True faith teaches us to respect others' beliefs: TVK chief Vijay
Chennai (PTI): Actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay on Monday said true faith teaches us to respect others' beliefs.
Speaking at 'Samathuva Christmas Party' organised by his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), here, he said, "... True faith is what teaches us to respect others' beliefs for the sake of harmony. Yes. Such a faith alone is enough; it will overcome any kind of problem."
He also said love and compassion are the basis for everything in Tamil Nadu, where "everyone happily celebrates all festivals" -- be it Pongal, Diwali, Ramzan or Christmas.
"Even if the lifestyle and method of worship are different, we are all brothers," he added.
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Drawing a parallel between his own journey and the Biblical story of Joseph -- who was betrayed by his brothers only to overcome everything and become a king -- the TVK founder said he too is being betrayed by his "brothers", but would overcome his challenges and rule the hearts of people.
"I don’t think there is a need for me to say who that specific story is about," the actor, whose given name is Joseph, said without naming anyone.
Hosting Christian clergy and supporters at a venue near here, Vijay stressed that his party will protect Tamil Nadu's "motherly ethos of unity".
"We and TVK will be 100 per cent firm in protecting social and religious harmony," the TVK chief promised.
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Trump warns he's considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country's top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.
In response to a reporter's question on whether the US could take limited military action as the countries negotiate, Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a TV interview that his country was planning to finalise a draft deal in “the next two to three days” to then send to Washington.
“I don't think it takes long, perhaps, in a matter of a week or so, we can start real, serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion,” Araghchi said on MSNOW's “Morning Joe” show.
The tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest US military presence in the Middle East in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way. Both countries have signalled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out.
“We are prepared for war, and we are prepared for peace,” Araghchi said Friday.
Trump said a day earlier that he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal following recent rounds of indirect negotiations, including this week in Geneva, that made little visible progress. But the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.
Araghchi also said Friday that his American counterparts have not asked for zero enrichment of uranium as part of the latest round of talks, which is in contradiction to what US officials have said.
"What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever," he said.
He added that in return Iran will implement some confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions.
In response to Araghchi's claim, a White House official said Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. The official wasn't authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear programme and that it hasn't been enriching uranium since US and Israeli strikes last June on Iranian nuclear sites. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran's nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.
Iran has also insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The US and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.
