On 24 June, Israel and Iran agreed to a US-mediated ceasefire agreement, bringing a tentative end to the 12-day war between the two countries. The conflict began on 13 June, when Israel launched an airstrike campaign targeting energy and military sites across Iran. Over the course of the conflict, at least 610 people were killed in Iran, including numerous senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while 28 people died in Israel. Israel’s attacks also caused significant damage to Iranian infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, medical centres, ambulances, and residential buildings. For Israel, the country’s sophisticated air defence system intercepted roughly 90 percent of Iran’s missiles, but the number that got through caused serious damage in major towns and cities like Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba. There remains high uncertainty around the long-term stability of the ceasefire, however, and hostilities may resume with little warning in the coming months.
On 3 June, South Korea elected liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung as president. The election came after six months of political uncertainty and mass protests, following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024. With demonstrations diminished since Yoon’s impeachment in April, and President Lee winning with a convincing majority of the vote in June, South Korea’s political environment has largely stabilised. However, Lee will face significant challenges over the course of his administration, including slow economic growth, deepening political divisions, and a tense geopolitical climate. With Lee’s electoral success driven more by a rejection of Yoon and his party, the People Power Party, than a public endorsement of his specific policies, anti-government unrest may re-emerge over the coming year, should the new government fail to deliver tangible improvements to the country.
On 28 May, Thai and Cambodian border troops exchanged fire in a disputed border zone between Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province. One Cambodian soldier was killed, in a confrontation that reportedly stemmed from a miscommunication between troops on the ground. Such confrontations between the two countries are extremely rare, and this latest clash was soon de-escalated through diplomatic channels. However, territorial disputes remain a sensitive issue for nationalist groups in Thailand and Cambodia respectively, and both governments have deployed stronger rhetoric and threats against one another, including bolstering military presence in sensitive areas; banning some imports and travel between their countries; and threatening to cut cross-border electricity and internet supply. Additionally, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has received significant criticism over a leaked phone call with a Cambodian leader, destabilising her coalition government and leading to calls for her resignation. Cambodia’s decision to put the border issue before the International Court of Justice will continue to drive tensions in the coming months.
From 14 May, hundreds of political activists conducted a 21-day sit-in protest at Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar to demand that Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resign. Protests emerged with accusations of lavish spending and corruption against the prime minister's family, stemming from a social media post that showcased the luxurious lifestyle of his son. Although Oyun-Erdene denied the allegations, his handling of the issue resulted in further public criticism, and a loss of support from his coalition government, and his own political party, the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP). Oyun-Erdene ultimately resigned from office on 3 June, following a parliamentary vote of no confidence, and the coalition government was disbanded. Further political uncertainty is likely in the coming months, with the MPP maintaining only a slim majority in parliament, and deepening popular grievances around the unequal distribution of wealth in the resource-rich country.
From 2 to 15 June, supporters of former President Evo Morales staged numerous demonstrations and erected road blockades across Cochabamba Department and other parts of the country to demand Morales’ reinstatement as a candidate in the August 2025 general election. The protests followed a 14 May constitutional court ruling which prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms, blocking Morales from running for what would be his fourth term. There were several instances of violent clashes between protesters and police, with at least three police killed while attempting to dismantle barricades. Demonstrators suspended the weeks-long protest campaign on 15 June to allow for freight transport through the country for humanitarian purposes. Despite the lifting of blockades, marches and vigils in support of Morales are likely to continue ahead of the August election, and further disruptions are likely.
On 8 June, an armed assailant shot and critically injured Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay during a campaign rally in Bogotá. A 15-year-old and two accomplices have been arrested, although police suspect the attack was planned and sponsored by others. Turbay planned to run as the opposition Centro Democrático party's candidate in the 2026 presidential election. The incident is one of the most serious attacks against a high-ranking politician in Colombia in recent years, and comes amid deepening political divisions and growing concerns of election-related violence ahead of the May 2026 poll.
On 6 June, protests broke out in several parts of Los Angeles to denounce reported immigration raids in the city, amid the crackdown on illegal immigration under President Donald Trump's administration. Although the demonstrations began peacefully, tensions escalated over the days that followed; thousands of activists blockaded roads, protesters set fire to self-driving cars, and some fired commercial-grade fireworks at police. Several businesses in the Downtown District were looted, and police arrested dozens of activists. On 10 June, city government officials introduced an overnight curfew in some parts of the city to clamp down on theft and vandalism. Protests also spread to other cities across the US, including New York City and San Francisco, with multiple clashes between activists and police. In response to the protests in Los Angeles, President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city on 8 June, to protect federal buildings. Although the protests have largely subsided, and the curfew has been lifted, Trump further increased the number of troops in the city to 4,800 from 18 June. Immigration remains a highly sensitive issue in the US, and further demonstrations are likely in the coming months.
In June, violent protests broke out in Ballymena, County Antrim, following the court appearances of two 14-year-old Romanian nationals accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Rioters set fire to cars and property, injuring dozens of police officers and prompting multiple arrests. The unrest also spread to Larne, where a local leisure centre, designated as a shelter for displaced residents, was targeted with vandalism and arson. The riots took on an increasingly anti-immigrant tone, with some locals displaying signs reading “British household” to avoid being targeted. Violent demonstrations also occurred in Portadown, County Armagh, and Londonderry/Derry. Although the unrest has since been contained, anti-immigrant sentiment remains high in Northern Ireland and across the UK, raising the potential for further violence triggered by similar incidents.
On 25 June, at least 16 people were killed and over 400 injured during countrywide unrest that marked the one-year anniversary of the storming of parliament and the killing of demonstrators during protests against the Finance Bill in 2024. Police used live ammunition to disperse crowds in Nairobi, while similar protests broke out in other cities and towns, including Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kikuyu. Tensions were already high following the death of Albert Ojwang, a political blogger and teacher who died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody on 8 June. Authorities initially claimed he died by suicide but later admitted, following an independent autopsy, that he was killed by assault. Multiple protesters were injured and arrested during demonstrations and riots in Nairobi that followed his death. Over the past year, authorities have carried out a series of detentions and enforced disappearances targeting government critics, and further demonstrations are likely in the coming months amid growing anger over these incidents and a broader set of unresolved political and socioeconomic grievances.
On 13 and 14 June, unidentified assailants killed more than 150 people, and injured hundreds of others, during attacks on Yelewata village in Guma Local Government Area, Benue State. Many of the victims were displaced people who had fled violence in other parts of the state. Survivors reported that families were locked in their homes and burned alive during the raids. Although the perpetrators remain unknown, Benue State has a history of deadly communal violence between Fulani herders and farming communities, often driven by disputes over land and water access. Authorities have yet to address the root causes of these tensions, and security forces remain unable to prevent such attacks across the Middle Belt region.