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Worldwide current events
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Kawhi Leonard

In basketball, the Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors and become the first Canadian team to win the NBA Finals (MVP Kawhi Leonard pictured).
Two oil tankers are attacked in the Gulf of Oman, amidst heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.
In ice hockey, the St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup Finals.
Hong Kong's government suspends pursuing proposed legislation regarding extradition following mass protests in the hundreds of thousands.

June 15, 2019 (Saturday)

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Disasters and accidents

Seven people—four sanitation workers and three staff—die inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a Darshsan Hotel sewer in the village of Fartikui in western India. The hotel owner is charged with the deaths. (BBC)

International relations

Iran–Japan relations, June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
- Amid escalating tensions between the two countries, following a visit by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to Tehran that was ill-viewed by conservatives in Iran, a well-known Iranian newspaper published a headline asking Abe how could he trust in a "war criminal". (The Japan Times)

Politics and elections

Hong Kong extradition bill
- Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces the government has suspended its plan to allow extraditions to mainland China. (BBC)

Health and environment

The Ministry of Health of Peru reports that so far this year, 548 people have contracted the Guillain–Barré syndrome, in a health outbreak, which is registered in the country. It also clarified that in the 5 cases in which patients have died, this was caused by complications with other serious diseases. (Perú 21)

June 14, 2019 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
- An unnamed United States official claims that, just prior to the attack on two merchant vessels, an Iranian vessel launched a surface to air missile at a MQ-9 Reaper drone in the vicinity of the attack. An additional MQ-9 Reaper is reported to have been shot down by Houthi rebels several days prior in the Red Sea. (CNN)
- The president of the Japanese shipping company offers a different account of the attack than that provided by the United States. Yutaka Katada says the Filipino crew of the Kokuka Courageous oil tanker said their vessel was apparently first hit by an artillery shell rather than a mine. The United States said the tanker was attacked by limpet mines and released a video it says shows Iranian special forces removing an unexploded mine from the oil tanker's side. (The Washington Post) (BBC)
- A U.S. official says Iranian Navy gunboats are preventing the damaged Norwegian-owned Front Altair oil tanker from being towed away by two private tugboats in the Gulf of Oman. (Reuters)
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an independent investigation to establish the facts and responsibility for the oil tankers attacks in the Gulf of Oman. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

Iran–Japan relations, Iran–United States relations
- Kyodo News Agency reports that during his visit to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, Japanese PM Shinzō Abe asked Iran to release American prisoners held by Iran, though the response is "unclear" to the press. But Iran says it will not negotiate with the United States, rejecting Abe's bid to broker dialogue between the two countries amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accuses the "B-Team" (Mohammed bin Salman, John Bolton and Benjamin Netanyahu) of sabotaging diplomacy, including Abe's meeting, to hide its "economic terrorism" by accusing Iran of attacking oil tankers. (The Washington Post) (Kyodo News)

Law and crime

Transgender personnel in the United States military
- The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, without ruling on the merits, orders U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman (Seattle) to reconsider her ruling against the ban of most transgender people from the military, stating she did not give the military’s judgment enough deference. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro
- In response to a controversial pension reform proposal and cuts in the education budget, a general strike by over 40 million workers takes place in Brazil. Demonstrations are held in over 80 cities across the country. (France24)

June 13, 2019 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident, Iran–United States relations, Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
- Two oil tankers, one Norwegian and one Japanese, are damaged and abandoned after being attacked in the Gulf of Oman, with all crew members aboard both ships safely rescued. (BBC)
- The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir directly blame Iran for being behind the attacks on both ships. Iranian officials deny the U.S. claims. (BBC) (Reuters)
- The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) releases a video showing what CENTCOM spokesperson says, is an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' patrol boat approaching the Kokuka Courageous "and was observed and recorded removing an unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous." Iran denies involvement. (Associated Press) (Reuters)
A suicide bomber kills eleven and injures thirteen in an attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Reuters) (News18)

Disasters and accidents

One of the towers of the centuries-old Citadel of Ghazni, Afghanistan collapses amid heavy rainfall. (BBC)

Law and crime

Flint water crisis
- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announces that charges will be dropped against eight people in the Flint water crisis and investigations will be restarted in the scandal, which has plagued the city since 2014. (Wall Street Journal) (The Hill)

Politics and elections

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recommends that the Trump administration remove Kellyanne Conway from her office as senior aide to President Trump because of her repeated violations of the Hatch Act of 1939. The Trump administration rejects the OSC's recommendations, saying they "are deeply flawed and violate [Conway's] constitutional rights to free speech and due process." (USA Today)
List of Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announces she will resign at the end of June. (CBC)

Science and technology

Twitter suspensions
- Twitter says it has removed thousands of accounts that were being run by the Iranian government, to spread propaganda and fake news on the social media platform. It has also removed over a hundred accounts linked to the Catalan independence movement, and dozens of accounts related to Venezuela. (Reuters)

Sports

2019 NBA Finals
- In basketball, the Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors four games to two to win their first NBA championship. The Toronto Raptors are also the first NBA team outside of the United States and the first from Canada to win the NBA Finals. (Los Angeles Times) (Business Insider)

