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The US Postal Service (USPS) said Wednesday it would continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong, hours after an order to suspend shipments over President Donald Trump’s new tariffs sparked fears of major trade disruptions.Tensions between the US and China have soared in recent days as the world’s two largest economies slapped a volley of tariffs on each others’ imports, hitting hundreds of billions of dollars in trade.As part of Trump’s tariffs — which he enacted citing drug trafficking concerns — the United States on Tuesday scrapped a duty-free exemption for low-value packages.The “de minimis” exemption allows goods valued at $800 or below to enter the United States without paying duties or certain taxes, but it has faced scrutiny due to a surge in shipments in recent years.The US Customs and Border Protection agency said last month that exemption shipments rose to over 1.36 billion in fiscal year 2024, creating challenges for its enforcement of trade laws, health and safety requirements, intellectual property rights, and consumer protection rules.US officials have pointed to the growth of Chinese-founded online retailers Shein and Temu as a key factor behind the increase — and Tuesday’s halt threatened major delays to parcels from both companies from entering the country.The developments at the USPS came as the latest data showed the US trade deficit swelled last year to its second-largest on record, a metric that Trump has used in the past to justify trade battles with China and others.In an apparent climbdown, the USPS on Wednesday morning said it would “continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts.””The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery,” it added, without further details.Beijing had responded with fury to the move, accusing the United States of “politicizing trade and economic issues and using them as tools.”Vowing to “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused Washington of “unreasonable suppression.”AFP has reached out to Shein and Temu for comment.Other retailers such as Amazon might also be impacted by the “de minimis” removal.The low-cost retailers took another hit Wednesday as the European Commission announced it would seek to impose new fees on e-commerce imports — the bulk of which come from China.The measures are part of efforts to tackle a surge of “harmful” products into the bloc.- Tariff standoff -Tuesday saw Beijing say it would impose levies on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment in a return salvo minutes after Trump’s threatened tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect.A day earlier, Trump suspended duties on Mexico and Canada for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter flows of the drug fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented migrants into the United States.Beijing’s moves hit roughly $20 billion worth of US goods per year — roughly 12 percent of total American imports into China, according to calculations by Capital Economics.But their impact is a far cry from US tariffs announced over the weekend, which will affect some $450 billion worth of goods.Although earlier it appeared that US parcels could still be sent from Macau, by Wednesday evening the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s post office announced that its service was also suspended.Trump had signalled earlier that the talks with Xi could take place early this week, but addressing reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon, he said he was in “no rush.”

Despite Donald Trump’s tariff threats, Mexican farmers working flat out to meet Super Bowl fans’ appetite for guacamole believe that, as long as they keep growing avocados, people will keep buying them.”In the end, the trees are here, the avocados are there, and the customer will either want them or not,” said Agustin del Rio, a producer in the western state of Michoacan.”Fortunately, they always do,” the 49-year-old told AFP.The farmers who harvest the fruit beloved for its creamy green flesh are no strangers to adversity.Michoacan is one of Mexico’s most dangerous states, and ultra-violent drug cartels battle for a share of its agricultural riches through robbery, kidnapping and extortion.Trump’s vow to impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexican goods — he cites illegal migration and drug smuggling as his motive — are another headache for the industry.”Am I worried? Of course, just like anyone would be,” Del Rio said in his orchard in Uruapan.”How is it our fault? We’re a bargaining chip,” he added.- Free trade in doubt -Mexican avocado shipments are worth more than three billion dollars a year, with consumption in the United States set to peak on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans in the climax of the NFL season.Trade between the neighboring countries has flourished under a North American free trade deal whose future has been plunged into uncertainty by Trump’s tariff threats.Michoacan — which covers an area as big as Costa Rica — will have exported some 110,000 tons of the fruit for the Super Bowl by the time it kicks off, according to Mexico’s association of avocado producers and exporters.It is the importers in the United States who would be responsible for paying the tariffs and most probably try to pass the extra cost on to the consumer.For now, Trump has agreed to delay the levies for a month, until early March, after Mexico pledged to deploy 10,000 more troops to its border with the United States to combat drug and migrant flows.As the Super Bowl approached, farmers were working at full capacity to meet demand.Near Del Rio’s orchard, dozens of employees packed avocados using a mechanized process allowing shipments to reach the border in one day.Machines selected the fruits by size and quality before workers arranged them in cardboard boxes.Some 150 tons of the fruit are processed daily at this location alone with the label: “Avocados from Mexico. The world’s finest.”The boxes, which are kept in cold storage, have codes that allow the entire production chain to be tracked.A sample is selected from each shipment to be checked by an inspector from the US Department of Agriculture.In 2022, the United States briefly suspended avocado imports from Michoacan after one such inspector checking shipments before the Super Bowl received phone threats. Industry sources said at the time that the incident was believed to be linked to attempts by some producers to surreptitiously export avocados from regions other than Michoacan to the United States.Drivers of the trucks that transport avocados must also be vigilant for potential robberies.For now, however, avocado farmers can at least breathe a sigh of relief that tariffs were avoided at their busiest time of the year.And whatever the future holds, few expect demand for the fruit to wither away.”It’s a good product, a reliable product, a healthy product. So at a higher or lower price, they will sell — I’m sure of it,” Del Rio said.

