Portal:Current events/2024 June 18

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Red Sea crisis
  • Attacks on the MV Tutor
    • The Liberia-flagged MV Tutor sinks in the Red Sea six days after being attacked by a Houthi unmanned surface vessel and missile. (AP)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Ukraine experiences rolling blackouts due to Russian attacks on power plants across the country. (Al Jazeera)
• Korean conflict
  • South Korean soldiers fire warning shots at North Korean soldiers who crossed the Demarcation Line, apparently in error. It is the second such incident at the demarcation line in the past month. (AP)
  • North Korean troop casualties are reported following landmine explosions in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• Nvidia surpasses Microsoft as the world's most valuable publicly-traded company after its market cap exceeds US$3.34 trillion. (NBC News)
• The United States Department of Agriculture announces a temporary suspension on imports of mangoes and avocados from Michoacán, Mexico, after an incident that reportedly caused security concerns for safety inspectors. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Hajj disaster
  • More than 577 pilgrims from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Indonesia are confirmed to have died of heat-related illnesses during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. (The Jordan Times) (CBS News) (Sharjah 24) (Bernama)
• 2024 New Mexico wildfires
  • At least one person dies, over 500 structures are damaged or destroyed, and several thousand people are forced to evacuate from Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States, after the South Fork Fire burns over 15,276 acres of land. (AP)
• At least nine people are killed and 15 others are missing during landslides caused by floods in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, China. (AP)
• Nine people are killed in a fire caused by an electric short circuit at a hospital in Rasht, Iran. (AP)
• At least four people are killed and more than 120 others are injured by a magnitude 5.0 earthquake in Kashmar, Iran. (Iran International)

International relations

• China–Ecuador relations
  • Ecuador's foreign ministry announces that it is reinstating a visa requirement for travelers from China, citing an increase in irregular migratory flows from China. (Reuters)
• Israel–Kosovo relations
  • Israel and Kosovo agree to allow their citizens reciprocal visa-free travel. (AP)
• Sweden–United States relations
  • The Swedish Parliament votes 266–37 to adopt a defense agreement with the United States, giving the U.S. military access to 17 military bases and training areas in Sweden, including for weapon and military equipment storage. (Le Monde)

Law and crime

• Lèse-majesté in Thailand
  • Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is indicted on a charge of royal defamation. (AP)
• A court in Iran sentences Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to one year in prison for propaganda against the state. (Al Arabiya)
• Kazakh opposition activist Aydos Sadykov is shot and injured in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Radio Free Europe)

Politics and elections

• LGBT rights in Thailand, Recognition of same-sex unions in Thailand
  • The Senate of Thailand passes a marriage equality bill that will legalize same-sex marriage in the country, with the bill now awaiting royal assent. (CNN)

Sports

• Regan Smith breaks the 100 metres backstroke world record at the US Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. (Olympics)