- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
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- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
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- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
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- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
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- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
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- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
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- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
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- Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer
- Global stocks diverge as Chinese shares tumble
- Time runs out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
- Chad issues warning ahead of more devastating floods
- Creator's death no bar to new 'Dragon Ball' products
- Chinese stocks tumble on lack of fresh stimulus
- Trio wins chemistry Nobel for protein design, prediction
How India's scandal-hit Adani Group hushes critics
Independent Indian journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is being sued by tycoon Gautam Adani's business empire in six different courts -- and he is not allowed to speak about the conglomerate or its owner.
US investment firm Hindenburg Research, whose explosive report on Adani Group last month triggered a stock rout that wiped $120 billion off its value, said the company had long used the threat of litigation to shield itself from greater scrutiny.
Hindenburg is a short-seller that not only tracks corporate wrongdoing but also makes money by betting on shares falling.
It accused the globe-spanning ports-to-power conglomerate of accounting fraud and stock manipulation, adding that "investors, journalists, citizens and even politicians have been afraid to speak out for fear of reprisal".
Thakurta, 67, was hit with six defamation actions -- three of them criminal -- after writing a series of reports on Adani that included accusations a top judge gave it preferential treatment.
He could be jailed if convicted and a court order prevents him from writing or speaking about the business or its owner.
"A gag order was served on me," he told AFP. "I was told that I could not comment on the activities of Mr Gautam Adani and his corporate conglomerate. So I don't want to commit contempt of court."
Legal costs and the need to attend hearings in three states "take a toll on us physically and mentally", said his colleague Abir Dasgupta, himself hit with three defamation suits.
"It takes up our time, it affects our families, it has led to a loss of time and loss of income for all of us."
Adani Group went into damage control mode last month after Hindenburg levelled its accusations.
The short-seller's report alleged the conglomerate had artificially inflated its market value using related-party transactions conducted through tax havens.
The stock market reaction sent the firm's billionaire founder, until then Asia's richest man, tumbling down the ranks of global rich-listers, though shares in the group's listed entities have since stabilised.
The firm denies the accusations and threatened to sue Hindenburg.
It has also launched legal action against other foreign critics: it is suing environmental activist Ben Pennings in Australia, claiming he cost it millions during his campaign against its coal mining project in Queensland.
Two journalists from broadcaster CNBC TV18 have been hit with criminal defamation cases by an Adani subsidiary accusing them of a "grossly malicious, defamatory and false" news report.
"Adani Group believes strongly in the freedom of the press and like all companies retains the right to defend itself against defamatory, misleading or false statements," a conglomerate spokesperson told AFP.
"In the past, Adani has at times exercised those rights. The group has always acted in accordance with all applicable laws."
- 'Financial terrorism' -
Hindenburg's allegations made headlines around the world, but many Indian media outlets have ignored or dismissed them, or denounced the authors.
Several echoed Adani Group's assertion that Hindenburg's report was a deliberate "attack on India", with one television panellist calling it an act of "financial terrorism" against the country.
The conglomerate's founder has a close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and opposition lawmakers say both have benefitted from their mutual association.
Critics say Indian media's reluctance to probe the Adani allegations reflects the close ties between the two men.
"That's got a lot to do with Adani's story being linked to the Modi story," said journalist Manisha Pande of Newslaundry, a website known for critical coverage of India's media landscape.
India has nearly 400 television news channels but Modi's government generally benefits from enthusiastically positive coverage.
Hindenburg's report, according to Pande, was "seen as an attack on not just a corporate house, but an attack on Modi, his decision, his tenure".
- 'Subservient' -
Adani became a media owner himself in December after taking over broadcaster NDTV, which was previously known as one of the few media outlets willing to explicitly criticise India's leader.
The tycoon batted away press freedom fears and told the Financial Times that journalists should have the "courage" to say "when the government is doing the right thing every day".
Within hours of Adani's takeover, one of NDTV's most popular anchors stepped down.
Ravish Kumar, a vocal critic of Modi, later said he was "convinced" the purchase was aimed at silencing dissent.
"Adani does not promote questioning or criticism in any manner," he told online news portal The Wire.
Thakurta told AFP that numerous Indian business leaders had taken stakes in media houses to "shut out opinions and information that does not favour them".
He said Indian media acted as a "nexus" between corporate and state power.
"It should not be surprising that such a large section of media in India should be so subservient to big business interests."
A.Leibowitz--CPN