The Caravan's Executive Editor Vinod K Jose resigns
New Delhi: Senior Journalist and Executive Editor of reputed Indian magazine The Caravan, Vinod K Jose resigned from the magazine on Tuesday, January 31.
Vinod broke the news of his resignation in a Facebook post from his profile on Tuesday morning, expressing gratitude while also calling his nearly one and a half decade-long association with The Caravan "Stellar".
"After nearly a decade and half of long-forming and muckraking, I'm hanging up my Caravan boots today." He wrote in his Facebook post.
Vinod joined The Caravan in 2009 when he was 29-year-old. He led The Caravan's Editorial team which went on to cover several groundbreaking stories over the years including the coverage of Judge Loya's mysterious death who was hearing the fake encounter case against Amit Shah, the Commonwealth Games scam, Adani's Coalgate scam, the Hindutva Terror Network among others.
Vinod in his post thanked owner-publisher-editor of The Caravan Anant Nath for giving him the opportunity while also thanking Anant's father Paresh Nath and sister Richa Shah for extending support to him.
"In 2009, Caravan probably was the smallest newsroom in Delhi, just enough people to fit into my small car, when felt like going for a dinner at Karims at Old Delhi. But now the team is ten times bigger." He recalled his early days at The Caravan.
Speaking about the investigation pieces that the magazine carried over the years, Vinod wrote the investigations were fun because it spoke truth to power. He also listed some of the major stories which he commissioned/supervised.
He also listed and thanked several reporters, journalists, and contributors for making his journey stellar.
"I'm sure the current editorial team, whose names in not taking as the list will become so long, and the know how well they do what they do, will thrive in all areas. For me personally, as a media scholar, whose PhD was in the sociology of newsrooms, my favourite aspect of Caravan was how we brought diversity into the newsroom. I think Caravan is among the most diverse newsrooms in India." He wrote.
"Hartosh, whom I brought in 2014 as the Political Editor, and was in the thick and thin of the things since then, will replace me as the Executive Editor." Vinod added.
Speaking of his own plans after resignation, Vinod wrote he would be working to complete a book that he has been contracted to write.
"I consider myself a reporter who was caged in a beautiful editor's room, unable to report and write as much as I would like to do." He further added.
"It also weighs heavily on me that the times we live in demand serious thinking and interventions, even from outside the boundaries of the newsroom, who knows what that means, though. But first, I want to finish the book at hand."
Towards the end of the post, Vinod thanked his family, who he said had "sacrificed the most for this run".
"I hope to give those near and dear some time. So by for now as an editor, and hi as a reader and writer." Vinod wrote to conclude his post.
I have some professional news to share: after nearly a decade and half of long-forming and muckraking, I'm hanging up my Caravan boots today.
— Vinod K. Jose (@vinodjose) January 31, 2023
Thank you so much everyone. It has been a stellar journey, both personal & professional.
Full post is here: https://t.co/EVaSQwFgOo pic.twitter.com/7RXpKa0qtR
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
