00:00Key mediator Pakistan announced on Saturday that a deal to end the Iran war is closer
00:04than ever, with Prime Minister Sherpas Sharif expecting a final agreement within 24 hours.
00:11United States President Donald Trump asserted that the memorandum would be signed electronically
00:15on Sunday, adding that the Strategic Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after signing
00:20it.
00:21However, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ismail Bagay, stated that while the likelihood
00:26of finalizing the deal in the coming days is high, the signing will not happen immediately.
00:33An unstable ceasefire has been in place since April 7, following a week where an exchange
00:38of fire between Iran, the United States and Israel threatened to push the region back into
00:43full-scale war.
00:45Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragaci also expressed optimism, posting online that an agreement
00:50has never been closer.
00:52The upcoming G7 summit is expected to see further discussions on the sidelines with
00:56regional leaders regarding efforts to wind down the war and begin demining the strait
01:01to resume maritime shipments.
01:06Officials confirm that the current memorandum under discussion focuses strictly on ending
01:10the war, with no discussion of Iran's nuclear program at this stage of the negotiations.
01:20Israel says it has struck and killed seven Hezbollah officials operating from a tunnel in southern
01:25Lebanon, after the IDF warned Lebanese residents in 24 locations to evacuate their homes immediately
01:32and move north.
01:36Airstrikes were carried out on the group who were using the site to store weapons and carry
01:40out attacks, according to the Israeli military.
01:44Lebanon's state-run national news agency reported airstrikes on Saturday on several villages, including
01:51one that killed two people.
01:52Israel.
01:53And the Lebanese army says it has withdrawn its troops from a base in a southern Lebanese village
01:58after Israeli troops advanced in an area nearby.
02:02Attacks by Israel and Hezbollah have continued despite a ceasefire that went into effect on
02:08April 17th.
02:14Swiss citizens go to the polls on Sunday to vote on a popular initiative proposed by the
02:19right-wing Swiss People's Party, SVP, the largest in parliament, to cap the national population
02:24at below 10 million until 2015.
02:27The referendum put forward after securing the required 100,000 signatures comes as approximately
02:3327% of Swiss residents are not citizens, following years of immigration driven by a strong labour
02:40market.
02:41Calling it a sustainability initiative, the SVP argues that uncontrolled immigration causes
02:46the country to grow too quickly, putting an unbearable strain on housing, schools, and
02:51transport.
02:52If the population exceeds 9.5 million, the initiative would force parliament to restrict asylum and
02:58family reunification, while hitting a 10 million threshold would require termination
03:03free movement agreement with the European Union.
03:06The collective government and major business groups have recommended rejecting the proposal,
03:11warning it would harm the economy, hurt national prosperity, and jeopardize vital European
03:16security pacts.
03:21The opening week of the FIFA World Cup produced major surprises and intense celebrations across
03:26the tournament groups on Saturday.
03:28The latest action in Group D saw Australia secure a clinical 2-0 victory over Turkey in the
03:33Vancouver, British Columbia.
03:35Goals from Nestor Irancunda and Craig Metcalf put the Aussies at the top of the group standings
03:40early in the tournament while Turkey dropped to second place.
03:43Passionate fans from both nations took to the streets of the Canadian city to wave flags
03:47and show their national pride.
03:50Meanwhile, in Group C, Scotland claimed a historic 1-0 victory over Haiti at the Gillette Stadium
03:55near Boston.
03:56A first half strike from John McCain gave the Scots their first World Cup win since 1990,
04:02driving the massive travelling Tartan army supporters into a frenzy inside the stadium.
04:07The result put Scotland at the top of their group after favourites Brazil and Morocco fought
04:12out a pulsating 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
04:15Thousands of Brazilian supporters filled Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana beach to watch that
04:20high-profile match on giant public screens, celebrating a first half equaliser from Vinicius
04:27Junior.
04:27Over in Group B, one of the biggest shocks of the week took place as heavily favoured Switzerland
04:32was held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by Qatar.
04:35The Swiss appeared headed for victory after taking an early first half lead, but a powerful
04:4095th minute header from Bolem Koki secured Qatar's first ever World Cup point.
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