Pongal now a global festival: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said Pongal has become a global festival and Tamil culture is a shared heritage of the entire nation.
Modi also said that Pongal teaches people that gratitude towards nature should not be limited to words, but should become part of daily lives.
"Today, Pongal has become a global festival. Last year, I had the chance to attend several programmes related to Tamil culture, which is shared heritage of not just India but the entire world," he said at a Pongal celebration at the residence of Union Minister L Murugan here.
The prime minister said that in Tamil culture, the farmer is regarded as the foundation of life.
"The Thirukkural speaks in detail about agriculture and the importance of farmers," he said.
Modi said Pongal inspires people to make respect for nature a way of life.
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Trump cancels Iran talks, urges protesters to seize institutions as tensions escalate
Washington: United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials, issuing a direct appeal to protesters in Iran to continue demonstrations and “take over” state institutions amid an intensified government crackdown in Tehran.
In a series of posts on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he had suspended diplomatic engagements with Iran until what he described as the “senseless killing of protesters” comes to an end. He also claimed that “help is on the way,” without providing details on the nature or form of that assistance.
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Addressing demonstrators directly, Trump urged them to persist with protests, document those responsible for violence and abuse, and warned that accountability would follow. His remarks follows Iran's largest wave of anti-government protests in years and amid rising international concern over the use of force by Iranian authorities.
The US president has in recent days repeatedly raised the possibility of military action against Iran, suggesting that a harsh response by Tehran to the protests could trigger American intervention. On Monday, Trump also announced a 25 percent tariff on any country continuing to do business with Iran, further tightening economic pressure.
The US State Department escalated its warning on Tuesday, as reported by Al Jazeera. It urged American citizens to leave Iran immediately as tensions mount. When questioned by reporters about his statement that “help is on the way,” Trump declined to elaborate, telling journalists they would have to “figure that one out."
In an interview with CBS News later the same day, Trump said Washington would take “very strong actions” if Iranian authorities carried out executions of protesters, adding that he had yet to receive verified figures on the number of deaths.
Iranian officials have rejected allegations of repression and have instead accused foreign powers of orchestrating unrest. Iran’s top military commander, Abdolrahim Mousavi, recently alleged that the US and Israel had deployed fighters from the Islamic State group inside Iran to carry out attacks, without presenting evidence. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also claimed that authorities possess recordings of foreign voices directing “terrorist agents” to fire on police and protesters.
The rhetoric has further inflamed tensions. Ali Larijani, chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a post on X that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were the “main killers of the people of Iran.”
France and Qatar have been among those calling for de-escalation. On Tuesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani spoke with Larijani, showed Doha’s support for efforts at calming the situation and pursuing peaceful solutions. Iran’s foreign minister also held talks with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, according to Iranian media.
