Iran declares the defeat of the United States with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, saying the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has become a “declaration of America’s defeat”. (Al Jazeera) 

Global oil prices fall to their lowest level since February 27, the day before the war started on February 28. Additionally, brent crude futures drop to US$73.50 a barrel. (ABC News)  

Thursday, June 25th, 2026 

France confirms its first Ebola case, and the first case identified outside Africa in this outbreak, after a humanitarian worker returns from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. French health authorities isolate the patient and begin contact tracing.  (CNN) 

The confirmed toll of yesterday’s earthquake in Venezuela rises to 164 people killed, 1000+ injured and more than 27,000 believed to be missing. (Al Jazeera) 

Two people are killed and one is injured in a plane crash in Warsaw, Poland. It is the first such incident in the city since the LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 crash in May 1987. (Polsat News in Polish) 

Two trains, one passenger train and one freight train, collided in Białośliwo, Greater Poland, Poland. The incident was reported to firefighters after 6:00 PM. There are currently no reports of injuries. (Polsat News in Polish) 

A monitoring system in Spain estimates that a heat wave contributed to 212 deaths between Sunday and Wednesday. The country also records its highest average June temperatures since at least 1950. (AFP via New Straits Times) 

Yabloko deputy leader Maxim Kruglov is convicted and will face seven years in prison over his anti-war stance on social media, including remarks about the Russian Army. (Reuters) 

The Sudan Doctors Network reports that more than 215 civilians have died at the RSF-run Daqris Prison in Sudan’s South Darfur state from the spread of diseases and epidemics, as well as torture and mistreatment of detainees. (AA) 

Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 

The U.S. military says that it will require recruits to take the influenza vaccine amidst an influenza outbreak at the Lackland Air Force Base in Bexar County, Texas, U.S. The move comes after U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth lifted the military vaccine mandate. (CBS News) 

The Israeli military announces that it has eliminated Hamas militant Akram Muhammad Mahmoud Abu Machi, who took part in the October 7 attacks on Israel, during an airstrike in southern Gaza. (The Times of Israel)  

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz says Israeli forces will not withdraw from southern Lebanon even if “the United States demands it”, adding that “200,000 residents will not return” to their homes. (Al Jazeera) 

A doublet earthquake, consisting of a M_w 7.2 foreshock and a M_w 7.5 mainshock, strikes Yaracuy, Venezuela. Severe damage and collapsed buildings are recorded in Caracas, with casualties being unknown. (AP) 

Ukrainian forces launch long-range drone strikes inside Russia, striking the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, which also houses the only helium plant in Russia, and also striking two Russian Satellite Communications Company facilities, including one in Moscow Oblast and another in Vladimir Oblast. Russia says its forces have shot down 323 Ukrainian drones overnight. (AP) 

Ukrainian missiles strike two Russian military airfields and several air defence systems in Crimea. (AP) 

A wildfire burns over 350 acres and destroys a home in Garfield County, Colorado, U.S., prompting evacuations. (9news) 

The Cottonwood Fire burns over 59,000 acres near the Eagle Point Resort in Beaver, Utah, U.S., with governor Spencer Cox saying it is the “most destructive fire in the state’s history”. (The Salt Lake Tribune) 

Sri Lanka begins enforcing a nationwide ban on the sale and provision of foods and drinks high in sugar, salt, and fat in schools as part of measures to address rising childhood obesity and related health conditions. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

After the deadly fire in Lucknow, India that killed 15 people, authorities across Uttar Pradesh sealed 59 of coaching institutes found to be violating fire safety standards as part of a statewide enforcement drive. (Deccan Herald) 

Three people are killed and 18 injured after an under-construction warehouse collapsed in West Bengal, India. (Xinhua) 

Historic Pact‘s candidate Iván Cepeda concedes defeat in the presidential election won by Abelardo de la Espriella. (BBC News) 

Abelardo de la Espriella is declared president-elect of Colombia by the National Electoral Council. (CBS News) 

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the U.S. will not accept Iranian tolls or fees on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kurdistan24) 

The U.S. Senate votes 50–48 in favor of a resolution to require the Trump administration to halt military action against Iran, joining the House of Representatives in doing so.  (NPR) 

The International Maritime Organization announces an evacuation plan for around 500 to 600 ships with 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran and the United States have reached a ceasefire deal to end the war. The evacuation will be coordinated with Iran and Oman. (Middle East Eye) (The Maritime Executive) 

The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation reports that the Bangladesh-flagged vessel Banglar Joyjatra has cleared through the Strait of Hormuz at 3:00am BST after it was stranded in the region for 4.5 months. (The Business Standard) 

