Peter Navarro clashes with X over fact-check on India’s Russian oil purchases
Washington DC: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has reignited his feud with social media platform X after his posts alleging India’s profiteering from Russian oil were flagged with community notes.
In a series of posts on Sunday (local time), Navarro dismissed the fact-checks as “crap” and accused X of serving “foreign interests” that interfere in U.S. economic and political discourse. He launched a user poll asking whether X should “present this crap,” escalating tensions with the platform.
Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing under U.S. President Donald Trump, had earlier claimed that India’s purchase of Russian oil was motivated purely by profiteering and that New Delhi’s tariffs were costing “American jobs.” His remarks were fact-checked by users on X, pointing out inaccuracies in his claims.
In response, Navarro accused the Indian government of running a “spin machine” and alleged that revenues from Russian oil sales were fueling Moscow’s war effort. “India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine,” he posted.
Despite his strong criticism, Navarro’s own poll appeared to backfire. At the time of reporting, over 60 per cent of respondents voted in favor of X presenting diverse viewpoints, including fact-check notes, undermining Navarro’s stance.
Navarro’s comments also targeted the Washington Post, which had reported on tensions within the Trump administration over its India policy. He accused the newspaper of spreading “fake news,” adding that India’s “highest tariffs cost U.S. jobs” and that Washington’s leniency toward New Delhi was misplaced.
FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can't handle truth/spins @washpo
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 5, 2025
Leftist American fake news. QED. https://t.co/9UwdodYBEe
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
