June 16, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Four days into their ongoing conflict, Israel claims to have achieved "full aerial superiority" over the Iranian capital of Tehran. The two sites traded multiple waves of airstrikes over the weekend, with at least 224 people reported to have been killed in Iran and at least 24 reported dead in Israel. [more]
• Reports cite U.S. government sources as saying that U.S. President Donald Trump recently rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A spokesman for Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the reports as "fake." [more]
• Local health officials say at least 20 Palestinians were killed, and as many as 200 others were wounded, today when Israeli forces opened fire on crowds near two Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1208 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Authorities in Russia's Tatarstan region say one person was killed, and at least 13 others were wounded, yesterday in a Ukrainian drone attack that ignited a fire and struck a vehicle manufacturing plant in the Yelabuga district – approximately 750 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border. [more]
• The Russian Defense Ministry claimed yesterday to have captured the village of Malynivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region. [more]

MINNESOTA | Former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot and wounded, early Saturday morning in their respective Minneapolis suburb homes. The suspect in the case, Vance Boelter, 57, who left behind a 'hit list' of largely Democratic abortion rights supporters in his vehicle Saturday, was arrested late yesterday following what police say was the “largest manhunt in the state’s history." [more]

U.S. NO KINGS PROTESTS | Media and analyst reports estimate that between 3 million and 5 million people took part in nearly 2,000 "No Kings" protests across the United States on Saturday. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | In a social media post yesterday, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to "expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York." The statement came shortly after Trump directed immigration officers to limit deportation arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels due to the negative impact of aggressive deportation enforcement on those industries. [more]

U.S. TRAVEL BAN | Reports say the Trump administration is considering plans to add another 36 countries to the 12-country travel ban implemented by President Donald Trump earlier this month over alleged security issues and lack of cooperation with U.S. government policies. [more]

TEXAS | Authorities in San Antonio, Texas, say at least 13 people died in flooding in and around the city after more than 7 inches of rain fell in the region in just a few hours late Thursday. [more]

WEST VIRGINIA | A state of emergency was declared in parts of northern West Virginia yesterday amidst flooding in several counties in which at least five people have died and three others remain missing. [more]

G7 | Leaders of the Group of Seven nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – arrived in Canada yesterday for their annual summit at which the Israel-Iran conflict, the war in Ukraine, and global trade issues are expected to be among the main topics of discussion. Reports note that the leaders of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union have also been invited to attend the summit. [more]

IRAN | Amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel, Iran's foreign ministry said today that the Iranian parliament is preparing a bill to withdraw Iran from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forego atomic weapons and cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. [more]

NIGERIA | According to a report from Amnesty International Nigeria, at least 100 people were killed in a gun attack Friday night on the village of Yelewata in Nigeria's north-central Benue state. Reports say it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, but note that the violence took place in a region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. [more]

FINLAND AND RUSSIA | Finnish authorities on Friday accused senior officers of the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Eagle S of criminal offenses in connection with damage last December to the Estlink-2 power cable and communication link between Finland and Estonia. Investigators say the ship, which is believed to be part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet of oil and fuel tankers, dragged its anchor for almost 100 kilometers to damage the undersea cable. [more]

INDIA | Authorities say the death toll from last week's Air India jetliner crash in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad has risen to 270, with 241 people on board the flight having been killed and at least 29 deaths reported on the ground. [more]

IVORY COAST | Thousands of people are reported to have taken part Saturday in a demonstration in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan to demand that Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, be reinstated as a candidate in the African nation's upcoming presidential election. Thiam was declared ineligible to run for president earlier this month due to his dual Ivorian-French nationality, but reports note that he gave up his French nationality in March. [more]

NETHERLANDS | An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people took part in a mass demonstration yesterday in The Hague, Netherlands, to demand that their government take steps to stop Israel's military actions in Gaza. [more]

FRANCE | Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was in office from 2007 to 2012, was stripped of his Legion of Honor medal yesterday over his 2021 and 2023 convictions on charges of corruption and influence peddling. [more]

SPAIN | Thousands of people took part in marches in multiple Spanish cities yesterday to protest what organizers say are the detrimental effects on communities and housing costs caused by over-tourism. [more]

GOLF | J.J. Spaun shot a final-round 2-over-par 72 yesterday to win the U.S. Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. [more]

BASKETBALL | Game 5 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder is scheduled for tonight in Oklahoma City with the teams currently tied at two games each. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "How to Train Your Dragon" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $83.7 million in receipts, followed by "Lilo and Stitch" and "Materialists." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova became the first woman to travel in space, having been launched into orbit aboard the spacecraft Vostok 6, which completed 48 orbits of Earth in 71 hours. [more history]