Portal:Current events/June 2020

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June 2020 was the sixth month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Monday, ended on a Tuesday after 30 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from June 2020.

June 1, 2020 (2020-06-01) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• ISIL-linked militants attack a police station in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, killing an officer. One of the militants is shot dead as he tries to attack other policemen. (Jakarta Globe)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia
    • Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, his wife and their four children test positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    • The annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil in Hong Kong is banned for the first time since 1990 citing health concerns due to COVID-19. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, who organize the vigil, say the ban signals the end of Hong Kong's "one country, two systems". (BBC News)
• 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. (CNN)

International relations

• United States–Zimbabwe relations, George Floyd protests
  • Zimbabwe summons the U.S. envoy for comments by U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien suggesting that Zimbabwe is among "foreign adversaries" that could face retaliation for trying to foment unrest in the U.S. over the killing of George Floyd. (AP News)

Law and crime

• Killing of George Floyd
  • George Floyd protests
    • Shooting of James Scurlock
      • Prosecutors conclude a bar owner who fatally shot a protester during protests in Omaha, Nebraska, acted in self-defense and therefore will not press charges against him. (Omaha World-Herald)
    • Shooting of David McAtee
      • Police and National Guard troops open fire on a group of protesters after allegedly being fired upon in Louisville, Kentucky, resulting in the death of David McAtee, a local barbecue shop owner. An investigation is ongoing, while the LMPD Chief has been fired, as the officers involved in the shooting did not have their body cameras turned on. (Associated Press)
    • George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.
      • An active duty military police battalion of 200 to 250 troops are deployed in the U.S. capital Washington, D.C., to provide security as protests continue. Defense officials say the troops are from Fort Bragg in North Carolina. (CNN)
    • Forty cities across the United States impose overnight curfews in order to quell the violence from the protests. (CNN)
    • Two protesters are shot and killed during riots in Davenport, Iowa. In a separate incident, a police vehicle is ambushed, resulting in the wounding of an officer. (The Des Moines Register)
    • Two bystanders are shot and killed by "outside agitators" during protests in Cicero, Illinois. (CBS Chicago)
    • Police shoot and kill an armed man wearing body armor at a protest in Las Vegas. In another incident, a policeman is shot and critically injured. (Reno Gazette Journal)
    • Anonymous sources suggest President Donald Trump is considering invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy the military to respond to protests throughout the country. (NBC News)
    • Four police officers are shot in St. Louis amid rioting in the downtown area of the city. (New York Post)
  • An independent autopsy concludes George Floyd died of "asphyxiation from sustained pressure" and that there was "neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain" and that Floyd died at the scene of his arrest and not at the hospital, contradicting the Hennepin County, Minnesota coroner's report. (USA Today)
  • Two police vehicles drive into a crowd of protesters in New York. Similar vehicle incidents also occur in Denver and Minneapolis. (USA Today)

June 2, 2020 (2020-06-02) (Tuesday)

Business and economy

• 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. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • India approves the use of remdesivir to treat emergency COVID-19 cases that require immediate attention. (The Jakarta Post)

International relations

• Philippines–United States relations
  • President Rodrigo Duterte suspends for six months the termination of the Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. says the decision comes due to "political and other developments in the region". (Al Jazeera)
• United States–Venezuela relations
  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces sanctions on four shipping firms for transporting oil from Venezuela. Three firms are based in the Marshall Islands and another in Greece. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza responds by saying Pompeo has a "criminal obsession" with Venezuela. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.
  • James N. Miller, former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, announces his resignation from the Defense Science Board, citing disagreement with the Trump administration's actions against protestors in Washington, D.C. (The Washington Post)
• In France, despite being banned by the police headquarters, a demonstration organized by the Justice pour Adama movement in Paris gathered 20,000 participants. They were protesting for charges against police officers who had killed a young black man, Adama Traoré, during his arrest in 2016. They also demonstrated in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, and in protest against police violence against black and Arab individuals in France in general. Some clashes occur at the end of the event. Other smaller demonstrations took place in the towns of Lyon, Marseille and Lille. (France 24)

June 3, 2020 (2020-06-03) (Wednesday)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Cyclone Nisarga, COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • Severe Cyclonic Storm Nisarga makes landfall south of Mumbai. This is the first time a tropical cyclone has targeted the megacity since 1891. About 100,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, areas already hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. (NPR) (India Meteorological Department)
• 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes
  • A M_w 5.5 aftershock to the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 2019 takes place. It is the third-largest earthquake of the sequence, taking place only 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the Garlock Fault. (NBC Los Angeles) (The Los Angeles Times)
• Norilsk oil spill
  • 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 spill happened when a fuel tank in a Nornickel NTEK power plant collapsed. Putin lambasted the company for not reporting the incident. The World Wildlife Fund said the accident is believed to be the second-largest in modern Russian history. (BBC News) (The Guardian)

International relations

• Hong Kong–United Kingdom relations, 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that the United Kingdom will change its 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. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Killing of George Floyd
  • George Floyd protests
    • George Floyd protests in California
      • Vallejo police announce that Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old Hispanic resident of San Francisco, was shot and killed by police the day before at a Walgreens. Police allege that a hammer in his pocket was mistaken for a gun. Monterrosa was on his knees. (The San Francisco Chronicle)
      • Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti pledges to cut the budget of the Los Angeles Police Department by up to $150 million in the wake of allegations of police misconduct during protests. (Los Angeles Times)
    • George Floyd protests in Texas
      • Texas State University President Denise Trauth announces on social media that a 20-year-old African-American student protestor, Justin Howell, had been critically injured by a bean bag round fired by Austin police on Sunday. Police maintain that Howell was not the intended target. (Austin American-Statesman)
    • Death of David Dorn
      • African-American former police captain David Dorn is shot and killed while trying to protect a pawn shop in St. Louis. (CNN)
    • U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R–AR) publishes a op-ed for the New York Times calling for the mobilization of American troops in response to the protests. (The New York Times)
  • The criminal charge for former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd is upgraded to second-degree murder, while the three officers who helped restrain Floyd are charged with aiding and abetting murder. (CNBC)
• Papua conflict, 2019 Papua protests
  • An administrative court in Jakarta rules that it was unlawful for the Government of Indonesia to shut down the internet in Papua and West Papua during heightened security tensions caused by antiracism protests in the two provinces last year. (The Jakarta Post)
• Former Lesotho First Lady Maesiah Thabane is arrested on charges of murder. Her husband, former Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane, is also accused of murder but not formally charged. (Reuters)
• A court in France orders Rwandan genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga to be handed over to a United Nations tribunal for trial. Kabuga's lawyers said that their client would not receive a fair trial at a UN tribunal and that his health was too fragile to be transferred amidst the pandemic. However, French justice said his transfer is "not incompatible" with the decision. (Reuters)
• Former President of Ecuador Abdalá Bucaram is arrested for illegal possession of weapons during a raid on his home against corruption. (CNN Español)

Science and technology

• SpaceX successfully launches and deploys 60 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This brings the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 482. (Space.com)

