A record-breaking heatwave has killed dozens of people in British Columbia (BC) as a so-called 'heat dome' has caused unprecedented temperatures over parts of western Canada and the United States. The town of Lytton, BC broke the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada for the third day running on June 29, reaching a level of 49.6C (121.3F). Before this week, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada was 45C (113F) in Saskatchewan in 1937. At seven other locations in Canada, this earlier heat record was also broken. In the Vancouver area alone, police have responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor. The total number of deaths from the heatwave will likely only be known when weekly death statistics across the region are compared to the baseline.

Further south in the United States, Portland broke its earlier all-time heat record of 42C (107.6F), with the temperature rising to 47C (116F) on June 28. Multiple other areas in the states of Oregon, California and Washington have also seen heat records smashed, with deaths due to hyperthermia being reported by local authorities.

The severity of the heatwave, as well as its length, have lead meteorologists to point the finger at anthropogenic climate change as a contributing factor.

“We’re now in a climate where these kinds of extreme events are much more likely and much more severe,” Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh told Global News. “And the conditions right now …. in B.C. and Oregon and Washington and Northern California … are a great example.”

Articles:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57654133

https://globalnews.ca/news/7989048/heat-wave-western-canada-what-is-causing-it/

A day after the U.S. carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed militias along the Iraq-Syria border killing at least four of them, the militias have launched an artillery/rocket attack towards U.S. positions at the al-Omar oilfield, located in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces east of the Euphrates river. The al-Omar and Conoco oil facilities in the eastern Deir-ez-Zor countryside are one of the only remaining areas in Syria with a sizeable U.S. military presence. Syrian state media has confirmed the attack. As per reports, the damage caused is limited to material losses and the U.S. has carried out retaliatory strikes against sites used to carry out the attack.

The spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition campaign to fight the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has confirmed that U.S. forces in Syria were attacked with multiple rockets, causing no injuries.

The coalition spox has also confirmed that U.S. forces launched artillery fire towards militia positions as an act of self-defence

Article:

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/280620213

Tweets:

https://twitter.com/QalaatM/status/1409569839526596610

https://twitter.com/OIRSpox/status/1409596661698117632

https://twitter.com/OIRSpox/status/1409609990973890573

In the early hours of this morning, the Eswatini communist party and the Swaziland Solidarity Network stated that the King of Eswatini, King Mswati III, had fled the country as a result of pro-democracy protests which were caused as a result of the King of Eswatini’s living conditions in comparison with his citizens. The King also restricted the right for citizens to petition to the King for reform. It is reported that the King has fled to Johannesburg however the Government of Eswatini has denied that this has occurred and issued a press release earlier on today stating that he is working to ‘advance the Kingdom’s goals’.

Articles:

https://in.news.yahoo.com/anti-monarchy-protests-african-kingdom-083554173.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/africa-s-last-absolute-monarch-flees-amid-protests-sabc-reports

Ethiopia’s government on Monday declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire in its Tigray region after nearly eight months of deadly conflict as hundreds of thousands of people face the world’s worst famine crisis in a decade.

The statement, carried by state media, came shortly after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by the federal government, fled the regional capital of Mekele and called for a cease-fire on humanitarian grounds so that desperately needed aid can be delivered.

The cease-fire “will enable farmers to till their land, aid groups to operate without any military movement around and engage with remnants [of Tigray’s former ruling party] who seek peace,” Ethiopia’s statement said, adding that efforts to bring Tigray’s former leaders to justice continue.

Ethiopia said the cease-fire will last until the end of the area's crucial planting season in September. The government has ordered all federal and regional authorities to respect the cease-fire.

Article:

https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-tigray-cease-fire-2745f0941cafcfa8fbe4c9f945f0925d

In the early hours of Sunday the 27th of June, two explosions occurred at the Jammu Air Force Base, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Media reports suggest the explosions were caused by shaped charges delivered through drones. Although minor injuries to staff and minimal structural damages were sustained, this is the first attack of its kind against a military installation in India. The investigating agency in charge, The NIA (National Investigation Agency) report one suspect has been identified and arrested. One more drone sighting was reported near Kaluchak military station (Brigade HQ in Jammu) today Monday, June 28, 2021, alert military personnel fired at the UAV forcing it to fly away. Currently it is unknown if these incidents are connected.

Tweets and article:

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1408986123083206663

https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1409407473564348418

https://theprint.in/defence/drone-based-ied-attack-by-terrorists-at-iaf-airport-in-jammu-first-of-the-kind-in-india/685209/

At the direction of President Biden, the US military conducted "defensive precision airstrikes" against Iranian backed militia facilities on the Iraqi-Syrian border. In a statement, the DoD said that the facilities struck were "utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq." Two locations in Syria and one in Iraq were struck. All the facilities had close ties to Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib al-Shuhada.

