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DONALD Trump has just blown a hole in Vladimir Putin’s warchest – and the shockwaves are already rippling through Moscow, Beijing and New Dehli. In a move branded by the Kremlin as “an act of war”, the US President slapped sweeping sanctions on Russia’s oil titans Rosneft and Lukoil – and within hours, the pain began to bite. Global oil prices surged nearly five per cent overnight, China’s state oil giants froze Russian purchases and India – Moscow’s biggest remaining lifeline — is preparing to slash imports. For Putin, the timing couldn’t be worse. His forces are still pounding Ukraine,...

Oil prices jumped and energy companies helped the FTSE 100 to a record high after Donald Trump announced new sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil producers.Brent crude increased by 5.2% to $65.83 a barrel – a two-week high – after the news of the fresh restrictions on Rosneft and Lukoil, as the US president ramps up pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.The jump in oil price also boosted shares in the energy companies Shell and BP by about 3%, which in turn helped to drive the FTSE 100 to a record high of 9,594.82.

Four major state-owned Chinese oil companies have suspended their purchases of seaborne Russian oil in response to the new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on Rosneft and Lukoil, according to a Reuters report, citing anonymous trade sources. The suspension, if confirmed, would put Russia under major economic pressure to end its war on Ukraine. China is a key strategic partner of Russia. Beijing's large-scale oil purchases have aided Moscow through punishing Western sanctions related to its invasion of Ukraine. The four oil firms involved are PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC, and Zhenhua Oil, per Reuters.

In recent weeks, the world has witnessed a defining moment in the Xi Jinping era—a moment when the full weight of China’s political and military machinery has turned inward. From sweeping purges within the People’s Liberation Army to the Communist Party’s latest five-year planning session, it is clear that Xi is tightening the reins of control across every lever of state and society. Xi Jinping is not merely the head of state; he is the state. As General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People’s Republic, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, he holds the...

He Weidong was China second highest ranking official in the militaryThe Chinese Communist Party has expelled nine top generals in one of its largest public crackdowns on the military in decades.Nine men were suspected of serious financial crimes, a statement released by China's defence ministry said.Most of them were three-star generals and part of the party's decision-making Central Committee. They have also been expelled from the military.While the statement cast the expulsion as part of an anti-corruption drive, analysts say it could also be seen as a political purge. It comes on the eve of the party's plenum where the...

Perhaps US intelligence has an idea about who is increasingly the real power behind the throne in BeijingXi Jinping effectively vanished in July and the first half of August. Some China watchers speculated that his unexplained absence was a sign he was losing his grip on power. But he has since reappeared and been very visible again. At the end of the month, he visited Tibet, then indulged in a high-profile, backslapping meeting with Vladimir Putin and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin. He capped off his busy two weeks with the September 3 military parade in Beijing...

China has just played its rare-earth card — and the shock waves reach far beyond trade. On October 9, Beijing imposed sweeping new export controls on a broad array of rare-earth metals and high-tech components. These obscure elements — neodymium, dysprosium, samarium, holmium, erbium, and others — are the hidden arteries of modern power. They magnetize motors that steer drones and electric vehicles, harden the guidance systems of missiles, and enable the high-temperature performance of GPUs — the silicon engines that drive artificial intelligence. Whoever controls rare earths holds a potential chokehold on the digital and military age. [SNIP] Weaponized...

Chinese dictator Xi Jinping told his Politburo on Monday that tougher law enforcement in religious affairs was needed to complete the project of “Sinicizing” all faiths, which means making them all subordinate to the authority of the Chinese Communist Party. “Governing religious affairs in accordance with the law is the fundamental way to properly handle various contradictions and problems in the religious field,” Xi told a Politburo study group, as reported by Chinese state media. Xi told the Politburo to “enhance relevant laws and policies, carry out in-depth legal publicity and education, and implement strict law enforcement” to achieve full...

