2020 CE

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global social, societal and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns, and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Geospatial World also called 2020 "the worst year in terms of climate change" in part due to major climate disasters worldwide, including major bushfires in Australia and the western United States, as well as extreme tropical cyclone activity affecting large parts of North America. A United Nations progress report published in December 2020 indicated that none of the international Sustainable Development Goals for 2020 were achieved.

In the 2020s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 11 – Presidential and legislative elections are held in Taiwan. Incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen is reelected, and the Democratic Progressive Party wins a majority of 67 out of 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan.source
11 February – Kenya and the FBI sign an anti-terrorist agreement, the first of its kind outside the United States.Mauritius source
February 24 – The Pakatan Harapan coalition government of Malaysia collapses and is replaced by the Perikatan Nasional coalition. Muhyiddin Yassin becomes the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia on March 1.source
February 29 – A conditional peace agreement is signed between the United States and the Taliban. The U.S. begins gradually withdrawing combat troops from Afghanistan on March 10.source
March 17 – The Euro 2020 and 2020 Copa América association football tournaments are postponed until the summer of 2021 by UEFA and CONMEBOL, respectively.source
27 March – North Macedonia becomes a full member of NATO.North Macedonia source
April 15 – The 2020 South Korean legislative election is held to elect all 300 members of the National Assembly of South Korea and the Democratic Party of Korea-Platform Party alliance wins 180 out of 300 seats.source
April 20 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Alliance leader Benny Gantz agree on a deal to form a unity government, thus ending more than a year of political deadlock. As part of the deal, Netanyahu will hold onto his position for 18 more months, with Gantz replacing him afterwards.source
May 14 – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance is "ready to support" the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Libya while Greece, a member state of NATO, strongly criticizes Stoltenberg's remarks, saying his recognition of the "Muslim Brotherhood government" does not reflect the positions of the military alliance.source
May 19 – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces the termination of all agreements, including security ones, with Israel and the United States in response to Israel's plans to annex the Jordan Valley.source
May 20 - Moeketsi Majoro replaces Thomas Thabane as Prime Minister of Lesotho.Lesotho source
May 24 – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardons 3,157 prisoners to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and, two days later, President of Zambia Edgar Lungu pardons nearly 3,000 inmates to commemorate Africa Freedom Day.source
May 27 – The Chinese National People's Congress votes in favour of national security legislation that criminalizes "secession", "subversion", "terrorism" and foreign interference in Hong Kong; the legislation grants sweeping powers to the Chinese central government to suppress the Hong Kong democracy movement, including banning activist groups and curtailing civil liberties. The U.S. government responds by declaring Hong Kong is "no longer autonomous" under the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act.source
June 27 – Micheál Martin succeeds Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach of Ireland, with Varadkar becoming Tánaiste in a historic three-party coalition government.source
June 30 – China passes the controversial Hong Kong national security law, allowing China to crack down on opposition to Beijing at home or abroad.source
5 July – In the 2020 Dominican Republic general election, Luis Abinader is elected president.Dominican Republic source
July 10 – The 2020 Singaporean general election is held to elect all 93 members of the Parliament of Singapore and the People's Action Party, led by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong wins 83 out of 93 seats.source
16 July – Chan Santokhi takes over as president.Suriname source
2 August – Irfaan Ali succeeds David Granger as the 10th President of Guyana.Guyana source
August 5 – U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar travels to Taiwan, the highest U.S. official visit to the country in 40 years. The PRC condemns the visit.source
August 10 – The 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election is held to elect all 41 members of the House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago and the People's National Movement party, led by prime minister Keith Rowley won 22 out of 41 seats.source
10 August – The 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election was held to elect 41 members to the 12th Trinidad and Tobago Republican Parliament.Trinidad and Tobago source
August 13 – Israel and the UAE agree to normalise relations, marking the third Israel–Arab peace deal.source
August 28 – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Japan, announces his resignation from office, citing ill health.source
September 3 – Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Abdelaziz al-Hilu, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM–N), sign an agreement to transition the country into a secular state. The agreement comes three days after the signing of a peace deal between Sudan's transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, which the SPLM–N opted out of. Weeks later on October 3, the transitional government signed a peace deal with the main rebel groups, including the SPLM–N, which had refused to engage in previous talks.source
September 4 – Bahrain and Israel agree to normalise relations, marking the fourth Israel–Arab peace deal.source
15 September - Barbados Governor General Sandra Mason, delivering a speech on behalf of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, announced Barbados' intention of removing Queen Elizabeth II as the country's head of state and to become a republic in November 2021.Barbados source
September 16 – Yoshihide Suga becomes the new Prime Minister of Japan, replacing Shinzo Abe.source
September 17 – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issue a joint note verbale to the United Nations rejecting China's claims to the South China Sea, and supporting the ruling in Philippines v. China that said the historic rights per the nine-dash line ran counter to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However, the statement says that on "territorial sovereignty" they "take no position".source
October 23 – Israel and Sudan agree to normalise relations, marking the fifth Israel–Arab peace deal.source
December 10 – Western Sahara conflict, Arab–Israeli conflict: Israel and Morocco normalise diplomatic relations. Simultaneously, the United States reaffirms its previous recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara and announces plans to build a consulate there.source
December 14 – Turkey–United States relations: The United States places sanctions on Turkey in retaliation for their purchase of a S-400 missile system from Russia, marking the first time they have sanctioned a NATO ally.source

