Tehran, July 6 (IANS) Voting for Iran’s presidential runoff came to an end at midnight Friday after 16 straight hours, said Spokesman of Iran’s Election Headquarters Mohsen Eslami.

He made the remarks in a live interview with Iran’s state-run IRIB TV, stressing that although the polling stations’ doors were closed, those responsible had to let all the voters who had come before the end of the voting process and were waiting for their turns cast their ballots, Xinhua news agency reported.

The counting process would start at the stations immediately after the voting ended, Eslami added.

In an address to reporters in the Iranian capital Tehran earlier in the day, Iran’s Interim President Mohammad Mokhber said the results would be announced by Saturday morning.

The voting began at 8:00 a.m. Friday local time at nearly 59,000 polling stations across the country and abroad, with two candidates, former health minister Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, the former chief negotiator in the nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers, vying for the top position at the country’s executive branch.

Pezeshkian and Jalili secured over 42 per cent and 38 per cent of the votes, respectively, in the first round on June 28.

The voting was initially scheduled to end at 6:00 p.m. local time but was extended three times, with each extension lasting for two hours.

The candidate with the highest number of votes at the end of the runoff will be the next Iranian president.

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.

“Today is a good day; the day of our beloved people’s presence, participation, and becoming active in the election, which is an important political affair of the country,” said Khamenei.

Field estimates showed that the turnout in the runoff surpassed the figure in the first round, which stood at 40 per cent, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Over 61 million people were eligible to vote in the election, according to Iranian authorities. More than 24 million participated in the first round.

Iran’s 14th presidential election, initially set for 2025, was rescheduled following the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash on May 19.

–IANS

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Jerusalem, July 6 (IANS) Chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency David Barnea has returned from the Qatari capital Doha following an initial meeting with mediators, and a team will be dispatched next week to continue the negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has announced.

“It should be emphasized that there are still gaps between the sides,” the Israeli PMO said in a statement on Friday evening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the dispatch of a delegation for negotiations on a ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza and the release of hostages, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a senior Israeli official.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that an official familiar with the hostage talks said that Mossad officials had told mediators that they are “optimistic” the Israeli cabinet will accept the ceasefire proposal currently under discussion.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 survey revealed on Friday, when asked what is most important at this moment, 67 per cent of the people interviewed said returning the hostages from Gaza, compared to 26 per cent who said continuing the war in Gaza and 7 per cent who said they didn’t know.

The recent development marks a renewed effort to negotiate an end to the nearly nine-month-long conflict, which, according to the Gaza-based health authorities, has resulted in the deaths of more than 38,000 Palestinians in the enclave.

–IANS

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New York, July 5 (IANS) A pickup truck crashed into a park in Lower Manhattan in New York City, killing three people and injuring seven others, according to local authorities.

The truck hit 10 people attending parties at Corlears Hook Park in celebration of the US Independence Day, Xinhua news agency reported.

Preliminary investigation showed the driver was under the influence of alcohol and the incident didn’t appear to be terror-related, said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The driver has been taken into custody though his identity is yet to be disclosed.

–IANS

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Moscow, July 5 (IANS) Infuriating his fellow European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made a surprise visit to Russia on Friday and held talks with President Vladimir Putin.

His trip to Moscow came after he visited Kiev earlier this week and urged Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to mull a ceasefire and begin peace talks with Russia.

As speculation about his intended visit to Russia swirled and drew flak, Orban, in a veiled jibe on social media, observed: “You cannot make peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels. We cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end.”

Hungary may well soon become the only country in Europe that is maintaining a dialogue with both Kiev and Moscow, Orban said as Putin welcomed him, RFT reported.

As per Russian officials, Putin told the Hungarian leader that he had presented his vision of how the conflict can be resolved in a keynote speech at the Foreign Ministry last month and is prepared to discuss its nuances. His proposal envisaged an immediate suspension of hostilities after Ukraine renounced its bid to join NATO and ordered its troops to pull back from all territories claimed by Russia. A comprehensive discussion of a new security architecture in Europe could follow after this, he suggested.

The closed-door talks between the two leaders lasted for some time and were followed by a joint press meet.

The Russian President said that judging by Orban’s account of his Kiev visit, Ukraine intends to fight with Russia to the end, adding that peace would require an end of martial law and an election in Ukraine, which the country’s current leadership would definitely lose.

He stressed that Russia wants a full resolution of the conflict, not its freezing, which would allow Kiev to rearm and rebuild its military again.

Noting Russia’s relations with the EU are at their lowest level in decades, Putin said that as Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, he and Orban discussed this aspect of tensions between Russia and the West.

Orban, on his part, said he wanted to hear directly from Putin how Russia perceives various peace initiatives, calling it an important step, even though the frank discussion confirmed that there was a major rift between the conflicting sides.

