Rushdie calls off visit to Jaipur, his absence a presence

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

Author Salman Rushdie's absence from the Jaipur Lit. Festival contributes largely to the day's newspaper headlines. "Rushdie calls off visit to Jaipur, his absence a presence", writes the Indian Express. "Coaxed to skip Literary Fest, Rushdie cites threat from paid assassins", says the Times of India.

The ongoing tax battle between Vodafone and India's Income Tax Department is another major story. A headline in the Indian Express reads, "Supreme Court sets legal benchmark, rules in favour of Vodafone". The Hindustan Times reports that the judgement is likely to have positive implications for foreign investments.

"HC okays probe against Krishna in mining case", reports the Mial Today as the Karnataka High Court permits the Lokayukta to investigate the de-reserving of forests for mining in iron ore-rich Bellary District by Mr. Krishna, when he was Chief Minister between 1999 and 2004.

"Top Court dismisses Public Interest Litigation on Army Chiefs Date of Birth", reports the Asian Age. The Apex Court said, the controversy could not be made the subject matter of public debate, as it was purely a service matter, says the paper.

The Hindu, quoting Nandan Nilekani, writes that the issue of 'bringing synergy' between the 'Database of the National Population Register' and the 'Biometric Database of the Aadhaar Project’ is now before the Cabinet, and there is a group that is looking at merging the two.

And finally, the Indian Express quizzes, "What if hours of toil in the gym could be replaced by a single hormone injection?" The paper reports that research done at the Harvard Medical School suggests that "Irisin" (a hormone secreted by muscle cells during exercise) could be the dream of obese people and diabetics the world over.