COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan extends its nationwide alert level 3 until June 28 as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high. (Focus Taiwan)
COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand Thailand begins a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 which aims to inoculate 70% of its population by the end of this year in order to prepare for a wider reopening next year. (The Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Cook Islands The Cook Islands reports the country's first positive case of COVID-19. (RNZ International)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines The Philippines begins the mass vaccination campaign for economic frontline workers. (Rappler) The Philippines's Food and Drug Administration approves for emergency use the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine. (Rappler)
COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines The Philippines begins the mass vaccination campaign for economic frontline workers. (Rappler)
June 2021 Pune fire At least 18 people are killed in a fire at a chemical plant in Pune, Maharashtra, India. (BBC News)
LGBT rights in India The Madras High Court orders "strict action" to be taken against individuals that promote conversion therapy, and issues guidelines to the police, education institutes, and the judiciary on how to address LGBT issues and individuals. (Scroll.in)
Malta reports no new cases of COVID-19 for the first time since July 25, 2020, as bars, cinemas and theatres are reopened following months of closures. (Malta Today)
Russian oppositional leader Alexei Navalny is returned to prison after fully recovering from his hunger strike. (Deutsche Welle)
Spain reopens its international borders to travellers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. For tourists from low-risk countries, no proof of vaccination, recovery, or diagnostic test will be required and antigen tests are now accepted for travellers from risk zone countries. (El País)
Taiwan extends its nationwide alert level 3 until June 28 as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high. (Focus Taiwan)
Thailand begins a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 which aims to inoculate 70% of its population by the end of this year in order to prepare for a wider reopening next year. (The Straits Times)
The Cook Islands reports the country's first positive case of COVID-19. (RNZ International)
The Madras High Court orders "strict action" to be taken against individuals that promote conversion therapy, and issues guidelines to the police, education institutes, and the judiciary on how to address LGBT issues and individuals. (Scroll.in)
The Philippines begins the mass vaccination campaign for economic frontline workers. (Rappler)
The Philippines's Food and Drug Administration approves for emergency use the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine. (Rappler)
Two passenger trains collide in Ghotki, Sindh, Pakistan, killing 40 people and injuring nearly 120 others. (BBC News)
2021 Peruvian general election Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo takes a very slim but widening lead ahead of right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, but the results still remain too close to call as Fujimori warns of "irregularities". (Al Jazeera English)
Protesters in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan have called for the resignation of the governor after five protesters were killed and over 41 wounded in a clash with security forces. The protesters were demonstrating against the lack of regional security, the lack of electricity, and the lack of running water in their homes. The protesters claim the demonstration was non-violent until the arrival of security forces, while the government claims they attacked the governor's compound and the tax office. (TOLO)
War in Afghanistan 2021 Afghanistan attacks Afghanistan's power distributor, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, says that 23 electricity pylons have been destroyed or damaged by explosions in the past month, disrupting imported power from Iran and Uzbekistan to numerous provinces and districts. ISIL has claimed responsibility for destroying the towers. (TOLO)
2020–21 NBA season In basketball, Serbian center Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets wins the Most Valuable Player Award. He is the lowest-ever drafted player to win the award after being picked 41st overall in the 2014 NBA draft. (The Philippine Star)
A global internet outage caused by an internal issue at content delivery network Fastly causes thousands of websites such as the UK Government's website, BBC, The New York Times, CNN, Financial Times, The Guardian, Pinterest, Reddit, Twitch, Spotify, Bloomberg News, and Amazon to be inaccessible for up to an hour. (CNA) (The New Indian Express) (Reuters)
Gracia Shadrack, Vanuatu's speaker, declares that the seats of the prime minister Bob Loughman, the deputy prime minister, and 16 other MPs are vacant after they boycott parliament for three days. (RNZ International)
In basketball, Serbian center Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets wins the Most Valuable Player Award. He is the lowest-ever drafted player to win the award after being picked 41st overall in the 2014 NBA draft. (The Philippine Star)
Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo takes a very slim but widening lead ahead of right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, but the results still remain too close to call as Fujimori warns of "irregularities". (Al Jazeera English)
One of the largest X-ray surveys using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space observatory publishes their initial findings mapping the growth of 12,000 supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies and galaxy clusters. (Phys)