Conflict & Security

January 2 – The Royal Australian Air Force and Navy are deployed to New South Wales and Victoria to assist mass evacuation efforts amidst the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.source
January 3 – A United States drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills ten people, including the intended target, an Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.source
January 5 – Second Libyan Civil War: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya on behalf of the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord.source
January 8 – Iran launches ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. soldiers, injuring over 100 personnel.source
January 20 – Thousands of Honduran migrants and asylum-seekers battle with Mexican National Guard and try to force their way across the Suchiate River near Ayutla, San Marcos.Guatemala source
9 February – Kenya and Djibouti dispute over United Nations Security Council seat.Mauritius source
February 29 – Barquisimeto shooting: During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.source
March 5 – The International Criminal Court authorizes the Afghanistan War Crimes inquiry to proceed, reportedly allowing for the first time for U.S. citizens to be investigated.source
March 26 – Militants in the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, and Libya agree to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' call for a ceasefire; some accept medical aid for themselves and civilians in their communities. Colombia and Venezuela discuss a common response to the global pandemic, and the UAE airlifts aid to Iran.source
April 6 – The United States designates the Russian Imperial Movement as a terrorist organization and imposes sanctions on its leaders; it is the first white supremacist group the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization.source
April 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Saudi–led coalition declares a unilateral ceasefire in its operations against Houthi forces in Yemen in accordance with United Nations-led efforts.source
April 17 – The U.N. Human Rights Office accuses Myanmar of carrying out daily airstrikes in the Rakhine and Chin states and that at least 32 civilians have been killed since March 23. The separatist Arakan Army unilaterally declared a month-long ceasefire to fight the pandemic, but the military rejected the ceasefire claiming a previous ceasefire had been reneged by the insurgents.source
April 17 – China revises the COVID-19 death toll in Wuhan upward, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported COVID-19 deaths to 4,632.source
April 18 – Prime Minister Thomas Thabane deploys the army to the streets of Lesotho to restore order.Lesotho source
April 23 – Syrian Civil War: Two former high-ranking members of the Syrian Army go on trial in Koblenz, Germany, for alleged war crimes committed during the civil war. It is the first time that Syrian military officials are prosecuted for their roles in the conflict.source
April 25 – Yemeni Civil War: The Southern Transitional Council (STC) announces the establishment of a self-rule administration in southern Yemen and deploys forces in Aden. Governors of multiple southern Yemeni Governorates and Socotra island reject the STC's claim to self-rule and declare their loyalty to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Months later on July 19, the STC accepts a Saudi-brokered peace deal and abandons its self-rule aspirations.source
May 3–4 – Venezuelan dissidents and a North American-based private military company, Silvercorp USA, unsuccessfully attempt to infiltrate Venezuela and forcibly remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.source
May 9 – Several Chinese and Indian soldiers are injured in a cross-border clash at the Nathu La crossing. About 150 troops participated in the face-off, which involved fistfights and stone-throwing.source
June 4 – Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) says they are in full control of the capital, Tripoli, after forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) retreat from the territory following months of intense fighting in the city.source
July 7 – Protests begin throughout Bulgaria with the goal of removing Borisov's cabinet and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev from office.source
July 8 – At least 180 bodies are found in mass graves in Djibo, Burkina Faso, where soldiers are fighting jihadists. It is suspected that government forces were involved in mass extrajudicial executions.source
August 9 – A presidential election in Belarus which led to incumbent Alexander Lukashenko's reelection sparks protests throughout the country after major opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya rejected the results. Seven days later, the largest political march in Belarusian history takes place, with an estimated 300,000 people in Minsk and 200,000 in other Belarusian cities and towns.source
August 19 – The Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicts in absentia Salim Ayyash, a senior member of Hezbollah, for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.source
11 September – United States invasion of Panama: Remains of victims of the 1989 invasion in Colón are exhumed for identification.Panama source
11 September – Deputy Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa resigns over three proposed constitutional amendments, which would alter the power of the land and titles court. She also leaves the Human Rights Protection Party. Other MPs have already left the party over the issue and formed a new opposition party.Samoa source
September 16 – A United Nations Human Rights Council fact-finding mission formally accuses the Venezuelan government of crimes against humanity, including cases of killings, torture, violence against political opposition and disappearances since 2014. President Nicolás Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials are among those implicated in the charges.source
18 September – Opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu warns about the sale of honorary Vanuatuan citizenship to potential international criminals and people stripped of other nationalities for nefarious activities. The government says it has stopped selling its citizenship but promises further investigation into the matter.Vanuatu source
September 27 – Beginning of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: deadly clashes erupt in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Artsakh introduce martial law and mobilize forces.source
November 18 – 217th anniversary of the Battle of Vertières (Public holiday)Haiti source
November 19 – The Brereton Report into Australian war crimes during the War in Afghanistan is released.source
Beginning of the Tigray War: Ethiopia launches an offensive in Tigray following an attack on Ethiopian military bases by the Tigray People's Liberation Front.source
27 December 2019 – 5 September 2020: 2019–20 Djibouti Premier LeagueDjibouti source