In America’s largest Arab enclave, where frustration with President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy led many to back Donald Trump, anger is now growing over the president’s explosive proposal to take control of the Palestinian territory.But Dearborn voters say their only viable option in 2024 was to punish Democrats, leveraging their influence as a minority community on their core issue.”I do not regret my vote,” said Samra’a Luqman, a political activist in this Detroit suburb of 110,000, where most residents have Middle Eastern or North African heritage.Previously a Democratic stronghold, Dearborn saw Trump win 42.5 percent of the vote in November, followed by Kamala Harris at 36.3 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 18.3 percent.Some Democratic critics claim the community helped deliver Michigan to Trump, despite his decisive 80,000-vote margin — a gap too large to be attributed solely to shifts within the relatively small Arab and Muslim electorate. Moreover, Trump carried all seven swing states.”We’ve seen the great march of return, emotions I can’t even describe,” said 42-year-old Luqman, describing the overwhelming joy of displaced Palestinians finally returning home despite the devastation. She credited Trump for making the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas possible.- Trump’s promises -Yet Luqman and other Trump voters insist they strongly oppose the Republican’s idea of displacing the nearly two million Gazans from their homeland and remain committed to holding both US political parties accountable in future elections.”That’s not something we will stand for,” said Faye Nemer, 39, a prominent businesswoman who lost relatives in Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon. “Palestine is a red line for the community.”Nemer said the community met with high-level Democrats and Republicans before deciding whom to support.Trump visited Dearborn, while Harris did not, touring the state instead with Liz Cheney, who many Americans consider a war hawk.Nemer, who helped organize a lunch for Trump at a local restaurant, said he pledged support for peace and a two-state solution — an assurance that swayed many voters. She remains “very optimistic” he will ultimately deliver.Bishara Bahbah, a prominent Trump supporter celebrating in Dearborn on election night, is also confident in Trump’s broader vision for Middle East diplomacy.”The president wants to see peace in the Middle East that satisfies all parties,” he told AFP, insisting Trump was speaking “hypothetically rather than realistically” about displacing Gazans.Bahbah chairs the group formerly known as “Arab Americans for Trump,” recently renamed “Arab Americans for Peace” — a change he says reflects the post-election shift rather than any reaction to Trump’s policies.- Silence from mayors -Trump also secured endorsements from Arab American mayors Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights and Amer Ghalib of Hamtramck, although neither responded to requests for comment. Bazzi did speak to AFP on election night, celebrating Trump’s win.For local news publisher Osama Siblani, 70, their silence may stem from embarrassment.”They have nothing to say, but they have to answer to their constituents,” he said, noting that both mayors face re-election in 2025.”Trump came here and he lied. He said, ‘I’m going to spread peace and love in the region and in the world.’ And as soon as he got in, he wants to take Canada, he wants to take Greenland, he wants to take Panama, he wants to take Gaza.”Still, Siblani believes Democrats are to blame for their losses, pointing out that his newspaper, The Arab American News, endorsed neither candidate.”We are not responsible for this outcome; our price was low,” said comedian and lawyer Amer Zahr, 47, who voted for Stein.Zahr argued that Harris could have secured Arab American support simply by signaling openness to an arms embargo on Israel.Instead, Democrats’ condemnation of Trump’s proposals and newfound willingness to talk about “ethnic cleansing” only “validates” the community’s choices by proving the party can be nudged in the right direction with the right incentives, he said.Luqman, who leans strongly left on issues like the environment and abortion, acknowledged the difficult choice many faced.”A lot of people held their nose and voted who did not want to vote Republican but did it anyway, and are now open to either party,” she said.

