Iran says US has responded to Tehran’s 14-point plan to end war

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Tehran, May 4 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that the United States has responded to Iran’s 14-point proposed plan to end the war.

He made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV while noting that the US response is being reviewed.

He stressed that Iran’s plan is exclusively focused on ending the war, and “nothing pertaining to the nuclear field’s details exists in it.”

“At present, we are focused on the parameters related to ending the war in the region, including Lebanon,” Baghaei added, stressing “we have no nuclear negotiation at this stage.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted by state media as saying that “at this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations” – a key demand by Washington.

Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a bomb and says its programme is only for peaceful purposes, though the country is the only non-nuclear-armed state to have enriched uranium at near weapons-grade level.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi briefed his Omani and German counterparts on Iran’s latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives to end the war, Xinhua news agency reported.

In separate phone calls, Araghchi exchanged views with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the latest regional and international developments, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other cities, killing Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US interests in the region.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that failed to produce a deal.

–IANS

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Telangana Police stand number one in recovery of stolen phones

Hyderabad, May 20 (IANS) Telangana Police ranked first in the country in recovering stolen/missing mobile phones by using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal.

The state police have recovered 78,114 stolen/missing phones using CEIR, developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to combat mobile theft and counterfeit devices.

Telangana Director General of Police, Dr Jitender, congratulated DG, CID, Shikha Goel, and team on the achievement.

CID Telangana is the nodal agency to implement CEIR in the state and the system is now operational across all 780 police stations in the state.

The CEIR portal was initially launched on a pilot basis in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, and the northeast on September 5, 2022. This portal was launched in Telangana on April 19, 2023, that is 227 days after its launch in pilot states.

Despite this delayed initiation, Telangana has emerged as the ‘Top-Performing’ state in the country in recovery of stolen or lost mobile devices, Goel said.

According to the CEIR dashboard, Telangana has recovered 78,114 mobile devices up to May 19, 2025 and stands first in the country. The IPS official said that state’s remarkable achievement has set a national benchmark in mobile device recovery.

In Telangana, the highest recovery of 11,879 devices was made in the Hyderabad Commissionerate. The data shows that 10,385 devices were recovered in the Cyberabad Commissionerate and 8,681 in the Rachakonda Commissionerate.

According to Goel, the milestone was achieved through dedicated efforts by the field-level officers. Every unit has been diligently working to ensure prompt action on reported cases through the CEIR portal. This includes consistently registering cases, daily monitoring of tractability reports, contacting individuals in possession of lost or stolen mobile phones, retrieving the devices, and returning them to their rightful owners.

Telangana Police, in coordination with DoT, has integrated the CEIR portal with the TG Police Citizen Portal. Citizens can report lost or stolen devices through the TG Police Citizen Portal at www.tspolice.gov.in or directly at www.ceir.gov.in.

The CEIR portal has proven invaluable to citizens who have lost mobile devices, with positive testimonials attesting to its effectiveness in recovery, she said.

–IANS

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Ex-Cong MLA Joginder Singh Awana appointed Rajasthan RLD Chief

Jaipur, May 24 (IANS) The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has appointed former MLA Joginder Singh Awana as the new Rajasthan Party President.

Last month, Awana had quit the Congress and joined the RLD.

On assuming responsibility, Awana said that he will strategise with senior party leaders and conduct statewide tours.

Previously recognized as a close associate of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Awana expressed gratitude towards RLD leadership for his new role.

He said that he had recently met RLD President Jayant Chaudhary, who is proposed to visit Jaipur in June.

Drawing a blueprint for his action plan, the new State RLD President said he has prioritised teamwork based on his political experience.

He has visited all the districts in Rajasthan and the party’s team is working strongly everywhere.

Their goal is to strengthen the party organisation from the divisional level to the Assembly and booth levels, Awana said.

Awana’s induction into RLD took place in Delhi in the presence of Union Minister and RLD President Jayant Chaudhary. His decision marks a fresh political beginning and is seen as a strategic move that could alter voter dynamics in eastern Rajasthan.

Awana, who commands strong grassroots support in Bharatpur and surrounding regions, first gained prominence during the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections.

Contesting from the Nadbai constituency on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket, he defeated BJP’s Krishnendra Kaur (Deepa), a royal family member, securing more than 50,000 votes. He later joined Congress and remained active until his recent switch to RLD.

RLD National General Secretary Trilok Tyagi and other national party leaders were present at the event.

Tyagi said that RLD stays committed to farmers’ interest throughout the country and has been interacting with the BJP-led state government to ensure their demands are fulfilled.

Now, the RLD will stay active in the desert state as well and will participate in the panchayat and Assembly polls, he added.

The state Assembly polls in 2028 will see a stronger presence of the RLD in Rajasthan, Tyagi said.

–IANS

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Manual scavenging deaths in Kolkata raise questions on efficiency of STPs

Kolkata, Feb 4 (IANS) The demise of three workers engaged in scavenging and manual cleaning of a sewerage drain pipe in Kolkata’s Bantala leather complex, raises serious questions on the efficiency of the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) within that complex.

Insiders at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said that since a thorough probe in the unfortunate incident has already been ordered in the matter they expect that two crucial issues will be looked into.

The first being the efficiency of the STPs and the second the condition of the drain pipes there.

“It has to be seen whether the toxic chemicals used by the tanneries within the complex are properly drained out instead of contaminating the water in the surrounding areas. At the same time there is a need for an audit of the efficiency of the treatment plants there to address such hazards,” a KMC insider aware of the development said.

City-based green technologist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, who has long been vocal on this issue, told IANS that as per information available with him, three treatment plants there had long been virtually non-functional.

“The contaminated water has polluted wetlands and surrounding areas, causing harm to both human and environmental health. The tannery owners within the complex are also silent.

“This is a very serious issue and to me this is an environmental crime. The authorities must take immediate action to repair the treatment plants and prevent further environmental damage,” Ghosh said.

People in the KMC are wondering whether after this tragic incident, responsibilities will be fixed for avoiding similar mishaps in the future.

“The question is also whether the responsibility of the safety of workers rests only with the contractors who outsource the work or is there any accountability on the part of the officers of the sewerage-cum-drainage department to ensure that the contractors follow the safety norms,” the KMC insider said.

The unfortunate deaths have posed immense embarrassment for the biggest civic body in West Bengal since the mishap took place just days after a Bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia had ordered a complete ban on manual scavenging and sewage cleaning in six major metropolitan cities, including Kolkata.

The Apex Court directed the heads of the municipal bodies in these cities to file an affidavit at the apex court by February 13, explaining the steps taken to stop this practice and how and when the system has been completely stopped in respective cities.

Now, with the next hearing in the matter being scheduled at the Apex Court on February 19, KMC insiders feel the authorities might have to face uncomfortable and embarrassing questions there on the day of next hearing.

IANS

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