Exploration & Expansion

January 15 – Senegalese-born American rapper Akon (Locked Up) announces that plans for his new city, called "Akon City" and located near the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport have been finalized. The new city will trade exclusively in his digital coin Akoin.Senegal source
February 6 – In a visit to the Mexican Senate, President Alejandro Giammattei suggests the two countries construct Muros de Prosperidad ("Prosperity Walls") in the form of an investment bank in the Guatemalan departments of San Marcos, Quiché, and Huehuetenango and the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco in order to stem migration.Guatemala source
9 February – The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) requests that foreigners be allowed to work in the country in order to promote economic development.Panama source
13 February – The atoll of Aldabra in the Seychelles is designated an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) because of its rare dugong breeding population.Mauritius source
28 February – The Dominican Republic refuses to allow a British cruise ship to dock due to fears of COVID-19. The ship heads to St. Maarten.Dominican Republic source
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden state visit to Fiji.Fiji source
September 3 – The skeletons of 200 mammoths and 30 other animals are unearthed at a construction site for the Mexico City Santa Lucía Airport. It is the largest find of mammoth bones to date, surpassing The Mammoth Site in the U.S. which had 61 skeletons.source
12 September – Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute: Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Affairs, expresses confidence that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule in Guyana's favor in the border dispute with Venezuela.Guyana source
30 November – Petra Diamonds sells its Botswana assets, Sekaka Diamonds Exploration, to Botswana Diamonds.Botswana source

Religion & Belief

7 January – Orthodox Tewahedo Christmas in Ethiopia and EritreaMauritius source
19 January – The 2020 Tobago Council of the People's National Movement leadership election is won by Tracy Davidson-Celestine.Trinidad and Tobago source
February 29 – A senior Russian-backed bishop in Ukraine Onufriy Berezovsky participated and led a prayer walk and protest rally in Podgorica, reflecting tense relations between the Montenegrin government and Russia.Montenegro source
23 August – Bishop Silvio Báez, who has been outside of Nicaragua for reasons of security since April 23, 2019, accuses President Ortega of being a dictator. The Centro Nicaragüense de Derechos Humanos (Nicaraguan Human Rights Center, Cenidh) says that the Catholic Church has been the victim of 24 attacks since April 2018.Nicaragua source
October 29 – The Prophet's BirthdayFiji source
November 1 – All Saints Day (Public and Roman Catholic holiday)Haiti source
November 5 – Baptism of the ProphetMali source
13 November – 12 December: 2020 Taça 12 de Novembro.East Timor source