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened tariffs on Japanese goods if the US trade deficit with Tokyo is not equalized, as he met Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington.Ishiba, who is only the second foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump returned to power, heaped praise on the US president as he tried to build a bond with the mercurial Trump.As they met in the Oval Office, Ishiba hailed Trump’s “undaunted presence, that you stood up and you raised your fist high in the sky” after the Republican survived an assassination attempt last year.The Japanese premier — whose country is a key US ally against a rising China and a nuclear-armed North Korea — said his country was the biggest investor in the United States and would step up its spending.But Trump insisted that he wanted “equality” in the trade balance between the two countries — and said “yes” when asked whether tariffs could follow if no progress was made.Trump also said the two would discuss the thorny issue of Nippon Steel’s blocked takeover bid of US Steel.The president has previously supported his predecessor Joe Biden’s decision to stop the deal, but US media reported that he might relent.An avowed “geek” and model warship fan, Ishiba is unlikely to replicate Trump’s close relationship with former premier and golf buddy Shinzo Abe in the US president’s first term.But Trump said that Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, had “tremendous respect” for Ishiba.- ‘Golden age’ -The key for Ishiba will be to protect Japan from the tariffs that Trump has slapped on China, imposed then halted on Mexico and Canada, and promised to levy on the European Union.”It would be wonderful if we could affirm that we will work together for the development of this region, and the world, and for peace,” Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before the trip.The soft-spoken, cigarette-smoking Ishiba is hoping Japanese investment in the United States will appeal to Trump’s “America First” policies.The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement vowing to build a “golden age” of bilateral relations, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported, echoing the slogan from the US president’s inaugural speech.Ishiba is also set to tell Trump that Japan will increase defense purchases from the United States, the Nikkei report said.Japan is one of Washington’s closest allies in Asia, with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.Under Abe, Japan was shielded from some of Trump’s more punishing tendencies, such as sudden trade wars and pressure to increase financial contributions towards hosting US soldiers.Days after Trump’s first election victory, Abe rushed to deliver to him a gold-plated golf club. Trump also hosted Abe’s widow Akie for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this past December.A Japanese foreign ministry official said in Tokyo that “we hope the leaders will be able to build a relationship of personal trust.”

President Donald Trump on Friday raged against eco-friendly paper straws promoted by his predecessor Joe Biden, and pledged that the United States would return to plastic ones.The move is his latest on green issues since returning to power, after pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement and ordering deregulations as part of a “drill, baby, drill” agenda.On Thursday, the Republican’s administration also sought to block funding for a network of electric-vehicle charging stations across the country, sparking fury from environmentalists.Trump pledged action against paper straws, which are unpopular with many consumers but create less plastic pollution.”I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!” he said on social media.Democrat Biden had announced a target to eliminate single-use plastic utensils like drinking straws by 2035 across government agencies.The trend for paper drinking straws has long irritated Trump.”They want to ban straws. Has anyone tried those paper straws? They’re not working too good,” he said during a campaign rally in the 2020 election against Biden.”It disintegrates as you drink it, and if you have a nice tie like this tie, you’ve got no choice.”Trump’s campaign team previously sold branded plastic straws with the slogan: “Liberal paper straws don’t work.”The president, who calls climate change a scam, has also often targeted electric vehicles despite his close alliance with Tesla chief Elon Musk.Halting rollout of the $5 billion national EV charging network would be a major setback to efforts to cut climate-changing emissions, according to green campaigners.”His administration’s move to block funding for a bipartisan effort to build out our national EV charging network is a blatant, illegal power grab,” the Evergreen Action group said.”This program is delivering real benefits to all 50 states — creating jobs, boosting economic opportunities, and cutting pollution.”

