June 26, 2013 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- At least nine people are killed and several others injured as a bomb targeted at Sindh High Court judge Justice Maqbool Baqar explodes in the Pakistani city of Karachi. (The Express Tribune) (Dawn)
- Riots in China's Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people. (NBC News)(The Australian)
- Syrian Civil War:
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that 100,000 people have died in the fighting. (AP via Newsday)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 20 people die as an Indian military helicopter trying to rescue victims of the floods in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand crashes, killing all on board. (AAP via News Limited)
Law and crime
- Same-sex marriage in the United States:
- The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. (NBC News)
- The court also dismisses an appeals case on the 2008 Proposition 8 ballot measure, allowing same-sex marriage to continue in the state of California. (CNN)
- Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is formally charged with murder in the US state of Massachusetts more than a week after the body of former semi-professional American football player Odin Lloyd is found near his home. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- Voters in Mongolia go to the polls for a presidential election and incumbent President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj wins with 50.23% of the vote. (Reuters)
- Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wins leadership of the Australian Labor Party against incumbent Julia Gillard. (News Limited)
- South African President Jacob Zuma cancels his scheduled trip to Mozambique after a visit to the critically ill former president Nelson Mandela in a Pretoria hospital. (News24)
Sports
- National Football League tight end Aaron Hernandez is taken into police custody and released by the New England Patriots after an ongoing murder investigation. (ESPN)