Economy & Finance

January 20 – The government seizes two farms belonging to former Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing, Alejandro Sinibaldi.Guatemala source
January 29 – U.S. President Donald Trump signs the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, a North American trade agreement set to replace NAFTA.source
5 February – Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, 23, complains about racism as she is cropped out of a photo published by the Associated Press in which she originally appeared with Greta Thunberg, Isabelle Axelsson, Luisa Neubauer and Loukina Tille at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Africans have truly been erased from the map of climate action," Nakate tweeted. AP said they will expand their diversity training for employees.Mauritius source
February 20 - The national electoral tribunal ruled that Evo Morales was ineligible to run for Senate.Ecuador source
February 27 – 2020 stock market crash: Triggered by fears of the spreading of COVID-19, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges by 1,190.95 points, or 4.4%, to close at 25,766.64, its largest one-day point decline at the time. This follows several days of large falls, marking the worst week for the index since the 2008 financial crisis.source
March 9 – International share prices fall sharply in response to a Russo-Saudi oil price war and the impact of COVID-19. The DJIA plunges more than 2,000 points, the largest fall in its history up to that point. Oil prices also plunged by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991.source
March 12 – Global stock markets crashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the United States travel ban on the Schengen Area. The DJIA goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst loss for the index since 1987.source
March 16 – The DJIA falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.source
18 March – All schools in the country were closed.Guyana source
March 30 – 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war: The price of Brent Crude falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.source
April 14 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects the world economy to shrink 3%, the worst contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.source
April 17 – The China Securities Regulatory Commission approves a transaction in which Switzerland's Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm, making Credit Suisse the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of foreign ownership rules in 2018.source
April 20 – Oil prices reach a record low, with West Texas Intermediate falling into negative values.source
May 26 – LATAM Airlines, the largest air carrier in Latin America, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.source
June 3 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK will change immigration laws to offer a pathway to UK citizenship for all Hong Kong citizens who are eligible for BN(O) status if the government of China imposes new security laws on the territory.source
July 10 – The ECB accepts Bulgaria and Croatia into ERM II, a mandatory stage for countries wishing to adopt the euro. This is the currency union's first major expansion in half a decade.source
July 15 – The Twitter accounts of prominent political figures, CEOs, and celebrities are hacked to promote a bitcoin scam.source
August 26 – Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the first person in history to have a net worth exceeding US$200 billion, according to Forbes.source
August 30 – Honduras's debt increased US $10,833 billion in the first quarter of 2020, 19.9% more than in 2019.Honduras source
30 August – Qatar ends the kafala system, allowing migrant workers to change jobs freely, introducing a non-discriminatory minimum wage of 1,000 QAR with allowances for food and housing.Qatar source
1 September – U.S. President Donald Trump orders Marriott Hotels & Resorts to close its operations in Cuba.Cuba source
September 21 – Microsoft agrees to buy video game holding company ZeniMax Media, including Bethesda Softworks and their following subsidiaries for US$7.5 billion, in what was the biggest and most expensive takeover in the history of the video game industry.source
October 1 – The EU began legal proceedings against the UK after it ignored their deadline to drop controversial sections from its internal market Bill.source
13 November – Finance Minister Bwalya Ng’andu says that Zambia is defaulting on its debt.Zambia source
December 24 – The United Kingdom and the European Union agree to a comprehensive free trade agreement prior to the end of the transition period.source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 8 – West Africa's largest wind farm opens in Taiba NDiaye, Tivaouane Department.Senegal source
International Social Security Association Pacific Desk Office opens.Fiji source
13 February – A new metro line will go under the Panama Canal to reach western suburbs of Panama City at a cost of US$2.5 billion. It is part of a $4 billion infrastructure project including a bridge over the canal.Panama source
29 February – Egypt says it will use "all means" to defend its interests in a dispute with Ethiopia and Sudan over a dam on the Nile River.Mauritius source
Finestar Diamonds opens a manufacturing factory in Gaborone.Botswana source
March 2 – The Yahoo! Time capsule, dating from 2006, is opened.source
March 20 – The Bhadla Solar Park is commissioned and becomes the world's largest solar park.source
31 March – Kristal-Astro, sole operator of Brunei's multi-channel pay-TV service shuts down after 22 years in operation due to 'fast-changing technology trends'.Brunei source
April 20 – The Industrial Bank of Korea agrees to pay US$86 million and will enter a two-year deferred prosecution agreement to settle lawsuits with the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of New York over a 2011 scheme to help transfer US$1 billion to Iran.source
May 5 – The biggest television network in the Philippines, ABS-CBN, ceased operations for the first time in almost five decades because of the loss of its franchise.source
May 8 – The Aurangabad railway accident occurred in India. 17 migrants were sleeping on the trains when a freight train collided and killed 16 people and injured 1.source
1 June – New legislation restricts outdoor work in extreme heat, prohibiting work from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and stopping work at wet-bulb globe temperatures above 32.1 °C.Qatar source
June 16 – North Korea demolishes the Inter-Korean Liaison Office in Kaesong, established in 2018 to improve relations.source
August 1 – The Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE becomes operational following delays since 2017. It is the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab world.source
September 4 – The La Línea highway tunnel, the longest road tunnel in South America at a length of 8.65 kilometres (5.37 mi), is opened in Colombia after 14 years of construction and several delays.source
November 10 – Apple releases the first Mac computers (a new MacBook Air, Mac mini and MacBook Pro) powered by Apple silicon chips.source
December 10 – The Water and Sewer Authority and for Puerto Rico gets refinancing for $1.4 billion worth of bonds, which should result in a $13 million annual savings for the utility.Puerto Rico source

Science & Discovery

January 9 – A rare, circumbinary planet called TOI 1338-b is discovered.source
February 13 – NASA publishes a detailed study of Arrokoth, the most distant body ever explored by a spacecraft.source
Coca-Cola games begins with zone 1 kicking off.Fiji source
March 9 – Guatemala launches its first satellite, the Quetzal 1.Guatemala source
8 April – A Spanish-Eritrean group has discovered the remains of million-year-old fossil remains of large animals and plants along with tools that will help us better understand the climate and ecology of the Engel Ela-Ramud area during the Pleistocene Epoch.Mauritius source
April 10 – The ESA/JAXA space probe BepiColombo makes its final gravity assist around Earth and begins to depart for Venus, where it will make several gravity assist maneuvers before finally arriving at Mercury in 2025.source
April 22 – Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deploys the country's first military satellite, using a new satellite carrier called "Ghased" ("Messenger").source
April 28 – A fast radio burst is detected from the Magnetar SGR 1935+2154, the first ever detected inside the Milky Way, and the first to be linked to a known source.source
April 29 – (52768) 1998 OR2, a near-Earth asteroid that is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) wide, makes a close approach of 0.042 AU (6.3 million km; 16 LD) to Earth. It will not approach closer than this until 2079.source
April 30 – NASA officially selects SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics to build its next-generation lunar lander to carry American astronauts to the Moon by 2024.source
May 6 – Astronomers announce the discovery of the first black hole located in a star system visible to the naked eye.source
May 15 – Researchers announce a 2.5 cm millipede fossil belonging to the Kampecaris genus, discovered on the island of Kerrera in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, is the world's oldest-known land animal, which lived 425 million years ago in the Silurian period.source
May 30 – The first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon 2 (initially scheduled for May 27 but delayed due to weather) is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first crewed spacecraft to take off from U.S. soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.source
June 2 – A US$5 billion class action lawsuit is filed against Alphabet Inc. and Google, alleging the company violates users' right to privacy by tracking them in Chrome's incognito mode.source
June 3 – SpaceX successfully launches and deploys 60 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, bringing the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 482.source
20 July: Krisztián Forró elected as new leader of SMK, member party of MKÖ-MKS.Slovakia source
July 30 – NASA successfully launches its Mars 2020 rover mission to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples for return to Earth. The mission includes technology demonstrations to prepare for future human missions.source
August 17 – Galapagos National Park authorities say 30 new species of invertebrates in deep water surrounding the Galapagos Islands have been discovered.Ecuador source
September 3 – After several delays, the first Slovene-built satellites, Nemo HD and Trisat, are carried successfully to space by Vega launch vehicle.Slovenia source
September 14 – The Royal Astronomical Society announces the detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere, which is known to be a strong predictor for the presence of microbial life.source
September 14 – The first discovery of the perfectly preserved remains of a cave bear, believed to be 22,000 to 39,500 years old (Late Pleistocene), is made in Lyakhovsky Islands, Siberia in the thawing permafrost.source
14 September – Satellite imagery shows that a big chunk of ice shattered into many small pieces from the last remaining ice shelf in Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, Greenland.Greenland source
October 20 – NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches down on Bennu, becoming the agency's first probe to retrieve samples from an asteroid, with its cargo later successfully returning to Earth on September 24, 2023.source
October 26 – NASA confirms the existence of molecular water on the sunlit side of the Moon, near Clavius crater, at concentrations of up to 412 parts per million.source
November 15 – NASA and SpaceX launch the SpaceX Crew-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A to the ISS, the first operational flight of the Crew Dragon capsule.source
November 19 – Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart wins the 2020 Booker Prize.source
November 30 – Protein folding, one of the biggest mysteries in biology, is solved by AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by DeepMind.source
December 1 – The Arecibo Telescope of the Arecibo Observatory collapses, just weeks after the announcement of its planned demolition.source
December 1 – The Arecibo Telescope collapses.Puerto Rico source
December 14 – A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.source
December 18 – Media outlets report that astronomers have detected a radio signal, BLC1, apparently from the direction of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. Astronomers have stated that this and other, yet unpublished, signals, are thought to likely be "interference that we cannot fully explain" and that it appears to be among the two strongest candidates for a radio signal humanity received from extraterrestrial intelligence so far.source
December 21 – A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.source

