-The Indian Express   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s direction to his ministers to update details of their business interests, assets and liabilities has yielded an interesting profile of his cabinet. The financial status of the powerful — how much wealth they have and how they invest it — always draws curiosity. Dr Singh sticks to fixed deposits, keeping his investment beyond controversy. A.K. Antony’s loan funds a second-hand car. And Kamal...

A day after it announced issuing an ordinance to reclaim disputed land at Singur, the Mamata Banerjee government on Friday said it would not notify the ordinance, but would instead place it as a Bill in the ensuing Assembly session. The session, which was earlier slated to commence from June 24, will now start on June 13. Ms. Banerjee told reporters at the Secretariat: “The Ordinance is not being brought into...

-The Hindustan Times   The apolitical image of Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption came close to taking a hit when his associates called on stage a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), an ultra-Left political party to deliver a speech against corruption. But Kavita Krishnan, member of CPIM-L’s Central Committee was shooed away by the audience minutes after she started her speech. She started her speech introducing herself as a...

Women speak out fears of resisting deep-seated taboos associated with menstruation, viewed even today as polluting in much of India The status of women in India, despite all the brave talk, remains as precarious as ever. This is, after all, a culture which not just condones, but actively encourages the termination of foetuses determined to be female. Other crimes of violence against women are routine. Can things ever change? We took...

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...