The United States added fewer jobs than expected in January although hiring remained healthy, government data showed Friday, marking resilience in the labor market heading into President Donald Trump’s new term.There was severe winter weather during the month and devastating fires in California, which the Labor Department said did not have a clear impact on national figures, even though analysts warned they likely showed up in the details.Looking ahead, heightened tariff risks and plans for slowing immigration under Trump may also give businesses some pause as they mull further hiring, economists said.Total employment rose by 143,000 jobs last month, according to the Labor Department, significantly lower than the revised 307,000 figure in December.The January number was also below an analyst consensus estimate of 155,000 according to Briefing.com.Meanwhile, the jobless rate edged down to 4.0 percent from 4.1 percent, beating analyst expectations.Wage growth was better than analysts expected, accelerating to 0.5 percent, the report showed.The data added to signs that the US economy remained in good shape heading into Trump’s second term, which began on January 20, analysts noted.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt however said the report showed the economy under predecessor Joe Biden was “far worse than anyone thought, and underscores the necessity” of Trump’s deregulatory agenda.Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, took aim at downward revisions to last year’s figures in the latest update, telling media that the Trump administration has “a lot of work to do.”In a note, Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic said annual employment revisions were “larger than usual” but not unexpected.”Taken together, December and January payroll figures paint a strong picture of the economy,” added Carl Weinberg and Mary Chen of High Frequency Economics.They said they expect that with these figures, the US central bank would not be in a rush to cut interest rates.KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk noted that revisions to data suggested the first half of last year was weaker than the second, reassuring the Federal Reserve that its recent decision to hold rates steady was justified.”Payrolls held up better than expected in the wake of the fires in California, although the disaster did leave an imprint on the data,” she added in a note, pointing to a hit in the leisure and hospitality sector.Sectors like health care, retail trade and social assistance saw job gains, the Labor Department said, while employment declined in industries like mining, alongside oil and gas.- ‘Wildcard’ -“Trade policy will likely be the biggest wildcard for 2025,” said EY senior economist Lydia Boussour in a note.”Steep tariffs and heightened policy uncertainty could push businesses to increasingly adopt wait-and-see behaviors and pull back on hiring,” she warned.This could lead to a more significant slowdown in hiring, weaker incomes and restrained consumer spending, she said.Over the past weekend, Trump unveiled — and then paused — 25 percent tariffs on major US trading partners Canada and Mexico, which included a lower rate for Canadian energy imports.But an additional 10 percent levy on Chinese imports, alongside a suspension of duty-free exemptions for low value goods, came into effect on Tuesday, triggering Beijing’s announcement of retaliation.Trump has also threatened tariffs on the European Union, and signaled he could target imports in sectors including semiconductors.Ger Doyle, US country manager at ManpowerGroup, added in a note that “2025 is shaping up to be another year of significant changes.””Our real-time data show total open job postings declined three percent, indicating a slight contraction in overall job demand,” he said.

The International Criminal Court on Friday condemned US sanctions over probes targeting America and Israel and pledged to press on with its aim to fight for “justice and hope” around the world.The United Nations and the European Union urged US President Donald Trump to reverse the asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their families and anyone deemed to have helped ICC investigations.US allies, including Britain, France and Canada, were among 79 ICC member states who said the US action “could jeopardize” the safety of victims, witnesses and court officials. The sanctions could also hit the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There were also fears that victims might now hesitate to come forward.Trump signed an executive order Thursday saying the court based in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.The ICC said the sanctions sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”.”The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it added. – ‘Undermines’ justice system -The United Nations urged Trump to reverse the move.”The court should be fully able to undertake its independent work — where a state is unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution,” UN human rights office OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told AFP in an email.”The rule of law remains essential to our collective peace and security. Seeking accountability globally makes the world a safer place for everyone.”Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, wrote on X that the move “undermines the international criminal justice system”.The European Commission separately expressed “regret” and stressed the ICC’s “key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity”.Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy also expressed concern.”We hope that they will not affect the court’s ability to achieve justice for the victims of Russian aggression,” he said.Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the US action a “disturbing signal”. As court’s host, the Netherlands would seek to maintain the “unhindered functioning” of the ICC, he added.The 79 ICC member countries said Trump’s sanctions increased the “risk of impunity” for serious crimes and “threaten to erode the international rule of law”.That statement was led by Slovenia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu but Brazil, Britain, Canada, France and Germany were among the signatories.