June 12, 2019 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Abha International Airport attack
- A ballistic missile fired by Houthi forces strikes the arrivals hall at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people. (CNN)
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Militants kill five Indian paramilitary police in Anantnag district. Three paramilitaries, a local policeman and a woman bystander are wounded, and one militant is killed. (NDTV)
Sudanese protests
- Sudanese military and opposition leaders agree to resume talks that broke down after a violent crackdown on protesters earlier in June. The military also agrees to release political prisoners, while the opposition agrees to end its campaign of strikes and civil disobedience. (BBC)
Terrorism in Australia
- Clavell brothers rammed a police car and then lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk before they were shot on Wednesday afternoon by Victorian police. (9News)

Business and finance

China–United States trade war
- Chinese telecommunications and electronics company Huawei cancels its new laptop launch. A Huawei executive said the company has been "unable to supply the PC" because of the U.S. trade blacklist and may have to scrap the project. (BBC) (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Bolivarian diaspora
- A speedboat carrying migrants reportedly sinks off the coast of Venezuela en route to Curaçao, making it the third migrant boat leaving Venezuela to sink in as many months, with over 50 people missing. (BBC)

Health and environment

Kivu Ebola epidemic
- Wellcome Trust director Dr. Jeremy Farrar says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has killed 1,400 people since August 2018, is the worst since the 2013–2016 outbreak in West Africa and shows "no sign of stopping". Uganda reported its first two deaths. (BBC)

International relations

Japan–United States relations, Iran–Japan relations, Iran–United States relations
- Japan offers to mediate between Iran and the U.S.; officials say the Japanese government hopes to rescue the landmark 2015 international nuclear deal. (Financial Tribune) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Reuters reports, on the basis of an unnamed "senior administration" source, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring the government of Saudi Arabia to show some progress in its investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi before the one-year anniversary in October. (Reuters)
Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The trial of the leaders involved in the Catalan declaration of independence ends and is remitted to decision. A verdict is not expected until after August. (Euronews)
Two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana are rescued by Ghanaian police. (CTV News)
Aftermath of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer is sentenced to two-years probation, with the first six months to be served under house arrest. Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced among the 50 individuals indicted on federal charges related to the U.S. college admissions bribery scheme. (Los Angeles Times) (USA Today) (The New York Times)
Same-sex marriage in Ecuador
- The Supreme Court of Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage. (France24)
Abortion in the United States by state
- Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signs abortion rights law making the procedure a "fundamental right" for pregnant individuals in the state. (Chicago Tribune)

Politics and elections

Hong Kong extradition law controversy
- The Legislative Council delays "to a later time" the second reading of the new legislation on extradition as thousands of protesters, who blocked key roads around government buildings, were confronted by police in riot gear using pepper spray. Despite widespread opposition, the government had said it will continue to push for passage. (BBC)
Media freedom in Russia
- Russian authorities detain hundreds of protesters, including Novaya Gazeta journalist and protest organizer Ilya AzarIlya and other reporters, at an "unauthorized march" in Moscow demanding punishment for police who detained anti-corruption journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov's charges were dropped and he was released yesterday at which time Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said some officers who had taken part in his detention were suspended pending an investigation. (BBC) (Reuters)
The House Oversight Committee votes to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt after U.S. President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over materials related to the committee's census investigation. (ABC News)
Operation Car Wash
- More text messages between judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, implicating Vice-President of the Supreme Federal Court Luiz Fux in illicit collaboration between Brazilian judges and Car Wash's team of prosecutors. (Veja)

Science and technology

List of nearest exoplanets, Doppler Spectroscopy
- A study on exoplanet populations combining decades of data from several different observatories detects 118 possible exoplanets orbiting nearby red dwarfs, including new discoveries around nearby stars Wolf 359, Lacaille 9352, Struve 2398 B, and Luyten's Star. (Arxiv)
Despite dense fog, SpaceX successfully launches the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT Constellation satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (CNET)

Sports

2019 Stanley Cup Finals
- In ice hockey, the St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins four games to three to win their first Stanley Cup. (CBS Sports)

June 11, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Business and economy

A committee of the US House of Representatives announces that it will hold a hearing next Thursday (June 20) to examine fuel efficiency standards, as the Trump administration presses for a rollback of an Obama-era schedule of 5% reductions in emissions per year. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Sinking of Hableány
- Four bodies are recovered by salvage crews during the raising of the wreck of the Hableány, which sank on the Danube in Budapest last month. Four other people are still missing. (BBC)
2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Vayu is in the Arabian Sea less than 600 miles south-southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, and is strengthening as it heads north. Vayu is expected to be a Category 2 or 3 storm when it approaches the Indian state of Gujarat early Thursday (local time), then should weaken as it approaches southeastern Pakistan over the weekend. (The Weather Channel) (Al Jazeera)
A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims are left stranded on Rawi Island in southern Thailand after their boat shipwrecked during a journey to flee genocide in their native Rakhine State in Myanmar. (Reuters) (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Asbestos and the law
- The Congress of Colombia unanimously approves a resolution to ban the production, commercialization, and distribution of asbestos. (El Tiempo)
LGBT rights in Botswana
- Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality. (BBC News)
Media freedom in Russia
- Following a public outcry, authorities in Russia drop drug charges against a journalist, Ivan Golunov, who has earned a reputation for exposing the corruption of Moscow city officials. (Reuters) (BBC)
Censorship in Samoa
- Samoa bans the film Rocketman for its depictions of gay sex. (BBC)

