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US, Iran to begin fresh talks after deadly strikes
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A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off Sunday as Iranian negotiators and US Vice President JD Vance arrived in the Swiss host city, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Before boarding his flight to Europe, Vance told reporters he hoped to “make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on”.
Follow-up talks had been planned in Switzerland on Friday but were postponed at the last minute after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon following the deaths of four of its soldiers in combat.
Washington announced a renewed ceasefire there later Friday — a condition of its preliminary agreement with Iran — but Israeli troops clashed again with Hezbollah fighters on Saturday, with each side accusing the other of breaking the truce.
Citing a US “breach of contract” and “the Zionist regime’s continuous and relentless violation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon”, Iran’s central military command said “the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic”.
Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas shipments, was blockaded by Iran for much of the war, sending shockwaves through global energy markets.
Tehran had agreed to reopen it under the preliminary accord signed by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, and shipping traffic had begun to recover.
US Central Command said after Iran’s announcement that safe passage through the international waterway had “remained intact” and that US forces were “present and vigilant”.
Trump later warned that Washington could impose its own tolls on Hormuz if negotiators failed to complete the deal.
There would be no tolls “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
– Switzerland push –
An Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland late Saturday, state media and the Swiss foreign ministry said.
Iran’s official broadcaster said it included parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the delegation would “demand implementation of the other party’s commitments” under the deal.
“Otherwise, the entire understanding will be in trouble,” he said, according to official news agency IRNA.
Vance arrived at the Emmen Air Base in Switzerland on Sunday morning, having earlier said he could only stay “a day or two”.
US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already there handling “some of the technical elements” and had reported that “things are going well”, Vance said in an interview with Fox News earlier Saturday.
Pakistan, which has been helping to mediate, said Sunday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir had left for Switzerland to take part in high-level talks involving US and Iranian representatives and other mediators from Qatar.
The talks are meant to open a two-month negotiation period on issues left unresolved by the initial accord, notably Iran’s nuclear programme.
– Lebanon truce frays –
Israel and Hezbollah continued trading accusations Saturday as fighting persisted in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in combat, the fifth such fatality since the US-Iran deal was reached.
An Israeli army official later said the military had received orders from the country’s political leadership to cease fire, adding that troops were “not conducting proactive strikes” but operating defensively inside a security zone.
Earlier, an Israeli military official said fresh attacks were under way after Hezbollah “launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon” overnight.
Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out “under the cover of the ceasefire… an infiltration attempt towards the Ali Taher hills”, a strategic feature overlooking Nabatieh, and said its fighters had responded “with appropriate weapons”.
Lebanese state media reported Israeli air raids on around 20 locations, with authorities counting more than 30 dead. The overall death toll from the fighting in Lebanon had surpassed 4,000, the health ministry said.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said his group retained “the full right to confront this enemy when it attacks us”.
Israel’s US ambassador Yechiel Leiter maintained it was Hezbollah that broke the truce, saying Israel was “defending itself against terrorist attacks”.
But Hezbollah said Israel bore “full responsibility”.
Fadi Zayat, who fled the southern Lebanon town of Tayr Debba, told AFP that “fear dominates” the south.
“We returned to the village a few days ago, but our bags are ready to flee again,” the 53-year-old said.
Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the wider Middle East conflict in early March when it fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
A previous ceasefire meant to take effect in Lebanon in April was never honoured, with each side justifying its attacks by citing alleged violations by the other.
U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will step down from office, citing what he described as failures on immigration and energy policy.
Trump made the remarks in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, as Starmer faces mounting political pressure at home.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Trump wrote. “He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”
The U.S. president did not provide any evidence or indicate the source of his claim regarding Starmer’s departure.
Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, became prime minister after leading his party to victory in the UK general election. His government has faced criticism over a range of issues, including migration and energy policy.
The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appealed to Chief Bode George to rejoin the ‘party’s mainstream leadership structure’ to reposition it ahead of 2027.
Mr Hakeem Olalemi, State Organising Secretary of the faction, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos on Sunday.
NAN reports that George, a former PDP deputy national chairman, is aligned with the Dr Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee, backed by Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
George has been a fierce critic of Wike and his actions regarding the PDP since the beginning of the leadership crisis in the party.
Olalemi, who spoke on the state of the party and preparations for the 2027 general elections in the state, said George remained a respected leader and an integral member of the PDP family despite ongoing disagreements within the party.
According to him, George’s experience and contributions to the PDP make him a vital asset to the party.
Olalemi said it was important for the former party national officer to remain within the party’s mainstream leadership structure for progress.
“Chief Bode George is always welcome in the PDP. We have great respect for him and there is room for him within the party.
“Chief Bode George loves PDP. He cannot leave PDP. He is coming back to the mainstream to work for the party’s progress.
“He is our father. He is a foundation member; nobody can ask where he is coming from. We will welcome him back to the fold,” he said.
Olalemi said the PDP remained a united family despite differences among some leaders and members.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Sunday, declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olaka Nwogu, as the winner of the Rivers South East Senatorial District by-election conducted on Saturday.
Only four political parties and their candidates were cleared by the INEC to contest the June 20 bye-election, including the All Progressives Congress, the People’s Democratic Party, Action Alliance and the Labour Party
The By-election followed the death of the former representative of the Senatorial District, Senator Barry Mpigi, who passed on in February this year.
The poll was contested in seven local government areas that make up the Rivers South-East District. They are Khana, Gokana, Tai. Eleme, Andoni. Oyigbo and Opobo.
Continuing, the INEC Returning Officer for the election, Professor Rosemary Ogu, announced the result at the Rivers South East Senatorial Collation Centre at the Khana Local Government Council Secretariat in Bori, Rivers State on Saturday night.
Ogu declared that Nwogu Olaka Johnson of the PDP secured 46,961 votes to emerge as the winner of the election.
The PDP candidate, Nwogu, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, defeated his closest rival, Osarokaka Ebenezer Erewari of the APC, who polled 1,647 votes.
The Returning Officer stated that Nwogu Olaka Johnson had met the requirements of the law and was accordingly declared elected as the Senator representing the Rivers South East Senatorial District.
Prof. Ogu stated, “The election was contested. The candidates received the following votes. Douglass Fabeke, Male of the political party, AA, received a total of 1175. OsaroKaka Ebenezer Erewar, male, of the APC political party, 1647 votes. Sam Kinani, male, of the LP political party, 367 votes. Nwogu Olaka Johnson, male, of the PDP political party, 47961 votes.
“That Nwogu Olaka Johnson of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Meanwhile, the INEC said it is putting measures in place to address glitches arising from the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System in order to ensure a smooth electoral process.
The Head of Department, Voter Education in INEC, Rivers State, Geraldine Ekelemo, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen during an inspection tour of some participating LGAs in the Senatorial District alongside the INEC National Commissioner representing the South-South, May Agbamu he-Mbu.
Ekelemu said INEC made provisions for backup B-VAS machines, saying the devices can be reconfigured in cases where the primary B-VAS malfunctions.
She said, “Concerning the hitches, INEC was proactive. The technical hitches that we saw with one or two polling units and the B-VAS assigned to that particular polling unit, INEC was proactive in ensuring that backup B-VAS were supplied and distributed to each of these LGAs.
“And we had technical staff on the ground in each of these LGAs to quickly reconfigure another B-VAS to replace the malfunctioning B-VAS.
“Each of the seven LGAs had additional B-VAS to serve as backups. These are all the things INEC is doing to ensure that those gaps are immediately closed.”
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