He declined to reveal the content of his discussions with Zelensky, but said he conveyed to Putin his impressions from his Kiev visit.

Orban’s visit, though surprising, was not the first by a US ally following the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 as then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Moscow in March that year and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in April. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Moscow in April.

The visit sparked fury from EU leaders, despite his clarification that he is not representing the EU.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Orban of “appeasement” and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is slated to become the EU’s next foreign policy and security chief, joined the chorus of criticism, accusing him of trying to “sow confusion”.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Orban had informed NATO about his intention to visit Moscow before going there and will have an opportunity to discuss it at the upcoming summit of NATO leaders in Washington next week.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Labour Party’s Virendra Sharma, one of the longest-serving Indian-origin MPs in Britain, believes that the relationship between India and the United Kingdom will only get stronger under Keir Starmer, who took over from Rishi Sunak as Britain’s next Prime Minister on Friday.

Sharma, who served as the Member of Parliament from Ealing Southall on five consecutive occasions since 2007 and did not seek a re-election this time around, told IANS in an exclusive interview that Starmer, and the Labour Party returning to power after 14 years is the change that UK badly needed.

Excerpts:

IANS: It is a big day for you and the Labour Party. Even as you head to another victory celebration, how would you describe the mood in Britain right now?

Virendra Sharma: Thanks a lot. Yes, of course, it’s one of the happiest days for those who believe in equality, diversity, internationalism, and democracy. Today, democracy has worked and the people of Britain have voted in favour of our party, which is the Labour Party.

I was one of the longest-serving members of Westminster before recently deciding to step down as a Member of Parliament and retire from public life. That does not mean that I will not be carrying on my duties in public to support the new government. We have got the largest majority and with our commitment, dedication, and the visionary approach under the leadership of Keir Starmer, will rebuild the economy and certainly stabilise the world order, including bringing peace in the countries outside Britain.

IANS: Indians all over the world were quite happy when Rishi Sunak came to power two years ago. How are the British Indians reacting to his loss now?

Virendra Sharma: British people, including the Indians living in Britain, saw the work of the Conservative government, whether it was the previous regimes or under the leadership of Rishi Sunak. And the results showed that the majority of Britishers felt very strongly that the Conservative government under Rishi Sunak was not the government they wanted to see.

Of course, you feel happy and proud (to see an Indian-origin leader), but you also look at whether this person will be able to provide us what we want, including stabilising the economy, providing better services, and making sure that the future of the young generation is safe.

The Sunak government failed to provide that. That is why we got this change. People of Britain have shown confidence in the new government and I’m quite confident that the Indian people feel the same way.

IANS: Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed excellent chemistry which worked quite well for both countries. Will that continue under the new Labour government or do you expect any changes?

Virendra Sharma: The British government has generally developed a good relationship with India irrespective of changing political complexions. British diplomacy is also quite famous in the world and I think that under the new leadership, we will carry on using those skills.

India and Britain coming together will certainly influence the international framework. I have full confidence that Keir Starmer will continue to carry forward the work. This relationship between Britain and India – the oldest and largest democracies in the world – will only get stronger.

We have regular exchanges and also regular elections to make sure that the people’s verdict is adopted. So I feel that under the new leadership and new government, India-UK ties will develop further in the interest of humanity and the people of the world.

IANS: In your opinion, what went wrong for Rishi Sunak in these elections?

Virendra Sharma: I campaigned throughout my life for the better representation of Black and Asian communities in the British political system, and Rishi Sunak came through that system and led the country. While I have full regard for him, I think his policies, and those of the Conservative leaders before him, failed.

People have given a verdict against the political ideology and approach that Rishi Sunak was following. Whether he called elections early or late is a political judgment. You have to take some kind of stand. In this case, his judgment was wrong as far as the Conservatives are concerned.

But, we feel that this was the right time because he had no further vision for the country. And it was the right time to call the elections so that the people of Britain could decide whether they wanted the country to run under the Conservative leadership or they wanted a change, which they got today.

IANS: The going won’t be that easy for the Labour government… What are the immediate challenges before Keir Starmer? There’s also a big debate going on about immigrants…

Virendra Sharma: Keir Starmer wants to take the country forward. Previous governments have damaged the entire system in Britain, including the economy, police, National Health Service, education, roads and transport. Everything is broken.

Starmer has to first stop further deterioration and then turn things back. We need to have a skilled workforce to do that. So to create that, the government will be seeking support from other friendly countries and getting those immigrants coming and helping us. Just like I came here 55 years ago to support the country and rebuild it after the war.

There are many other areas which I’m sure the government will be looking at. Also, they don’t know how much money they have got today. The government will only find out later whether they have the required funds in the Treasury to make the turnaround.

(Ateet Sharma can be contacted at ateet.s@ians.in)

–IANS

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