The biggest international stories of 2020

TOP STORIES AROUND THE WORLD

January 2: Erdogan, Istanbul rival lock horns over ‘crazy canal'

Ekrem Imamoglu, who won a shock victory for the opposition last year to become mayor of Turkey's largest city, said the 75 billion lira ($12.6b) canal is wasteful, environmentally destructive and could even increase the earthquake risk.

January 2; Congo's veteran president set to run anew in 2021

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso was chosen by his party to run again for the top job in 2021, having already led the central African country for a total of 35 years.

January 3 :Taiwan's military chief killed in helicopter crash. Taiwan's military chief was killed in a helicopter crash, the defence ministry has said, just days before the island goes to polls to elect a new president.

January 7: Al-Shabaab kills 3 Americans in Kenya

A US service member and two department of defence contractors were killed, following an attack by al-Shabaab at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya, according to the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM)

January 8 : Stampede at Iran general's funeral leaves dozens dead

A stampede broke out at the funeral of a top Iranian general killed in a US drone strike, leaving 40 people dead and many injured as huge crowds packed his hometown.

January 9: Iran appears to be standing down

US President Donald Trump said Iran appeared to be "standing down" after missile strikes on US troop bases in Iraq that resulted in no American or Iraqi deaths.

January 13 : Oman to retain treasured neutrality after Sultan Qaboos

With the passing on of the 79-year-old sultan, Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the swift appointment of like-minded cousin Haitham bin Tariq as his successor, observers said Oman appears on track to retain its treasured status as a neutral peacemaker.

January 14: Harry, William show unity ahead of Royal crisis summit

Prince Harry and his brother Prince William put on a united front as they were summoned to showdown talks on Harry's future after he and his wife Meghan unilaterally announced they were quitting as front-line British royalty.

January 14 :Iran agrees de-escalation ‘only solution' to solve crisis with US 

Iran signaled it favours a de-escalation after 10 days of heightened tensions with the US, during which both sides fired missiles and Tehran accidentally shot down a passenger aircraft.

January 15: Queen grants Harry and Meghan ‘transition period'

Queen Elizabeth allowed her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to split their time between Canada and Britain during a "transition period" in which the family will figure out how to deal with their shock resignation from frontline royal duties.

January 16: Harry, Meghan come under fire

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan faced fresh criticism in the wake of an emergency royal summit to discuss their shock withdrawal from frontline royal duties.

January 16 : Russian gov't in shock resignation after Putin calls for reforms

Russia's government resigned in a shock announcement after President Vladimir Putin proposed a shake-up of the constitution.

January 20.First Marital rape case in Eswatini

34-year-old Nhlanhla Dlamini became the first man to be arrested and charged with rape for having sexual intercourse with his wife without her consent.

January 20:South Sudan talks fail to end impasse over state boundaries

The latest round of peace talks between South Sudan's two rival leaders failed to strike a deal on the vital issue of internal boundaries, mediators said.

January 23 : Trump impeachment: What next?

The US Senate voted along party lines to set the rules for President Donald Trump's historic impeachment trial. By a 53 to 47 vote, the Republican-controlled Senate approved an "organising resolution" for the trial proposed by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

January 26: Kobe Bryant dies in chopper crash

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, U.S. The 41-year old basketball icon was with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others when the chopper went down due to technical difficulties, killing everyone on board.

January 27: Bolton bombshell rocks Trump trial

US President Donald Trump's lawyers, eager to attain his swift acquittal, pushed back forcefully against explosive new allegations from former national security advisor John Bolton, insisting that Trump's dealings regarding Ukraine were not impeachable.

January 29: Coronavirus: New cases in Singapore, Japan, Germany

A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has claimed 106 lives since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and spread around the world.

January 30:  Trump Mideast plan faces dim prospects

President Donald Trump boasted that his Middle East plan would find support, but most experts believed its unabashed backing of Israel and tough conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state meant it is doomed to fail.

 February 9: Parasite' makes Oscars history with best picture

South Korean black comedy Parasite made movie history at the Oscars, becoming the first non-English-language film to win the best picture award — Hollywood's biggest prize of all

February 10: Merkel ‘heir' bows out amid political crisis 

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) known as AKK, the woman widely seen as German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chosen successor gave up on leadership ambitions, falling victim to a growing crisis over ties between the centre and far right.

February 11 :  Kenya mourns Moi with state funeral

Thousands of Kenyans gathered to mourn the country's longest-serving leader.

February 12 : Pope remains silent on married priests

Pope Francis urged Catholics to "feel outrage" over the exploitation of indigenous people and destruction of land devastated by illegal mining and deforestation.

