Here's a news digest covering recent events:
Government Denies Reuters Ban Request
The Indian government has denied issuing any legal directive to X (formerly Twitter) to block the official account of Reuters in India. This clarification came after Reuters' Indian X handle displayed a message stating it had been "withheld in India in response to a legal demand". The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) stated that there was no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle and that they are working with X to resolve the problem.
Government sources suggest that a directive had been issued on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, but it was not enforced. Officials believe that X may have mistakenly acted on the previously dormant order. Indian authorities have sought an explanation from X and asked them to lift the ban.
X's help center page states that such messages typically indicate enforcement of a legal order or local law, compelling the platform to restrict content or entire accounts in specific jurisdictions. While the main @Reuters X account is blocked in India, several affiliated handles, such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China, are still accessible.
India vs. England Test Match
The India vs. England second Test match is underway at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India is in a strong position, having set England a target of 608 runs. At the end of Day 4, England were 72/3, requiring 536 more runs to win.
Shubman Gill has delivered a historic performance, becoming the first player in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match. Gill's second-innings 161, after his first-innings 269, took his match tally to 430 runs. Gill has overtaken Virat Kohli's record for the most runs by an Indian captain in a Test. He also went past Sunil Gavaskar's record for the highest match aggregate by an Indian in a Test. Ravindra Jadeja (69*), Rishabh Pant (65), and KL Rahul (55) have also made vital contributions.
On Day 5, rain delayed the start of play. Play was scheduled to begin at 5:10 PM IST, with the possibility of play continuing until 11:30 PM IST. Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj made early inroads into the England batting lineup. Akash Deep picked up two wickets, including the important wicket of Harry Brook.
Other India News