Politics and elections

North Korea–United States relations, List of North Korean missile tests
- U.S. President Donald Trump says he received a "beautiful", "very warm and very nice" letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He added that Kim is "keeping his word" and not testing any kind of missiles. Earlier at a speaking event in Washington, National Security Adviser John Bolton said North Korea is not complying with the terms agreed upon during Trump's first summit with Kim in Singapore last year. (Bloomberg) (The Washington Post) (CNN)

Sports

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
- The USA's 13–0 defeat of Thailand sets a World Cup record for margin of victory for either men or women, and Alex Morgan's five goals ties a tournament record. (Yahoo! Sports)

June 10, 2019 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

June 2019 Mali massacre
- An attack on a village near the town of Sangha in central Mali kills 95 Dogon villagers. The mayor of nearby Bankass blames local Fulani. (BBC)
Boko Haram militants attacked the town of Darak in Cameroon’s Far North Region bordering Lake Chad, killing 21 soldiers and 16 civilians. Several Boko Haram attackers were also killed. (xinhuanet)

Arts and culture

The Vatican issues a teaching instruction, Male and Female He Created Them, which criticizes the theory of gender as being more complex than the binary division of sexes. The document draws criticism from LGBT groups. (BBC)

Business and economy

Defense contractors United Technologies and Raytheon agree to merge into a combined company that would generate $74 billion in annual sales, making it the second-largest aerospace and defense company in the U.S. (CNBC) (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

Sixteen people are injured after an accidental explosion at the building of the Comune in Rocca di Papa, Italy. The mayor of the city is critically injured. (Il Messaggero)
Earthquakes in 2019
- A magnitude 4.0 earthquake is reported in Northeast Ohio. No damage has been reported. (News 5 Cleveland) (NBC News)
2019 New York City helicopter crash
- A helicopter crashes onto the roof of the AXA Equitable Center in New York City, killing the pilot. (The New York Times)

Health and environment

Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that Canada will ban all single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to significantly reduce plastic pollution. (BBC)

Law and crime

McStay family murder
- In San Bernardino, California, Charles "Chase" Merritt is found guilty of four counts of murder in the 2013 deaths of the McStay family. (The Los Angeles Times)
Rape in India
- An Indian court convicts six men in the 2018 rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl near Kathua in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Three of the men are given life sentences while the other three, found guilty of destroying evidence, receive five-year prison terms. (NPR)
Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz returns to Boston to recover from a shooting in the Dominican Republic. (CBS News)
Internal conflict in Myanmar
- Two hundred Myanmar Army troops surround Pauktawbyin monastery in Rakhine State, demanding that they be allowed entry to search for Arakan Army insurgents possibly hiding in an IDP camp within the monastery. The head monk initially refused, saying that they would only allow inspections by people in civilian clothes, but later permitted their entry. (RFA)

Politics and elections

Nechirvan Barzani is sworn in as the new President of Iraqi Kurdistan. In his first speech as President, Barzani says he will seek to improve ties with Baghdad, and create a joint-security plan to prevent ISIL from re-emerging in the region. (Rudaw)
Congressman Justin Amash announces that he will leave the Freedom Caucus, weeks after calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. (Politico)

June 9, 2019 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

At least one person is killed and six others are injured after a crane collapses onto an apartment building in Dallas, Texas, amid severe weather. (KTRK-TV)
A woman is killed when a police officer driving under the influence crashes into a restaurant in Illinois. (MSN)

International relations

Vietnamese customs say it will crack down on goods of Chinese origin illegally relabeled "Made in Vietnam" by exporters seeking to avoid American tariffs on Chinese imports. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is shot in the Dominican Republic during a reported robbery attempt. He is expected to fully recover following surgery. (Heavy) (ESPN)

Politics and elections

2019 Kazakh presidential election
- Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is elected as the next president of Kazakhstan. The election was marred by the arrests of more than 500 protesters and was not declared to be fully democratic by OSCE observers. (DW)
2019 Moldovan constitutional crisis
- The Constitutional Court of Moldova dissolves the national parliament and removes Moldovan President Igor Dodon from office, appointing former prime minister Pavel Filip in his place. Dodon, as well as the Parliament of Moldova defy the move, hence triggering a constitutional crisis. (Reuters) (DW)
Extradition Law controversy
- Over 1 million people gather in the streets of Hong Kong to protest a new controversial law which would allow the city to extradite fugitives to China. (CNN)
Operation Car Wash
- Several text and audio messages between Brazilian judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, casting doubt over the trial of former President Lula on the grounds of illegal collaboration between court and prosecution. The leaks also point to interference in the 2018 elections by Operation Car Wash's task force officials. (The Intercept)