- ICC ‘illegitimate’: Trump -The names of individuals affected by sanctions were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions under Trump targeted the court’s prosecutor.Trump’s order said the tribunal had engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel,” referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza.Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar strongly applauded Trump and called the court’s actions against Israel “immoral” and without “legal basis”.Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.Following a request by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, judges issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif who was killed last year.The court said it had found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza, as well as crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.Netanyahu accused the court of anti-Semitism.During his first term, Trump imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC’s then prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials in 2020. His administration acted after Gambian-born Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against US soldiers in Afghanistan. Bensouda also opened a probe into events in the Palestinian territories in 2019.Current prosecutor Khan later effectively dropped the US from the Afghan investigation and focused on the Taliban instead.  President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions after taking office in 2021.burs-tw/jj

The Kansas City Chiefs chase a historic hat-trick of Super Bowl titles when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles here Sunday as New Orleans hosts the NFL showpiece just five weeks after a deadly attack in the city’s party district.In a first for a sitting US President, Donald Trump will be among an array of VIPs and celebrities in a sell-out crowd of around 74,000 who will be packed into the Caesars Superdome for the biggest annual event in the American sporting calendar.Pop superstar Taylor Swift will also be in attendance to watch as her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Chiefs team-mates bid to win an unprecedented third straight Vince Lombardi Trophy, and a fourth in six seasons.There is a heavy police presence in the city and blanket security around the event after the New Year’s Day attack which saw 14 people killed and many more injured in the Big Easy’s famous Bourbon Street district.A US army veteran, who the FBI say was motivated by loyalty to the jihadist Islamic State group, used a pickup trick to kill and wound revelers in the crowded French quarter.Authorities expect over 100,000 visitors to the city for the game which the Department of Homeland Security has assigned a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 designated event, the highest classification level of public safety risk.”I’m confident the safest place this weekend will be under the security umbrella we have in place around [the Superdome],” Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said this week. “We have reviewed, and re-reviewed, all the events of January 1.”Trump’s presence will only increase the security effort with the President going beyond the traditional pre-game televised interview to attend in person.Trump has had a strained relationship with the NFL in the past — he was part of an anti-trust lawsuit against the league in the 1980s when he owned a club in the rival USFL league.In 2017, Trump criticised NFL players who knelt during the playing of the US national anthem to draw attention to issues of racial injustice, prompting strong criticism from some players.Trump then cancelled a planned White House reception for the Eagles after large numbers of players had made it clear they would not attend.But there has been no objection from players to Trump attending Sunday’s game with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring, describing the prospect as “cool”.As always, the Super Bowl crosses over into popular culture and the half-time show this year will feature hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who had a clean sweep at last Sunday’s Grammys, winning in all five categories for which he received nominations.Bookmakers and casinos meanwhile are taking odds on whether Chiefs star Kelce will propose to pop icon Swift after the game.American sportsbooks, now legal in 38 states, could take an estimated $1.39 billion in bets on the Super Bowl according to an annual report from the American Gaming Association (AGA).- Chiefs favourites -For the more serious punters, the oddsmakers have the Chiefs as slight favourite for the game which is a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago which the Chiefs won by three points.The Chiefs defended their title last year, beating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas and putting them one win away from an unprecedented ‘three-peat’.The 29-year-old Mahomes will become one of just four quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to have won more than three Super Bowls should he triumph again.But the Eagles have added serious offensive firepower since their defeat two years ago with mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts joined by the game-changing speed and power of running back Saquon Barkley.While the Super Bowl regularly draws the biggest television audience of the year in the USA, interest in the NFL is growing outside of it’s stronghold.There is international involvement in this year’s game with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata looking to become the first Australian to play in and win a Super Bowl.Having played in Brazil this year, the NFL is rapidly expanding their presence globally and next season regular season games will be held in London, Berlin and Madrid with Melbourne, Australia, to host a game in 2026.In this week’s build-up, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea that the Super Bowl itself might one day be held outside the USA.”I do think there’s potential that someday we will have an international franchise. If we do, it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet President Donald Trump during a trip to the United States next week, the foreign ministry in New Delhi said on Friday.Modi, who will visit Washington from February 12-13, will be “among the first few world leaders to visit the United States following the inauguration of President Trump”, India’s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, told reporters.Misri said there had been a “very close rapport” between the leaders, although their ties have so far failed to bring a breakthrough on a long-sought US-India trade deal.”The visit will be a valuable opportunity to engage the new administration on all areas of mutual interest”, he said, adding that Modi would hold a bilateral meeting with Trump.”This has been one of our strongest international partnerships in recent years and the prime minister’s visit is in line with our steady engagement with the new administration,” Misri said.Modi was among the first to congratulate his “dear friend” Trump on his inauguration last month, saying he wanted New Delhi and Washington to work closely together.”I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world”, Modi wrote on X in January.