June 4, 2020 (2020-06-04) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • 2019–20 Western Libya campaign
    • The Government of National Accord (GNA) says they are in full control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA), loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, retreat from the capital after months of intense clashes in the city. (Reuters)
    • The GNA recaptures Tripoli International Airport on the outskirts of the capital following the withdrawal of LNA forces. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
  • Virginia Governor Ralph Northam orders the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument in the state capital Richmond, saying, "In Virginia, we no longer preach a false version of history". (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
    • After violent protests erupt across the country against a lockdown imposed to combat the virus, the government announces it will "relax" the restrictions. Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye says the curfew will be shortened and inter-regional travel ban lifted. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses Italy with the third-highest COVID-19 death toll. (The Guardian)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • North Korea issues a warning that it would end a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement if South Korea fails to stop defectors and activists from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the demilitarized zone (DMZ). (DW)
• Iran–United States relations
  • U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. White is released from Iranian custody. White was under house arrest for nearly two years and is now en-route to Zurich, Switzerland. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests
  • George Floyd protests in California
    • Los Angeles officials announce an end to the county-wide curfew amid continuing protests. (Los Angeles Times)
  • Buffalo police shoving incident
    • Two Buffalo police officers are suspended without pay after shoving a 75-year-old protestor to the ground. He has been hospitalized from the resulting head injury. (The New York Times)
• Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
  • One of the suspects involved in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery testifies that the gunman who shot and killed Arbery had shouted a racial slur at the victim moments after his death. The allegation opens up the possibility for hate crime charges. (The Washington Post)
• Freedom of religion in Russia
  • A court in Russian-controlled Crimea jails a Jehovah's Witness for six years for practicing an outlawed religion in the territory. (Reuters)
• Riots break out and the governor’s palace is attacked in Guadalajara, Mexico, after police officers in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos beat a young worker to death for not wearing a medical mask. (Puerto Vallarta Daily News)

Politics and elections

• 31st anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
  • The mass annual vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, is banned by the city police for the first time, citing concerns of local COVID-19 transmissions. Local commemorations are held across the city. (Hong Kong Free Press)
  • Tens of thousands of people, in multiple locations across Hong Kong, defy the ban against gatherings to observe the anniversary, carrying lit candles and chanting democracy slogans. The largest group, in Victoria Park, heard Lee Cheuk-yan, former Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, read the Alliance's manifesto and vow to return next year. (South China Morning Post) (International Business Times)

June 5, 2020 (2020-06-05) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • 2019–20 Western Libya campaign
    • Turkish-backed GNA forces enter the strategic Libyan National Army-held town of Tarhuna, west of Tripoli. The town is considered to be a stronghold for Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The GNA operations room say its forces have reached the centre of the town. (Reuters)
• 2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo massacres
  • The High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, Michelle Bachelet, says that more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in recent months and half a million displaced in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid a resurgence of attacks on the civilian population by different armed groups. Bachelet says these attacks "may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes". (Al Jazeera)
• Mali War, Operation Barkhane
  • The French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly says that AQIM emir Abdelmalek Droukdel, along with members of his inner circle, had been killed in northern Mali on 3 June 2020. She also says that French forces had also captured a senior AQIM commander in an operation in May. (BBC News)
• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2020
  • Seven people are killed in an overnight shooting and arson at a residence in Valhermoso Springs, Alabama. Police believe the incident was a targeted attack, but no suspects are in custody. (ABC News) (WAFF-TV)

Disasters and accidents

• A three-alarm fire causes major damage to Amazon's distribution center in Redlands, California. Despite the extent of the damage and the collapse of the roof, no injuries are reported as the staff was safely evacuated. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
      • New York City reports its first day without COVID-19 deaths since March 11. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    • The COVID-19 death toll in the United Kingdom passes over 40,000. (The Independent)

Law and crime

• Buffalo police shoving incident
  • 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team resign in protest of the city's decision to suspend two officers after injuring a 75-year-old on Thursday. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden surpasses the required 1,991 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. He will face off against incumbent President Donald Trump in the general election in November. (NPR)
• 2020 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election
  • Citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis head to the polls in the country's latest general election. (Foreign Brief)

June 6, 2020 (2020-06-06) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • 2019–20 Western Libya campaign
    • The Government of National Accord (GNA) says its forces have taken full control of Bani Walid, including Bani Walid Airport, and Al ‘Urban without facing any resistance, as Libyan National Army forces abandon their positions. (The Libya Observer)
    • GNA forces state that they have discovered 160 bodies in and around a hospital in the recently captured Tarhuna, including the bodies of women and young children, which the GNA Ministry of Health remark appear to have only recently been killed. (The Libya Observer)
    • GNA forces say they have begun a military operation to recapture the coastal city of Sirte from pro-Haftar forces. (Daily Sabah)
    • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says Khalifa Haftar supports a ceasefire starting Monday, June 8, with the condition that all "foreign mercenaries leave Libyan territory". (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
  • Vatican Press Secretary announces that the last remaining patient has recovered and that there are zero active cases in the state. (Vatican News)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests
  • George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom
    • Tens of thousands of people demonstrate against racism in the United Kingdom. A protest on Whitehall in London turns violent and a mounted officer falls from her horse, which then bolts. (Sky News) (BBC News)
  • Buffalo police shoving incident
    • Two Buffalo police officers are charged with assault after they were recorded on video violently shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground and causing him to be hospitalized with a head injury. (The Washington Post)
• The government of Malaysia rejects a USD$3 billion settlement offered by Goldman Sachs in a lawsuit over the 1MDB scandal. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral recall vote
  • Incumbent mayor of Kaohsiung and former presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu is removed from office after 939,090 people voted for his recall, vastly exceeding the minimum threshold of 574,996 votes. This marks the first time a mayor has been successfully recalled in Taiwan. (Central News Agency)

June 7, 2020 (2020-06-07) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Protests erupt in Kashmir after Indian Army troops kill nine militants and destroy a house with explosives. Protesters demand an end to the Indian occupation of, and direct federal rule over, the territory. (Al Jazeera)
• A Ku Klux Klan leader drives a car into a group of protesters during the George Floyd protests in Virginia, injuring a person. The attacker may face hate crime charges. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • The number of worldwide cases of COVID-19 surpasses seven million. The United States remains the global epicenter, accounting for approximately 26% of all reported and confirmed cases in the world. (CNN)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  • The Brazilian government alters the country's COVID-19 death toll on the Health Ministry's website following a change in protocol for the release of pandemic-related data to the general public. President Jair Bolsonaro orders interim minister Gen. Eduardo Pazuello to limit the number of divulged deaths to under 1,000 per day. (The Guardian) (O Estado de S. Paulo)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
  • The total tally of cases in Saudi Arabia exceeds 100,000. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
  • George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom
    • The statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, is pulled down by anti-racism demonstrators and thrown into Bristol Harbour, England. (The Guardian)
  • George Floyd protests in Richmond, Virginia
    • Black Lives Matter supporters tear down the 128-year-old statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham in Monroe Park in Richmond, Virginia. (The Hill)
• Shooting of Iyad Halaq
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his condolences for the death of a Palestinian man with autism and says he "expects a full investigation into the matter" from Interior Security Minister Amir Ohana. (Reuters)
• 2020 boogaloo killings
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a possible link between the May 30 drive-by shooting that killed a Federal Protective Service officer at Oakland, California, to a shootout in the Santa Cruz Mountains yesterday, which left a deputy dead and two other officers injured. The gunman, who was armed with a rifle and improvised explosive devices, was also wounded and taken into custody. (ABC News)
• The Philippine Department of Justice probes the proliferation of sockpuppet Facebook accounts that have been using the identities of students and journalists involved in protests against the passage of an anti-terrorism bill. (Bloomberg)

Politics and elections

• Killing of George Floyd
  • The Minneapolis City Council passes a resolution to begin the process of abolishing the Minneapolis Police Department. Mayor Jacob Frey has publicly opposed the measure. (Star Tribune)

