Sri Lankan government to review Adani Group’s projects
Colombo: The Sri Lankan Ministry of Power and Energy has announced plans to form a committee to review the Adani Group’s projects in the country. The committee's formation is expected to be discussed in the upcoming cabinet meeting, with an emphasis on evaluating the estimated costs of the projects, as reported by Newsfirst.
Previously, the Sri Lankan government had set up a separate committee to investigate the Adani Group’s wind power plant projects in the country. These plants, located in Mannar and Pooneryn, are projected to generate 484 megawatts of electricity.
The announcement follows the Adani Group's withdrawal from a $553 million loan agreement with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for a port terminal project in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. This decision came amidst allegations of bribery against Adani and his associates, which surfaced in US courts last month.
The Adani Group has been under scrutiny due to accusations that it paid over $250 million in bribes to Indian officials for solar energy contracts. The conglomerate has denied these allegations and pledged to fight the claims in court. Additionally, the Group has faced challenges in Kenya, where $2.6 billion worth of infrastructure contracts were cancelled.
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'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.
