Tehran, July 6 (IANS) Iran and Hungary highlighted the necessity to refrain from the escalation of tension in the West Asia region.

In a phone call, Iranian caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto exchanged views on Friday about regional issues of common interest and bilateral ties, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, reports Xinhua news agency.

Bagheri Kani stressed the need to enhance stability and refrain from the escalation of tension in West Asia, noting that the continuation of Israeli “crimes” against Palestinians and the recent escalations between Israel and Lebanon had placed the region in a new situation.

He warned that any new move to cause further tension in the region would work to the detriment of the “warmongers”.

Pointing to bilateral ties, Bagheri Kani said Iran and Hungary had always had good relations with each other, and the ties had been reflecting a positive and growing trend.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister, for his part, stressed the need to step up efforts to prevent the intensification of the conflicts in the region.

He stressed the importance of diplomacy in bilateral relations and the international arena, welcoming the strengthening of the bilateral ties with Iran.

The Israeli army has been waging a large-scale offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on the Israeli towns adjacent to the strip, killing nearly 1,200 people.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in the enclave has risen to 38,011, with 87,445 people injured, as updated by the health authorities in Gaza on Thursday.

Tension has mounted between Lebanon and Israel since October 8, 2023, after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

–IANS

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Tehran, July 6 (IANS) Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s former Health Minister, won the country’s 14th presidential election, Iran’s election headquarters Spokesperson Mohsen Eslami said on Saturday

Eslami announced this while disclosing the results of the presidential runoff held on Friday between reformist Pezeshkian and principlist Saeed Jalili, Iran’s former chief negotiator in the nuclear talks with world powers.

Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, is a cardiac surgeon and a lawmaker in the country’s Parliament. He was the Parliament’s first Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020 and Health Minister between 2001 and 2005 in the government of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.

He ran for President in 2013 but withdrew, and failed to qualify for the presidential race in his second attempt at the presidency in 2021.

Pezeshkian managed to secure 10,415,991 votes, more than 42 per cent of the total, in the first round of the presidential election.

The total number of votes cast in the runoff was 30,530,157, adding that according to the number of the used ballots, which stood at 30,573,931, the turnout reached 49.8 per cent.

Of all the votes, Pezeshkian secured 16,384,403, whereas Jalili garnered 13,538,179, said Eslami.

The runoff began at 8 a.m. local time at nearly 59,000 polling stations nationwide and abroad. It was scheduled to end at 6 p.m. local time but was extended thrice, each lasting two hours.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cast his ballot at a polling station in Tehran immediately after the voting began and made a brief speech, calling the election “an important political affair of the country”.

Saeed Jalili, 58, is currently a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council.

He was the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013 and was a chief negotiator in the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers.

He was a candidate in Iran’s 11th presidential election in June 2013 but finished in third place. He also ran for president in 2021 but withdrew in favour of late President Ebrahim Raisi before the election.

Jalili managed to garner 9,473,298 or more than 38 per cent of the votes in the first round of the presidential election.

–IANS

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Lilongwe, July 6 (IANS) Up to 4.2 million people in Malawi are expected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity between June and September, according to a report released on Saturday by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, a government-led multi-agency body.

According to the report, the landlocked country, bordering Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania, experienced El Nino weather early in the year that caused drought and floods in 23 out of 28 districts, leading to a 17 per cent output drop in agricultural production, reports Xinhua news agency.

In 2023, Malawi produced 3.5 million metric tonnes of maize, the country’s staple food, but the output dropped to 2.9 million metric tonnes in the 2024 harvest season.

The report indicated that the situation is bound to worsen by October when the food-insecure population is estimated to increase to 5.7 million, 28 per cent of the population, as the country reaches the seasonal lean period.

The report further calls for the immediate distribution of more than 261,500 metric tonnes of maize to vulnerable households in the affected districts across Malawi.

The country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs Spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula told the local media on Wednesday that the department is working on a response plan and the mobilisation of resources.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) is targeting 2.5 million people of the affected population with food assistance, said Simon Denhere, the organisation’s deputy country director.

The WFP country Chief told local media that the response programme requires $80 million but the organisation had only raised $20 million in anticipation of the food situation.

“We’re still engaging with our partners to mobilise the remaining funds and the response, so far, is positive,” Denhere, told the local media.

The World Bank estimates that about 72 per cent of Malawians will face poverty this year following the weather shocks as inflation is expected to average 27 per cent.

–IANS

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Tokyo, July 6 (IANS) Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries has been implicated in a scandal for allegedly using slush funds to purchase goods for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) submarine crew members, according to local media reports.

The company, responsible for constructing and maintaining parts of the JMSDF submarine fleet, allegedly manipulated subcontractors to fabricate false transactions, securing billions of yen in secret funds used to bribe submarine crew members, reports Xinhua news agency on Friday.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has admitted to the Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau that its Kobe Shipyard’s maintenance division has been directing subcontractors to create fictitious transactions for the past 20 years.

The funds obtained were transferred to subcontractor accounts as secret funds, used to purchase personal items for submarine crew members or for entertainment expenses.

JMSDF submarines submitted lists of needed items to Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ maintenance division, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported, noting that the maintenance division then instructed subcontractors to use the secret funds to buy the items, which were subsequently handed over to the respective submarine personnel.

The Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau is investigating Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Japan’s Defence Minister Minoru Kihara on Friday announced that a special investigation into the matter has been launched, besides the current investigation conducted by the Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau.

Tetsuo Maeda, a local commentator, criticised the use of taxpayer money, which was meant for enhancing defence capabilities, being misappropriated by the JMSDF.

“The misuse of funds, originating from the Defence Ministry and submarine construction and maintenance budgets, is intolerable for taxpayers,” Maeda said.

–IANS

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Beijing, July 6 (IANS) Five people were confirmed dead after tornadoes struck the Heze City in east China’s Shandong province, said local authorities on Saturday.

Tornadoes hit the Dongming County and the Juancheng County, leaving 88 people injured. Five of them were later confirmed dead after medical treatment failed, according to Heze’s emergency management bureau, reports Xinhua news agency.

Preliminary investigation showed that a total of 2,820 houses, 60,900 mu (4,060 hectares) of crops and 48 power supply lines were damaged in the disaster.

Thanks to overnight repair efforts, local roads, communication, water and power supplies have been restored, while local rescuers are evacuating and resettling the affected people.

A task force has been deployed to carry out a comprehensive survey of the damage to residents’ houses and infrastructure.

Shandong averages 1.5 tornadoes every year, according to data from the National Climate Centre.

–IANS

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