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Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Modi Renews Call for Indians to Buy Local Products Amid Tariffs
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi intensified his push to prioritize locally made products, amid global economic instability in the wake of US trade tariffs. Modi urged citizens to buy, sell and promote Indian products, citing global economic uncertainty but without referring to US tariffs.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Filmmakers try to cash in on India-Pakistan battle
Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle. India tagged its military action against Pakistan "Operation Sindoor", the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads. The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi's determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities. Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: "Mission Sindoor", "Sindoor: The Revenge", "The Pahalgam Terror", and "Sindoor Operation". "It's a story which needs to be told," said director Vivek Agnihotri. "If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes," he told AFP. Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, "The Kashmir Files", based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s. - Coloured narratives - The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government's ideology. Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government. "We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when Mr Trump asked us to. So what is the valour here?" Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes. Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticised the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack. "This is herd mentality... these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints," he said. "I don't wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens," said Sharma. Sharma's historical action flick "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha" (2001) and its sequel "Gadar 2" (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits. In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervour. "Fighter", featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 25 last year. - Anti-Muslim bias - Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India's 2019 airstrike on Pakistan's Balakot. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year. This year, "Chhaava", a drama based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fuelling anti-Muslim bias. "This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light," said Sen. "This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell." Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are "against the establishment". "If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche," he said. Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema. Mehra's socio-political drama "Rang De Basanti" (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. "How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbours?" he asked. "For me that is patriotism." str-abh/djw/jfx
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump news at a glance: president unleashes slew of new tariff rates for trading partners
Donald Trump has signed an executive order placing tariffs on dozens of US trading partners just hours before the 1 August deadline he set for deals to be done. The new tariffs, the next step in his trade agenda that will test the global economy, are set to go into effect in seven days. The extension reflects the government's need for more time to harmonize the tariff rates, AP reports, according to a senior official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. The order applies to 68 countries and the 27-member European Union. Rates were set at 25% for India's US-bound exports, 20% for Taiwan, 19% for Thailand and 15% for South Korea. Trump also increased duties on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% for all products not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, but gave Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs to negotiate a broader trade deal. Trump had threatened on Wednesday that Ottawa's move to recognise a Palestinian state would make agreeing a trade deal 'very hard'. Asian shares fell on Friday after the tariffs announcement. Read on for more on tariffs and other key US politics news of the day: Trump imposes tariffs of 10% to 41% on dozens of countries, hours before deadline US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on imports from dozens of countries and foreign locations, as he extended the deadline for a tariff deal with Mexico by another 90 days. Rates were set at 25% for India's US-bound exports, 20% for Taiwan and 30% for South Africa ahead of Trump's self-imposed deadline to strike trade deals with countries around the world by 1 August. Brazil's tariff rate was set at 10%, but a previous order signed by Trump placed a 40% tariff on some Brazilian goods, to punish the country for prosecuting its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for trying to overturn an election he lost and inspiring his supporters to storm the seat of government. Separately, the White House announced that Canadian imports will face tariffs of 35%, not the current 25%. Trump had threatened on Wednesday that Ottawa's move to recognise a Palestinian state would make agreeing a trade deal 'very hard'. Read the full story Trump signs order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods from 25% to 35% Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday increasing tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the United States from 25% to 35%. The new import tax rates goes into effect on Friday, according to a White House factsheet. The tariff would cover all products not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Goods transshipped to another country to evade the new tariffs would be subject to a transshipment levy of 40%. The decision comes after months of tariff threats from the Trump administration, and escalating trade tensions that have sowed anger in Canada. Read the full story Trump threatens drug giants with crackdown over prices Donald Trump has threatened to use 'every tool in our arsenal' to crack down on pharmaceutical companies if they fail to cut drug prices for Americans within 60 days. The president wrote to executives at 17 companies on Thursday, demanding they match their US prices for prescription drugs with the lowest price offered in other developed nations. Read the full story Executive order brings back presidential fitness test in schools Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to bring back the presidential fitness test, a series of physical tests for schoolchildren in the US that was in place for decades but suspended 12 years ago to focus less on competition and more on healthy lifestyles. Read the full story Hegseth aides used polygraphs against colleagues Senior aides to the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, conducted polygraphs on their own colleagues this spring, in some cases as part of an effort to flush out anyone who leaked to the media and apparently to undercut rivals in others, according to four people familiar with the matter. Read the full story Fema denies grants to Kentucky counties ravaged by storms The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) denied requests for three Kentucky counties affected by severe storms last spring, and deemed the state ineligible for hazard mitigation grants that would help prepare for future disasters. Read the full story Trump to build 'beautiful' $200m ballroom at White House The White House will soon begin construction of a new $200m ballroom to be ready before Donald Trump's term ends in early 2029. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the building will be 90,000 sq ft and will hold up to 650 seats. It will be the latest change introduced to what's known as 'the People's House' since the Republican president returned to office in January. It also will be the first structural change to the executive mansion itself since the addition of the Truman Balcony in 1948. Read the full story What else happened today: British singer Jess Glynne says she feels 'sick' that the Trump administration was using her music to promote immigration deportations. originally sent to the state by the Trump administration to deal with protests over its immigration policies. Donald Trump evaded the question when asked if he agrees with Marjorie Taylor Greene that 'what is occurring [in Gaza] is a genocide'. Trump replied: 'Oh it's terrible what's occurring there, yeah', before repeating his complaint that 'nobody said thank you' when the US donated money to feed the people of Gaza, and his false claim that the recent donation of $30m was $60m. Reuters reports the Trump administration to Harvard informing the university it has referred been referred to the Department of Justice, to address allegations of antisemitic discrimination. Catching up? Here's what happened 30 July 2025.