Health & Medicine

January 20 – COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese authorities publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.source
January 23 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, is quarantined, with all scheduled public transport services and intercity flights halted.source
26 February – First confirmed case of COVID-19.North Macedonia source
March 6 - The first confirmed COVID-19 case is reported, a 76-year-old US male who travelled to the country via India.Bhutan source
March 9 – COVID-19 pandemic: Italy becomes the first country to implement a nationwide quarantine in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.source
14 March – The country's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. A 33-year-old woman, who returned from the United States at the end of February and then travelled to Lesotho before returning home to Eswatini, entered isolation.Eswatini source
16 March - 1st case of the COVID-19 pandemic in BeninBenin source
March 20 - Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, restrictions on private gatherings, and closure of most in-person businesses, with limited hours for food stores and farmers' markets, pharmacies, gas stations, laundromats, banks, construction, and restaurants (limited to take-out only). Essential workers for the government, utilities, and media were exempted, as were health care providers and suppliers. The airport remained open, but only essential travel was allowed on public buses.Bahamas source
21 March – The first case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Timor-Leste, a state of emergency is declared.East Timor source
March 24 – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reports that the domestically transmitted epidemic is now under control. Two days later, China temporarily suspends entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits, effective midnight on March 28.source
March 26 – Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. The U.S. surpasses China and Italy in the total number of known COVID-19 cases, with at least 81,321 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.source
26 March – President Tallis Obed Moses declared a state of emergency in the country after a tourist on a cruise ship visiting the island of Aneityum had tested positive for the virus.Vanuatu source
April 1 – Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 of its prisoners amid concerns of the spread of the virus in Yemen's overcrowded jails. The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the release of all political prisoners.source
April 5 – COVID-19 pandemic: The first case of COVID-19 in a zoo animal is reported: a four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.source
April 7 – COVID-19 pandemic: Japan declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 and finalises a stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen (US$990 billion), equal to 20% of the country's GDP.source
April 10 – Kivu Ebola epidemic: The Democratic Republic of the Congo reports the first case of Ebola since February 2020. The outbreak has killed more than 2,200 people since August 2018.source
April 14 – U.S. president Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will suspend funding towards the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with China.source
April 28 – The Indian Ministry of External Affairs condemns the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom after its annual report recommends placing India on the "countries of particular concern" blacklist over the Citizenship Amendment Act, the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, and controversial comments made by Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.source
April 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: Lesotho is the only African country that has not reported the virus.Lesotho source
May 4 – A team of British and Kenyan scientists announce the discovery of Microsporidia MB, a parasitic microbe in the Microsporidia fungi group that blocks mosquitos from carrying malaria, potentially paving the way for the control of malaria.source
May 12 – Gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people, including two newborn babies, in Dashte Barchi, a majority-Shia neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan. In a separate incident in Kuz Kunar, 32 people are killed at a funeral by a suicide bomber.source
May 14 – The UN warns of a global mental health crisis caused by isolation, fear, uncertainty and economic turmoil.source
June 1 – Kivu Ebola epidemic: The World Health Organization reports six new cases of Ebola, and UNICEF reports five deaths, in a renewed outbreak of the disease in Mbandaka, Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.source
July 7 – COVID-19 pandemic: Thousands of people rally outside the House of the National Assembly of Serbia in Belgrade in response to stricter lockdown measures proposed by President Aleksandar Vučić following an increase of cases in the city.source
July 25 – COVID-19 pandemic: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convenes an emergency meeting, declares a state of emergency, and orders the lockdown of Kaesong after a person suspected of having COVID-19 returned from South Korea. If confirmed, it would be the first case to be officially acknowledged by North Korea.source
August 11 – COVID-19 pandemic: Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Russia has approved the world's first COVID-19 vaccine.source
October 15 – 2020 Thai protests: The Government of Thailand declares a "severe" state of emergency banning gatherings of five or more people, initiating a crackdown on demonstrations and imposing media censorship.source
2020 United States presidential election: The election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the 49th Vice President of the United States is called by many news media organizations after remaining vote counts (November 7) come in from key states delayed by an influx of mail-in ballots caused by the pandemic, defeating incumbent President Donald Trump.source
December 5 – COVID-19 pandemic: Russia begins mass vaccination against COVID-19 with the Sputnik V candidate.source
December 10 – COVID-19 pandemic: The United States and Saudi Arabia approve the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, while Argentina approves Sputnik V.source
December 20 – COVID-19 pandemic: A highly infectious new strain of SARS-CoV-2 spreading in Europe and Australia provokes international border closures.source
December 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: The United Kingdom approves AstraZeneca-Oxford's vaccine, the second one available. The vaccine is easier to store as it only requires normal fridge temperatures, making distribution easier.source

