‘Mind Your Business': Lula Blasts 'Emperor' Trump, Warns Of BRICS Retaliation Over Tariff Threat
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Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump says he will meet UK's Starmer in Scotland to refine trade deal
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is set to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip to Scotland and refine the trade deal agreed upon by the two leaders. 'We are going to have a meeting with him, probably in Aberdeen. And we're going to do a lot of different things, also refine the trade deal that we've made,' Trump said. A White House official earlier said that Trump plans to visit both his Turnberry and Aberdeen golf properties on a trip expected to last from July 25 to July 29.
India Today
33 minutes ago
- India Today
Why the West keeps getting Xi Jinping wrong
Each time Xi Jinping vanishes from public view—even briefly—the usual chorus springs to life. Think tanks buzz with theories. Twitter (or X) lights up with speculative threads. Television panels convene in haste. Western newspapers quote 'anonymous insiders.' Asian outlets pick up the trail. And once again, headlines proclaim instability at the apex of China's power there's a recurring problem: they're almost always Xi Jinping disappears from view multiple times each year. And each time, it's as if the West has returned to 1989. Out come the Tiananmen metaphors. Op-eds forecast regime collapse. Analysts warn of elite discontent. Then Xi resurfaces—shaking hands, touring factories, delivering speeches. No wheelchair. No oxygen mask. No rumours fade. The speculation dies down. But the cycle? It resets—like clockwork.A Pattern, Not a FlukeWhat we're witnessing isn't just clickbait or lazy journalism. It's something far more deliberate: narrative warfare. A disinformation strategy dressed as analysis. A psychological operation updated for the social media age—designed to sow doubt about China's leadership and to weaken confidence in its political isn't a conspiracy theory. It's a strategy—acknowledged, at times, by former intelligence officials themselves. Psychological operations don't always come with tanks and soldiers. Sometimes, all it takes is a whisper. A provocative headline. A satellite image of dubious origin. A 'leak' from a think the Western press? It plays Study: September 2022Xi skipped a scheduled meeting for less than a week. Western headlines screamed: 'Coup in Beijing?' 'Has the PLA arrested Xi?' Anonymous Indian intelligence sources were quoted. Twitter flooded with satellite images—many from old military drills. Talk of an 'internal rebellion' social media accounts—later traced to IP addresses in Virginia, Taiwan, and London—amplified the frenzy. Then Xi reappeared at a military expo. Calm. Unmoved. The headlines vanished. But the psychological seed had been in 2023 and 2024In August 2023, Xi missed a BRICS planning session. British tabloids declared 'Chaos in Zhongnanhai.' American commentators floated theories about his fallout from the Rocket Force purge. Thai outlets translated it. Japanese pundits debated it. South Korean YouTubers built mini-documentaries around of it turned out to be fiction. Xi met Russian diplomats days later—healthy and present. The story was quietly dropped. No correction. No again in March 2024, just before the National People's Congress, Xi didn't attend a ceremonial event. The Washington Post ran with speculative unrest in the provinces. 'Elite discontent' was once again anonymously most recently, June 2025: ten days of silence. The rumour mill spun furiously—heart problems, power struggles, foreign meddling. But Xi returned—shaking hands with India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar in Beijing, all smiles for the cameras. No explanation CIA, MI6 and the Game of PerceptionWhy does this pattern repeat?Because it intelligence agencies understand that if they cannot physically destabilise China, they can attempt to fracture it psychologically—at least in perception. Global investors, Asian neighbours, and Chinese elites are all watching. Uncertainty is the weapon. Rumours are the delivery don't need to prove Xi is weak. They just need the world to wonder if he why these stories often begin in Langley, Vauxhall Cross, or within Western-funded think tanks. The narrative is seeded, echoed, and amplified. 'Sources say...' 'Satellite imagery suggests...' 'Anonymous officials believe...' Always speculative. Rarely verified. Yet persistently Becomes a WeaponChina's opaque political system lends itself to this tactic. The CCP's culture of secrecy allows room for speculation. Without transparency, Western media fills the void with opacity is not the same as Xi rules an authoritarian regime. Yes, the system crushes dissent and censors critics. But that doesn't mean it's on the verge of implosion every time he takes a break from public this with Western leaders. When a US president disappears? It's 'rest at Camp David.' When a UK Prime Minister goes quiet? 