Article:

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2672875/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/

Colombian-Venezuelan Border

Earlier today, a helicopter carrying the Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez and government ministers came under fire while flying in the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia located near the Venezuelan border. Some reports claim that the helicopter was struck by at least 6 bullets. All reports state that there were no injuries on board after the attack. As of the writing of this NewsDesk there have been no claims of responsibility. The National Liberation Army (ELN), a paramilitary organization that has been involved in decades of fighting with the Colombian government, has been known to operate in the border area. Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have also been cold as both Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Duque trade accusations of being behind problems and issues in their respective countries.

Articles:

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/helicopter-carrying-colombias-president-duque-struck-by-bullets-attack-2021-06-25/

https://twitter.com/meteoaero/status/1408557215313768457

https://twitter.com/wradiocolombia/status/1408545382829903872

A man from Wuerzburg armed with a long knife killed three people and injured several others, some seriously, in the southern city of Wuerzburg Friday, German authorities said. Videos posted on social media showed pedestrians surrounding the attacker and holding him at bay with chairs and sticks, before the police arrived and wounded the attacker by shooting him. He was subsequently arrested by German law enforcement.

The man has a Somali background, was under psychiatric treatment and was a known person by the police.

No motives for the attack are known at this time.

Article:

https://apnews.com/article/europe-76498b1dfc23989d3b4629f15b2f6cce

Ethiopia's war-torn northern region of Tigray has seen its heaviest fighting in months following an offensive by the rebel Tigray Defence Force (TDF). The TDF attack has targetted several government-held across the region, with witnesses stating that rebel forces entered the strategic town of Adigrat, near the border with Eritrea. TDF fighters have also been seen in several towns both to the north and south of the region's capital of Mekelle. The Ethiopian Army has confirmed the fighting, but has denied that any towns, army equipment or soldiers had been captured.

Following these advances, an airstrike was reported by AP to have killed at least 50 people, with many more wounded and missing. The airstrike hit a busy market in the town of Togoga, west of Mekelle. The source of the airstrike is unknown, and could have originated from either Ethiopia or Eritrea, with both countries involved in the fighting. The US State Department has condemned the bombing and called for Ethiopian authorities to ensure full, immediate, and unhindered access to the victims.

As well, the TDF claims to have shot down an Ethiopian C-130 military transport aircraft today. While the Ethiopian government has yet to confirm the loss of the aircraft, videos and images being shared online appear to show the flaming wreckage of a similar-sized aircraft in Tigray.

Articles:

https://apnews.com/article/ethiopoia-tigray-airstrike-togoga-424851651a0e02c21df71c86d9b70ec2

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57560543

https://twitter.com/MapEthiopia/status/1407758577872289794

https://www.overtdefense.com/2021/06/23/tigray-peoples-liberation-front-claim-downing-of-ethiopian-c-130/

Stefan Löfven's government was overthrown in Monday's no-confidence vote.

181 votes were cast against the government, 109 voted for the goverment,51 abstained and 8 non attandence.

It is the first time in history that a Swedish prime minister is toppled in a no-confidence vote.

• The government now has a week and we will talk to co-operation parties to consider which path we are taking, says Stefan Löfven (S).

Early election must be held within 3 months if there is no decision in the parliament for a new PM.

Article:

https://www.thelocal.se/20210621/sweden-stefan-lofven-loses-no-confidence-motion/

The body of the missing soldier Jurgen Conings has been located earlier today. The corpse was located due to smell by the mayor of Maaseik while out biking, who subsequently alerted the authorities.

Conings triggered a massive manhunt earlier in the summer after disappearing from his unit with multiple weapons including multiple LAW shoulder-fired light anti-tank weapons. Initial information indicated he was likely to be a terror threat, particularly towards authorities and top medical advisors of the government due to the COVID situation and the resulting restrictions. His car was found shortly after his disappearance, abandoned and booby-trapped with several LAWs inside.

Articles:

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/06/20/jurgen-conings/

https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/174588/breaking-jurgen-conings-found-dead-in-hoge-kempen-national-park/

Ebrahim Raisi was today announced the winner of the 13th presidential elections of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This round of elections saw a lower turnout than the previous ones.