June 8, 2020 (2020-06-08) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • 2019–20 Western Libya campaign, Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War
    • Turkish-backed GNA forces enter the Libyan National Army-held city of Sirte and capture two districts. (Anadolu Agency)
    • The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says it has received "numerous" reports of looting and destruction of public and private property in the town of Tarhuna, which was recently captured by GNA forces. Videos uploaded to social media appear to show GNA fighters torching the homes of families accused of supporting Khalifa Haftar. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • The government orders an inquiry into the killing of 43 civilians in two villages in Mopti. Human rights groups accused the Malian Armed Forces of being responsible for the killings, in a volatile part of the country that has seen a resurgence of insurgent attacks. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Multinational energy company BP announces in a conference call that it is cutting 15% of its workforce, which is roughly 10,000 jobs. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand has no active cases, as the last remaining patient is reported to have recovered. (Stuff)
    • New Zealand moves to its lowest alert level effective midnight local time (12 UTC), removing most restrictions but maintaining strict border controls. (Stuff)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    • Most schools in South Africa re-open after Education Minister Angie Motshekga says that efforts to contain the virus allowed 95% of schools to return to classes. South Africa has recorded nearly 50,000 cases and almost 1,000 deaths. (Reuters)

June 9, 2020 (2020-06-09) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gubio massacre
  • Insurgents destroy a village in Gubio, Borno State, Nigeria, killing 81 residents. No group has claimed responsibility for the massacre, which is believed to have been carried out by the Islamist Boko Haram terror group. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• The American reality TV program Cops is canceled after 31 years amid police brutality protests. (The Washington Post)
• The film Gone with the Wind is removed from the HBO Max streaming service. They say the 1939 film, which takes place in Georgia during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era, was "a product of its time" and depicted "ethnic and racial prejudices" that "were wrong then and are wrong today". (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Fifty-three migrants die when a boat carrying them sinks off the coast of Tunisia on its way to Italy. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • A Harvard University study suggests that COVID-19 may have been spreading in China as early as August 2019. (The Guardian)
• China removes pangolin scales from its 2020 list of approved ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine. This comes after China upgraded all species of pangolin from second-class to first-class protected animals considering their rapidly decreasing numbers due to over-hunting and habitat destruction. (Global Times)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • North Korea announces it is severing hotlines with South Korea in retaliation for actions taken by defectors who sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the border. In addition, South Korea says the North refused to respond to calls to its liaison office. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom
  • The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan establishes the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm in order to review statues in London. A statue of merchant and slave owner Robert Milligan is removed. (The Independent)
• Tanzanian opposition leader Freeman Mbowe is attacked by unidentified assailants as he enters his home. His party, the Chadema, says the attack may have been politically motivated. (Reuters)
• Darfur militia leader Ali Kushayb is handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder and rape. He had surrendered in the Central African Republic. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Burundi
  • Incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza dies at the age of 55. Pascal Nyabenda, president of the National Assembly, assumes the presidential office ad interim. (BBC News)

June 10, 2020 (2020-06-10) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A gunman opens fire at a police station in Paso Robles, California, injuring a deputy with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office. He then flees and kills a transient, leading to a manhunt. (The San Francisco Chronicle)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Assam gas and oil leak
  • Two firefighters are killed and four others are injured in a Baghjan gas well blowout fire in Assam, Northeast India. (Indian Express)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • A day after North Korea severed its hotlines with South Korea over defectors who sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the border, South Korea announces it is taking legal action against two organisations that conducted such operations, saying that they "have created tension between the two Koreas and caused danger to the border-area residents' lives and safety". (Reuters)
• Territorial disputes of India and Nepal
  • The Nepali parliament moves to approve a new map and revision of the national emblem which includes territory in India's Uttarakhand state. (Times of India)

Law and crime

• Assassination of Olof Palme
  • Sweden closes the case of the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 after 34 years of investigation, indicating Stig Engström as the suspected murderer. (CNN)
• Killing of George Floyd, Police reform in the United States
  • Several people, including George Floyd's brother, testify about police brutality and systemic racism before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in support of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. (NPR)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Polish presidential election, LGBT rights in Poland
  • Ahead of the upcoming presidential election, President Andrzej Duda vows to ban teaching about LGBT issues in Polish schools in a bid to secure re-election. Duda is a staunch ally of the ruling right-wing populist Law and Justice party. (Reuters)
• 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election
  • Sri Lanka postpones, for a second time, the election from June 20 to August 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

Sports

• Modern display of the Confederate battle flag
  • NASCAR announces that the display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all of its events and properties. (ESPN)

June 11, 2020 (2020-06-11) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Maghreb insurgency
  • At least 10 Ivorian soldiers are killed and six others wounded at the border with Burkina Faso when an armed group ambushed them; one of the attackers was also killed. It is the first attack in the country since the 2016 Grand-Bassam shootings. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• The death toll from the sinking of a ship carrying 53 migrants off the coast of Tunisia on Tuesday rises to at least 46 as more bodies are recovered from the sea. (Reuters)
• The Ministry of Emergency Management of China says that flooding in south and central China has killed more than a dozen people and forced hundreds of thousands to seek emergency shelter since 2 June. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The United States surpasses two million cases of COVID-19, the first country in the world to do so. (CNN)

International relations

• Iraq–United States relations, Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq (2020)
  • The United States and Iraq begin negotiations, conducted remotely, to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops and countering Iranian influence. (The New York Times)
• United States war crimes
  • U.S. President Donald Trump authorizes sanctions against the International Criminal Court in retaliation for their investigation into potential war crimes by U.S. officials. (CNN)

Law and crime

• Bærum mosque shooting
  • A court in Norway sentences Philip Manshaus to 21 years in prison for the racially-motivated murder of his stepsister and for attempting to kill Muslim worshippers. It is the longest prison sentence allowed by law. The prison term contains a provision that his release can be put off indefinitely should he still be considered a threat to society. (Al Jazeera)
• Turkey–United States relations, 2016–present purges in Turkey
  • A court in Turkey sentences a U.S. Consulate employee, Metin Topuz, to 8 years and 9 months in prison on charges of aiding the followers of Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-based preacher who is accused in Turkey of being the mastermind behind a failed coup attempt in 2016 against Erdoğan. The U.S. Embassy in Ankara releases a statement on Twitter saying officials were "deeply disappointed" in the decision. (The New York Times)
• An attacker, believed to be a former student, kills the deputy head and injures five others with a knife at a school in Vrútky, Slovakia, before being killed by responding police officers. (BBC News)
• The Senate of the Republic of Colombia approves a resolution banning the testing of cosmetics on animals, as well as the commercialization of cosmetics which are actively tested on animals. (La FM)

Politics and elections

• Dalton Tagelagi is elected new Premier of Niue by the Assembly. (RNZ)

Sports

• 2020 AFL season, George Floyd protests in Australia
  • After a ten-week suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 AFL season resumes with Collingwood facing Richmond at the MCG. Before the match began, both teams knelt to show solidarity with the George Floyd protests. The match finished in a draw. (News.com.au)

