US raises bounty on Venezuela's leader who faces drug trafficking charges
Washington, which does not recognise Maduro's past two election victories, accuses the South American country's President of leading
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NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US raises bounty on Venezuela's leader who faces drug trafficking charges
The United States doubled its bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro - who faces federal drug trafficking charges - to US$50 million ($84m) today, a move Caracas described as 'pathetic' and 'ridiculous'. Washington, which does not recognise Maduro's past two election victories, accuses the South American country's President of leading
NZ Herald
15 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Superman actor, 59, joins ICE after Kristi Noem scraps age limit
The actor, who has also been a deputy sheriff in Idaho for the past 10 years, went on to laud the agency's 'great benefits and pay', including a US$50,000 ($84,000) signing bonus announced last week by Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary. 'So if you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America's streets,' said Cain, 'We need your help to protect our homeland and our families.' The actor, who starred as Clark Kent alongside Teri Hatcher's Lois Lane from 1993 to 1997, made the announcement just a day before Noem lifted age restrictions on ICE agents amid a nationwide recruitment drive. 'We are ending the age cap for ICE law enforcement. Qualified candidates can now apply with no age limit,' Noem wrote on X this week. ICE is the US government agency responsible for enforcing immigration and customs laws. It helps police the border, stop international crime and handle the detention and removal of illegal immigrants and goods from the United States. The agency has gained a controversial reputation during Trump's second term, amid a crackdown on illegal migration. ICE is now the biggest law enforcement body in the country, has become notorious for carrying out masked raids on immigrant communities, scooping up people from the street and arresting them at immigration hearings or inside courts. ICE raids in California sparked protests in June, and then riots, that swept across the country, causing Trump to dispatch 4000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell the violence. The President's reaction sparked fury among Democrats, with Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, branding the response the 'acts of a dictator'. Until recently, ICE had required recruits to be at least 21 and no older than 37, for criminal investigations. Deportation officers could not be older than 40. Following the changes, recruits will still be required to complete a physical fitness test. The agency is looking to make 10,000 additional hires after receiving billions of dollars in additional funding in Trump's 'big, beautiful Bill'. It has already received 80,000 applications, according to Noem. 'Calling all patriots. Submit your application TODAY,' White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X. Illegal border crossings have hit the lowest level in decades under Trump's crackdown. Meanwhile, the heavy-handed tactics of Ice agents have sparked protests throughout the country, with the Department of Homeland Security reporting that there has been a corresponding 830% increase in assaults on staff. Speaking to Fox News about his efforts to support the President's deportation drive, Cain revealed that he 'will be sworn in as an Ice agent asap'. Asked if he will be on the front lines apprehending illegal migrants, the actor said: 'I will do whatever [Ice director Todd Lyons] wants me to do. If that's what it takes, absolutely. I somehow doubt I'll be in that position, but I would be there in a heartbeat.' A long-term Trump supporter, Cain recently hit out at James Gunn, the director of the new Superman film, for focusing on the protagonist's immigrant identity. 'We know Superman is an immigrant – he's a freaking alien … The 'American way' is immigrant friendly, tremendously immigrant friendly. But there are rules,' he said. 'There have to be limits, because we can't have everybody in the United States. We can't have everybody, society will fail. So there have to be limits.'
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US ties with India trampled as Trump hunts goal of ending Russia's war in Ukraine
This week, Trump seemed ready to ditch that relationship. He doubled already hefty tariffs on Indian exports to the US for its steadfast refusal to stop buying oil from Russia, in an effort to pressure Russia to end the war. Trump has accused India of helping Russia finance its war on Ukraine through oil purchases; India has said it needs cheap oil to meet the energy needs of its fast-growing economy. India called the additional tariffs 'unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable', pointing out that it was being punished for doing something — buying Russian oil at a discounted price — that other nations have done, although it didn't mention names. China is the largest buyer of Russian oil, and Turkey has also deepened its energy links with Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, without incurring similar penalties. Analysts said Trump's pressure tactics could damage the long-standing ties between India and the US. 'We are better off together than apart,' said Atul Keshap, a retired US diplomat and president of the US-India Business Council. 'The partnership forged by our elected leaders over the past 25 years is worth preserving and has achieved considerable mutual prosperity and advanced our shared strategic interests.' It's difficult to quantify what exactly America would lose if its relationship with India cools. India is a valuable strategic partner for the US, acting as a counterweight to China. It is also important to many American companies, including Apple, which has shifted some manufacturing of its products to India from China. Ajay Srivastava, a former trade official at the Global Trade Research Initiative, a New Delhi-based think-tank, said the US action 'will push India to reconsider its strategic alignment, deepening ties with Russia, China, and many other countries'. India and the US, with Japan and Australia, are part of a diplomatic partnership called the Quad, set up largely to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. India is planning to host the Quad Leaders' Summit later this year. Trump was expected to attend, although it's now unclear if he will. For India, the costs of a damaged relationship may prove to be higher. Trump's move puts Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bind. Russia is the source of 45% of its oil imports. If India stops buying Russian oil, accepting higher prices for consumers and domestic manufacturing, it would be politically damaging for Modi's Government. If it ignores Trump's threat and continues buying Russian oil, the hit to India's economy will be far costlier. The higher tariffs could cut India's more than US$86 billion in exports to the US by half, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative, an Indian research group. The US is India's biggest trading partner, and exports account for nearly 20% of India's economy. India ranks only 10th among American trade partners in goods. India has also come to value American backing for its bid to be recognised as a global superpower. Modi has touted his relationship with Trump, courting the US President during his first term in office and calling him a 'true friend'. But that friendship, as many American allies have learned, may mean little when Trump's own priorities are at stake. US President Donald Trump is open to meeting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House said yesterday. Photo / Olga Maltseva, Brendan Smialowski, Frederick Florin / AFP In recent weeks, Trump announced that he had struck deals with Japan, South Korea and the European Union, but even after months of negotiation, India had not reached an agreement. India was reluctant to make concessions on politically sensitive sectors like dairy and agriculture. India also publicly denied Trump's repeated claims that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a brief, four-day conflict between the two neighbours in May. India has maintained that the ceasefire was negotiated bilaterally with Pakistan, and Indian leaders bristled at Trump's willingness to insert himself into that bitter rivalry. It is not yet clear whether the punitive tariffs Trump has threatened will ever take effect. In the executive order he issued, Trump said the tariffs would be implemented within a month, but he could modify the order if circumstances changed. The order included a provision that the US would look at other countries' purchases of Russian oil as well. So far, there is no indication that Trump intends to take a similar approach to China. Chinese and US officials are in the middle of sensitive negotiations about potential trade agreements after an initial round of retaliatory tariffs threatened to destabilise the global economy. With his tariff moves against India, Trump is keeping his eye on big strategic goals — a deal with China and keeping the pressure on Moscow before a potential meeting with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, which he disclosed yesterday. Far from being 'a dead economy', as Trump called it, India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world. But its place on the President's list of priorities may be much less certain. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Anupreeta Das Photograph by: Saumya Khandelwal ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
