Portal:Current events/2025 June 18

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Iran–Israel war
    • Airstrikes during the Iran–Israel war
      • Twenty-five Iranian ballistic missiles are launched at central Israel, with most being intercepted and no injuries reported. (YNet)
  • Gaza war
    • Israeli gunfire and airstrikes kill at least 30 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel
  • After 18 months of negotiations, Nippon Steel finalizes its $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. The deal allows U.S. Steel to retain its name and headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and gives the U.S. government the ability to veto corporate decisions as needed. (DW) (Business Wire)

Health and environment

• LGBTQ rights in the United States
  • United States v. Skrmetti
    • The U.S. Supreme Court votes 6–3 to uphold a law proposed by Tennessee to ban gender-affirming care for minors, allowing other states to implement similar bans. (NPR) (BBC News)
• Management of HIV/AIDS
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Gilead Sciences's new lenacapavir drug, marketed as Yeztugo, for the treatment of HIV after successful clinical trials show the drug nearly eliminated the infection spread. (NBC News) (AP)

Law and crime

• Córdoba Neonatal Hospital baby serial murders
  • A court in Córdoba, Argentina, sentences nurse Brenda Agüero to life in prison for the serial murders of five babies and the attempted murder of eight others between March and June 2022, whom she deliberately injected with potassium and insulin. (Página 12)

Politics and elections

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • North Korean involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • North Korea sends thousands of workers to help rebuild Russia's Kursk. (BBC News)
  • The parliament of Ukraine approves a law to allow multiple citizenship for Ukrainians in an attempt to ease a demographic crisis caused by the Russian invasion. (Reuters)
• The Czech government survives a vote of no-confidence called by the opposition ANO party after the justice ministry accepted a bitcoin donation and sold them for nearly 1 billion Kč (US$47 million). (AP)
• The government of New Zealand halts its financial support to the Cook Islands over a partnership agreement signed with China earlier this year. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• Starship flight test 10
  • SpaceX Starship 36 explodes when a "major anomaly" occurs during a static fire test. (KRIV-TV via Yahoo! News)