June 12, 2020 (2020-06-12) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • 2019–20 Western Libya campaign
    • Eight mass graves containing hundreds of bodies are discovered in western Libya, most of them in the town of Tarhuna. The Government of National Accord (GNA) says the remains are of captured GNA fighters and civilians, apparent evidence of war crimes. (Al Jazeera)
• June 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  • Four people are killed and eight others injured by the bombing of a mosque in Kabul. No group claimed responsibility. (Reuters)
• About 30 Indians cross the border into Nepal and clash with Nepali police when stopped in the district of Sarlahi. Nepali border guards opened fire, killing one man and injuring two. According to police, the forces fired when one of the men snatched a gun from them. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Sanrio founder and CEO Shintaro Tsuji, whose company is best known for creating Hello Kitty, announces he will resign on July 1 citing a need to "transform the company to better respond to today's rapidly changing business environment." His grandson Tomokuni Tsuji is expected to replace him. (BBC News)
• Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras says it will not do business with tankers that visited Venezuela in the past year, adhering to sanctions placed by the United States. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• LGBT rights in the United States, Abortion in the United States
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services removes protections against discrimination within Obamacare for transgender people and women seeking abortions. The move is condemned by civil rights groups and Democratic officials. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Slavery in Australia
  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologizes for saying there was "no slavery" in Australia. He says that he was referring specifically to the fact that the first Australian colony of New South Wales was set up without the widespread use of slave labor. (CNN)
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
  • Hundreds protest over the handling of the country's economic crisis, many calling for Hassan Diab's government to resign. The Lebanese pound has lost 70 percent of its value since October, when protests began. The government announced the central bank will begin injecting more United States dollars into the market on Monday. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries, Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
  • U.S. President Donald Trump announces the MAGA Rally that was to be held on June 19, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is rescheduled to June 20. The rally's original date had been widely criticized because the 19th is Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of American slavery. The location was also criticized due to it being where the 1921 Tulsa race massacre took place, because of the ongoing George Floyd protests. (CNN) (The Hill)
• President-elect of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye is set to take power immediately, days after the death of incumbent Pierre Nkurunziza, as the constitutional court says "it is not necessary to have an interim period", and that Ndayishimiye should be sworn-in "as soon as possible". (Reuters)
• On the 122nd anniversary of the Philippines's independence from Spain, more than a thousand protestors march at the main campus of the University of the Philippines in Manila to protest a controversial anti-terrorism bill introduced by President Rodrigo Duterte. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Twitter says it has removed a network of more than 170,000 accounts it says were spreading pro-Communist Party of China propaganda on the social media platform, saying the Chinese-based network had links to earlier state-backed operations on Facebook and YouTube. More than a thousand Russia-based misinformation accounts are also removed. (BBC News)

June 13, 2020 (2020-06-13) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Monguno and Nganzai massacres
  • ISWAP kills over 20 soldiers and 40 civilians in attacks in Monguno and Nganzai in Borno, Nigeria – four days after they killed 82 civilians in Gubio. (Reuters)
• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki says the armed forces destroyed a ballistic missile targeting the Saudi border city of Najran. In a statement, the spokesman said the missile was launched from the Yemeni city of Saada and that some people were slightly injured when it was destroyed. The Houthis did not claim responsibility. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
  • More than 3,100 deaths are officially reported in the country. However, an investigation reported the Ministry of Health told the World Health Organization that the death toll reached 5,000 cases. (France24)
  • Jaime Mañalich is succeeded by Enrique Paris as Minister of Health. (France24)

International relations

• Czech Republic–Poland relations, COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
  • Poland's Ministry of National Defence admits its army briefly invaded and occupied the Czech Republic for several days last month in a "misunderstanding", the Polish soldiers took up positions near a chapel on the Czech side of the border in Moravia as part of coronavirus measures, and prevented Czech visitors from the site. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Killing of Rayshard Brooks
  • Protestors set fire to a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., in response to Rayshard Brooks' death the evening before. Outside the restaurant the previous day, two police officers shot Brooks after he attempted to escape from them after a tussle in which he took one of the officer's taser and discharged it at one of them following a DUI investigation. (The Guardian)
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; Crime in Greater Manchester
  • A man is killed, a woman raped and three others stabbed at two "quarantine raves" late Saturday that attracted 6,000 people in Greater Manchester. They were a clear breach of coronavirus legislation. (BBC News)
• A court in China sentences an Australian man to death for drug trafficking. The man had been arrested in 2013 at Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou. The Australian government condemns the verdict. (Reuters)
• Colombian businessman Alex Saab is arrested in Cape Verde a week after Colombian authorities froze his assets following the opening an investigation against him for alleged money laundering. The Nicolás Maduro-led Government of Venezuela denounces the arrest as an arbitrary detention and violation of international law. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• George Floyd protests
  • George Floyd protests in the United States
    • George Floyd protests in California
      • Protesters gather outside the One America News Network headquarters in San Diego, California, US for their misinformation about the Buffalo police shoving incident, including labeling protester Martin Gugino as a “Antifa provocateur”. (Times of San Diego)
  • George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom
    • Protests organized by Black Lives Matter are cancelled in London before the arrival of counter-protesters, including members of the far-right, although some BLM supporters arrived. Far-right protesters and police clashed at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. (BBC News) (Reuters) (The Times)
  • French riot police clash with anti-racism protesters in central Paris, as thousands march onto the Place de la République to protest police brutality against the country's immigrants. (Reuters)
• 2020 Polish presidential election, LGBT rights in Poland
  • President Andrzej Duda compares the "LGBT ideology" to "communist indoctrination" ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. Opposition candidate Robert Biedroń condemns his remarks. (Reuters)

June 14, 2020 (2020-06-14) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghan peace process; Taliban insurgency; June 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  • The Interior Ministry accuses the Taliban of killing or wounding more than 400 Afghan security forces personnel in the last week and said the insurgent group had increased attacks ahead of expected peace talks. He also accused them of attacking religious scholars to put "psychological pressure" on the government. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
  • The Turkish Defense Ministry says that military jets successfully targeted PKK militants in Sinjar and Qandil, Iraq, among other places, as part of Operation Claw. The ministry claimed it was in response to increased militant attacks on Turkish bases. (Reuters)
• A drone strike in northwestern Syria kills two high-ranking members of the Guardians of Religion Organization, linked to al-Qaeda, according to opposition war monitors. (AP via Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 19 people are killed and more than 172 injured Saturday after a liquefied gas tanker exploded on a Chinese highway near the city of Wenling. Close to 100 fire trucks responded. Some people are still missing. (UPI)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
      • Egypt reports the highest daily rise in both active cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana
      • Ghanaian Minister of the Health Kwaku Agyemang-Manu is hospitalized with COVID-19. (VOA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      • Florida reports two consecutive days of 2,000-plus new COVID-19 cases as more counties reopen their beaches. Miami's mayor says this information does not include data from Memorial Day weekend and the George Floyd protests. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

• Morocco's state-run news agency Maghreb Arabe Press reports that King Mohammed VI has undergone successful heart surgery in Rabat; the king underwent a similar surgery two years ago in Paris. (Reuters)

June 15, 2020 (2020-06-15) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • The United Nations remove Saudi Arabia from a blacklist of countries accused of "killing or maiming children, following a sustained significant decrease in air strikes". Saudi Arabia had threatened to cut funding to the UN. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • The armed forces say an ambush on a military convoy in central Mali has killed at least 24 troops and left others missing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• China–United States trade war
  • The U.S. Department of Commerce announces it will relax the blacklist against Huawei to allow American companies to work with the Chinese telecom on setting 5G network standards. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• A United States Air Force 48th Fighter Wing F-15 Eagle based at RAF Lakenheath, England crashes into the North Sea, 74 miles (119 km) off the East Yorkshire coast, killing the pilot. (BBC News)
• At least three houses are damaged after an Indonesian Air Force Hawk 209 crashes into a residential area of Kampar, Riau. There are no fatalities in the incident. (The Jakarta Post)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) tests positive for COVID-19, becoming the 8th member of Congress to do so. (The Hill)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF warn that 51,000 children could die in West Asia and North Africa due to the disruptive impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems. (Middle East Eye)

