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Maria Sharapova banned for two years for failed drugs test but will appeal –
Maria Sharapova has been banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation for using a prohibited drug. The Russian was provisionally banned in March after testing positive for meldonium at January’s Australian Open. The heart disease drug, which 29-year-old Sharapova says she has been taking since 2006 for health issues, became a banned substance on 1 January 2016. The five-time Grand Slam winner said she “cannot accept” the “unfairly harsh” ban – and will appeal. Sharapova will challenge the suspension, which is backdated to 26 January 2016, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). [BBC]
Maria Sharapova

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
  • The Taliban kills 12 members of Afghanistan’s security forces who were captured in recent ambushes in the Ghazni Province on June 3 and 5. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
  • June 2016 Tel Aviv shooting
    • Two Palestinian gunmen open fire in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv killing at least four people and injuring at least 18 others. The two gunmen are arrested. (AP)
• Syrian civil war
  • Airstrikes in rebel-held districts of Aleppo kill at least 15 people and wound dozens while three hospitals are hit including one of the few that still provides pediatric services. UNICEF says medics had to take babies out of incubators. It is unclear who was responsible, though government forces, backed by the Russian Air Force, have run operations to regain control of the divided city. (BBC) (Deccan Chronicle)

Disasters and accidents

• A road collapse at a major intersection near the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario, forces evacuation of a mall, a hotel, the Shaw Convention Centre, and a book store because of the smell of gas. Power and water are now shut off. (CBC)

International relations

• A United Nations commission of inquiry says that Eritrea should be referred to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity committed in the country, including the enslavement of between 300,000 and 400,000 people through military conscription. (AP)

Law and crime

• Papua New Guinea student protests
  • Police open fire on University of Papua New Guinea students in Port Moresby protesting against the government of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. Four people have been killed and seven injured. However, according to the police, nobody was killed while a university spokesperson claims police only fired tear gas. (ABC News) (Radio New Zealand)
  • A Papua New Guinea court grants an injunction barring university students from protesting on campus. Thousands of students across the nation have been protesting and boycotting classes for weeks calling for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s resignation over corruption allegations. (Reuters)
• Eritrean Mered Medhanie, aka The General, leader of one of the largest criminal operations unsafely smuggling migrants from Africa to Europe for up to €5,000 (£3,900; $5,680), is extradited to Italy. Police say in one attempt at least 359 migrants died when their boat sank near the Italian island of Lampedusa in October 2013. (BBC)
• Governor John Kasich signs a bill legalizing medical marijuana, making Ohio the 25th state in America to approve its use. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Science and technology

• The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry proposes final names for four new chemical elements: nihonium (atomic number 113), moscovium (#115), tennessine (#117), and oganesson (#118).(CNN)

Sport

• The International Tennis Federation suspends Russian star Maria Sharapova for two years for failing a drug test for meldonium at the Australian Open. (BBC)

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