Portal:Current events/2019 June 17

June 17, 2019 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram
- Three Boko Haram suicide bombers detonate their devices among a group of football fans, killing 30 people and wounding 40 others, in Konduga, Nigeria. (BBC News)
- Boko Haram terrorists exchange gunfire with Nigerian troops in the Nganzai local government area of Borno State. (Al Jazeera)
Iran–United States relations
- Acting United States Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan authorizes the deployment of approximately 1,000 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East region "for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats" amid increased tensions with Iran. The move comes four days after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman incident. (NBC News) (CBS News)

Arts and culture

Japanese anime developers report that the industry is in crisis, even as its popularity soars in its native country. Among the reasons are low pay, long hours, and a huge shortage of artists – just as its global popularity reaches record levels. (Japan Today)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Sichuan earthquake
- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Sichuan, China, killing 13 people and injuring 199 others. (China Plus)

Health and environment

International relations

Iran nuclear deal
- Iran announces that within ten days, it will stop abiding by the agreement and will exceed the limit on its stockpile of uranium. (NPR)
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tells the Fars News Agency "the time is short for Europe to save the international nuclear deal", and calls on France to take the lead. Reuters reports that Rouhani added the collapse of the nuclear deal would not be in the interests of the region and the world. (Reuters) (NPR)
Ecuador–United States relations
- Ecuador agrees to allow U.S. military planes fighting drug trafficking to operate from San Cristóbal Airport in the Galápagos Islands. National Assembly legislators call on Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin and Environmental Minister Marcelo Mata to explain the scope of co-operation. (BBC News)

Law and crime

2019 Dallas courthouse shooting
- A gunman opens fire on Dallas police before being shot and killed near a federal building. (CNN)
Gerrymandering in the United States
- The U.S. Supreme Court rules, in a 5–4 decision, the Virginia legislative districts that the court previously said were racially gerrymandered, have to remain in their redrawn form. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch make up the majority, not the usual conservative-liberal grouping. (NPR)
Criminal charges are stayed against Jaspal Atwal, the central figure of controversy that surrounded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to India. He was charged in May 2018 with uttering threats against a Punjabi radio host. (CBC News)
Twelve people are killed and dozens more injured when a passenger grabs the steering wheel of a bus in West Java, Indonesia, causing it to crash. (BBC News)
A man identified as Yujiro Iimori, who allegedly stabbed and robbed a police officer of his gun, is arrested in Osaka, Japan. He presents a mental health certificate as defense. (The Japan Times)
Four people are shot and injured at a parade celebrating the 2019 NBA Finals in Toronto. (Global News)

Politics and elections

Crisis in Venezuela
- The Venezuelan government releases deputy Gilber Caro, who had been detained for three months. (VOA)
Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a coup in 2013 and has been detained in jail since then, dies after fainting during an espionage court hearing. (CNN) (KNIF) (BBC News)