Law and crime

• Killing of Rayshard Brooks
  • The Fulton County medical examiner declares Rayshard Brooks' death a homicide. Brooks was shot in the back by an Atlanta Police officer while fleeing from an attempted arrest for driving under the influence in which he stole an officer's taser and fired it at him on June 12. (BBC News)
• LGBT rights in the United States
  • The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decision in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, ruling that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. (BBC News)
• Hundreds of French police are brought in as reinforcements to the city of Dijon, as over 150 Chechens from around France have gathered to avenge the alleged assault of a Chechen teenager by local drug dealers. During the violence, several people are reported injured and one person suffered gunshot wounds. (BBC News) (The Jerusalem Post)
• Maria Ressa, CEO of Philippine news site Rappler, is found guilty of libel by a Manila court over a 2012 story linking a businessman to various crimes. She faces up to six years in prison. (Reuters)
• Sudan's public prosecutor announces the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of students who were killed in 1998 when they tried to evade conscription. The prosecutor accused former ruler Omar al-Bashir. (Reuters)
• A court in Russia sentences former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison for espionage. The U.S ambassador to Russia John Sullivan condemns the sentencing as "a mockery of justice" in a statement to media after the verdict. (CNN)
• Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau is found dead in Tallahassee, Florida, US, after going missing on June 6. Shortly before her disappearance, Salau tweeted that she had been sexually assaulted by a black man. Her death is currently being treated as a homicide. (CNN)
• The Nepali Department of Immigration says that it will deport five foreign tourists (three Chinese, an American and an Australian) and ban them from entering Nepal for two years after they joined protests against the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. (CNA)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Kyrgyzstan
  • Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev resigns from in connection with allegations against the government in a criminal case on the extension and renewal of radio frequency resource. (Reuters)

June 16, 2020 (2020-06-16) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 China–India skirmishes
  • At least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers have been killed in a clash in Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region, amid rising tensions between the two countries. Local media reported that the Indian soldiers were "beaten to death", and the Indian Army says no shots were fired. (BBC News)
• Mali War
  • President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta says that opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, who was kidnapped in late March, is alive. Keïta said "we know who his captors are [...] And if it pleases God, he will come back soon". (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 boogaloo killings
  • The alleged gunman in a fatal attack on Santa Cruz County deputies is also charged with last month's murder of a Federal Protective Service officer in Oakland, California. A second man is also charged as an accomplice. Both men had ties to the far-right boogaloo movement. (NBC News)

Business and economy

• The World Trade Organization rules that the Saudi government violated Qatar’s intellectual property rights by promoting the pirate TV station beoutQ, which aired Qatari programs like beIN Sports after Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries cut ties with the Kingdom during the Qatar diplomatic crisis. The Qatari Communications Minister applauds the decision, while Saudi Arabia denies any involvement. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • Beijing closes all schools, locks down several residential estates and imposes a partial travel ban, urging residents not to leave the city, after 27 more COVID-19 cases are confirmed in the city, bringing the total to 106 new cases in the last five days. The new outbreak is linked to the Xinfadi Market. (The Nations)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil's Ministry of Health reports a record 34,918 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,282 more deaths in the last 24 hours. Despite the record daily rise, Chief of Staff of the Presidency Walter Souza Braga Netto says the virus is now under control. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Honduras
    • President Juan Orlando Hernández says that he, his wife, and their aides have been diagnosed with COVID-19. (CNA)
  • The total cases surpass eight million worldwide. (RNZ)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army says they are on "high alert" and are looking at plans to mobilize the army into the demilitarized zone, in response to defector groups in South Korea sending propaganda material across the border. (BBC News)
  • North Korea blows up the four-storey Inter-Korean Liaison Office in the Kaesong Industrial Region, according to South Korean authorities. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, had earlier threatened to destroy the "useless" building. A neighbouring apartment complex used by South Korean officials appears to have partially collapsed in the explosion. (Yonhap) (Al Jazeera)
• Chinese intelligence activity abroad, Sino-Russian relations since 1991
  • Russian investigators accuse Valery Mitko, President of Arctic Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg and one of the country's leading Arctic researchers, "of treason" after alleging that he gave a document containing state secrets to Chinese intelligence in early 2018 at China's Dalian Maritime University, where he was a visiting professor. Mitko and his lawyer Ivan Pavlov deny any wrongdoing and say that all the materials were openly available. (CNN)

Law and crime

• Police reform in the United States
  • In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order limiting the use of police chokeholds, except in cases where “deadly force is allowed by law”. (CNBC)
• Moldova asks the U.S. to extradite businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc after accusing him of "involvement in the theft of $1 billion from banks in 2014–2015". (Reuters)
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company CEO Bill Johnson pleads guilty on behalf of his company to 84 counts of felony involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California's history, as well as one felony count of unlawfully starting a fire. PG&E will pay a maximum fine of US$3.5 million, as well as an additional US$500,000 for the cost of investigations. (Al Jazeera) (The Sacramento Bee)
• The Indonesian National Police says that they have arrested Russ Medlin, an American fugitive wanted at home in connection with a $700 million cryptocurrency scam, on local teenage sex charges. (The Jakarta Post)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Tanzanian general election
  • President John Magufuli dissolves parliament ahead of the election. In the decision, he highlights his government's achievements, citing "expanding infrastructure such as roads, electricity generation and reforming the mining sector". (Reuters)

June 17, 2020 (2020-06-17) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
  • The Turkish Army launches a joint air-land external operation Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger into Northern Iraq against Kurdish insurgents. (The Guardian)
• Kashmir conflict, India–Pakistan relations
  • Four civilians are killed following Indian bombardment of territory in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to Pakistani officials. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Actions against memorials in the United Kingdom during the George Floyd protests, Rhodes Must Fall
  • The Oriel College governing body votes to remove a 109-year-old statue of Cecil Rhodes from the college grounds amid anti-racism protests. Campaigners say the statue is a symbol of racism and British imperialism. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna announces that plans to sell shares in the state-run oil and gas company KazMunayGaz abroad will be delayed from this year to 2022 due to the pandemic. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • Johns Hopkins University says that the death toll due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has surpassed the number of American casualties during World War I. (CTV News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Honduras
    • President Juan Orlando Hernández is hospitalized for COVID-19 and is being treated for pneumonia. Although receiving medicine via an intravenous drip, the president is claimed to be generally in good health, according to a spokesman for the Health Ministry. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Paulinho Paiakan, leader of the indigenous Kayapo tribe, dies after being hospitalized with COVID-19 in Redenção, Brazil. (France24)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • North Korea rejects South Korea's offer to send special envoys to defuse the current tensions on the peninsula, after having destroyed the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, and says the Korean People's Army will re-enter the demilitarized Kaesong and Mount Kumgang areas. (Yonhap) (Reuters)
• China–Japan relations
  • Japan says it will keep a close watch over the disputed Senkaku Islands after Chinese ships are seen near the islands for 65 days in a row. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says that Japan has protested to China over the issue and that it would respond "calmly and firmly". (Reuters)
• Syria–United States relations
  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces "toughest sanctions" on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma in an effort to end the decade-long civil war in the country. (Reuters)
• 2020 United Nations Security Council election
  • Norway and Ireland win seats in the United Nations Security Council, joining new members India and Mexico. Canada, which was considered a favorite, and had strongly campaigned for a seat for four years on the council, fails to get enough votes. Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he is proud of the campaign but declines to comment on the reasons for their loss. (AP)

