Russia, UAE call for immediate end to Israel-Iran conflict
Moscow, Jun 18 (PTI): Russia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday called for an immediate cessation of the Israel and Iran conflict and an intensification of political and diplomatic efforts to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue.
According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin discussed the issue during a telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The imperative of an early cessation of hostilities and intensification of political and diplomatic efforts in the interests of resolving controversial issues related to the Iranian nuclear programme was emphasised,” the Kremlin said in a statement after the talks.
During the call, Putin also highlighted Russia’s readiness to provide mediation assistance in promoting dialogue between Israel and Iran, and briefed his UAE counterpart on his contacts with a number of foreign leaders about this.
As Israel and Iran continued to strike each other for the sixth day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the nuclear threat is no longer hypothetical but real in West Asia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is pursuing two goals -- to foil Iran's nuclear ambitions and to neutralise its missile production and attack capabilities.
“All this leads not just to escalation, but to a direct threat to the region and the world because attacks are being carried out on peaceful atomic or nuclear facilities,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a radio interview.
She underscored that the nuclear threat has a practical dimension, not a hypothetical one and upheld Tehran’s right to have peaceful nuclear facilities that were now under attack.
Israel launched Operation Rising Lion last week, targeting Iran's nuclear, missile and military infrastructure. Iran later launched retaliatory strikes on Israel.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Brig Gen Effie Defrin, at a press conference, said the Israeli Air Force has hit over 1,100 Iranian assets in hundreds of strikes in Iran since Friday.
Iran launched some 30 ballistic missiles at Israel in two barrages overnight, the IDF spokesperson confirmed, claiming that most of the projectiles were intercepted and there were no injuries.
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Delhi HC asks Jaideep Sengar to surrender in Unnao custodial death case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Jaideep Sengar, brother of Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Sengar, to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in the custodial death case of the survivor's father.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja was hearing a plea by the convict for further extension of interim bail upon suspension of the 10-year sentence.
It observed that the interim bail granted to Jaideep Sengar in July 2024 was last extended in April 2025 and since then, in spite of five dates, no order of any further extension or suspension of his sentence has been passed by the court.
As the senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar urged the bench to extend the period of his release on account of his health, the bench said, "You surrender and then we will see."
"Although there is no extension of interim suspension of sentence granted, we find he has still not surrendered. Before we proceed to consider his application for further extension of suspension of sentence, we require the appellant to first surrender," the bench ordered.
The senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar assured the court that he would surrender by Saturday.
The court listed the matter for hearing next week.
Jaideep Sengar, 50, sought the bail extension on the grounds that he is suffering from oral cancer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) counsel had earlier said it was not a fit case for extension of interim bail, and the prescription given by Jaideep Sengar in support of his plea was fabricated.
In his application, Jaideep Sengar said he was suffering from stage IV oral cancer, a life-threatening condition, and had developed clinical signs of recurrence.
The condition, the plea said, required continuous and specialised medical care.
The plea also informed that Jaideep Sengar has spent about four years in custody.
The high court had granted interim bail to Jaideep Sengar on July 3, 2024, for two months on medical grounds.
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life on December 20, 2019, for raping the minor in 2017.
On March 13, 2020, Kuldeep Sengar, along with Jaideep Sengar, was sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment by the trial court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the custodial death case of the rape survivor's father.
The survivor's father was arrested, allegedly at the behest of the accused, under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutality.
The trial court said no leniency could be shown for killing a family's sole breadwinner.