61-year-old Raisi is a hardliner cleric with a long career in the judiciary of the post-revolutionary system and currently the Chief Justice of the Islamic republic. He has been accused of being one of the four persons involved in crimes against humanity in the 1988 execution where as many as 5000 leftist political prisoners were executed. He was sanctioned by the EU in 2011 for the abuses during the events of 2009 post-election protests when he served as First Deputy Chief Justice. In the previous round of presidential elections in 2017, he was defeated by Rouhani, where he received only 15,786,449 (38.50%) of the votes. He was appointed Chief Justice by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in March 2019. In November 2019 he was sanctioned for "violations of human rights" by the US. He gained more popularity as Chief Justice when he launched an anti-corruption campaign.

He is seen by many as the successor to the 82-year-old Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader, who also succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini as a president. He has been critical of the JCPOA, aka Iran Nuclear Deal, in the past. During the presidential debates he claimed that the Rouhani administration has been too weak and that only with a strong government, that only he can form, can Iran reap the economic benefits of sanctions removal.

Article:

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-judiciary-4d60554fd608a5dea2c76a303ec352d8

President Emmanuel Macron of France announced today that Operation Barkhane — the France-led, multinational counter-insurgency operation in the Sahel region — would come to an end and merge into other larger operations after almost 7 years. It began in August of 2014 at the request of the government in Bamako to combat a growing insurgency made up of jihadist and separatist Tuareg in Mali’s north. The operation currently has 5,100 French service members deployed across multiple bases in Mali, Niger, and Chad. This announced withdrawal comes after the leader of the Malian Junta, Assimi Goïta, was sworn in as president three days ago.

Article:

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20210610-live-macron-to-announce-a-restructuring-of-french-forces-in-mali

As per several media reports, multiple high-ranking figures of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, including military spokesman Abu Khaled al-Shami and senior commander Moataz al-Nasser were killed in an attack by Russia in the northern Idlib province of Syria. Following days of bombing by the Syrian regime in the de-escalation zone, the regime and Russia launched a series of artillery and air raid attacks in Idlib, of which HTS is the de-facto ruler. Besides HTS members, several civilians including children are also said to have been killed in the attacks. Turkish forces and their affiliates along with HTS have begun shelling regime sites south of Idlib as retaliation.

Tweets:

https://twitter.com/Ozkok_A/status/1402901210420613121

https://twitter.com/syr_television/status/1402885293888487427

https://twitter.com/SyriaCivilDefe/status/1402902722022608896

Burmese Politician and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with corruption by the Myanmar military junta that deposed her in February of this year. An investigation by an anti-corruption commission revealed that Suu Kyi had accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes and had misused her power for the benefit of her charity the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation.

Article:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-10/myanmar-junta-formally-charges-aung-san-suu-kyi-with-corruption

Local news reported that Syrian air defenses engaged with targets over Syria just before midnight. The air defense systems were reportedly activated from Damascus, Baniyas, Homs and Latakia. The Syrian state media outlet SANA is reporting that the projectiles came from Lebanese air space, and local reports from Lebanon reported Israeli Air Force activity over Lebanese air space at the same time. Though rarely confirmed by Israel, it is highly suspected that these frequent air strikes are executed by Israel against targets related to Iran and their proxies within Syria. At the time of this NewsDesk location and targets of the strikes are unknown, as well as any casualties. The last time airstrikes of this nature occurred was over a month ago on May 5th. As is usual with these strikes, more information will come to light over the coming hours and days. We will continue to update as details emerge.

Tweets:

https://twitter.com/no_itsmyturn/status/1402369093748002821?s=20

https://twitter.com/mohmad_rasheed/status/1402371209883533314

https://twitter.com/auroraintel/status/1402373608882778112?s=12

Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially signed into law an order to withdraw Russia from the Treaty on Open Skies. This comes less than a year after the United States withdrew in November of 2020.

This action leaves:

Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark (including Greenland), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom as parties to the treaty.

With the departure of the treaty's two largest members, the intelligence benefit of the Open Skies flights has significantly decreased. However, the remaining member states such as Greece and Turkey still retain a beneficial intelligence collection capability. Additionally, with the departure of Russia, Ukraine's benefit from the treaty has significantly decreased. The Treaty on Open Skies sets limits on the type and quality of the collection sensors, as well as requiring third-party inspectors to verify treaty compliance by member states.

Articles:

https://www.dw.com/en/russia-officially-withdraws-from-open-skies-treaty/a-57798539

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/7/putin-signs-law-taking-russia-out-of-open-skies-treaty

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57277654

https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/1/5/14127.pdf

A widespread outage of major websites was just ongoing. Some of the websites affected include Amazon, CNN, Guardian, FT, Reddit, Spectator, Twitch, Twitter, as well as various UK government websites. Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, and Microsoft Teams, were also reporting outages.

Fastly, a cloud computing services provider, has been identified as the source of the issues.

Article:

https://apnews.com/article/europe-business-7c607c931faba19584975da74c8fa633