Law and crime

• Papua conflict, 2019 Papua protests
  • A court in Indonesia sentences Chairman of the National Committee for West Papua Buchtar Tabuni and six others to 11 months in prison for treason. The seven men were charged after they joined anti-racism protests that swept across two provinces in Western New Guinea last August. (Al Jazeera)
• Killing of Rayshard Brooks
  • Former Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe is charged with murder and 10 other crimes in the death of Rayshard Brooks. Brooks was shot twice in the back after he fled from an attempted DUI arrest and stole another officer's taser. This officer, Devin Brosnan, has been charged with aggravated assault and two other crimes in the case. (NPR)

Politics and elections

• The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan confirms former first deputy prime minister Kubatbek Boronov as the new prime minister. (Reuters)
• Vanuatu's opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu says he is taking the decision to suspend his party from parliament to the Supreme Court, saying the decision was an "outrage". (RNZ)
• Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna says he is stepping down in September after nearly a decade in power. His deputy and Finance Minister Mark Brown will take over. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• The Indian Department of Telecommunications bars the state-run telecommunication company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited from upgrading its 4G network with Chinese equipment, as tensions between India and China mount over the recent border skirmishes. (NDTV)

June 18, 2020 (2020-06-18) (Thursday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
  • The total number of COVID-19 cases in Canada surpasses 100,000, with 8,266 deaths recorded. (Reuters)

International relations

• India–Nepal relations
  • The upper house of Nepal's parliament approves a new map for the country which includes territories controlled by India. The map requires the approval of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. India opposes the move, saying that the decision to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani is not based on evidence or historical facts. (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 United Nations Security Council election
  • After a second round of voting, Kenya defeats Djibouti in becoming a non-permanent member on the United Nations Security Council starting in 2021. They will join four other newly-elected members, India, Ireland, Norway and Mexico. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, Immigration to the United States
  • The U.S. Supreme Court rules in a 5–4 decision that the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was "arbitrary and capricious" under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and reversed the order rescinding it. Chief Justice John Roberts casts the deciding vote, along with the four liberal Justices. (NPR)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2020 Burundian general election
  • Évariste Ndayishimiye takes office as the President of Burundi, following the sudden death of his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza, his inauguration was advanced to June 18. (Al Jazeera)
• Brazil's Education Minister Abraham Weintraub announces his resignation. He did not give a reason; it is believed to be due to derogatory remarks he made about the Supreme Federal Court. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Censorship in the United States, Donald Trump on social media
  • Facebook removes a post condemning antifa by U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, stating the post's symbol for the group was similar to the one used by the Nazis to identify political prisoners. (BBC News)
• Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says "all levels of government", as well as essential service providers and businesses, are being targeted by a sophisticated state-backed cyberattack. Morrison did not say which state is behind the attack. (BBC News)

Sports

• COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
  • Local sporting events, such as equestrianism, resume in the Gaza Strip today. As of tomorrow, football competitions will be played without spectators. (Reuters)
• In Germany Matthias Grosse is appointed as president of the national German speed skating association, DESG. This is seen by national and international media as very remarkable as controversial person and parter of drug banned speed skater Claudia Pechstein. (Der Spiegel) (De Volkskrant) (Deutschlandfunk)

June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger
  • Five Kurdish civilians near Dohuk in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are killed by Turkish airstrikes. (AFP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil's Ministry of Health reports 54,771 new cases and that there are now 1,032,913 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, becoming the second country in the world, after the United States, to surpass one million cases. (BBC News) (Bloomberg)

International relations

• Nuclear program of Iran
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passes a resolution, the first since 2012, calling on Iran to open two of its nuclear sites to international inspectors. Iran strongly opposes the IAEA resolution, which it says was "based on false allegations" from Israel. (Middle East Eye)
• The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) says "sorry is not enough" from British financial institutions that benefited from the Atlantic slave trade, and demands reparations from the United Kingdom. This comes after the Bank of England apologized for the "inexcusable connections" of some of its past governors and directors to slavery. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
  • Health Minister Obadiah Moyo is arrested and accused of corruption in government procurement of around $60 million worth of medical equipment. (Reuters)
• Shooting of Breonna Taylor
  • Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announces the immediate termination of LMPD Officer Brett Hankison over violating departmental policy on the use of force against Breonna Taylor. Hankison is one of three officers involved in the shooting, and prior to the incident had previously been investigated and disciplined for alleged misconduct. (The Courier-Journal)
• Abortion in Tennessee, Heartbeat bill
  • Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Tennessee pass the country's toughest anti-abortion laws, banning the procedure from the moment of fetal heartbeat at around six weeks of pregnancy. Governor Bill Lee hails the law while several organizations say they plan to go to the courts over the issue. (Reuters)
• Shooting of Matthew Hunt
  • A police officer is killed and another seriously injured in a shooting in Massey, New Zealand. This is the first time a law enforcement officer in New Zealand has been killed in the line of duty since 2009. The shooter fled, injuring a civilian in the process, but he has since been arrested. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Belarusian presidential election
  • President Alexander Lukashenko announces the arrest of main opposition rival Viktar Babaryka for possible financial crimes. (Moscow Times)
• 2020 Hong Kong legislative election
  • Activist Joshua Wong announces he is running for the legislature, setting up a new legal battle with authorities after he was barred from running in the previous election. (Reuters)
• Tens of thousands of protesters descend on the Malian capital of Bamako, demanding President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta resign over his failure to solve the country's myriad of problems. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• The world’s second-largest egg is discovered on Seymour Island, Antarctica. The egg, which is also the very first fossil egg from Antarctica and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered, may challenge the notion that mosasaurs and plesiosaurs were fully viviparous according to scientists. (CBC)

Sports

• Numerous professional wrestlers and others in the professional wrestling industry, particularly in the United Kingdom, are accused of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and other forms of physical and mental abuse on social media, using the hashtag #SpeakingOut. (Sports Illustrated)
  • WWE releases a statement, indicating a "zero tolerance" policy on several types of abuse, and later in the day come to terms on the release of Gentleman Jack Gallagher after he is accused of sexual assault (Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online)
  • All Elite Wrestling release a statement saying that Jimmy Havoc has entered a rehabilitation facility and will evaluate his status in the company after his treatment is completed, after he is accused of domestic abuse and rape, and of punching a fan. (Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online)
  • The National Wrestling Alliance announces that Vice President Dave Lagana has resigned from the company after he is accused of sexual assault. (Pro Wrestling Sheet)

June 20, 2020 (2020-06-20) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Forbury Gardens stabbings
  • Three people are killed and three others injured in a mass stabbing at Forbury Gardens in Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom. A suspect was arrested by Thames Valley Police. (The Daily Telegraph)

