World 2020 Timeline

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Showing 75 events on this page. Use search or category filters to narrow the year.
Nov
17
Politics / Government

Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir says that his country "re

Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir says that his country "reserves the right to arm itself with nuclear weapons if Iran cannot be stopped from making one." (Al Jazeera)

Nov
17
Major Trends

The bodies of 29 people are found in the Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo after they were "executed en masse".

The bodies of 29 people are found in the Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo after they were "executed en masse". The interior ministry of North Kivu province has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and added that six other civilians were killed in a nearby village on Tuesday. (Al Jazeera)

Nov
17
Politics / Government

Tigray conflict Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vows a "final and crucial" offensive after a three-day deadline to the leaders of the Tigray Region to surre

Tigray conflict Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vows a "final and crucial" offensive after a three-day deadline to the leaders of the Tigray Region to surrender has expired. Abiy also confirms that airstrikes are being carried out but defines them as "precision-led and surgical", denying claims of civilian casualties. (AP)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

Beginning December 1, Taiwan will require almost all visitors to have negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in the country due to an increase in imported case

Beginning December 1, Taiwan will require almost all visitors to have negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in the country due to an increase in imported cases. The government will also increase the number of places where people must wear masks. (The Straits Times)

Nov
18
War / Conflict / Security

Boeing 737 MAX groundings The U.S.

Boeing 737 MAX groundings The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration clears Boeing's 737 MAX to fly again, provided that all planes receive modifications to their software and wiring and that all pilots receive additional training. (BBC News)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark Cluster 5 Danish Agriculture Minister Mogens Jensen (politician) resigns following criticism of illegal government order to cull 15

COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark Cluster 5 Danish Agriculture Minister Mogens Jensen (politician) resigns following criticism of illegal government order to cull 15-17 million minks after the discovery of a mutated version of the coronavirus at some of the country's mink farms. (Euronews)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Beginning December 1, Taiwan will require almost all visitors to have negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in the country due to

COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Beginning December 1, Taiwan will require almost all visitors to have negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in the country due to an increase in imported cases. The government will also increase the number of places where people must wear masks. (The Straits Times)

Nov
18
War / Conflict / Security

Taiwan's broadcast regulator denies the renewal of the broadcast license of CTi News channel, citing alleged interference by its major shareholder Tsai Eng-meng

Taiwan's broadcast regulator denies the renewal of the broadcast license of CTi News channel, citing alleged interference by its major shareholder Tsai Eng-meng. This is the first time ever that Taiwan shuts down a television news channel. The opposition party Kuomintang calls it an attack on press freedom. (CNA)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

Columbus Health Commissioner Dr.

Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and Franklin County, Ohio Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola issue stay-at-home advisories for residents of Columbus and Franklin County. People living in these areas are also advised to avoid travelling in and out of the state. (WANE-TV)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Africa COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe Authorities close a boarding school in Matabeleland North Province after at least 100 students tested

COVID-19 pandemic in Africa COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe Authorities close a boarding school in Matabeleland North Province after at least 100 students tested positive for COVID-19. (SowetanLIVE) The total number of confirmed cases in Africa surpasses two million. South Africa remains the continent's highest number of reported COVID-19 cases at over 750,000. (Reuters)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announces a six-day "circuit breaker" lockdown across the s

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announces a six-day "circuit breaker" lockdown across the state beginning at midnight due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases in Adelaide. Unlike previous lockdowns in Australia, outside exercise and takeaway food will be prohibited. The lockdown will be followed by eight days of "lesser restrictions". (BBC News)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Tokyo reports a new single-day record of 493 new cases, surpassing the previous record set in August and bringing the cumulative numb

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Tokyo reports a new single-day record of 493 new cases, surpassing the previous record set in August and bringing the cumulative number of cases in the prefecture to over 35,000. (The Mainichi Shimbun) Nationwide, 2,203 new cases are reported in Japan. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 2,000 cases since the pandemic began. (Kyodo News)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan Three Republican members of the Michigan House of Representatives have introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of Gove

COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan Three Republican members of the Michigan House of Representatives have introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of Governor Gretchen Whitmer over her new mitigation measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Other members of the Michigan Republicans, including high-ranking members of the Michigan House, criticize the resolution. (Fox News)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

COVID-19 pandemic in Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi confirms the first case of COVID-19 in the country from a sailor who returned from

COVID-19 pandemic in Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi confirms the first case of COVID-19 in the country from a sailor who returned from Auckland, New Zealand. Malielegaoi said the sailor tested positive Wednesday night but that a second confirmation test from this morning was negative. He added that they were concerned that the man could be contagious, though he is in isolation. (RNZ)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reports 313 new cases in South Korea in the past 24 hours, surpassing 300 for t

COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reports 313 new cases in South Korea in the past 24 hours, surpassing 300 for the first time. It is also the highest single-day figure since August 29, taking the nationwide total to 29,311 cases. (Yonhap News Agency)

Nov
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine Palestine reports a record 1,268 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, half of them in Gaza, as officials in bot

COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine Palestine reports a record 1,268 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, half of them in Gaza, as officials in both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas resist calls to impose a second general lockdown. (The Times of Israel)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

COVID-19 vaccine Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang to cooper

COVID-19 vaccine Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang to cooperate on the development of a safe and efficacious vaccine, as part of efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Star) Pfizer formally ends its vaccine trial with a 95% success rate and will submit a regulatory approval "within days". (NBC News)

Nov
18
Economy / Jobs / Business

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation Norwegian Air Shuttle files for bankruptcy protection in Ireland for two subsidiaries: Norwegian Air International a

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation Norwegian Air Shuttle files for bankruptcy protection in Ireland for two subsidiaries: Norwegian Air International and Arctic Aviation Assets as part of a restructuring of the business due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (RFI)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang to cooperate on the develo

Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang to cooperate on the development of a safe and efficacious vaccine, as part of efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Star)

Nov
18
Politics / Government

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi confirms the first case of COVID-19 in the country from a sailor who returned from Auckland, New Zealand.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi confirms the first case of COVID-19 in the country from a sailor who returned from Auckland, New Zealand. Malielegaoi said the sailor tested positive Wednesday night but that a second confirmation test from this morning was negative. He added that they were concerned that the man could be contagious, though he is in isolation. (RNZ)

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