Russia’s foreign minister assures assistance to Iran in de-escalation with Israel
Moscow, Jun 14 (PTI): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday condemned Israeli strikes against Iran and expressed Moscow’s readiness to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue and de-escalation with Israel.
Lavrov's comment came during a telephone call by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a readout.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Araghchi’s call was in continuation of President Vladimir Putin’s phone call on Friday night with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“To continue the June 13 phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Russian side has repeatedly stressed that Moscow condemns Israel’s operation against Iran, carried out in violation of the UN Charter and the norms of international law,” the ministry said.
“The readiness was confirmed to continue facilitating efforts on settling the situation around Iran’s nuclear programme as well as on de-escalating the conflict between Iran and Israel,” the foreign ministry added.
On Friday night, President Putin had phone conversations with Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Kremlin press office said.
“The President of Russia expressed his condolences to the authorities and citizens of Iran over the heavy death toll resulting from Israeli strikes, including among civilians,” it said.
Putin said that "Russia condemned Israel's actions, which had been carried out in violation of the UN Charter and international law".
Russia has been fully supporting efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear programme peacefully and will continue to promote a de-escalation between Iran and Israel, the Kremlin said.
In his conversation with Netanyahu, Putin emphasised the importance of resuming the negotiations and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear programme exclusively via political and diplomatic means.
In addition, the Russian leader expressed willingness to provide mediation so as to prevent further escalation.
Meanwhile, the Russian consumer protection service – Rospotrebnadzor – is constantly monitoring radiation situation in southern Dagestan following the Israeli strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, state-run Radio VestiFM reported.
“ Radiation level is normal but samples of gamma particles are collected from the air at regular intervals,” VestiFM said.
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Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
