World 2020 Timeline

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Showing 75 events on this page. Use search or category filters to narrow the year.
Mar
28
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in South America COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay Former Minister of National Defence Rodolfo González Rissotto becomes the first confirmed death

COVID-19 pandemic in South America COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay Former Minister of National Defence Rodolfo González Rissotto becomes the first confirmed death from COVID-19 in Uruguay. (The New York Times) COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia The Minister of Health reports the first death from COVID-19 in the country. (U.S. News & World Report)

Mar
28
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Spain Spain's Ministry of Health reports 832 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the c

COVID-19 pandemic in Spain Spain's Ministry of Health reports 832 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 5,690, as confimed cases rise to 72,248. (Reuters) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announces the cessation of all non-essential activity, leading the country to total lockdown during two weeks. (Politico) Authorities in Madrid decide to stop using a Chinese rapid COVID-19 test kit, developed by Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology, after research suggested it was not accurate enough with a rate of less than 30%. (NewsAu)

Mar
29
Politics / Government

2020 Malian parliamentary election After having been postponed several times, parliamentary elections are being held in war-torn Mali.

2020 Malian parliamentary election After having been postponed several times, parliamentary elections are being held in war-torn Mali. The election is overshadowed by the recent kidnapping of the leading opposition politician Soumaïla Cissé and the first reported COVID-19 death in the country. (DW)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

Coalition warplanes carry out an air raid on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, bombing the Presidential Palace compound, a military school and airbase adjacent to Sanaa

Coalition warplanes carry out an air raid on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, bombing the Presidential Palace compound, a military school and airbase adjacent to Sanaa International Airport. The Houthi-run Almasirah TV channel says 70 horses were killed in the raid on the school. (Middle East Monitor)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics; COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary Parliament votes 137 to 53 in favor of passing legislation to create a state of emerge

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics; COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary Parliament votes 137 to 53 in favor of passing legislation to create a state of emergency without a time limit, grant Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the ability to rule by decree, suspend the parliament with no elections, and establish prison sentences for spreading fake news and leaving quarantine. (DW)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

Parliament votes 137 to 53 in favor of passing legislation to create a state of emergency without a time limit, grant Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the ability to

Parliament votes 137 to 53 in favor of passing legislation to create a state of emergency without a time limit, grant Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the ability to rule by decree, suspend the parliament with no elections, and establish prison sentences for spreading fake news and leaving quarantine. (DW)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Coalition warplanes carry out an air raid on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, bombing the Presidential Palace compound, a milit

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Coalition warplanes carry out an air raid on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, bombing the Presidential Palace compound, a military school and airbase adjacent to Sanaa International Airport. The Houthi-run Almasirah TV channel says 70 horses were killed in the raid on the school. (Middle East Monitor)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Africa COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana Botswana reports their first confimed cases of COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic in Africa COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana Botswana reports their first confimed cases of COVID-19. Health Minister Lemogang Kwape says the three patients are currently in quarantine and had recently travelled to Britain and Thailand. (Reuters) COVID-19 pandemic in Libya The Government of National Accord (GNA) frees 466 prisoners from jails in Tripoli to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The GNA also announces an extended curfew from 2pm to 7am in the areas it controls. (Al Jazeera)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Japanese comedian Ken Shimura dies from pneumonia several days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Japanese comedian Ken Shimura dies from pneumonia several days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. (The Japan Times) COVID-19 pandemic in Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his cabinet members self-quarantine after an aide tests positive for COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency) COVID-19 pandemic in Syria The government reports the country's first death from COVID-19. (BBC News) COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia begins a nationwide disinfection to help curb the spread of COVID-19. (Straits Times)

Mar
30
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in France France reports 418 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll

COVID-19 pandemic in France France reports 418 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 3,024 and 44,550 cases. (Metro) Former President of the People's Republic of the Congo Joachim Yhombi-Opango dies from COVID-19 at a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He is the first state leader (former or current) to have died from COVID-19. (Le Figaro)