Saudi Arabia–Syria relations Syrian opposition group Free Officers Movement reports that Saudi Arabia is close to reaching a re-normalization deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seeing it as vital to reducing Iranian influence in the region. (Al Jazeera English)
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is put on special leave following allegations that he awarded COVID-19-related contracts to a company headed by his former associates. (Al Jazeera English)
Syrian opposition group Free Officers Movement reports that Saudi Arabia is close to reaching a re-normalization deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seeing it as vital to reducing Iranian influence in the region. (Al Jazeera English)
The UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals at The Hague upholds the life sentence of war criminal and Bosnian Serb Army chief Ratko Mladić, who was convicted for his roles in the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre. The tribunal also rejects attempts by the prosecution to overturn the acquittal of one of Mladić's genocide charges. This was Mladić's final appeal. (Al Jazeera English)
Two men are arrested for slapping French President Emmanuel Macron and shouting royalist slogans when Macron was greeting people in Tain-l'Hermitage, Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. (BBC News)
2021 Ghotki rail crash The death toll from yesterday's train crash in Ghotki, Sindh, Pakistan, increases to 65 people, as more bodies are recovered from the scene. (Associated Press)
A court in Ghana denies bail to 21 gay rights activists arrested nearly three weeks ago during an assembly. The 16 women and five men are being prosecuted under the country's laws against homosexuality where gay sex is punishable with up to three years' imprisonment. A local LGBT organization says that the activists were in a meeting discussing human rights of gay people in Ghana, which is not illegal. The court has set June 16 for the next hearing on the case. (Reuters)
Argentina surpasses four million cases of COVID-19 and 82,000 deaths from COVID-19 amid a second wave of the pandemic. (Trend News Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina Argentina surpasses four million cases of COVID-19 and 82,000 deaths from COVID-19 amid a second wave of the pandemic. (Trend News Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait Kuwait approves the usage of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the country. (Al Arabiya English) COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea South Korea reports a new single-day record of 857,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered. (CNA)
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama Florida and Alabama will no longer report COVID-19 data as the two U.S. states will move on to their next phase of the pandemic. (CNBC)
COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait Kuwait approves the usage of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the country. (Al Arabiya English)
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea South Korea reports a new single-day record of 857,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered. (CNA)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama Florida and Alabama will no longer report COVID-19 data as the two U.S. states will move on to their next phase of the pandemic. (CNBC) COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont Vermont reports their first case of the Delta variant in a Chittenden County traveler. (VTDigger)
COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda Uganda suspends their mass vaccination programme against COVID-19 due to a shortage of vaccines. (Asian News International)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont Vermont reports their first case of the Delta variant in a Chittenden County traveler. (VTDigger)
Florida and Alabama will no longer report COVID-19 data as the two U.S. states will move on to their next phase of the pandemic. (CNBC)
India-Pakistan relations, Kashmir conflict Pakistan asked India to reverse its “unlawful and destabilizing actions” in Kashmir as a result of large scale movement of Indian army forces into the disputed region. Tension between the states have been high since Narendra Modi stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy in August 2019. There is concern that the territory would be further partitioned into the state of Jammu and union territory of Kashmir. (Deccan Herald)
Interpol reveals an operation in 92 countries that shut down 113,000 websites and online marketplaces selling counterfeit or illicit medicines and medical products last month, led to the arrests of 227 people worldwide, recovered pharmaceutical products worth $23 million, and led to the seizure of approximately nine million devices and drugs, including large quantities of fake COVID-19 tests and face masks. (The New Indian Express)
Kuwait approves the usage of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the country. (Al Arabiya English)
LGBT rights in Ghana A court in Ghana denies bail to 21 gay rights activists arrested nearly three weeks ago during an assembly. The 16 women and five men are being prosecuted under the country's laws against homosexuality where gay sex is punishable with up to three years' imprisonment. A local LGBT organization says that the activists were in a meeting discussing human rights of gay people in Ghana, which is not illegal. The court has set June 16 for the next hearing on the case. (Reuters)
Pakistan asked India to reverse its “unlawful and destabilizing actions” in Kashmir as a result of large scale movement of Indian army forces into the disputed region. Tension between the states have been high since Narendra Modi stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy in August 2019. There is concern that the territory would be further partitioned into the state of Jammu and union territory of Kashmir. (Deccan Herald)