2026 United States F-15E rescue operation in Iran Two sources tell CNN that a pilot on a United States Armed Forces F-15E Strike Eagle, which was downed over Iran during the beginning of April, reported a “jellyfish-like” formation from Iranian drones before the jet was shot down. (AA) (CNN) 

Israeli soldiers open fire near an excavator in Nabatieh, Lebanon, killing two civilians and wounding two more. (Al Jazeera) 

South Korea announces that it will accept any North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukraine while fighting for Russia if they choose resettlement in South Korea. South Korea also opposes any repatriation of such prisoners against their wishes. (Reuters) 

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a United Nations fact-finding mission, finds that Israel has deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank. (Reuters) 

The U.N. Human Rights Office reports that sexual violence has been more widespread across Sudan since the civil war broke out three years ago in April. (BBC News) 

The U.S. House of Representatives passes the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in an effort to lower the cost-of-living of houses and support affordable housing in the country. The legislation will head to president Donald Trump for his signature. (CNBC) 

The Government of National Stability, which controls eastern Libya, prohibits the entry of citizens of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan through all land, sea and air ports, citing a reorganization of procedures governing the entry of foreign nationals. (Reuters) 

The Sudanese army launches an offensive in the Geissan District of Sudan’s Blue Nile State, capturing a key rebel stronghold near the border with Ethiopia. (Sudan Tribune) 

Nigerian police report that at least 20 people were killed in an attack on a community in Bokkos, Plateau State, over the weekend. Police and other security agencies engaged the assailants in a shootout before they withdrew from the area. (Reuters) 

French sports minister Marina Ferrari reports that at least 40 people have drowned in France while swimming in unsupervised areas over the weekend during a heat wave. (AFP and Reuters via Al Jazeera) 

In association football, Portuguese forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cups and Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer at the tournament after scoring a brace in the team’s 5–0 win over Uzbekistan in the group stage. (AFP via RFI) 

Barbarossa, June 22nd, 2026 

Keir Starmer announces his resignation as British prime minister and leader of the Labour Party in an address to the nation outside 10 Downing Street, London. He will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new party leader is elected. (AP) (BBC News) 

U.S. crude oil prices fall 2.7% to about $74 per barrel for the first time since early March after treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced a 60-day waiver of sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil. (NBC News) 

U.S. vice president JD Vance says that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of its nuclear program following the first round of post-war peace negotiations at the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland. (BBC News) (The Washington Post) 

The U.S. treasury department lifts sanctions against Iran and authorizes the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil for 60 days amidst ongoing talks in Switzerland. (AFP via NDTV) (CNBC) (The New York Times) 

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar say that Iran and the United States have agreed to a roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal within 60 days. (BBC News) 

The Indian government confirms that four India-bound fertilizer cargo ships carrying urea, diammonium phosphate, and sulfur have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters) 

Shipping data from Kpler shows that two crude oil tankers carrying 2 million barrels of oil have transited through the Strait of Hormuz coming from the east, including one of the vessels showing Basra, Iraq, as its destination. (Reuters) 

Australia and Canada sign a A$2.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) agreement for the export of Australia’s over-the-horizon radar system, the largest defence export deal in Australian history. The system is intended to support long-range surveillance and monitoring in Northern Canada. (AFP via Channels TV) (Reuters) 

A British court finds former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson guilty of all 18 charges, including one count of rape, in relation to two victims who were children at the time of the offense. In a related trial of the facts, the jury found that his wife, Eleanor, had aided and abetted five offenses. (BBC News) 

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba says that Russian drone attacks in Ukraine have killed at least five people, including an Egyptian crew member aboard a Panamanian-flagged vessel in the Black Sea and three members of the same family in Sumy Oblast. The attack also damages the vessel and forces its crew to evacuate. (Firstpost) (Hurriyet Daily News) 

The United Nations reports that the Tatmadaw’s army has killed over 700 Myanmar civilians in six months. (BBC News) 

At least 15 people are killed, including children, and several others are injured in a fire at a commercial building in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. (India Today) 

The total amount of cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reaches past 1,000. (The Hill) 

China imposes export controls on 10 U.S. companies and bars government procurement from 46 others in response to a U.S. blacklist targeting Chinese firms. The measures take effect immediately. (AFP via Daily Tribune) 

A Belgian judge issues a European Arrest Warrant for Greek parliamentarian and former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos for allegedly receiving payments from an organization linked to the Qatargate corruption investigation. (Reuters) 

Belgian judicial authorities request the lifting of Avramopoulos’s parliamentary immunity to allow questioning regarding payments he received from an organization linked to the scandal. (ANA-MPA and Proto via The National Herald) 