- ‘Very close rapport’ -However, Trump pressed Modi for “fair” trading ties in a telephone call later that month, the White House said, as Trump pushed his hardline trade agenda with world leaders.Trump and Modi also discussed strengthening the so-called Quad grouping with Australia and Japan, which is widely seen as a counterweight to China.India is due to host the bloc’s leaders later this year.The Indian and US leaders, both of whom critics accuse of authoritarian tendencies, enjoyed warm relations when Trump was in the White House from 2017 to 2021.Modi visited Trump in office in 2017 and 2019.He also hosted Trump at a huge rally in his home state of Gujarat, while Trump returned the favour with a similar event in Houston, Texas.”There is an obvious convergence of interests between the two countries,” Misri said, which included “trade, investment, technology, defence cooperation, counter-terrorism (and) the security of the Indo-Pacific”.The meeting will come days after a US military airplane flew back 104 Indian migrants, part of Trump’s overhaul of immigration.India’s foreign ministry said it was “firmly opposed to illegal migration, especially as it is linked to other forms of organised crime”.But New Delhi’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday pointed out that  the “process of deportation is not a new one”, and that the United States had expelled more than 15,000 Indians since 2009, almost half of them between 2019-2024.India is the world’s fifth-largest economy and enjoys world-beating GDP growth, but hundreds of thousands of its citizens still leave the country each year seeking better opportunities abroad.

Venezuela on Friday slammed the US seizure of one of its government planes as “brazen theft” and branded President Donald Trump’s top diplomat a “thief” as Washington renewed its hard line on Nicolas Maduro’s regime.On a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio supervised the second seizure by the United States of an aircraft belonging to Venezuela’s socialist government in less than a year.The plane was confiscated just six days after a visit to Caracas by Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell.Venezuela “denounces the brazen theft of a plane belonging to the Venezuelan nation,” the foreign ministry said.”Marco Rubio, from mercenary of hate to aircraft thief!” the ministry said, vowing to “take all necessary actions to denounce this theft and demand the immediate return of its aircraft.”Grenell had traveled to Venezuela on January 31 to demand that Maduro accept the return of deported Venezuelan migrants.During his visit, he secured the release of six US prisoners.Maduro, who is desperate to secure an easing of crippling US sanctions, had hailed the talks as marking a new beginning in relations with Washington.But Rubio and other US officials insisted there was no change in the United States’ refusal to recognize the 62-year-old autocrat as Venezuela’s legitimate president.- Two planes in five months -Washington, its G7 allies and several Latin American countries have backed the opposition’s claim that its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was the rightful winner of elections last July, in which Maduro claimed a third term.The Dassault Falcon 200 jet had been held by Dominican authorities at a military airstrip in Santo Domingo after the United States said it violated sanctions against Venezuela.Venezuelan officials used the plane to fly to Greece, Turkey, Russia, Nicaragua and Cuba, and had taken it to the Dominican Republic for maintenance, according to the US State Department.Maduro’s oil minister also used the plane to attend a meeting of the OPEC oil cartel in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, according to the Treasury Department.In September, then-US president Joe Biden announced the seizure of a first Venezuelan government plane in the Dominican Republic that had been used to transport Maduro on international trips.Biden’s move came amid an international furore over Maduro’s crackdown on the protests that erupted over his disputed reelection claim.More than 2,400 people were arrested, 28 killed and about 200 injured in the unrest.Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest and a bounty offered for his capture.- Maduro seeks ‘new beginning’ -Trump took a hard line on Venezuela during his first term in the White House, but his attempts to dislodge Maduro by recognizing a parallel opposition-led government and imposing crippling sanctions on Venezuela’s key oil sector came to naught.On starting his second term last month, Trump quickly stripped roughly 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States of protection from deportation.But Maduro appeared hopeful of a reset in relations when Grenell visited Caracas, saying it marked a “new beginning.”Rubio this week appeared to downplay chances of a breakthrough, saying Venezuela remained a concern for US national security due to mass migration.Seven million Venezuelans — around a quarter of the population — have fled the country’s imploding economy over the past decade.”It is about a government — a regime — that has harmed more than seven million Venezuelans, and all the neighboring countries that have had to face the reality of this massive migration,” Rubio said on Wednesday in Guatemala.Dominican Republic and Guatemala were among two of five Central American countries that Rubio visited on his first foreign trip as secretary of state over the past week.