with Japanese retailer Village Vanguard to launch the limited-edition bath bomb in Japan, mirror.co.uk reported. Shaped like a chicken drumstick, these