A South Korean court sentences former justice minister Park Sung-jae to 25 years in prison for being involved in former president Yoon Suk Yeol‘s martial law declaration. Prosecutors state that Park assisted preparations for implementing the measure. (AFP via Khmer Times) 

A police officer, a civilian, and the suspect are killed in a mass shooting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (CBC News) (The New York Times) 

Three people are killed and twenty others are injured, one of them critically, in a mass shooting at a secondary school in Tacloban, Philippines. Two suspects, both students, are arrested. (DZRH) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Reuters) 

Nepalese police arrest former deputy prime minister and finance minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel on money laundering charges. The arrest forms part of an anti-corruption campaign launched by prime minister Balen Shah‘s government following the collapse of the previous administration. (Reuters) 

A Spanish court sentences former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for taking bribes in connection with public contracts for face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. His advisor Koldo García is sentenced to 19 years and businessman Víctor de Aldama to four and a half years. (The Guardian) 

Egypt‘s security forces detain 87 Egyptians and 136 other foreigners over illegal gold mining and smuggling along the Sudanese border. (The Independent) 

Romania’s parliament rejects the proposed government of prime minister-designate Adrian Veștea, which fails to secure the votes required for approval. President Nicușor Dan is expected to begin a new effort to form a government following the collapse of the nomination. (AP) (Xinhua) 

Authorities in South Sudan announce that the first general election in the country will be held on December 22, 2026, the first since its independence in 2011. (PBS) (The Sudan Times) 

Employees of the Czech public broadcasters Czech Television and Czech Radio are on a 24-hour warning strike to protest against the abolition of licence fees and tying of the public media budget to the government budget. (AP) (Swissinfo) 

In association football, Argentine forward and captain Lionel Messi overtakes Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the FIFA World Cup‘s all-time top-goalscorer with 18 goals after scoring a brace in a 2–0 win over Austria in the group stage. (AFP via RFI) (NBC News) 

The International Olympic Committee approves revisions to the venue plan for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, including the proposed use of Thialf in the Netherlands for speed skating, as France lacks a suitable venue for the event. (AP via Toronto Star) 

In college baseball, the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 13-2, to win the College World Series for the first time since their 1994 season. (AP) (Tar Heel Times) 

Father’s Day 2026 

The first talks between Iran and the United States since the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum are held at the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland. The talks are mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. (Kashmir Observer) (

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says that his country will not intervene in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon following calls from U.S. president Donald Trump to do so. (Times of Israel) 

Saudi Arabia reaffirms its call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during a UN Security Council meeting on behalf of the Arab Group. (Saudi Gazette) 

The Tasnim News Agency reports that Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the ceasefire is implemented in the Lebanon war and waivers are issued for Iranian oil sales. (Reuters) 

Five known ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, down from 26 ships the previous day, amidst the closure. (Reuters) 

The Israeli military and Shin Bet confirm that they have killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, who participated in the kidnapping of 12-year-old Yagil Yaakov during the Nir Oz attack on October 7, 2023. Additionally, he was also accused of training jihadists at the Nasser Hospital. (The Jerusalem Post) (Ynetnews) 

Three Palestinians, including an eight-year old girl, are killed in drone strikes by Israel in Gaza. (The New Arab) 

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz says that Israeli troops will not withdraw from the illegally occupied Beaufort Castle, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

A drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces hits civilian facilities in Kosti in Sudan’s White Nile state, killing one person and injuring 14 others. (Sudan Horizon) 

Thirteen workers are killed and 66 others are injured in an explosion and fire at a gas facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Al Khor, Qatar. The interior ministry attributes the incident to a technical malfunction and continues search operations. (Euronews) 

Three people are killed, five others are injured and multiple people are trapped after three tornadoes touch down near Wichita, Kansas; Dix, Illinois; and Newburgh, Indiana, United States. (KSDK) (KSN) (WSIL-TV) 

Six people are killed in a house fire in Luxi County, Hunan, China. (Xinhua) 

Six people are killed and 29 people are injured as a bus crashes into a parked truck in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. (The New Indian Express) 

The last American passenger exits the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, officially ending the quarantine for Americans who were affected by the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. (The New York Times) 

Colombians vote in the second round to determine the presidency, choosing between the far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and the left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda. (AP) 

De la Espriella wins the presidential election, defeating Cepeda by a narrow margin. (AFP via CNA) 

Ethiopia’s National Election Board reports that prime minister Abiy Ahmed‘s Prosperity Party will secure a parliamentary majority in the country’s general election. (AP) (Reuters) 

In association football, Kevin Pina scores Cape Verde’s first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup in a 2–2 draw against Uruguay in the group stage.  (Fox Sports) 

Egypt win their first-ever World Cup match after defeating New Zealand 3–1 in the group stage. (AFP via South China Morning Post) 

The End