Current events: 2024-06-25

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes kill at least 24 people in Gaza City, including 10 family members of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
• Russo–Ukrainian War
  • The European Court of Human Rights unanimously finds Russia guilty of systematic violations of human rights in the Crimean peninsula. (Al Jazeera)
  • Russia and Ukraine return 90 prisoners of war each in a prisoner exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• The European Commission levies Microsoft with an antitrust fine, charging it with breaking European Union competition law, by illegally linking its Microsoft Teams app with Microsoft Office, giving it an unfair advantage over Slack. (Reuters)

International relations

• Enlargement of the European Union
  • The European Union formally launches accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. (Barron's)
• Iran–United States relations
  • The United States Department of the Treasury announces economic sanctions on 50 people and firms in Hong Kong, the UAE, and the Marshall Islands, for allegedly funding and helping Iran's military gain access to the international financial system. (Al Jazeera)
• The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elects former Swiss president Alain Berset as the new Council's Secretary General, succeeding Marija Pejčinović Burić. (Politico)
• Russia bans 81 media outlets from access inside the country, including Agence France-Presse and Politico, in retaliation for a European Union ban on Russian media outlets. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Conscription of yeshiva students
  • The Supreme Court of Israel rules that the Israel Defense Forces and the Government of Israel are legally bound to conscript Orthodox yeshiva students. (The Jerusalem Post) (NPR)
• Gun violence in the United States
  • U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declares gun violence a public health emergency. (AP)
• Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange
  • WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is freed after a plea deal with the United States, which results in Assange pleading guilty to espionage-related charges. (Reuters)
• International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine
  • The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu. (Barron's) (The Guardian)
• Mass shootings in the United States
  • Five people are killed in a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The suspect commited suicide upon being confronted by police. (Reuters)
• Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti
  • Kenyan police units arrive in Haiti for a United Nations-backed security mission to restore order. (France 24) (Washington Post)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Parliament of Kenya attack, Kenya Finance Bill protests
  • Thousands of anti-tax protestors assault and set the Parliament of Kenya building in Nairobi on fire, as riots erupted after a finance bill was approved. The ceremonial mace is also stolen by protesters. Ten people are killed and over 50 injured as police open fire on protestors. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
  • Kenyan President William Ruto deploys the Kenyan military to halt protests. (Bloomberg)
• 2024 United Kingdom general election date betting controversy
  • A fifth Conservative Party member is investigated in the United Kingdom for involvement in the ongoing election betting scandal. (The Guardian)
• LGBT rights in Peru
  • The Peruvian Ministry of Health announces it will stop labeling transgender individuals as suffering from mental disorders, but will instead use the term "gender discordance". (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Chinese space program
  • China's Chang'e 6 lunar exploration mission successfully returns to Earth after taking rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon. (AP)

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