2020 in spaceflight Israel Aerospace Industries successfully launches the Ofeq-16 reconnaissance satellite via a Shavit rocket. The Israeli Defense Ministry describes the satellite as a "optoelectronic reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities".
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil The Brazilian Congress and Superior Electoral Court announce the postponement of this year's municipal elections to November 15 (first round) and 29 (second round) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CEO Spain's National Audience agrees to extradite former CEO of PEMEX Emilio Lozoya Austin to Mexico where he is wanted on charges of bribery and money laundering. He denies any wrongdoing.
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China In Beijing, authorities arrest Xu Zhangrun, a law professor who published essays strongly criticizing President Xi Jinping over censored academia on the COVID-19 pandemic and accusing him of ruling "tyrannically."
Hong Kong national security law A court in Hong Kong denies bail to Tong Ying-kit, a 23-year-old man who was arrested last week for driving a motorbike into police officers and carrying a separatist banner. Also, prominent pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow appear in court. Wong pleads not guilty to inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly last year while Chow pleads guilty to similar charges.
Philippine Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 Two lawyer groups file petitions to the Philippine Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the recent anti-terrorism law. Opposition lawmaker Edcel Lagman, who contributed to one of the petitions, claims that the law's "imprecise and vague definitions" make its enforcement susceptible to infringements on certain civil liberties.
George Floyd protests Phoenix police officers shoot and kill a man inside a parked car in an incident captured on bystander video, sparking renewed protests in the Arizona city. The video shows police threatening to shoot the man before firing into the vehicle.
Kuwait surpasses 50,000 infections after reporting 538 new cases in the past 24 hours. Its death toll jumps to 373.
Qatar exceeds 100,000 cases, becoming one of the world's highest per capita infections, having a population of 2.8 million.
India records 24,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing Russia, to become the 3rd highest number of cases in the world at 697,413 cases.
Fuel tanker An overturned fuel tanker catches fire while dozens of people were attempting to siphon off fuel, killing seven people and injuring more than 40 others, near Pueblo Viejo, Magdalena in northern Colombia.
Iloilo City More than 400 people are evacuated from their homes in Iloilo City in the Philippines after an explosion on a power barge caused an oil spill.
2020 Kyushu floods The death toll from floods in Kyushu, Japan, rises to 49 people. The country is bracing for more heavy rain.
New Zealand New Zealand news media company Stuff announces it will temporarily stop posting articles to Facebook and Instagram, saying they have not done enough to address fake news, hate speech, and false advertising.
Iraqi insurgency A group of unknown assailants assassinate prominent Iraqi historian and government advisor Hisham al-Hashimi, near his home in Zayouna, Baghdad. No group has claimed responsibility for his killing.
2020 New Caledonian independence referendum The Labour Party (New Caledonia) expresses its support for independence from France in the upcoming referendum, the party leader Louis Kotra Uregei says after abstaining in 2018.
2020 Dominican Republic general election Conservative candidate and opposition leader Luis Abinader is proclaimed the winner, ending 16 years of centre-left rule.
After having been postponed once due to the COVID-19 pandemic, general elections are held in the Dominican Republic. The electorate can vote for the new members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as well as the country's next president.
2020 Croatian parliamentary election Croatia holds parliamentary elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising infection rates and the pandemic's effects on the economy might influence the outcome of the election.
Bayonne A bus driver in the French city of Bayonne is left brain dead after reportedly being assaulted by passengers who refused to wear face masks. Bus services in the city have been severely disrupted as drivers refuse to work following the incident.
List of mass shootings in the United States in 2020 At least two people are killed and eight injured, four critically, in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Greenville, South Carolina. No suspects have been arrested.
COVID-19 pandemic Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports the highest daily death toll to date from COVID-19, recording 163 deaths. Iran's cases reach 240,438 while the deaths jump to 11,571.
Mid-air collision Eight people are feared dead following a mid-air collision between two planes flying over Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, US, both of which then crashed into the waters. Two of the victims' bodies have already been recovered.
2020 Kyushu floods The death toll from floods in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, rises to 20 and 14 people remain missing. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with a disaster task force team to step up rescue efforts. Meanwhile, weather agencies warn people to remain alert as more rains are predicted.
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz announces that it will be recalling 668,954 vehicles in China over possible issues with oil leakage.
COVID-19 pandemic in India The government extends the lockdown in the city of Agra and delays the reopening of the Taj Mahal for tourists and visitors after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Hachalu Hundessa riots The death toll amid civil unrest in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, rises to 166 people, including 11 security personnel. More than 1,000 people have been arrested.
Second Libyan Civil War The Government of National Accord (GNA) warns of a "response in the right place and at the right time" after a "foreign air force" bombed the Al-Watiya Air Base in an overnight air raid, according to the GNA's Deputy Defence Minister Salah al-Namrush. Al-Namrush did not specify which foreign air force was behind the raid, which is believed to have targeted a Turkish anti-aircraft missile system.
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present) A Katyusha rocket falls in the Green Zone of Baghdad, Iraq, injuring a child and damaging a house. Iraqi security forces also thwart another rocket launched at Camp Taji, which houses U.S. troops. Also, a MIM-104 Patriot defense system shoots down a missile launched against the U.S. embassy.
Somali Civil War A local politician is abducted and killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Bal'ad, Middle Shabelle, Somalia.
Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope For the first time scientists at the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope discover neutral hydrogen atoms outside of the Milky Way.
President of Poland President of Poland Andrzej Duda announces that he will propose a constitutional amendment to outlaw LGBT adoption in Poland.
2020 United States presidential election American rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West formally announces his campaign in the U.S. presidential election on Twitter, running as an independent.
Canada–China relations The Chinese embassy in Ottawa issues a rebuke of Canada, saying that it has "grossly interfered" in its affairs a day after Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong.
North Korea–United States relations North Korean First Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui says her country has "no interest" in a face-to-face meeting with the United States unless the U.S. discards its "hostile" policies toward North Korea.
COVID-19 pandemic The World Health Organization suspends its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination of HIV drug lopinavir-ritonavir after they fail to reduce mortality in infected patients.
President Hassan Rouhani announces new measures to curb the spread of the virus, including mandatory wearing of masks in covered public areas.
The Catalan government locks down the county of Segrià, with 200,000 inhabitants, due to a major outbreak, becoming the first confinement after the end of the state of emergency.
Power plant A fire is reported at a power plant in the city of Ahvaz, in south-western Iran, while a chlorine gas leak injures 70 workers at a petrochemicals plant near Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni. The incidents come after a string of other unexplained blazes and explosions at Iranian facilities.
Kumamoto Prefecture Heavy rains and mudslides occur in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. At least 14 residents of a nursing home in Kuma are feared dead after they are found "in cardio-respiratory arrest", according to prefecture Governor Ikuo Kabashima. Another 10 people are missing and dozens stranded on rooftops.
Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic Donald Trump signs an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program to extend the filing deadline to August 8.
President President Donald Trump announces the building of National Garden of American Heroes through executive order, which will consist of statues of notable American political figures, activists, businesspeople, and pop culture icons.
List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests Black Lives Matter protesters tear down the Statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland, and throw it into the city's Inner Harbor. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott had previously called for the statue to be removed.
Syrian civil war The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announces that 44 combatants have been killed in clashes between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Syrian Army since Thursday.
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea The USS "Nimitz" and the USS "Ronald Reagan" participate in dual-carrier operations and exercises in the disputed South China Sea.
Somali Civil War A suicide car bomber detonates at a checkpoint in Mogadishu, Somalia, injuring at least five people.