Arts and culture

• A statue of former Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin is officially unveiled in the German city of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is first ever statue of a Soviet figure in the former West Germany. Despite strong opposition from local officials, the state court in Münster has blocked attempts to remove it. (Euronews)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona
      • The City of Phoenix and Maricopa County officials pass a mandate requiring all residents to wear masks in "places of public accommodation". The mandate makes exemptions for children under two years old and people with certain health conditions. (AZCentral)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Following a new spike in coronavirus infections, Victoria delays its easing of restrictions and imposes new limits on the size of gatherings. (News.com.au)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in India
    • India reports its highest toll of cases to date, recording 14,516 cases, reaching a total of 395,047 and 12,948 deaths. The government in the capital New Delhi orders hospitals to cancel any leave and have workers return to duty immediately. (Reuters)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The North Korean state news agency KCNA reports that "enraged" North Koreans are preparing to launch propaganda leaflets across the Military Demarcation Line, in response to propaganda leaflets sent by North Korean defectors. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• U.S. President Donald Trump fires the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman, whose office had been investigating the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. (Reuters)
• A court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentences former president's chief of staff Vital Kamerhe to 20 years in prison for "diverting public funds worth 48.8M dollars". (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Belarusian presidential election
  • Internet access is interrupted and hundreds are detained after mass protests break out in Belarus over the arrest of opposition candidate Viktar Babaryka, including reporters from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, 2020 AFL season
    • The 2020 AFL season is threatened with another postponement after an Essendon player tests positive for coronavirus, leading to all players in the club being quarantined. The Essendon v Melbourne match set for 21 June is subsequently cancelled. (News.com.au)

June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2020 Forbury Gardens stabbings
  • The fatal mass stabbing yesterday at Forbury Gardens in Reading, United Kingdom, is declared by the police to have been a terrorist attack. (BBC News)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) seize control of the island of Socotra. President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi condemns it as a "full-fledged" coup, while the governor of the island condemns the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for "turning a blind eye". (Reuters)
• Afghan peace process
  • The Afghan government accuses the Taliban of kidnapping about 60 civilians in the last week in the province of Daykundi. The Taliban deny the accusation and blames the government for civilian casualties during the past week. At least 26 women and children have been freed and elder tribal leaders are mediating for the release of the rest of abductees. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • Two bombs explode in front of a military official's house in Wanlaweyn, killing four people. In another attack, in Galmudug, three men drove a car packed with bombs against a checkpoint after ignoring orders to stop, killing three soldiers. (Al Jazeera)
• Second Libyan Civil War, Egypt–Libya relations
  • The Government of National Accord's Presidential Council says Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's threats to take military action in Libya constitutes "a declaration of war" on the country. (The Libya Observer)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    • The state of emergency in Spain officially finishes after more than 100 days. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil's Ministry of Health reports 641 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll in the country to over 50,000. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2020
  • One person is killed while eleven others are injured during a mass shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident involved people shooting at one another. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Serbian parliamentary election
  • Parliamentary elections are held in Serbia roughly one month after the measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. (Reuters)

June 22, 2020 (2020-06-22) (Monday)

Business and economy

• Coronavirus recession, Immigration to the United States
  • U.S. President Donald Trump suspends the entry of some skilled and seasonal workers entering the United States, claiming it will open jobs to citizens. Business groups criticize this move as stifling economic recovery. (Reuters)

International relations

• India–Nepal relations
  • Nepalese authorities stop officials of the Water Resources Department of the Bihar government from carrying out infrastructural maintenance work in Indian territory along the India–Nepal border, claiming the area as part of its territory. The incident comes four days after the lower house of the Nepalese parliament approved a new map of the country that included Indian territory in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. (Times of India)
• China–United States relations
  • The U.S. State Department adds four Chinese media organizations, including the public broadcasting service China Central Television, to its list of organizations participating in "foreign missions" due to their connections with the ruling Communist Party. They will be required to report all their employees and any real estate holdings to the American government. (Al Jazeera)
• China announces its decision to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. (AFP via The Jakarta Post)
• Thousands of Palestinians and dozens of foreign diplomats attend a rally in Jericho to oppose Israel's plan to unilaterally annex the Jordan Valley and the settlements in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• A police officer of the New York City Police Department is suspended without pay after he is captured on camera using a chokehold against a 35-year-old man in Queens. The use of chokeholds by police was recently banned, both in New York City and the state of New York. (The Independent)
• Two suspects are arrested in Oregon in connection to a mass shooting at a residence in Valhermoso Springs, Alabama, on June 4 that killed seven people. (WBRC)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Kiribati presidential election
  • Citizens in Kiribati head to the polls to elect their President. The main issue of the election is whether to maintain relations with China or Taiwan. Incumbent Taneti Maamau, who switched recognition from Taiwan to China last year, is facing candidate Banuera Berina who favors re-establishing relations with Taiwan. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• Apple's transition to ARM processors
  • Apple Inc. announces a transition of its personal computer products from using Intel processors to using ARM-based processors designed by Apple. Since 2006, the company has used Intel processors in its computer offerings. (The Verge)

Sports

• 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
  • George Floyd protests § Sports industry
    • NASCAR launches an investigation after a noose was found in the garage area of Bubba Wallace, the lone African-American driver in the series, at Talladega Superspeedway, in Talladega, Alabama, vowing to "eliminate [those responsible] from the sport". Wallace had recently successfully pushed NASCAR to enforce a five-year-old ban on the Confederate flag being displayed at its race tracks and properties. A plane pulling a banner with a Confederate flag and the phrase "Defund NASCAR" flew over the race track on June 21. (CTV News) (BBC News)
    • The United States Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation launch their own investigations in order to determine whether criminal charges can be brought. (USA Today)

June 23, 2020 (2020-06-23) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • The Houthis launch ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia, including its capital Riyadh. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says that Saudi forces "managed to intercept and destroy" the missiles and drones. The military says that they destroyed "eight booby-trapped unmanned aircraft [used by the Houthis] to target civilian objects and civilians in the kingdom". (Al Jazeera)
• Somali Civil War (2009–present)
  • Two civilians are killed after a suicide bombing occurs at a Turkish military installation in Mogadishu, Turkey's largest overseas military base. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020 Oaxaca earthquake
  • A major earthquake strikes southern Mexico, with its epicenter 15 miles (24.1km) northeast of Santa María Xadani, Oaxaca, resulting in the death of five people. It was measured at 7.4 magnitude and a tsunami warning was issued. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 vaccine
  • Imperial College London administers the first dose of their proposed COVID-19 vaccine, which is undergoing a clinical trial. (Imperial College London)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • Amid increasing tensions and in spite of warnings from the South Korean government, hundreds of thousands of anti-Kim leaflets are floated across the border by a group of North Korean defectors. (Associated Press)

Law and crime

• Killing of Rayshard Brooks
  • Fulton County authorities charge a woman with arson in relation to an Atlanta Wendy's restaurant being burnt down the day after police killed Rayshard Brooks there after he fled when they tried to arrest him for DUI. The woman's lawyer said she was Brooks' girlfriend. (The New York Post) (The New York Post)
• A court in Kyrgyzstan sentences former President Almazbek Atambayev to 11 years in prison on corruption charges, which he denies. (Reuters)
• A court in Turkey sentences a former mayor of a Kurdish city and opposition member to 16 years in prison for "being a member of a terrorist group, abusing power and inciting to violence and hatred". The head of a local human rights organization says "all the charges against her are fabricated". (Al Arabiya)
• American porn star Ron Jeremy is charged with the rape of three women and sexual assault of another. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Kiribati presidential election
  • Incumbent Taneti Maamau is re-elected as President of Kiribati with 26,053 votes to 17,866 votes by Banuera Berina, in a blow for Taiwan and its efforts to regain recognition from the Pacific country. (RNZ)
• 2020 Malawian presidential election
  • After the results of the last general election in Malawi were annulled by the country's Constitutional Court in February, new elections are held. (BBC News)
• 2020 Singaporean general election
  • President Halimah Yacob dissolves Parliament and polling day is set on 10 July. (CNA)
• 2020 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary, 2020 United States Senate election in Kentucky
  • Voters in Kentucky head to the polls to nominate a Democrat to face Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. Former Vice President Joe Biden also won the state primary. (CNN) (The Hill)