Crime & Justice

January 16 – The first impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the U.S. Senate. He was acquitted on February 5.source
February 20 – Former prime minister Thomas Thabane, 80, of Lesotho is to be charged with his wife's 2017 murder.Lesotho source
February 23 – Police in Port-au-Prince violently protest against money being spent on a carnaval celebrations instead of their salaries.Haiti source
April 18 – 44 suspected Boko Haram members are found dead, apparently due to poisoning, inside a prison in N'Djamena, Chad.source
April 26 – King Salman issues a royal decree, declaring that people will no longer be executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes they were convicted of when they were minors.source
May 16 – Félicien Kabuga, a Rwandan businessman responsible for supporting the Rwandan genocide, is arrested in Asnières-sur-Seine, France, after 26 years as a fugitive.source
May 26 – Protests caused by the murder of George Floyd break out across hundreds of cities in the U.S. and around the world. These are followed by further protests and rallies on June 6 against racism and police brutality around the world.source
July 28 – Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak is found guilty of all seven charges in the first of five trials on the 1MDB scandal, being jailed 12 years and fined RM210 million as a result.source
18 August – Former president Mohamed uld Abdel Aziz (2008-2019) is arrested on charges of corruption.Mauritania source
August 25 – Guyvanho, nicknamed "the butcher of Nouabale Ndoki", was sentenced to 30 years in prison for ivory trafficking and attempted murder of park rangers.Republic of the Congo source
31 August – Authorities break up a gang that falsified Spanish passports to facilitate emigration.Dominican Republic source
31 August – Rwandan genocide: Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the 1994 movie Hotel Rwanda, is arrested on terrorism charges.Mauritius source
10 September – It is announced that former Prime Minister Charlot Salwai is set to stand trial for November 23, charged with ten counts of bribery and corruption.Vanuatu source
September 14 – Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak is listed on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) online database of corruption offenders convicted locally. His name at the top of the first page of the MACC Corruption Offenders Database.source
September 19 – A 1634 edition of The Two Noble Kinsmen, the last play by English playwright William Shakespeare, is discovered at the Royal Scots College's library in Salamanca, Spain. It is believed to be the oldest copy of any of his works in the country.source
4 October – Eight migrants are dead, while 12 more are missing, after three unidentified smugglers hijacked their boat off the coast of Djibouti, according to eyewitnesses and the International Organization for Migration. The agency reports that the migrants had attempted to reach Saudi Arabia via Yemen, but were forced to return to the Horn of Africa due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions.Djibouti source
December 2 – Three activists in Hong Kong were jailed for their roles in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, with Joshua Wong getting the heaviest at 13.5 months.source
December 10 – The Nicolas Sarkozy corruption trial concludes in France.source

