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US Vice-President JD Vance and Iranian officials resumed talks in Switzerland following Iran's announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, a claim US Central Command disputed.

This comes as the EU Parliament passed its toughest-ever migration law, permitting deportation centres outside the bloc and detention of up to two years.

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1️⃣ 🇹🇷🇸🇦 Türkiye and Saudi Arabia plan rail link to Jordan, Syria: Ankara and Riyadh signed an MoU to build a railway linking the two countries via Jordan and Syria within three to four years, eventually extending to the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and possibly Yemen, a Turkish minister said. The project, partly reviving the historic Hejaz Railway, still needs to close a roughly 400-kilometer gap, with about $100 million earmarked for a Türkiye-Aleppo link.

2️⃣ 🇪🇺 EU Parliament passes toughest-ever migration law: Lawmakers approved a "return regulation" 418-218, allowing deportation centers outside the bloc, detention up to two years, and home searches of migrants, with right-wing groups uniting against the left's opposition. The law also raises entry bans to ten years (or life for security risks) and ends automatic suspension of deportations during appeals.

3️⃣ 🇺🇦🇲🇩🇪🇺 Ukraine and Moldova open first phase of EU accession talks: The two former Soviet states began substantive negotiations on rule-of-law chapters after EU members unanimously agreed to proceed, a process Hungary's Viktor Orbán had blocked until his government departed in April. Officials praised both countries' reforms, though Ukraine has completed only about 15% of priority reforms agreed last December.

4️⃣ 🇬🇧🇷🇺 UK seizes Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in first such operation: Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced British forces intercepted the sanctioned, Cameroon-flagged Smyrtos in the English Channel as it traveled from Russia's Luga Bay toward Port Said, Egypt, marking the UK's first interdiction of a vessel carrying sanctioned Russian oil. Zelensky praised the move, while a Kremlin envoy dismissed it as a distraction.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸🇻🇪 Trump announces strike killed Tren de Aragua leader: A US operation in Venezuela's Bolivar state killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, "Niño Guerrero," the alleged leader of the gang the US has designated terrorist, with Defense Secretary Hegseth confirming the strike and Venezuela's government acknowledging its involvement. It follows over 207 deaths in US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats since September.

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🇨🇭🇮🇷 US-Iran talks resume in Switzerland amid Hormuz dispute

US Vice-President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi began a new round of talks in Switzerland today, mediated again by Pakistan. 

The meeting follows Iran's announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes on Lebanon and an alleged US breach of the ceasefire agreement signed earlier in the week; US Central Command said tanker traffic was continuing normally. 

The talks come after the US and Iranian presidents signed an initial deal to end the war, with further negotiations planned over the next 60 days. 

Separately, at least 47 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah confirmed the day before.

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1️⃣ 🇮🇹🇺🇸 Trump-Meloni feud escalates over G7 photo claim: Trump alleged Meloni repeatedly asked him for a picture at the G7 summit and tied the rift to her refusal to let the US use Italian airstrips during the Iran conflict, while Meloni called his "constant, unprovoked attacks" senseless. Italy's foreign minister scrapped a US visit, and officials in Rome described the remarks as damaging to bilateral ties.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧🇷🇺 BBC investigation ties Russia to arson attacks on Starmer properties: A BBC investigation identified the handler behind arson attacks on properties tied to PM Keir Starmer as a young Russian diplomat trained in information warfare, based on open-source evidence linking him to the convicted arsonist. The same handler ran fake far-right and Muslim groups online to stir vandalism and division across Europe.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦 G7 pivots back to Ukraine as Trump eyes Russia sanctions return: Trump said sanctions on Russian oil, eased during the Iran conflict, could soon be reimposed now that more crude is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy said G7 leaders unanimously backed Ukraine and discussed boosting Patriot missile production.

4️⃣ 🇧🇴 Bolivia declares state of emergency over blockade crisis: President Rodrigo Paz authorized the military to clear roadblocks that have isolated La Paz and disrupted fuel and food supplies during 50 days of protests against his austerity measures, calling it an organized attempt to destabilize democracy. The 90-day decree follows 365 arrests, 37 injuries and at least 17 deaths.

5️⃣ 🇺🇦🇵🇱 Zelensky returns Polish honour amid WWII row: Poland's Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle after Ukraine named a military unit for the UPA, a group that massacred Poles in WWII, prompting Zelensky to mail the award back. Poland's PM Donald Tusk criticized the decision to revoke it, while Russian officials welcomed it.

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