Trump's Phone & The 9:11 Puzzle; Online Sleuths Go Wild
etimes.in
/ Jun 01, 2025, 04:52PM IST
A photo of Donald Trump's phone lock screen has thrown the internet into chaos. The image shows Trump sternly pointing ahead, but it's the timestamp, 9:11, that sent users spiraling. Many found the reference eerily symbolic, tying it to the tragic 9/11 attacks. While some accused Trump of using the time to stir controversy, others brushed it off as coincidence. The photo sparked a frenzy online, flooding X and TikTok with memes, conspiracy theories, and heated debates. As speculation swirls, Trump's team remains silent on the viral mystery.
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Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM to meet delegations after world tour next week
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet the seven multi-party delegations, which are currently touring key international capitals to underscore India's zero-tolerance for terrorism and New Delhi's 'new normal' against the menace, sometime next week, people aware of developments said on Monday. According to the people cited above, the date for Modi's meeting is yet to be finalised but it might happen on June 9 or 10. Before the PM meets all seven delegations, they will debrief external affairs minister S Jaishankar in a process starting from Tuesday with the team led by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, the people added. Panda's delegation, which left Delhi on May 24, is set to be the first to return home after visiting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria. The meeting with Jaishankar is scheduled at 2.30pm on Tuesday. The delegation comprises BJP leaders Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, nominated Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu, former minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. The PM's decision to meet all the delegations is a significant step as top-ranking functionaries suggested that the main idea to send the teams across the globe after Operation Sindoor came from the PM. It will be the first interaction between the PM and the delegations, which began leaving Delhi on May 21. The multi-party delegations—comprising 59 lawmakers, in addition to former diplomats — have already covered a bulk of their itinerary of 33 countries, including the European Union. The leaders, briefed by foreign secretary Vikram Misri before leaving Delhi, have focused on exposing Pakistan's duplicity on combating terror by showing pictures of the country's army general attending funeral of terrorists killed during Operation Sindoor and the discovery of 9/11 accused Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, and underlined how repeated peace initiatives by New Delhi met with disappointment and more attacks, people familiar with the matter said. All seven delegations – headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor; Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Panda; Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde – have met parliamentarians, ministers, government officials and policy makers to exchange views on furthering cooperation on counterterrorism and combating radicalism, especially after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead. The Indian delegations spoke about major terror attacks sponsored by Pakistan, how Islamabad refused to act even after New Delhi provided clinching evidence of photos, DNA samples and call records in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and pointed out that all major international terror attacks including the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks and the 2005 London bombing had direct or indirect links to Pakistan, said the people cited above. Two of the delegations – one to Russia and another to Japan – concluded their visits on Saturday with 'constructive meetings', said the people cited above. Operation Sindoor was India's direct military response to the April 22 terror strike at Pahalgam in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians in what was the worst attack on civilians since the 26/11 Mumbai strikes. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The pre-dawn strikes --- which killed at least 100 terrorists --- sparked a series of attacks and counter attacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels. In one such counterattack on the night of May 9-10, the air force struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations. After four days of fighting, military hostilities were stopped on May 10 as the two nations reached an understanding. The move to send political delegations abroad started on May 17, roughly a week after India and Pakistan agreed to an understanding to cease hostilities. In Algiers, Panda said that India's appeal to place Pakistan back on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list was gaining significant resonance globally, emphasising the role of illicit financing in fuelling terrorism. 'Pakistan is not interested in improving itself or helping its people... They have diverted the money for terrorism and its army and looted it... Terrorism is fuelled by two things. One is ideology and the other is illicit finance... Ideology-wise, these Islamic countries have taken a strong stand... They do not permit any kind of fundamentalism from their soil... Financing part is the other aspect,' Panda said. In Paris, former Union minister M J Akbar asserted India's clear and thought-through 'no first use' doctrine on nuclear weapons and said, 'Pakistan is a military state, it is no longer a civilian state. And a military state has a vested interest in conflict because conflict justifies its presence… Now, it sometimes thinks it can provide a nuclear shelter to terrorists. The Prime Minister (Modi) has made it very clear that there can be no nuclear blackmail.' In Tokyo, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Abhishek Banerjee said, 'If terrorism is a rabid dog, Pakistan is a vile handler…We are here to share the message and the truth that India refuses to bow down. We will not kneel to fear. I belong to a political party that is in the Opposition. It is in the public domain that I have said that Pakistan needs to be taught a lesson in the language they understand,' he said.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
US probing Adani Group link to Iran LPG trade, says report; firm calls it ‘baseless, mischievous'
