Pahalgam attack 'barbaric', Modi a fighter who will bring peace to J-K: Rajinikanth
Mumbai, May 1 (PTI): Veteran star Rajinikanth on Thursday termed the Pahalgam terror attack "barbaric and merciless" and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a fighter who would bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the inaugural WAVES Summit, the pan-India actor said many people had told him the government might postpone the four-day event because of "unnecessary criticism" as it focused on entertainment.
"But I was confident that this event will definitely happen because of my confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modiji," he said.
The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) brings together top Bollywood and southern stars as well as industry leaders and political personalities.
"PM Modi is a fighter. He will meet any challenge. He has proven it and we have been seeing it in the last one decade," Rajinikanth said.
The 74-year-old actor added that the prime minister will handle the Kashmir situation "bravely and gracefully".
"(He will) bring peace in Kashmir and glory to our country. I'm extremely happy to be here and it is my privilege to be a part of WAVES moment. and my heartiest congratulations to central government," Rajinikanth said.
WAVES will integrate films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, AI, AVGC-XR, broadcasting, and emerging tech, and seek to present itself as a comprehensive showcase of India's media and entertainment prowess.
The summit, which aims to unlock a USD 50 billion market by 2029, expanding India's footprint in the global entertainment economy, comes shortly after a terror attack in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Kashmir killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
