June 16, 2012 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian uprising (2011-present):
- The United Nations suspends its peacekeeping mission in Syria amid escalating violence. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- At least 32 people are killed in a car bomb attack targeting Shia Muslims in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. (BBC) (CNN)
- A bomb explodes in the Pakistani town of Landi Kotal, killing at least thirteen people. (Reuters) (BBC)
Arts and culture
- Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi personally accepts the Nobel Peace Prize, 21 years after she was awarded the prize in absentia. (BBC) (Christian Science Monitor)
- Actors Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet and singer Gary Barlow are among those recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours. (BBC)
- Coca-Cola returns to Myanmar after 60 years, leaving North Korea and Cuba as the only two countries in the world where the company does not do business. (Voice of America)
Disasters
- The collapse of a stage intended for a Radiohead concert in the Canadian city of Toronto kills one person. (BBC)
- More than 30 people are killed and 15 injured after a bus falls into a gorge in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. (IBN Live)
- A Blue Islands ATR 42 aircraft suffers an undercarriage collapse on the runway at Jersey Airport. The aircraft is later evacuated with no injuries reported. (BBC)
Law and crime
- A priest is stabbed to death in a church in the city of Focșani, Romania. (Realitatea TV)
- One of the United States's most wanted fugitives, Air Force deserter David A. Hemler, has reportedly been living and working in Stockholm, Sweden, for the past 28 years. (Dagens Nyheter)
Politics and elections
- Voters in Egypt go to the polls for the second round of a presidential election, with ex-Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood competing for the presidency. (AFP via News Limited) (Al Jazeera)
- Saudi Arabia states that Crown Prince Nayef has died in Geneva. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
Science
- China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts – including the first female Chinese astronaut, Liu Yang – to the Tiangong-1 orbital module. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission. (Space.com)
Sport
- UEFA Euro 2012:
- UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against the Croatian Football Federation after bananas are thrown and racist chants are heard at the Italy-Croatia game. (BBC)
- Daredevil Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to walk a tightrope above the brink of Niagara Falls between the United States and Canada. (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)