South Korea reports a new single-day record of 857,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered. (CNA)
Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama Florida and Alabama will no longer report COVID-19 data as the two U.S. states will move on to their next phase of the pandemic. (CNBC)
The death toll from yesterday's train crash in Ghotki, Sindh, Pakistan, increases to 65 people, as more bodies are recovered from the scene. (Associated Press)
Uganda suspends their mass vaccination programme against COVID-19 due to a shortage of vaccines. (Asian News International)
Vermont reports their first case of the Delta variant in a Chittenden County traveler. (VTDigger)
2021 Mongolian presidential election Mongolians head to the polls to elect a new president. (Al Jazeera English)
Supreme Court of Vanuatu Justice Oliver Saksak places a stay on speaker Gracia Shadrack's vacation of 18 seats of parliament until a court can formally consider the dispute. (RNZ International)
War in Afghanistan 2021 Afghanistan attacks Ten mine clearers are killed and 12 others are injured while working at a Halo Trust compound in Baghlan. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for the attack while the ISIL claimed responsibility for it. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack and Halo Trust reports that local Taliban militants arrived at the scene of the attack defending the miners and shooting the attackers. (BBC News)
2021 Afghanistan attacks Ten mine clearers are killed and 12 others are injured while working at a Halo Trust compound in Baghlan. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for the attack while the ISIL claimed responsibility for it. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack and Halo Trust reports that local Taliban militants arrived at the scene of the attack defending the miners and shooting the attackers. (BBC News)
El Salvador becomes the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, after the Legislative Assembly votes 62–22 to pass a bill submitted by President Nayib Bukele classifying the cryptocurrency as such. (MercoPress)
Mongolians head to the polls to elect a new president. (Al Jazeera English)
Ten mine clearers are killed and 12 others are injured while working at a Halo Trust compound in Baghlan. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for the attack while the ISIL claimed responsibility for it. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack and Halo Trust reports that local Taliban militants arrived at the scene of the attack defending the miners and shooting the attackers. (BBC News)
Vietnam announces that it plans to postpone the Southeast Asia Games, one of the five subregional Games of the Olympic Council of Asia, until next year, citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight of the 11 member states of the Southeast Asian Games Federation have objected to Vietnam's proposal to postpone the competition, according to a statement from the Olympic Council of Malaysia. (CNA)
2021 Gwangju building collapse Nine people are killed and eight more injured as a five-storey building being demolished in Gwangju, South Korea, collapses onto a bus. (CNA)
COVID-19 pandemic in France France reopens indoor dining for bars and restaurants as well as gyms as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline and the number of vaccinations increases. Rules for travellers from within the European Union are also eased, while cultural venues can relax their measures. The curfew has also been changed to 11:00 p.m. (The Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia North Macedonia receives 30,000 doses of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine donated by Turkey. (Anadolu Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Pakistan surpasses 10 million. (Arab News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Peru Peru reports its first case of the Delta variant, which was originally detected in India in the southern city of Arequipa. (The Rio Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal Portugal delays its easing of the COVID-19-related lockdown in Lisbon, Braga, Vale de Cambra and Odemira until June 27 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Barron's)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom reports 7,540 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day total since February 26 amid an increase in the number of Delta variant cases. (ITV News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state) Seattle becomes the first major U.S. city to fully vaccinate 70% of residents 12 and older. (The Seattle Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state) Seattle becomes the first major U.S. city to fully vaccinate 70% of residents 12 and older. (The Seattle Times)
France reopens indoor dining for bars and restaurants as well as gyms as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline and the number of vaccinations increases. Rules for travellers from within the European Union are also eased, while cultural venues can relax their measures. The curfew has also been changed to 11:00 p.m. (The Straits Times)
Nine people are killed and eight more injured as a five-storey building being demolished in Gwangju, South Korea, collapses onto a bus. (CNA)
North Macedonia receives 30,000 doses of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine donated by Turkey. (Anadolu Agency)
Peru reports its first case of the Delta variant, which was originally detected in India in the southern city of Arequipa. (The Rio Times)
Portugal delays its easing of the COVID-19-related lockdown in Lisbon, Braga, Vale de Cambra and Odemira until June 27 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Barron's)
