The dog days of India’s bizarre summer of politics
Perhaps the government’s decision to push back the opening of the upcoming monsoon session of parliament was not the best idea. For as the dog days of the sub-continent’s sweltering summer drag on, the parliament-less politicians sweat from the sublime to the ridiculous in the baking heat.
From the haphazard ensemble of senior ministers that flocked to New Delhi’s airport to greet yoga guru turned social activist Swami Ramdev with more fanfare than is reserved for visiting heads of state, to the current conspiracy swirling New Delhi surrounding espionage chewing gum found in the finance minister’s private chambers, it has been a bizarre summer for politics fuelled by the hungry media in the world’s largest democracy.
Bangalore police orders Google to suspend Street View service
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Google Inc has been ordered by city police to suspend its “Street View” service in Bangalore, the company said on Tuesday, in the latest setback to its global mapping project that has been hit by privacy fears.
The technology giant has sent a fleet of cars around the globe to capture millions of images used with maps as part of its panoramic Street View service, but faces regulatory challenges from authorities across the world on data protection concerns.
India IT hub orders Google to suspend Street View service
NEW DELHI, June 21 (Reuters) – Google Inc has been
ordered by city police to suspend its “Street View” service in
the Indian IT hub of Bangalore, the company said on Tuesday, in
the latest setback to its global mapping project that has been
hit by privacy fears.
The technology giant has sent a fleet of cars around the
globe to capture millions of images used with maps as part of
its panoramic Street View service, but faces regulatory
challenges from authorities across the world on data protection
concerns.
M.F. Husain, Swami Ramdev and the world’s largest democracy
M.F. Husain, India’s most famous modern artist, died at the age of 95 this morning, not in Maharashtra, his home state, nor New Delhi, where many of his ground-breaking works were exhibited, but in London, where he lived in exile with Qatari citizenship. The ‘Picasso of India’ has for five years felt unable to live and work in his country of birth.
Husain fled India in 2006, leaving behind court cases and death threats against him, and continued vandalism of his works from right-wing Hindu groups that accused him of insulting their religion by painting deities in the nude.
Anti-graft fast by activist pressures India government
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A veteran Indian social activist on Wednesday began a day-long fast against corruption and the government’s violent crackdown against a similar peaceful protest, tapping into widespread anger at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s failure to curb graft.
Hundreds joined Anna Hazare’s hunger strike, piling further pressure on the ruling Congress party, condemned for dispatching hundreds of police with batons and tear gas at midnight on Saturday to break up an anti-graft hunger strike by a yoga guru.
India activist in anti-graft fast, more pressure on govt
NEW DELHI, June 8 (Reuters) – A veteran Indian social
activist on Wednesday began a day-long fast against corruption
and the government’s violent crackdown against a similar
peaceful protest, tapping into widespread anger at Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh’s failure to curb graft.
Hundreds joined Anna Hazare’s hunger strike, piling further
pressure on the ruling Congress party, condemned for dispatching
hundreds of police with batons and tear gas at midnight on
Saturday to break up an anti-graft hunger strike by a yoga guru.
Anna Hazare begins fast against graft, piles pressure on govt
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday began a day-long fast against corruption and the government’s violent crackdown against a similar peaceful protest, tapping into widespread anger at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s failure to curb graft.
Thousands are expected to join Hazare’s hunger strike, piling further pressure on the ruling Congress party that was roundly condemned for deploying hundreds of police with batons and tear gas to break up an anti-graft hunger strike by yoga guru Swami Ramdev on Sunday.
Newsmaker: Swami Ramdev, India’s crusading anti-graft yoga guru
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Born in a dusty village in northern India to illiterate parents, Swami Ramdev heads a $40 million-a-year global yoga empire, owns an island off the coast of Scotland and has government ministers scurry to meet him on the steps of his private jet.
Trained in the ancient discipline of posture and breathing exercises, Ramdev has soared from spiritual scholar to national household name with a heady mix of yoga and social activism.
Swami Ramdev, India’s crusading anti-graft yoga guru
NEW DELHI, June 4 (Reuters) – Born in a dusty village in
northern India to illiterate parents, Swami Ramdev heads a $40
million-a-year global yoga empire, owns an island off the coast
of Scotland and has government ministers scurry to meet him on
the steps of his private jet.
Trained in the ancient discipline of posture and breathing
exercises, Ramdev has soared from spiritual scholar to national
household name with a heady mix of yoga and social activism.
Swami Ramdev, India’s most popular yoga guru
NEW DELHI, June 2 (Reuters) – India’s government suffered a
fresh blow in containing growing anger over corruption from
million of voters as Swami Ramdev, the country’s most famous
yoga guru, gained the support of a leading civil activist for
his “fast-until-death” against graft. [ID:nL3E7H20NG]
Anna Hazare lent his support on Thursday for Ramdev’s hunger
strike from Saturday to protest against corruption in Asia’s
third-largest economy and has called on his legions of followers
to join him.
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