Portal:Current events/2019 June 12

June 12, 2019 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Abha International Airport attack
- A ballistic missile fired by
  Houthi forces strikes the arrivals hall at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people. (CNN)

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Militants kill five Indian paramilitary police in Anantnag district. Three paramilitaries, a local policeman and a woman bystander are wounded, and one militant is killed. (NDTV)
Sudanese protests
- Sudanese military and opposition leaders agree to resume talks that broke down after a violent crackdown on protesters earlier in June. The military also agrees to release political prisoners, while the opposition agrees to end its campaign of strikes and civil disobedience. (BBC News)

Terrorism in Australia
- Clavell brothers rammed a police car and then lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk before they were shot on Wednesday afternoon by Victorian police. (9News)

Business and finance

China–United States trade war
- Chinese telecommunications and electronics company Huawei cancels its new laptop launch. A Huawei executive said the company has been "unable to supply the PC" because of the U.S. trade blacklist and may have to scrap the project. (BBC News) (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Bolivarian diaspora
- A speedboat carrying migrants reportedly sinks off the coast of Venezuela en route to Curaçao, making it the third migrant boat leaving Venezuela to sink in as many months, with over 50 people missing. (BBC News)
Indian Air Force An-32 crash
- The wreckage of An-32 aircraft was found in Arunachal Pradesh with all 13 people on board killed. (India Today)

Health and environment

Kivu Ebola epidemic
- Wellcome Trust director Dr. Jeremy Farrar says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has killed 1,400 people since August 2018, is the worst since the 2013–2016 outbreak in West Africa and shows "no sign of stopping". Uganda reported its first two deaths. (BBC News)

International relations

Japan–United States relations, Iran–Japan relations, Iran–United States relations
- Japan offers to mediate between Iran and the U.S.; officials say the Japanese government hopes to rescue the landmark 2015 international nuclear deal. (Financial Tribune) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Reuters reports, on the basis of an unnamed "senior administration" source, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring the government of Saudi Arabia to show some progress in its investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi before the one-year anniversary in October. (Reuters)
Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The trial of the leaders involved in the Catalan declaration of independence ends and is remitted to decision. A verdict is not expected until after August. (Euronews)
Two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana are rescued by Ghanaian police. (CTV News)
Aftermath of the
2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer is sentenced to two-years probation, with the first six months to be served under house arrest. Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced among the 50 individuals indicted on federal charges related to the U.S. college admissions bribery scheme. (Los Angeles Times) (USA Today) (The New York Times)
Same-sex marriage in Ecuador
- The
  Supreme Court of Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage. (France24)

Abortion in the United States by state

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signs abortion rights law making the procedure a "fundamental right" for pregnant individuals in the state. (Chicago Tribune)

Politics and elections

Hong Kong extradition law controversy
- The Legislative Council delays "to a later time" the second reading of the new legislation on extradition as thousands of protesters, who blocked key roads around government buildings, were confronted by police in riot gear using pepper spray. Despite widespread opposition, the government had said it will continue to push for passage. (BBC News)
Media freedom in Russia
- Russian authorities detain hundreds of protesters, including Novaya Gazeta journalist and protest organizer Ilya Azar and other reporters, at an "unauthorized march" in Moscow demanding punishment for police who detained anti-corruption journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov's charges were dropped and he was released yesterday at which time Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said some officers who had taken part in his detention were suspended pending an investigation. (BBC News) (Reuters)
The House Oversight Committee votes to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt after U.S. President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over materials related to the committee's census investigation. (ABC News)
Operation Car Wash
- More text messages between judge
  Sérgio Moro and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, implicating Vice-President of the Supreme Federal Court Luiz Fux in illicit collaboration between Brazilian judges and Car Wash's team of prosecutors. (Veja)

Bolivarian diaspora

The Peruvian Catholic Church urges the government of that country to continue receiving Venezuelan immigrants. He also expressed concern about the "increase in the negative perception of migrants." This, after the president Martín Vizcarra decided to demand visa and passport for Venezuelan citizens who wish to enter Peru. (Gestión)

Science and technology

Doppler Spectroscopy
- A study on exoplanet populations combining decades of data from several different observatories detects 118 possible exoplanets orbiting nearby red dwarfs, including new discoveries around nearby stars Wolf 359, Lacaille 9352, Struve 2398 B, and Luyten's Star. (Arxiv)
Despite dense
Vandenberg Air Force Base. (CNET)