Disasters & Accidents

January 8 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.source
January 19 – Glorimar Andújar and Fernando Gil-Enseñat, Secretaries of Family Services Housing respectively, are fired in the warehouse scandal. Nino Correa is appointed chief of operations for the Emergency Management Office.Puerto Rico source
31 January – The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force stop searching for nine people who disappeared at sea on 15 January when their boat capsized. Five men, two women and two children are now presumed dead.Solomon Islands source
February 6 – Livraga derailment: A Frecciarossa high-speed train traveling from Milan to Salerno derailed in Livraga, Lombardy, Italy. Two people were killed, and 31 were injured.source
22 February – The country banned all cruise ships from visiting the country.Samoa source
April 12 – OPEC and allies strike a deal to cut oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day, the largest such cut agreed upon, starting May 1.source
April 13 – A historical landmark church inside Haiti's UNESCO World Heritage site, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Milot, is destroyed in a fire.Haiti source
16 April – Forty-two people die after drinking adulterated alcohol from three clandestine distilleries in the Dominican Republic.Dominican Republic source
May 10 – The Iranian Navy frigate Jamaran accidentally strikes the Iranian support vessel Konarak with a missile, killing nineteen sailors. This is the first friendly fire incident since February 2019, when an Indian Mil Mi-17 helicopter was mistakenly shot down by Indian air defense forces.source
May 22 – Flight PK8303, a Pakistan International Airlines passenger aircraft, crashes in a residential area near Karachi, in Pakistan, killing 97 of the 99 total people on board and injuring dozens on the ground.source
May 24 – Mining corporation Rio Tinto admits to blowing up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge caves in the Pilbara area of Western Australia. The firm later issues an apology to the two Aboriginal peoples who are the traditional owners of the site.source
August 4 – An explosion caused by unsafely stored ammonium nitrate kills at least 218 people, injures thousands, and severely damages the port in Beirut, Lebanon. Damage is estimated at $10–15 billion, and an estimated 300,000 people are left homeless. The following day, the Lebanese government declares a two-week state of emergency.source
August 7 – Air India Express Flight 1344 crashes after overrunning the runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India, killing 19 of the 191 people on board.source
August 16 – Forty Qʼeqchiʼ families were forced to leave the Cubilgüitz coffee farm, which they had been occupying in protest for fifteen years, after an armed group set fire to several residences.Guatemala source
October 29 – 140 migrants drown when a boat from M'Bour that was bound for the Canary Islands capsizes near Saint-Louis. The national government and the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) dispatched a mission to assess needs and provide assistance to survivors. It is the deadliest shipwreck recorded so far in 2020.Senegal source
24 December – Thirty people die when a boat capsizes in Lake Albert en route from Uganda to Congo.Mauritius source

Climate & Environment

January 1 – Flash floods struck Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 66 people in the worst flooding in over a decade.source
January 12 – The Taal Volcano in the Philippines has had its first major eruption since 1977.source
May 21 – Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing over 100 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 4 million others. It causes over US$13 billion in damage, making it the costliest cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean, shattering the record previously held by Nargis.source
June 3 – Russian President Vladimir Putin declares a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of oil leaked into the Ambarnaya River near the Siberian city of Norilsk within the Arctic Circle on May 26, 2020. The World Wildlife Fund said the accident is believed to be the second-largest in modern Russian history.source
July 12 – In an interview in The New York Times, former secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke reports that President Trump's first reaction to Hurricane Maria in 2017 was to sell Puerto Rico.Puerto Rico source
July 19 – Flooding of the Brahmaputra River kills 189 and leaves 4 million homeless in India and Nepal.source
August 15 – The Japanese bulk carrier Wakashio, which stranded on a reef in Mauritius last month, breaks in half. Approximately 1,000 tonnes of oil are spilled into the ocean, becoming the largest environmental disaster in the history of Mauritius.source
23 August – Tropical Storm Laura, which would later become Hurricane Laura, kills four people, and causes nearly 1.1 million people to lose power.Dominican Republic source
August 26 – The number of deaths from Hurricane Laura increases to 21.Haiti source
August 27 – Hurricane Laura makes landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana with winds of 150 mph, making it the strongest hurricane to ever strike the state in terms of windspeed, tied with the 1856 Last Island Hurricane.source
4 September – An earthquake with a 5.6 magnitude strikes Panama and Costa Rica; no reported injuries or damages.Panama source
September 6 – Typhoon Haishen makes landfall on Japan and then South Korea as a strong category 2-equivalent typhoon. It later makes landfall on North Korea where widespread flooding occurs.source
9 September – The Pittsburgh Pirates take #21 out of retirement for a game against the Chicago White Sox at PNC Park. 9 September is celebrated by Major League Baseball (MLB) as "Roberto Clemente Day". Clemente, a Puerto Rico native, died in a plane crash in December 1972 while en route to Nicaragua to deliver disaster relief to victims of an earthquake.Nicaragua source
September 16 – Hurricane Sally makes landfall on the Alabama coast as a high-end Category 2 hurricane, causing over $8 billion in damages and killing 8 people.source
17 September – The U.N. warns that record flooding and locust swarms threaten food security in South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Sudan.Mauritius source
October 6 – Serious floods affected in Central Vietnam, lasted nearly 3 months and killed at least 249 people.source
October 17 – 2020 New Zealand general election: Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party wins a landslide second term in office, defeating the National Party led by Judith Collins and gaining the country's first parliamentary majority since the introduction of the MMP voting system.source
October 21 – Heavy rains brought by tropical storm Linfa caused landslides at the Rao Trang 3 hydroelectric plant in Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam, killing 17 construction workers and 13 soldiers who were on a rescue mission.source
October 30 – 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits Turkey and Greece, killing 119 people and injuring over 1,000.source
October 31 – Typhoon Goni makes landfall in the Philippines, becoming the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone in history, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and killing dozens of people in the region.source
November 7 – Hurricane Eta makes landfall in Nicaragua, killing over 100 people in Central America as a category 4.source
November 16 – Hurricane Iota makes landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane just two weeks after Hurricane Eta made landfall, devastating the same areas.source
Typhoon Vamco makes landfall in Vietnam, after crossing the Philippines and killing at least 69 people. The storm causes the worst floods in the region since Typhoon Ketsana in 2009.source
The United States formally exits the Paris Agreement on climate change.source
Western Sahara conflict: fighting erupts between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic when Moroccan forces launch a military operation to capture the town of Guerguerat, located in a UN-monitored buffer zone.source
4 December – Vanuatu officially graduates from the United Nations official list of Least Developed Countries (LDC) becoming the sixth nation to ever do so. The UN Committee for Development Policy recommended for Vanuatu for graduation in 2012. In 2012, the Economic and Social Council and in 2013 the General Assembly approved the recommendation, however after Cyclone Pam, the country was granted an extension until 2020.Vanuatu source
December 9 – Six hundred men, women, and children are stopped in San Pedro Sula and asked for travel documents before starting a migration caravan to the United States. At least 3 million people were effected by Hurricane Eta before Hurricane Iota hit the area.Honduras source
December 29 – The 2020 Petrinja earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 strikes Croatia, killing seven and injuring more than 20.source