Prosecutors in the US are investigating whether Indian businessman Gautam Adani's companies imported Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into India through the Adani Group's Mundra port, despite US sanctions on Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. This comes at a time when the Trump administration is rolling back on the enforcement of certain white-collar crimes, including cases related to foreign bribery and sanctions evasion. Tankers travelling between Mundra in Gujarat and the Persian Gulf exhibited traits common to ships evading sanctions, the WSJ report said. The US Justice Department is reviewing the activities of several LPG tankers used to ship cargoes to Adani Enterprises, it said. In a statement, the Adani Group said the report was 'baseless and mischievous'. 'Adani categorically denies any deliberate engagement in sanctions evasion or trade involving Iranian-origin LPG. Further, we are not aware of any investigation by US authorities on this subject,' it said. 'The WSJ's story appears to be based entirely on incorrect assumptions and speculation. Any suggestion that Adani Group entities are knowingly in contravention of US sanctions on Iran is strongly denied. Any assertion to the contrary would not only be slanderous but also deemed to be an intentional act to injure the reputation and interests of the Adani Group,' the statement said. 'The rights of Adani Group entities and personnel in this regard are expressly reserved.' Earlier, US President Donald Trump had warned that any country or person buying oil or petrochemicals from Iran would face immediate secondary sanctions, effectively barring them from doing business with the US. Trump made this statement in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, emphasising that such entities would not be allowed to engage in any form of business with the US. This warning is apparently part of Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran, aimed at completely shutting down the country's oil exports. Trump accused Iran of financing militant groups and emphasised the need to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. His comments appear to be directed at China, which imports over 1 million barrels per day from Iran. But US sanctions are unlikely to impact Iranian oil flowing to China, unless the White House targets Beijing's state-owned enterprises and infrastructure. Trump has taken a tough stand on Iran, including pulling the US out of the nuclear agreement negotiated by former President Barack Obama. This move is consistent with his earlier decision to impose secondary tariffs on countries buying oil from Venezuela, another OPEC member. The implications of these sanctions and tariffs will likely have far-reaching consequences for the global oil market and US relations with key players like China and Iran. The investigation into the Adani Group's alleged import of Iranian LPG comes at a time when the US administration is easing enforcement of white-collar crimes. The rollback on the enforcement of certain types of white-collar crimes, including cases related to foreign bribery, public corruption, money laundering and crypto markets, came after Trump signed an executive order directing the US Justice Department to halt prosecuting Americans accused of bribing foreign officials to secure overseas business deals. At the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered prosecutors to focus their anti-money-laundering and sanctions-evasion attention on drug cartels and international crime organisations. It says the administration is effectively redefining what constitutes a crime in some business conduct cases. These decisions aim to provide relief to US citizens, but may also benefit companies and executives facing charges in US courts, like key executives of the Adani Group who are currently facing bribery charges. According to sources, the new policy could potentially provide relief to Azure Power — which had a contract (a build, operate and transfer deal) with an Adani Group firm for building a solar project that had come under the scanner for alleged bribery allegations — and, by extension, the Adani Group.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Lower duty on edible oils, nuts; target growth in spice, rice in US deal: Niti Aayog
India should offer concessions on agricultural products from US such as edible oils and nuts where domestic supply gaps exist, and explore duty concessions to boost high-performing exports — including shrimp, fish, spices, rice, tea, coffee, and rubber — in the US market during the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, a Niti Aayog working paper has argued. The need for calibrated negotiations on agricultural trade relations between India and the US arises as India has traditionally maintained relatively high tariffs on politically sensitive agricultural sectors to protect farmers, but the US, under President Donald Trump, has been aggressively pushing for greater market access and lower tariffs, posing a challenge for developing countries such as India. The working paper dated May said India can offer some concessions to the US in the 'import of soybean oil' to meet US demands to reduce the trade imbalance, without harming domestic production, as India is the largest importer of edible oil in the world and the US has a huge export surplus of soybean. 'Import soybean seed from US 'We should also explore the option of importing soybean seed and using it for extracting oil in the coastal areas, then selling the oil in the domestic market and exporting the meal, for which there is adequate overseas demand. This will avoid genetically modified (GM) feed entering the Indian market,' the paper, authored by Senior Adviser at NITI Aayog, Raka Saxena, and Member of NITI Aayog, Ramesh Chand, said. 'Similarly, corn may be imported for ethanol blending, and its by-products — like Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) — can be entirely exported to avoid GM feed in the country. US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets,' the paper said. Notably, soybeans and corn are among the US top exports to China, where a trade war may affect agricultural trade between the two countries. According to a Reuters report, US soybean exports may drop 20 per cent and prices could plunge if the United States and China fail to resolve their trade dispute, limiting US soybeans from accessing their largest market. Ease US apple imports 'Indian producers already enjoy supply advantages in commodities like rice and pepper. High tariffs on such products by India, which are regularly exported by the country, can be easily lowered or even removed in the bilateral trade accord. Such tariffs are not relevant for trade with countries like the US,' the paper said. The Niti Aayog paper said India can consider lower tariffs on agricultural commodities where either domestic production is small or imports do not compete with domestic production due to different quality grades and seasons. 'For example, US apples sell at a premium price in Indian retail markets due to different quality, long shelf life, and off-season availability.' Boost exports of fish, spices & coffee 'India should negotiate more access to the US market for high-performing exports like shrimp, fish, spices, rice, tea, coffee, and rubber. India earns approximately $5.75 billion annually from agri-exports to the US. Expanding this through duty waivers or TRQs should be part of trade talks,' the paper said. The authors said that US is expected to remain a big market for export of surplus food from India and all efforts need to be made to keep favorable environment for export to US. 'This should include strategic opening for US imports into India to achieve larger gains in exports. The ongoing negotiations between the two countries for a bilateral trade accord seem to be the best option for resetting long term trade relationships'. 'Export basket should emphasize both, traditional products like fishery and rice sold in large volume and a large number of high value products, differentiated products, ethnic products, attribute-based products, health foods, processed food etc. which are individually small but cumulatively quite large,' the paper said. In the last 10 years, India's agricultural exports to the US grew nearly fivefold, from $1.18 billion to $5.75 billion and the share of the US in India's total agricultural exports saw a slight decline, dropping from 11.5 per cent in 2004 to 9.8 per cent in 2024. Meanwhile, India's agricultural imports from the US increased even faster, rising from $291 million in 2004 to $2,217.9 million in 2024. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
