-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Monday wanted to know from Andaman & Nicobar Island administration whether it intended to keep in isolation the extremely endangered Jarawa tribe, which numbered just over 300, and banned all tourist movement in their habitat. "We need to know the policy of the government. Whether they want the Jarawas to be kept in isolation or to be assimilated in the mainstream," asked a bench...

-The Hindu In the television newsroom, the promoter’s fancies and political preferences have taken precedence over editorial judgement The Zee “extortion” case in which the news network is alleged to have demanded Rs.100 crore in return for rolling back its campaign against steel tycoon Navin Jindal’s “misdemeanours” in coal block allocations (for the family owned Jindal Steel & Power Limited or JSPL), is a deeply layered story that deserves a closer look...

-The Hindu A fast-track court here trying rape cases has acquitted two men accused by a married woman of luring her away from her home and then gang-raping her after administering her an intoxicating substance. She also accused the men of selling her for Rs.20,000 and that she escaped and returned to her matrimonial home. Additional Sessions Judge T. R. Naval acquitted the men of all charges and cited 10 reasons why...

-Frontine Walmart’s disclosure that it spent huge amounts of money on lobbying in India and the allegation that it entered the retail sector through indirect means highlight the power of global capital in dictating the country’s policies. The world’s largest multi-brand retailer Walmart’s disclosure to the United States Senate that it had spent $25 million (Rs.135 crore) since 2008 on its various lobbying activities, which include enhancing access to the Indian...

-The Hindu “People’s tastes have changed and there is no respect for us in society” Chennai: Thanjavur may be a land of classical music and dance, but in three places, particularly in – Vadakku Vaasal, Keezha Vaasal and Reddipalayam – many Dalit folk artists are on the verge of quitting their profession. Though people from all communities perform folk arts, majority of them are Dalits who migrated from Ramanathapuram district around 60...