'Family holiday.' When Macron skips a summit? 'Scheduling conflict.'But when Xi disappears? It's a coup. Xi is not merely a man. He is the embodiment of the Chinese state. To suggest he's vulnerable is to imply the whole system Role of Think TanksMany of the organisations driving these narratives are not disinterested academics. They receive funding from defence contractors, government departments, or intelligence-linked sources. Their 'hypotheses' often become tomorrow's not evidence—it's projection. Geopolitics disguised as it works. Markets jitter. Investors hedge. Diplomats scramble. Policymakers rehearse 'China collapse' scenarios. A lie repeated often enough becomes a risk to be media outlets, especially in India, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, often retransmit these Western narratives. Sometimes out of alignment with geopolitical interests. Other times out of journalistic habit.A Manufactured RealityThis is the outcome: the West gets to script China's decline—no evidence needed. Xi keeps ruling. The CCP keeps functioning. And no journalist, editor, or analyst is ever held to account for being wrong. But they might just get a promotion for 'breaking' the next false is how information warfare Real IllusionYes, Xi Jinping governs with fear. Yes, China's political system is rigid and secretive. But the biggest illusion isn't Xi's the West's addiction to misinterpreting when policy is based on fantasy, it leads to strategic miscalculations. Trade collapses. Alliances erode. War becomes more likely—not because of facts, but because of Jinping is not invincible. But he isn't vanishing in defeat every few months either. And when he reappears after a stretch of silence, it's not a resurrection. It's a reminder: he never left.- Ends
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
US secondary tariff threat may sour India's love affair with Russian oil
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced 100% tariff on Russian exports, including oil, and an equivalent secondary tariff on countries importing Russian shipments to be imposed after a 50-day deadline for Moscow to end the war with Ukraine. NEW DELHI: The US threat to slap penal tariffs on countries buying Russian oil may sour India's love affair with those barrels as the benefit of discounts would be far outweighed by the cost to its merchandise exports to America at a time both countries are discussing a trade deal. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced 100% tariff on Russian exports, including oil, and an equivalent secondary tariff on countries importing Russian shipments to be imposed after a 50-day deadline for Moscow to end the war with Ukraine. The fine print of Trump's plan and how it will pan out remain sketchy at this point. But the oil market took the announcement calmly as the long deadline dispelled worries over immediate supply disruption, leaving benchmark Brent crude below $70/barrel. Indian refiners have been lapping up Russian oil at discounts since February 2022 as others shunned those barrels due to Western sanctions on Moscow imposed after its invasion of Ukraine. Russia currently accounts for a third of India's oil imports, against less than 1% before the war. Things may be different this time if Trump carries through with his threat. This is because, as reports in western media said, secondary tariff will apply to the country and affect all merchandise exports, unlike in the case where only the entities doing business with sanctioned Russian entities are penalised. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jag stänger ner. 70% rabatt - Utförsäljning (sista kollektionen) Handmakarens rapport LÄS NU Undo If that is the case, Indian refiners will have no other way than pivot towards its traditional West Asian and suppliers and new players such as Brazil to make up for lost Russian supplies. These new barrels will, however, come at a higher cost — ranging between $4-5/barrel. Arranging alternative supplies will not be difficult as 'there is enough enrgy available in the world,' according to oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri . 'Oil prices are still between $65 and $70,' he said on the sidelines of a seminar on education on Tuesday. The government had approached two major West Asian oil producers to examine additional supplies through their alternative evacuation routes if the fear of disruption in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz came true during the recent Israel-Iran war. Industry watchers said Indian refiners are likely to tank up on cheap Russian oil during the deadline period the way they had done during the srael-Iran conflict while tying up alternative supplies. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
