Africa
South Sudan takes in 10,000 refugees – At least 10,000 people registered as refugees in South Sudan after fleeing conflict in Sudan. Since April, 130,000 people have fled to South Sudan, but most of them were South Sudanese returning home. Arrival numbers are projected to increase as violence continues in Sudan. In April, an armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan started and forced thousands of people to leave the area.
Ethiopia Electoral Chief resigns – Birtukan Mideksa, the head of Ethiopia’s electoral board, announced her resignation in a Facebook post. She cited her health as her reason to leave her position, and parliament still has to accept her resignation. Mideksa is a former judge and political prisoner, and her appointment was seen by many as part of reform measures. Earlier this year, Meaza Ashenafi, head of the country’s Supreme Court, also resigned from her position.
Asia
Details emerge about migrant boat disaster – Pakistan’s Interior Minister recently announced that at least 350 Pakistanis were on board a boat that capsized off southern Greece. The incident took place on June 14 and the total number of victims is unknown. However, it is one of the worst migrant disasters to take place in the Mediterranean this year. The official death toll is at 82, and at least 104 people survived. The UN believes between 400 and 750 people were crammed onto the ship.
Musk promises Tesla to come to India – Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a state visit to the United States. Musk said the electric carmaker will be in India “as soon as humanly possible.” India said it invited Musk to explore investment opportunities in electric mobility and the commercial space sector. Recent reports suggest Tesla proposed setting up a factory to build electric vehicles in India.
Europe
Rollercoaster accident leaves one dead in Sweden – One person was killed while nine others were injured when a rollercoaster came partly off rails in Sweden. The rollercoaster reaches a height of 90 feet and a speed of 55 miles per hour. The theme park where the rollercoaster is at is 140 years old and will be closed for a week while police investigate the incident. Sweden’s culture minister said the accident was incomprehensible.
Greek conservative leader defeats left rival – Greek conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis won 40.5 percent of the national vote in the second election in a month. He defeated left rival Alexis Tsipras in May but called a new elections in an effort to win a majority. Mitsotakis called his New Democracy party the most powerful center-right party in Europe. He said he has high goals to transform Greece with a better public health service and education.
Latin America
Belize free from malaria – Belize is free of malaria and has achieved a dramatic reduction in malaria cases, according to the World Health Organization. (WHO). The agency certified Belize as free of malaria. The disease is spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. The World Health Organization praised Belize for distributing mosquito nets and for encouraging the spraying of insecticides indoors. Countries are certified as malaria-free when they show evidence that there has been no transmission of malaria within a country for at least three consecutive years.
Remains of Mayan city discovered – Archaeologists in Mexico discovered the remains of an ancient Maya city that includes pyramid-like structures. The city was discovered in the jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula and is believed to have been inhabited between 600 and 800 AD. The area where the city was discovered is dense with vegetation and has not been vastly explored. The site was named Ocomtún by archaeologists which translates to stone column in Mayan.
North America
Colorado Springs Club Q shooter pleads guilty – The man who killed five people at an LGBT nightclub in Colorado Springs in November 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder. The victims ranged in age from 22 to 40 and 17 others were left with gunshot wounds. The shooter was stopped by people at the club who subdued him until police arrived. Anderson Lee Aldrich, the attacker, faces life in prison on the murder charges under a plea agreement.
Airport employee dies after being sucked into engine – An unnamed employee of Unifi Aviation, which Delta Airlines contracts for ground crew operations, died after being sucked into a passenger plane engine in Texas. The plane was taxiing toward its gate with one engine turned on. An initial investigation shows the incident was unrelated to safety procedures but it is unclear how it happened. The plane arrived at San Antonio last Friday night from Los Angeles.
