'The Wire' says its website blocked across India by Government
New Delhi: Access to the independent news website The Wire (thewire.in) has been blocked across much of India following an order reportedly issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move has drawn strong criticism from The Wire, which termed it a violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press.
The internet service providers are saying multiple things. We have learnt it is per orders of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. pic.twitter.com/GCz4d6EggP
— The Wire (@thewire_in) May 9, 2025
Internet service providers (ISPs) have cited different reasons for the disruption, but The Wire’s founding editor, Siddharth Varadarajan stated that at least two ISPs have informed customers that the website is being blocked under government orders. Some users in India can still access the website, although the block appears to be in the process of full implementation.
At least two ISPs are telling their customers that The Wire cannot be reached because the government has issued orders to block the site.
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) May 9, 2025
Some readers in India may still be able to access https://t.co/BCdnZhucBj directly until the blocking order gets fully implemented.
The… pic.twitter.com/Qe44BUUbbx
Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, shared a workaround on X to continue accessing the website. “If you're on a Firefox-based browser, then enable DNS over HTTPS,” he wrote.
To access https://t.co/tcIZ6ths5j in India, please enable secure DNS in your browser settings. https://t.co/9nhSjpVUYy pic.twitter.com/fJWnFwH5BK
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 9, 2025
In a public statement, The Wire called the move “blatant censorship” and questioned its timing. “At a critical time for India, when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices are among the biggest assets the country has, this decision is deeply concerning,” the editorial team said.
Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, noted that while the site is currently inaccessible within much of India, it remains fully reachable through VPNs and abroad. He added that a mirror site will be launched soon.
The Wire confirmed that it is pursuing all legal and procedural measures to challenge the “arbitrary and inexplicable” order. “Our commitment to truthful and accurate journalism remains unwavering. Your support has kept our work going for the past 10 years, and we are counting on our readers to stand with us now,” the outlet said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