Apr
01
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in North America COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba The government announces that all flights to and from the island nation are suspended, as of midnig

COVID-19 pandemic in North America COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba The government announces that all flights to and from the island nation are suspended, as of midnight on April 1. (WSVN) COVID-19 pandemic in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issues a stay-at-home order. (NBC News)

Apr
01
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The Department of Health and Social Care reports 563 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the coun

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The Department of Health and Social Care reports 563 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 2,352 and 29,474 cases. (BBC News) Chief Minister Howard Quayle confirms the Isle of Man's first death from COVID-19, a patient with underlying health conditions at Noble’s Hospital. (BBC News) Former Prime Minister of Somalia Nur Hassan Hussein dies from COVID-19 in London. (Voice of America)

Apr
01
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 prisoners from deten

COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 prisoners from detention facilities in areas under its control amid growing concerns the virus could spread in Yemen's overcrowded jails. The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the release of all political prisoners. (The National)

Apr
01
Politics / Government

Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 prisoners from detention facilities in areas under its control amid growing concerns the vi

Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 prisoners from detention facilities in areas under its control amid growing concerns the virus could spread in Yemen's overcrowded jails. The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the release of all political prisoners. (The National)

Apr
02
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic as the virus rapidly spreads inside the city. A joint military and police task force has collected at least 150 bodies off the streets. The government's spokesman Jorge Wated apologizes in a message broadcast on state television. (France 24) (CBS News)

Apr
02
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in South America COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal gov

COVID-19 pandemic in South America COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic as the virus rapidly spreads inside the city. A joint military and police task force has collected at least 150 bodies off the streets. The government's spokesman Jorge Wated apologizes in a message broadcast on state television. (France 24) (CBS News)

Apr
02
Politics / Government

The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic as the virus rapidly spreads

The Mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic as the virus rapidly spreads inside the city. A joint military and police task force has collected at least 150 bodies off the streets. The government's spokesman Jorge Wated apologizes in a message broadcast on state television. (France 24) (CBS News)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

2019–20 Chilean protests Chilean president Sebastián Piñera takes pictures in an empty Plaza Baquedano, symbol of mass protests calling for his resignation.

2019–20 Chilean protests Chilean president Sebastián Piñera takes pictures in an empty Plaza Baquedano, symbol of mass protests calling for his resignation. The image provokes outrage after the protests were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic and a quarantine was declared. (The New York Times)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

At the British government's daily press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove condemns conspiracy theories being sp

At the British government's daily press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove condemns conspiracy theories being spread on social media about 5G spreading COVID-19. Several 5G telecommunications masts have been set on fire in recent days in Birmingham and Merseyside. (Reuters)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait Kuwait reports its first death from COVID-19 as cases reach 479.

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait Kuwait reports its first death from COVID-19 as cases reach 479. (Reuters) COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons Turkey deploys the Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of Batman after a riot erupts inside the city's Type-M prison. The riot comes after the Turkish parliament approved the release of 100,000 inmates due to COVID-19, but excluded journalists and political prisoners, many of whom are Kurds. (Ahval News)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons Turkey deploys the Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of Batman after a rio

COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons Turkey deploys the Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of Batman after a riot erupts inside the city's Type-M prison. The riot comes after the Turkish parliament approved the release of 100,000 inmates due to COVID-19, but excluded journalists and political prisoners, many of whom are Kurds. (Ahval News)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic At the British government's daily press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for the Cabinet Office Mi

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic At the British government's daily press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove condemns conspiracy theories being spread on social media about 5G spreading COVID-19. Several 5G telecommunications masts have been set on fire in recent days in Birmingham and Merseyside. (Reuters)

Apr
04
Politics / Government

Turkey deploys the Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of Batman after a riot erupts inside the city's Type-M prison.

Turkey deploys the Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of Batman after a riot erupts inside the city's Type-M prison. The riot comes after the Turkish parliament approved the release of 100,000 inmates due to COVID-19, but excluded journalists and political prisoners, many of whom are Kurds. (Ahval News)

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