Global News

By Nina LARSON AFP and Posted by TOE Swiss voters will decide the fate of a divisive anti-immigration proposal on Sunday to cap the country’s population, and another referendum on restricting access to conscientious objection to military service. Opinion polls suggest that both votes, put forward under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, could be tight. Voting booths will open for just a few hours Sunday morning before closing at noon (1000 GMT), most of the votes having been cast in advance by post. The first results are expected by mid-afternoon. Tensions have been running particularly high over the “No to a Switzerland with 10 million!” initiative, put forward by the hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP). That proposal wants measures to stop the wealthy Alpine nation’s population — currently 9.1 million — going above 10 million before 2050. In a country where foreigners make up over a quarter of the populatio...

By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi and John Irish Reuters and Posted by TOE The United States and Iran signalled on Friday that an agreement to end their war was close, with a senior U.S. administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal in the coming days. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said changes were still ‌possible, but the tentative agreement showed his country had emerged stronger from the conflict. “Iran is the winner of the war with the U.S.,” he said on state television. The proposed memorandum of understanding calls ‌for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, sources on all sides of the talks said. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program — U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated rationale for starting the war — would take place afterward. The U.S. official, speaking on condition ​of anonymity, told reporter...

 By Stephen Feller UPI and Posted by TOE President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he cancelled new U.S. strikes in Iran because Iranian leadership, and other regional powers, have approved “final points” in a deal to end the war. Trump said in a mid-afternoon post on Truth Social that he cancelled military strikes that were announced on Wednesday because the United States, Iran, Israel and other Middle Eastern nations reached an agreement. The United States on Wednesday had launched airstrikes in Iran and that it planned to hit the country “very hard,” Trump had said, and would seize Kharg Island, where 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports are shipped from. A shaky cease-fire had held in the three-month-old conflict, occasional skirmishes and blockage of the Strait of Hormuz aside, for weeks until Iran carried out a “powerful assault” on U.S. military assets Tuesday, which prompted Trump’s now jettisoned threat of new, larg...

By Reuters and Posted by TOE Armed bandits in northwest Nigeria abducted dozens of villagers whom they invited to a meeting ‌about potential peace negotiations, authorities and residents said on ‌Monday, highlighting the region’s worsening security. Police said 39 people were seized on Sunday ​when they went to a meeting in the forest near Magamin Diddi village in the Maradun municipality of northwest Zamfara State. Some local residents and officials said the number could be as ‌high as 50. According to ⁠a Zamfara State Police Command statement, the victims were meeting relatives of a bandit leader in ⁠an attempt to broker peace and ease restrictions on movement imposed on the community. Zamfara is at the centre of a long-running security ​crisis in ​which armed groups, locally referred ​to as bandits, carry ‌out mass kidnappings, killings and village raids. The violence has disrupted farming and displaced thousands. Security forces have deployed personnel and...

By Fatos Bytyci Reuters | Posted by TOE Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called for cooperation from other parties to end 18 months of political deadlock after his Vetevendosje party came out top in a parliamentary ‌election on Sunday but failed to secure enough votes to govern alone. The tiny Balkan state wants to ‌join the European Union, and Brussels says it needs to create strong institutions capable of delivering reforms needed for membership. But political instability has left Kosovo ​without functioning institutions, delaying reforms and the flow of EU funds, and political analysts said the impasse looks likely to continue. Vetevendosje had 43% of votes after 99.4% of ballots were counted in Sunday’s election, the third in less than 18 months, official results showed. The Democratic Party of Kosovo was on 21% and the Democratic League of Kosovo was on 18% following the election, ‌called after Kosovo’s fractured parliament failed to ⁠elect a speaker a...

By Reuters and Posted by TOE The Israeli military has struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, known as ‌Dahiyeh, the first strike on the militant group’s stronghold since ‌an April 16 ceasefire was brokered. The ceasefire has not halted the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah ​in southern Lebanon, with Israel saying it is working to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure on its borders. Hezbollah has rejected proposals linking a ceasefire to its disarmament, saying Israel must first halt its attacks and withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. In ‌a joint statement with ⁠his defence minister, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on Dahiyeh was ordered in response to Hezbollah firing ⁠toward Israeli territory. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The military said earlier it had intercepted two projectiles that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, after sirens sou...