Analysis - The optics could not have been more stark as Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived at a massive military parade in Beijing flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un - with some two dozen other leaders including from Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and Myanmar trailing behind. Jumbotrons at Tiananmen Square beamed the image to the 50,000 people gathered under the beating Beijing sun to witness the spectacle, many waving small Chinese flags, while state media transmitted it to televisions across China and the world. Many watching in capitals across the West, including Donald Trump,...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s liaison to China is the daughter of a computer scientist building a genealogical database for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who has considerable ties to Chinese intelligence and military personnel, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation discovered. Amy Tong has held multiple cabinet positions in Newsom’s administration, such as serving as the Government Operations Agency secretary, and is now listed as “senior counselor to the governor,” government records show. Newsom has repeatedly sent Tong to negotiate with CCP officials and Chinese intelligence personnel, and “appointed Tong to lead people-to-people exchanges with China,” according to a July...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged on Sunday to resolve their border differences and bolster cooperation, ahead of the opening of a regional summit in Tianjin. Modi is on his first visit to China since relations between the two countries deteriorated after Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in deadly border clashes in 2020. Modi is visiting as part of India's membership into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China. Modi said in his opening remarks that relations with China have moved in "a meaningful direction," adding that "there...

VIDEOIt's going to be a grand day in China on September 3, 2025. The Xi Jinping Removal Day Parade. As you can see, very careful preparations and rehearsals are underway for this parade.

VIDEOFor years I've been hearing that Chinese dictator Xi Jinping has been suffering from health problems and/or he is facing a coup from factions within his own Communist party. When nothing materialized I grew skeptical of all such reports. HOWEVER, I am now of the opinion that Xi has only WEEKS left in power. Why? Well, amid growing reports of top generals in the People's Liberation Army having formed a strong faction opposing Xi, there are images of Xi from his recent trip to Tibet in which he appeared to be in HORRIBLE health as you can see. His shuffling...

Gu Kailai Said to Have Named Zhou Yongkang as Coup Mastermind Gu Kailai, the wife of an ousted Chinese politician, may have given evidence against her husband's ally in order to save herself from the death penalty. Gu was arrested on April 10—the same day her husband Bo Xilai was sacked as Chongqing's Communist Party Secretary. Gu is likely to be convicted for the murder of British citizen and family friend Neil Heywood. According to online news service Boxun, an anonymous source on Thursday said that Gu Kailai exposed a plot between Zhou Yongkang and Bo Xilai to stage a...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to US criminal charges as part of a deal that allows him to go free, according to court documents. Assange, 52, was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. For years, the US has argued that the Wikileaks files - which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endangered lives. He has spent the last five years in a British prison, from where he has been fighting extradition to the US. According to CBS, the BBC's US partner, Assange will spend no time in US custody and will...

SYDNEY —China’s state-owned enterprises may be curbing investment in Australia is dropping as relations between the two countries deteriorate, but there are rising concerns that they may be stepping up community infiltration instead. Reports suggest that the Covid-19 crisis may have led to an upsurge in activity by agencies run by Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) such as the United Front, a body President Xi Jinping once referred to as his “magic weapon.” “The Chinese Communist Party is strengthening its influence by co-opting representatives of ethnic minority groups, religious movements, and business, science and political groups in China...

China’s leadership, including Xi Jinping, is now openly admitting to a crisis of industrial “overcapacity,” a problem they have termed “involution.” This counterproductive and “disorderly competition” is causing destructive price wars, particularly in the massive auto industry. While Beijing is attempting to use dictatorial measures, such as price controls, to address the issue, experts argue that this approach will fail.

Chinese President Xi Jinping says relations with Australia have “turned around” as the two countries stress dialogue and seek to stabilise trade in the face of global tensions. Xi made the remarks as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. The six-day visit by Albanese – his second as prime minister – aims to boost economic cooperation with Beijing, Australia’s top trading partner. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,” Xi said, acknowledging that China-Australia ties had “risen from the setbacks”....

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it is evident that this year has been characterized by turbulence, uncertainty, and deepening despair for many in communist China.Six phenomena best capture the country’s current state: decline, fierce competition, political struggles, the “run” movement, random acts of violence, and the “lying flat” movement.They reveal the erosion of trust and a growing sense of disillusionment and unrest among the populace.DeclineFor many in China, 2025 is the most challenging year in nearly three decades, with numerous sectors of society experiencing a significant downturn. The real estate market is the most notable example.By the end...

Chinese President Xi Jinping declined to travel to Rio for the latest BRICS Summit on the reported pretext of scheduling conflicts and having already met with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Ignacia Lula da Silva twice this year.The South China Morning Post speculated that the real reason was that Xi didn’t want to be “perceived as a supporting actor” there given the state dinner that Lula will hold for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, who’ll be the first Indian premier to visit Brazil in nearly six decades.Despite the border de-escalation deal that Xi and Modi agreed to during the last...