June 16, 2021 (Wednesday)

The Israel Defense Forces carry out airstrikes on Khan Yunis and Gaza City in the Gaza Strip in the early morning, in response to incendiary balloons being flown from Gaza, putting the ceasefire in jeopardy. This comes after the Dance of Flags march was held in East Jerusalem.

Mediators renew their push for another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following the airstrikes.

The Taj Mahal reopens to tourists after a two-month closure due to the second wave of the pandemic in India.

The United States House of Representatives votes 415–14 to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. This comes after the United States Senate voted unanimously to pass the same bill yesterday. The legislation will now head to U.S. President Joe Biden for his signature.

Cambodia surpasses 40,000 cases of COVID-19.

Mongolia reports a record 2,395 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 83,128.

The Andorran government lifts the obligation to wear masks outdoors, at work meetings and with people who are immunized.

North Macedonia lifts their nighttime curfew and allows outdoor organized events, weddings and concerts to be held at 50% capacity. The government also lifts working hour restrictions on the hospitality sector, betting shops, gas stations, and casinos.

The United Kingdom reports 9,055 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total since February 25.

The United States government purchases 200 million doses of the vaccine produced by Moderna.

Royal Caribbean International announces that it is delaying the inaugural sailing of their brand-new Odyssey of the Seas cruise liner from Fort Lauderdale to July 31 after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

South Africa restricts gatherings to 50 people for indoor social and religious events and 100 people for outdoor events, and also extends their curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. and restrict the sale of alcohol to Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Botswanan mining company Debswana presents a 1,098-carat diamond discovered on June 1 to President Mokgweetsi Masisi. The company claims that it is the third-largest diamond ever discovered.

Maldives surpasses 200 deaths from COVID-19.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry rejects an Arab League resolution calling for the UN Security Council to intervene in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on behalf of Egypt and Sudan.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit meeting in Geneva.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer withdraws a platoon from a NATO mission in Lithuania. The withdrawal follows a report from Der Spiegel on Monday stating that the platoon's members engaged in misconduct, including bullying, filming a sexual assault against another soldier, and singing antisemitic songs to mark the birthday of dictator Adolf Hitler.

Fatou Bensouda steps down as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, a position she has held since 2012. She is succeeded by Karim Ahmad Khan.

At least sixty Berlin police officers are injured after squatters in a Friedrichshain building attacked them with stones while conducting a fire inspection.