Portal:Current events/2020 June 25

June 25, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Unidentified gunmen kidnap 10 humanitarian aid workers in southwestern Niger, their NGO reports. Gunmen in the area have previously stolen several vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- Iraqi security forces raid the headquarters of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah, detaining three high-ranking commanders of the group, and at least 20 other fighters. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 100 people are killed by lightning strikes as a monsoon storm batters India's northeastern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    - Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say the number of cases reached 6,411 there with 198 new infections in the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Central African Republic
    - In the Central African Republic, the number of infections climbs by 88 in the past 24 hours to reach 3,051. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
  - Iraq confirms 107 new deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 1,437. (Anadolu Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The U.S. reports 37,077 cases, the largest number of new cases in a single day. (CNN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
  - Portuguese government orders the lockdown of 19 districts of Lisboa despite the end of the "calamity status". (Politico)
Kivu Ebola epidemic
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo announces the end of the second outbreak of Ebola in the country, which has killed more than 2,200 people. (Reuters)

International relations

Law and crime

Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right Danish political party Hard Line, is sentenced to prison for one month for a string of offences, including hate speech, defamation and dangerous driving. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

War crimes in the Kosovo War
- Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti cancels his trip to the United States where talks between Kosovo and Serbia were to be held, after his country's President Hashim Thaçi is indicted by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office on war crimes charges. Thaçi also canceled his trip to mediate with Serbia after learning of the indictment the day prior. (AP News)
2020 Russian constitutional referendum
- After having been postponed once due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voting about potential amendments to the Constitution of Russia kicks off. The result of the referendum might, amongst other changes, prolong the mandate of President Vladimir Putin. Voting continues until the 1st of July. (DW)
The Leader of the UK's Labour Party, Keir Starmer, sacks his Shadow Secretary of State for Education Rebecca Long-Bailey for sharing an article on social media that says American police were trained by Mossad to use the knee-on-neck restraint that killed George Floyd, which Israeli police say is false. (BBC News)

Sports

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
- FIFA announces that the 2023 Women's World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. (FIFA)
2019–20 Premier League
- Liverpool become Premier League champions for the first time and win their first top-flight title since the 1989–90 season, after rivals Manchester City fail to win against Chelsea in a 2–1 defeat at Stamford Bridge. (BBC Sport)