(1) U.S. and Iran agree terms to a peace deal
The U.S. and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end the war that lasted for over a 100 days. With the deal slated to be signed on Friday (June 19) in Switzerland, Tehran and Washington are set to reach a nuclear peace agreement, lift blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman.
The mounting hostility between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah remains a cause of concern and clauses for the same are also going to be discussed and included.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been at the helm of U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations since April 12, took into X and confirmed the deal. Mr. Sharif said, “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.
One of the probable clauses in the memorandum is pertaining to the Strait of Hormuz being open without any tolling arrangement. The key waterway is the intersection to one-fifth of the world’s oil flows. The United States has consistently opposed any shipping toll regime in the Strait, including proposals reportedly floated in talks with Oman.
(2) FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in Mexico City
Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on June 11. In what is also a rematch of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the latter defeated Mexico in the opening tie.
Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament and veteran striker Raul Jimenez added a second. Co-hosts Canada registered a 1-1 draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina whereas the U.S.A. dominated Paraguay with a 4-1 win.
(3) India’s E85 fuel roll out
Ethanol blending in fuels is being aggressively pushed by the Central Government in light of the 100-day-long West Asia crises, and India’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070.
Till now, the rollout of E85 fuel has commenced across 48 Public Sector retail outlets in the country, enabling flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) users to access this cleaner fuel. It is aimed to be available across 500 retail stores by December 2026.
However, the fuel is not suitable for regular vehicles, as they do not comprise a fuel-flex engine. Since April 2023, vehicles manufactured under Bharat Stage VI are E20 compatible as mandated by the government.
But putting E85 (fuel with 85% ethanol) into an E20-rated vehicle would risk lean running, fuel system corrosion, and engine damage over time.
(4) Elon Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire on the heels of his space tech company SpaceX’s massive IPO on Friday (June 12, 2026).
His net worth zoomed to $1.1 trillion after the addition of his stakes in SpaceX. According to AFP calculations, his holdings in SpaceX amounted to anywhere between $735-840 billion. The second richest person in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Google co-founder Larry Page, had a net worth of $314 billion, significantly behind Musk.
Of the 500 people on the Index, most came from the technology or finance industries.
(5) Veteran director Bharathiraja passes away
Veteran director, writer and actor Bharathiraja, known for his filmography about rural livelihoods, complex human emotions and heart-rending narratives, passed away on Wednesday last week (June 10, 2026) aged 84.
His films, spanning over four decades from 1977 to 2020, launched and nurtured careers of star actors like Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth, and spotlit those like Sridevi in their early years.
Here’s a graphic showing his filmography over the years.
When it comes to partnerships with music directors, his history with Ilayaraaja stands out, although towards the later years of his directing career, he worked with a variety of other music directors.
Published – June 17, 2026 03:15 pm IST