Swami Ramdev is a yoga instructor in saffron robes; he walks on wooden sandals and has an elastic body, an involuntary wink, flowing black hair and a full beard. He claims to have renounced worldly pleasures, but that excludes flying in private jets. He is at the helm of a thriving business in traditional treatments, herbal products, media and textiles that is worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars. Nebulous...

-The Business Standard   The Jagatsinghpur district administration may resume land acquisition work for the Posco project at the anti-Posco stronghold of Gobindpur from Wednesday even though there is no official confirmation yet. In the run-up to the beginning of land acquisition at Gobindpur, the additional district magistrate of Paradip, Sarojkant Chaudhury today conducted a close-door preparatory meeting at Kujang. Narayan Jena, the Jagatsinghpur district collector said, “The administration is awaiting the views...

-PTI   Threatening an armed rebellion, yoga guru Ramdev on Wednesday said he will raise a 11,000 force that will be trained to retaliate if authorities crackdown on their anti-corruption campaign, evoking a stern response from the government which termed it "anti-national". In Haridwar, Ramdev, who had struck a conciliatory tone on Tuesday, said he will form a force of 11,000 men and women to deal with police and anti-social elements attempting to disrupt...

Beginning his day-long hunger strike at Rajghat to protest against corruption and the recent police brutality, the 73-year-old-Gandhi devotee Anna Hazare said that if the Lokpal Bill was not passed, he would fast unto death at Jantar Mantar from August 16. Anna described his movement as the second battle of independence but underlined Gandhi's non-violent path. He said his Wednesday fast was to condemn the police action on Ramdev's supporters at...

-IBN   Anna Hazare and his supporters on Wednesday challenged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to conduct a referendum to find out what form of the Lokpal Bill the citizens of the country were in favour of. "Let there be a referendum in the country on the Lokpal Bill prepared by the Government and the Jan Lokpal Bill prepared by the civil society. Let the one that has maximum support of people...