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'The Accidental Prime Minister' trailer will be out tomorrow!

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The wait is over! The trailer of veteran actor Anupam Kher's 'The Accidental Prime Minister ' will be out on Thursday. Taking to his Twitter, the 'A Wednesday' star, who will be seen as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the film, shared a video donning his look for the film. "Friends, you'll be happy to know that the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister is coming to all of you tomorrow," he wrote. Based on the 2014 memoir of the same name, written by Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjay Baru, 'The Accidental Prime Minister' revolves around Singh's life, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. It also features Arjun Mathur and Aahana Kumra as Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, respectively. Suzanne Bernert will portray the role of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Read ...

How would Jesus Christ have fared amongst contemporary Indian godmen?

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The first time I heard the term ‘ Yeshu baba ’ was in Tihar jail. I was not a prisoner – I was visiting along with a group of school-children who were performing a Christmas programme for about a thousand women inmates in Jail No. 6, Central Prison. The children sang Christmas carols and the prisoners sang along. Afterwards, one of the inmates came up to the microphone and thanked the kids for their programme on the birth of ‘ Yeshu Baba ’. The name struck me and stuck with me. I had heard Jesus Christ referred to as ‘Isa Masih’ or ‘Ishu Masih’ in Hindi before, of course. ‘Yeshu Baba’ sounded a lot more human and definitely a lot more familiar. If you were to put a picture of (a non-crucified) Jesus next to one of a contemporary Indian baba, like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar or Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a casual observer might see little or no difference (except in height, in the case of Sri Sri, and hair colour in the case of Jaggi Vasudev.) Read More Business Standard

New anti-viral composition effective in combating influenza A viruses

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Scientists have developed a unique anti-viral composition that can effectively provide protection against several influenza A viruses such as H1N1 , H3N2 , H5N1 and H7N9 . Influenza, a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and lungs, is among the leading causes of death, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The new anti-viral composition is made up of three siRNAs (small interfering ribonucleic acids) targeted at three genes and encapsulated in hybrid polyelectrolyte microcapsules, the Sputnik reported. The results will be used to develop a drug to prevent and treat the viral infection, according to Alexander Timin from the Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia. The team developed 11 new siRNAs with anti-viral activity in vitro that can suppress conserved and consensus sequences in the genome of the influenza A virus on the NS, PA and NP genes. Anti-viral properties were screened and three siRNAs -- PA-1630, NP...

5 herbs for a healthy digestive system

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Today's lifestyle has several unhealthy facets such as lack of physical activity, poor sleep habits and consumption of unhealthy foods, including fast, processed and junk food . Hectic work schedules have increased stress levels (which, in turn, has led to disturbed sleep), unhealthy dietary habits such as eating either too much or too less, and, more often than not, not spending enough time to eat well. Smoking and alcoholism are other aspects that have led to health issues. The negative outcome of this stress-filled lifestyle is visible in the form of ill health, the most common being poor digestive health. This is worsened by the decreasing ability of the digestive system to function efficiently with age and handle digestive problems such as indigestion, bloating, flatulence and gastritis. According to Dr Rajesh Kumawat, Head - Medical Services and Clinical Development, The Himalaya Drug Company, digestive problems should not be ignored as they can cause irrev...

Flipkart mobile bonanza sale: Check out deals, offers on smartphones

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Domestic e-commerce platform Flipkart is currently hosting a four-day sale of smartphones where the portal is offering deals and discounts on mobile phones from the stable of Asus, Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple, Realme, Honor, Nokia, etc. During the sale, the online shopping platform is also offering 10 per cent instant discount on SBI credit cards, subject to terms and conditions. The midrange smartphone from the stable of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme is currently available with Rs 1,000 instant off on prepaid payments, bringing down the effective cost of 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant to Rs 12,990. The phone is also eligible for 10 per cent instant discount on SBI credit cards.  The recently launched Redmi Note 6 Pro smartphone with dual camera module on the back and front is currently available on the e-commerce platform at Rs 13,999 for 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage variant. The phone is eligible for 10 per cent instant discount offer on SBI credit card....

Pension issue remains unresolved, Reserve Bank stares at union agitations

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With the year coming to an end, and no communication on the issue of updating pension yet, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could be heading towards big agitations in the New Year. The government was expected to communicate by month-end its nod for improvement of the RBI's pension scheme, but that has not been done yet. In August, the RBI staff went on mass leave, protesting the government's rigid stance on the issue, harming the "real-time gross settlement" system for a few hours. However, this time, the unions may go on an indefinite strike and the RTGS system, which is the backbone of financial transactions in the country, could get severely impacted for days on end, the unions have threatened. What is the RBI pension issue The central bank has a pension kitty of over Rs 160 billion with which it manages the pension of its staff. For this purpose, it doesn't seek money from the government like other central government departments. At the ve...

Want to master your workplace in 2019? Here are six ways that can help

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From friendships to salary negotiations, 2019 can be the year you conquer work and your career . Taking hold of your future begins with standing up for yourself, while also learning to navigate the complicated world of office politics. The murky friendships and bureaucracy can at times be maddening, but persevering does not only mean rising the corporate ladder. It could also mean setting out on your own. Below are some of our favorite Smarter Living articles about mastering your workplace in the new year. Talk through your failures to overcome them We’ve all flopped on a big presentation. Most people prefer to process failure internally, quickly moving on for fear of causing a scene or seeming unprofessional. But taking the time to reflect on and communicate about unwanted outcomes can go a long way in creating more congenial, trusting and productive workplaces. Read More Business Standard