Portal:Current events/2013 June 18

June 18, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Several Mozambican soldiers are killed following an attack on an armoury in Dondo, Mozambique. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021):
- A bomb explodes in the Afghan capital of Kabul killing three people and wounding six. (BBC)
- Four United States troops are killed near Bagram Airfield. (AP via News 9)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Twin suicide bombings kill 31 and wound another 60 in al-Qahira, Baghdad. (BBC)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- A suicide blast kills 27 and wounds over 30 others at a funeral in Sher Garh, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Seven students and two teachers are killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack on a secondary school in Damaturu, Nigeria. (allAfrica)
The Malian government and Tuareg rebels sign a ceasefire agreement. (Xinhua)

Arts and culture

President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan announces a N3 billion fund to "intervene" in Nollywood. (allAfrica)
American journalist Michael Hastings dies in a car crash at age 33. (USA Today)

Business and economics

Boeing launches the biggest version of its Dreamliner plane, the 787-10, at the Paris Air Show with over 100 orders worth about US$30 billion. (AFP vis News24)
The Indian Rupee falls to a new record low against the US dollar. (Business Standard)
Chrysler agrees to recall 1.56 million Jeeps in the United States. (USA Today)

Disasters

2013 North India floods:
- The death toll from several days of heavy rain, flooding, and landslides in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, hits 99. (Times of India)
- More than 73,000 religious pilgrims and 1,700 tourists are stranded. (Times of India)
2013 NBA Finals:
- The San Antonio Spurs lead by 5 points against the Miami Heat with 28 seconds remaining in game 6 of the NBA finals as a victory will secure a fifth NBA title for the Spurs. They fail to collect a defensive rebound, allow Miami to score back-to-back three-pointers and go 1 out of 2 on the free throw line. The game is sent to overtime where they eventually lose by three points.

International relations

The Malian government announces it has reached an agreement with the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad that allows the Malian Army to return to Kidal in anticipation of upcoming elections. (Al Jazeera), (AP via Washington Post)
The G8 summit ends with the nations agreeing to a "7-point plan" for peace in Syria. (ABC Online)
Ethiopia and Egypt meet to work out a disagreement over Ethiopia's diversion of the Nile River to build the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (VOA)

Law and crime

Australian Football League player Stephen Milne of the St Kilda Football Club is charged with four counts of rape dating from 2004. (Sydney Morning Herald)
98-year-old László Csatáry is charged in Hungary and Slovakia with participation in Nazi war crimes. (BBC)
The Eiffel Tower is evacuated for two hours after a man threatens to throw himself off, in the latest of a string of suicide bids from the Paris landmark. (AFP via News24)
Russian smugglers carrying 213 bear paws are arrested in China. (Global Times)

Politics and elections

A Greek court decrees that ERT can resume transmission, following a truncation of broadcast due to direct order from Antonis Samaras. (BBC)
As many as 200,000 people march through Brazil's cities, with protestors having scaled the National Congress in Brasilia. (BBC)
U.S. government surveillance programs (including PRISM):
- Several Federal officials, including National Security Agency (NSA) Director Keith Alexander, testify at a hearing held by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee over government surveillance programs whose existence was leaked earlier this month. (CNN)
- The NSA states its surveillance efforts have stopped more than 50 terror plots. (Fox News)
Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum resigns following fraud and corruption charges; he had replaced Gérald Tremblay who resigned because of similar allegations. (CBC)
Russia's Duma unanimously passes a law banning foreign same-sex couples from adopting Russian children. (Fox News)

Science and Technology

Huawei unveils the world's slimmest smartphone, the Ascend P6. (BBC)
Tianhe-2 is named the world's fastest supercomputer per the TOP500. (China Daily)
New data suggests that as many as 280 previously unknown craters exist on The Moon. (International Business Times)
A news study finds that chickens possess numeracy skills and self-control. (Herald Sun)

Sports

Iran, South Korea and Australia qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. (BBC Sport)
In tennis, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams announces she will skip the 2013 event. (ESPN)
In basketball, the defending champion Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 103-100 in overtime of Game 6 of the NBA Finals despite trailing by five points with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. With 5.2 seconds remaining, the Heats’ Chris Bosh trapped an offensive rebound and passed to Ray Allen, setting in motion an Allen make that is widely regarded as one of the most iconic moments in the history of American sports.(New York Times)(ESPN)(EPSN)(Grantland)