Reuters' X account withheld in India citing legal demand: reports
Users attempting to access @Reuters and @ReutersWorld from within India were greeted with the message: 'Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand.'
While Indian media outlet The Print first reported the restriction took effect around midnight on July 6, the Indian government has denied issuing any recent legal directive related to Reuters' accounts.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) told India Today that no such request had been made, adding that the government was working with X to resolve what it termed a 'mistake' by the platform.
'There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle,' a ministry spokesperson told India Today.
Citing official sources, Indian news agency PTI reported that the original demand for blocking Reuters' X account — along with several hundred others — dates back to Operation Sindoor, a military offensive launched in May during which India reportedly targeted sites in Pakistan. At the time, a number of social media accounts were withheld, though Reuters' had remained accessible until now.
Government sources suggested that X appears to have acted on that earlier directive belatedly, possibly in error.
Despite the restriction on the main handles, affiliated Reuters accounts — including @ReutersTech, @ReutersChina, @ReutersAsia, and @ReutersFacts — remain accessible within India. The agency's main website also remains unaffected.
Reuters, which employs over 2,600 journalists in 165 countries, has not issued an official statement on the development.
This is not the first time X has restricted access to accounts in India in response to legal demands. On May 8, 2025, the platform revealed it had received executive orders from the Indian government to block over 8,000 accounts.
At the time, X said the orders included demands to block accounts belonging to international news organisations and prominent individuals — without specifying the posts in violation or providing sufficient evidence.
The company, which was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022, has consistently expressed its disagreement with such demands, terming the blanket restrictions as censorship and a violation of free speech.
'Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content,' X said in a May statement. However, it noted it was unable to publish the orders due to legal constraints.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Indian rupee to track Asian peers lower after Trump flags return to higher tariffs if no deal
MUMBAI: The Indian rupee is poised to begin the week on a weak note, pressed by the decline in Asian peers following U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that higher tariffs could be reinstated by August if trade deals aren't secured. The one-month non-deliverable forward indicated an open in the 85.48-85.52 range, versus 85.3925 in the previous session. Trump said the United States is nearing the finalisation of several trade deals and will notify other countries of increased tariff rates from Monday to July 9 that will be effective from August 1. On India-US trade deal, the countries are likely to take final decision on mini trade deal within 48 hours, India's CNBC-TV18 reports. In April, Trump announced a 10% base tariff on most countries along with a higher 'reciprocal' rate, which was suspended till this Wednesday to allow for negotiations to reach deals. Trump added that any country aligning with the 'anti-American policies' of BRICS would face an additional 10% tariff. Asian equities dropped in tandem with U.S. stock futures, while regional currencies declined, with overall losses mostly modest. The offshore Chinese yuan slipped to 7.17 to the U.S. dollar, and the Korean won, the Indonesian rupiah and the Thai baht were down between 0.2% and 0.3%. The moves in the Asian currency space are 'pretty manageable,' in light of what appears to be more confusion on the U.S. tariff front, a currency trader said. The rupee may 'fall a bit' considering Asia's moves, he said, adding, 'Still, it doesn't mean much. It's been stuck in a range, and this news doesn't change that.' The dollar index inched higher while U.S. Treasury yields did not react much. Oil prices dropped after OPEC+ surprised markets by hiking output more than expected in August, raising concerns about oversupply.
Express Tribune
9 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Netanyahu hopes Trump talks will boost Gaza hostage deal efforts
"I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results," said Netanyahu. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed his discussions with US President Donald Trump on Monday would help advance talks on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal that Israeli negotiators resumed in Qatar on Sunday. Israeli negotiators taking part in the ceasefire talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted, Netanyahu said on Sunday before boarding his flight to Washington. "I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results," he said, adding that he was determined to ensure the return of hostages held in Gaza and to remove the threat of Hamas to Israel. It will be Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since Trump returned to power nearly six months ago. Public pressure is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire and end the war in Gaza, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. Others, including Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, have expressed support. Read More: Netanyahu heads to Washington as Gaza ceasefire talks restart in Qatar Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a "positive spirit", a few days after Trump said Israel had agreed "to the necessary conditions to finalize" a 60-day truce. But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals. Netanyahu's office said in a statement that changes sought by Hamas to the ceasefire proposal were "not acceptable to Israel". However, his office said the delegation would still fly to Qatar to "continue efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to". Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a demand the militant group has so far refused to discuss. Netanyahu said he believed he and Trump would also build on the outcome of the 12-day air war with Iran last month and seek to further ensure that Tehran never has a nuclear weapon. He said recent Middle East developments had created an opportunity to widen the circle of peace. Also Read: Children among dozens dead as Israeli air raids pound Gaza Strip Hostages On Saturday evening, crowds gathered at a public square in Tel Aviv near the defence ministry headquarters to call for a ceasefire deal and the return of around 50 hostages still held in Gaza. The demonstrators waved Israeli flags, chanted and carried posters with photos of the hostages. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed over 57,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, displaced the population, mostly within Gaza, and left the territory in ruins. Around 20 of the remaining hostages are believed to be still alive. A majority of the original hostages have been freed through diplomatic negotiations, though the Israeli military has also recovered some.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
X suspends Reuters account in India after ‘legal demand', government denies making request
NEW DELHI:The Reuters News account on X has been inaccessible to users in India since Saturday, when the social media platform suspended it in response to what it described as a 'legal demand'. A spokesperson for the Indian government's Press Information Bureau, however, told Reuters there was no requirement from any agency in the government of India to 'withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem'. Reuters could not immediately determine what specific content the demand referred to, why its removal was sought or the entity that had lodged the complaint. Representatives for X did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Reuters spokesperson said in a statement, 'We are working with X to resolve this matter and get Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible.' Musk announces forming of 'America Party' in further break from Trump Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency, has also been blocked in India. The main Reuters account, followed by more than 25 million users globally, has been blocked in India since Saturday night. A note tells X users that '@Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand'. In an email to the Reuters social media team on May 16, X said: 'It is our policy to notify account holders if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account.' 'In order to comply with X obligations under India's local laws, we have withheld your X account in India under the country's Information Technology Act, 2000; the content remains available elsewhere'. Reuters could not ascertain if the May 16 email was linked to Saturday's account suspension. While the email did not specify which entity had made the request or what content they sought to remove, it said X had been advised that in a case of this sort, a user could contact the secretary of India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The secretary, Sanjay Jaju, did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. The 2000 law allows designated government officials to demand takedown of content from social media platforms they deem to violate local laws, including on the grounds of national security or if a post threatens public order. X has long been at odds with India's government over content-removal requests. The company sued the federal government in March over a new government website the company says expands takedown powers to 'countless' government officials. The case is continuing. India has said X wrongly labelled an official website a 'censorship portal', as the website only allows tech companies to be notified about harmful online content.