February 17 : South Sudan rebels reject Kiir's peace compromise

South Sudan rebels yesterday rejected a government peace offer to return to a system of 10 states, dashing hopes of ending a six-year war that has left 380,000 dead. 

February 19 : Coronavirus ship cases hit 542

Another 88 people aboard a cruise ship off Japan have tested positive for the coronavirus.

February 20 : Machar sworn in as vice-president

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice-president, formally rejoining the government in the latest bid to bring peace to a nation ravaged by war.

February 22 : Sanders wins big in Nevada

Progressive firebrand Bernie Sanders earned a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses, solidifying his frontrunner status in the race to choose the Democratic nominee who faces President Donald Trump in November's election.

February 24 : Trump hails ‘exceptional' Modi

 President Donald Trump received a red-carpet welcome in the world's biggest democracy, addressing a huge rally in a mega cricket stadium on a maiden official visit to India.

March 11: COVID-19 outbreak officially labelled as a pandemic

Owing to the alarming rise in cases in almost every leading country in the world, WHO labelled the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. All affected nations announced strict rules of lockdown soon after, asking its citizens to self-quarantine themselves at home. Workplaces which could arrange for their employees to work from home were asked to do so. 

March 24: Summer Olympics is canceled

Owing to the pandemic, 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed to July 23-Aug. 8 in the next year. Several other major sporting events were postponed to 2021, including Wimbledon, UEFA Euro and the US Open.

March 27: North Macedonia joins NATO

A long-time contributor to Euro-Atlantic security, North Macedonia became the 30th member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The nation's Ascension Protocol was signed in February 2019, following which all 29 parliaments voted to ratify its membership

April 3: Wuhan partially reopens after lockdown

Believed to be ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Wuhan was partially reopened following a lockdown that lasted over 60 days. China officially ended the city-wide lockdown on April 8. As of June 23, the Hubei province reported total of 68,135 cases and 4,512 deaths.

April 20: Oil prices hits record lows

For the first time in recorded history, the U.S. oil market dipped to negative prices. Due to lockdowns and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North American oil producers faced an unmatched oversupply of crude oil and not enough space to store them, leading to the crisis.

May 22: Plane crash kills 97 in Pakistan

A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed into a residential area near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, as it approached the airport, following technical failure. At least 97, including passengers and crew members, were killed in the disaster.

May 25: George Floyd dies in police custody, leading to global protests

George Floyd, an African American man, died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. In a video that went viral, police officer Derek Chauvin can be seen pressing his knee on Floyd's neck to restrain him while he was pinned to the ground. The action, which lasted several minutes, was marked by Floyd's call for help, repeating the phrase "I can't breathe." 

May 29: Taiwan decriminalizes adultery

In a major step supporting women's rights in the nation, a constitutional court in Taiwan struck down an 85-year-old law which made adultery a punishable crime with up to a year of imprisonment. Chief Justice Hsu Tzong-li announced the ruling by saying that the law was a "violation of a person's sexual autonomy" and a "serious invasion of personal privacy.

May 30: NASA-SpaceX's ‘Launch America' takes off

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took off for the International Space Station (ISS) in SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket. Location of the launch was Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A in Florida, U.S. "Launch America" - officially known as the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission - sees NASA partnering with private space company SpaceX.

June 2: Google sued for $5 billion over private mode tracking

Based on claims that Google illegally tracks user data when browsing in private/incognito mode, the tech giant and owner Alphabet landed in a U.S. class action that demanded at least $5 billion in settlement.

Aug. 4: Beirut rocked by massive explosion

A stockpile of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate in a building near the port exploded with an intensity that flattened a large part of the city. Nearly 200 people were killed, over 6,500 injured and as many as 300,000 were left homeless due to the explosion, which damaged or destroyed around 6,000 buildings, including historic structures.

Oct. 16: School teacher beheaded in France

Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old history teacher, was decapitated by 18-year-old Chechen-origin Russian refugee Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch in Paris, France, after the former displayed Charlie Hebdo's caricatures of Prophet Muhammad for a lesson on freedom of expression in his class. 

Nov. 7: Joe Biden elected 46th President of the US

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden emerged as the winner of a highly contentious U.S. presidential elections after he went past the majority mark of 270, defeating incumbent President Donald Trump of the Republican Party. The win came after Biden secured Pennsylvania following a tense four days of counting.

Nov. 25: Diego Maradona dies

Hailed universally as one of the world's greatest soccer players, Maradona died of a heart attack at his home in Tigre, Argentina. He was 60. His death triggered a wave of grief around the world, with prominent names ranging from sports to politics offering their tributes.