Culture & Society

6 January – Day of Kings (Dia de Reyes), national holidayDominican Republic source
February 2 – Jennifer Lopez wows the crowd by wearing a costume featuring the flag of Puerto Rico during her half-time appearance at the Super Bowl LIV.Puerto Rico source
March 11 – Moshoeshoe Day, LesothoLesotho source
March 24 – The International Olympic Committee and Japan postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021. On March 30, the Summer Olympics will be rescheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021.source
25 April – The country announced that it would be scheduling their Women's Super League cricket final on Saturday and streaming it live on social media.Vanuatu source
May 11 – The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology publishes the result of radiocarbon and DNA analysis from the fossils that has been found in the Bacho Kiro cave, Bulgaria. The result, showing that the fossils belong to Homo sapiens instead of Neanderthal, indicates that modern humans may have arrived in Europe thousands of years earlier than previously thought.source
25 May – 2020 Surinamese general electionSuriname source
May 26 – Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalise same-sex marriage.source
10 June – Prime Minister Malielegaoi announced the relaxation of lockdown restrictions on religious services, street vendors, weddings, and village matai councils. Street vendors will only be allowed to sell fruits, vegetables, cooked food and certain textiles while selling on footpaths will remain prohibited. Churches must practise two-meters social distancing but major events such as church conferences and national meetings remain prohibited. The new State of Emergency rules also allowed weddings in hotels but limited the guest list to 50 people. Market activities, beach and river excursions are banned on Sunday. There remains a five-person limit on funerals, traditional title bestowals, birthdays, reunions, and opening ceremonies for building.Samoa source
July 10 – Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan orders the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to be reverted to a mosque following a supreme court annulment of a 1934 presidential decree that made it into a museum.source
November 15 – Lewis Hamilton wins his seventh Formula One World Drivers' Championship at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, equalling the record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004.source
16 December – Couscous is added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.Mauritania source
December 16 – Couscous is added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.Morocco source

Births

January 9 – Salomón Andrés López Adams, first grandchild of President López Obrador, born in Houston, TexasMexico source
July 1 – Teodoro Zedillo de la Vega, tenth grandchild of former president Ernesto Zedillo.Mexico source
3 September – Ka Ying Rising, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
26 October – Orchestral, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

January 3 – Qasem Soleimani, 62, Iranian major general, commander of the Quds Force (since 1998).source
10 January – Qaboos bin Said al Said, sultan and ruler (born 1940).Oman source
January 18 – Yemeni Civil War: 111 Yemeni soldiers and five civilians are killed in a drone and missile attack on a military camp near Maʼrib.source
January 26 – Kobe Bryant, 41, basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers), Olympic champion (2008, 2012) and Oscar winner (2018).source
January 26 – 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash: Nine people are killed in an accident in Calabasas, California, including retired basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna; cause later attributed to heavy fog.source
February 28 – Syrian Civil War: NATO expresses solidarity with Turkey after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by pro-Syrian government forces.source
April 21 – Mozambique police say 52 male villagers were killed by Islamist militants earlier this month in Muidumbe District, Cabo Delgado Province, after they refused to join their ranks.source
June 15 – At least 20 Indian soldiers and over 40 Chinese forces are killed or injured in skirmishes in the disputed Galwan Valley, the largest escalation along the Sino-Indian border in five decades.source
18 June – Jules Sedney, economist and politician (born 1922).Suriname source
28 June – Louis Mahoney, Gambian-born British actor (born 1938).Gambia source
July 8 – Naya Rivera, 33, American actress (Glee, The Royal Family, Step Up), model and singer, drowned.source
July 17 – John Lewis, 80, American civil rights leader and politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (since 1987), Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient (2011), pancreatic cancer.source
July 26 – Dame Olivia de Havilland, 104, French-British-American actress (Gone with the Wind, The Adventures of Robin Hood, To Each His Own), Oscar winner (1947, 1950).source
September 18 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, American jurist, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (since 1993) and Judge of the D.C. Cir. (1980–1993), complications from pancreatic cancer.source
November 25 – Diego Maradona, 60, Argentine footballer (Barcelona, Napoli, national team), World Cup winner (1986), heart attack.source
November 27 – Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is assassinated near Tehran.source
13 December: Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, Prime Minister since 2018 dies from COVID-19 at the age of 52.Eswatini source
December 29 – Pierre Cardin, 98, French-Italian fashion designer.source