Sports

• 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
  • George Floyd protests § Sports industry
    • NASCAR and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conclude their investigation of the noose found in the garage area of Bubba Wallace, the lone African-American driver in the series, at Talladega Superspeedway. The investigation concluded the "noose" was in fact the garage door pull, and had not been touched or moved since early last fall. (ABC News)

June 24, 2020 (2020-06-24) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Second Libyan Civil War, Central Libya offensive (2020)
  • The speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, asks Egypt to intervene in Libya if the armed forces of the Government of National Accord attempt to capture the city of Sirte. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Segway Inc. announces that production of its personal transporter will end on July 15. Production began in 2001. (BBC News)
• Bayer AG announces it has agreed to pay US$10 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits regarding claims that the Monsanto herbicide Roundup causes cancer. Court-appointed mediator Kenneth Feinberg says the deal is a "constructive and reasonable" resolution. (NBC News)
• Japanese manufacturing company Olympus announces it is exiting the camera business after 84 years, stating its financial losses caused by their inability to compete with smartphone cameras was a major factor in the decision. (BBC News)

International relations

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The North Korean state news agency KCNA reports that the country will suspend military action plans against the South after a meeting of the Central Military Commission presided by Kim Jong-un. North Korea had protested against defectors sending leaflets to the border, and Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong had threatened a military response. (Al Jazeera)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  • Ambassadors for EU member states meet today to develop criteria for reopening external borders to travelers on July 1. European Commission guidance is that non-EU countries whose COVID-19 status, e.g., the number of new infections, the trend in new infections, and testing and tracing, are comparable or better than the EU average will make the safe list. Other factors, such as reciprocity and links to the EU, will also be considered. Travelers from countries such as Brazil, Russia, and the United States may be barred based on these rules. (BBC News) (The New York Times)
• Iran–United States relations; United States–Venezuela relations
  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces sanctions on five Iranian ship captains who delivered fuel to Venezuela and reaffirms support for disputed President Juan Guaidó over Nicolás Maduro. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• War crimes in the Kosovo War
  • The Specialist Prosecutor's Office announces that it has submitted for court approval an indictment against President Hashim Thaçi and nine other former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters alleging that they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Kosovo War. Following the announcement, President Thaçi cancels his upcoming trip to the United States. (Sydney Morning Herald)
• George Floyd protests
  • The U.S. Senate fails to invoke cloture on a 55–45 vote effectively tabling a police misconduct bill introduced by the Republicans, after the Democrats argued that it did not do enough to incentivize change. (Reuters)
  • Leaders of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone announce the zone's disestablishment. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Mongolian legislative election
  • Mongolian voters head to the polls to elect the members of the State Great Khural. A record number of more than 600 candidates are competing for the 76 seats in the parliament. (Bloomberg)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
• Former Boston Red Sox player Eddie Kasko dies at age 88. (Boston)
  • 2020 Major League Baseball season
    • Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally implements a 60-game season. Players will report to training camps on July 1 in order to resume spring training and prepare for a July 23 or 24 Opening Day. (ESPN)
• English football club Leeds United F.C. issue an apology after a cardboard cutout of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was displayed in the stands at their Elland Road stadium. (The New Zealand Herald) (BBC Sport)

June 25, 2020 (2020-06-25) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Unidentified gunmen kidnap 10 humanitarian aid workers in southwestern Niger, their NGO reports. Gunmen in the area have previously stolen several vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. (Al Jazeera)
• Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
  • Iraqi security forces raid the headquarters of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah, detaining three high-ranking commanders of the group, and at least 20 other fighters. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 100 people are killed by lightning strikes as a monsoon storm batters India's northeastern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
      • Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say the number of cases reached 6,411 there with 198 new infections in the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Central African Republic
      • In the Central African Republic, the number of infections climbs by 88 in the past 24 hours to reach 3,051. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
    • Iraq confirms 107 new deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 1,437. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. reports 37,077 cases, the largest number of new cases in a single day. (CNN)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    • Portuguese government orders the lockdown of 19 districts of Lisboa despite the end of the "calamity status". (Politico)
• Kivu Ebola epidemic
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo announces the end of the second outbreak of Ebola in the country, which has killed more than 2,200 people. (Reuters)

International relations

• Kosovo formally designates Lebanese political party Hezbollah and its paramilitary wing as a terrorist organization. (Al Arabiya)

Law and crime

• Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right Danish political party Hard Line, is sentenced to prison for one month for a string of offences, including hate speech, defamation and dangerous driving. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• War crimes in the Kosovo War
  • Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti cancels his trip to the United States where talks between Kosovo and Serbia were to be held, after his country's President Hashim Thaçi is indicted by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office on war crimes charges. Thaçi also canceled his trip to mediate with Serbia after learning of the indictment the day prior. (AP News)
• 2020 Russian constitutional referendum
  • After having been postponed once due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voting about potential amendments to the Constitution of Russia kicks off. The result of the referendum might, amongst other changes, prolong the mandate of President Vladimir Putin. Voting continues until the 1st of July. (DW)
• The Leader of the UK's Labour Party, Keir Starmer, sacks his Shadow Secretary of State for Education Rebecca Long-Bailey for sharing an article on social media that says American police were trained by Mossad to use the knee-on-neck restraint that killed George Floyd, which Israeli police say is false. (BBC News)

Sports

• 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
  • FIFA announces that the 2023 Women's World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. (FIFA)
• 2019–20 Premier League
  • Liverpool become Premier League champions for the first time and win their first top-flight title since the 1989–90 season, after rivals Manchester City fail to win against Chelsea in a 2–1 defeat at Stamford Bridge. (BBC Sport)

June 26, 2020 (2020-06-26) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan, Afghan peace process
  • The government and the Taliban agree to start intra-Afghan talks by mid-July after the issue of releasing the "most dangerous" Taliban prisoners has been solved, according to a government spokesman. The group did not comment on the announcement. (Al Arabiya)
  • The United States Intelligence Community claims that Russia offered Taliban-affiliated groups bounties to kill American soldiers. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

• British-Dutch consumer company Unilever, owner of brands including Lipton and Dove, announces that they will suspend advertising on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter for the rest of the year, saying that they have not been doing enough to counter "divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the U.S." (Reuters)
• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Intu Properties, the owner and operator of the United Kingdom's largest shopping centres such as the MetroCentre and Lakeside Shopping Centre, collapses into administration, following months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    • A University of Barcelona-led investigation uncovers traces of SARS-CoV-2 in frozen Barcelona sewage samples drawn on 12 March 2019, more than half a year before the first publicly confirmed case of COVID-19 in China. (El Mundo) (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • The U.S. reports 39,972 more COVID-19 cases, the largest number of new cases in a single day. (USA Today)

Law and crime

• Glasgow hotel stabbings
  • Six people are injured in a mass stabbing in central Glasgow, Scotland. The attacker was shot dead by police. (BBC News)
• 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
  • A court in Turkey sentences 121 people to life in prison for their role in the 2016 attempted coup. Eighty-six were sentenced to "aggravated" life imprisonment for "attempting to violate the constitution". (Al Arabiya)
• Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
  • A Danish court sentences a Norwegian-Iranian man to seven years in prison for spying on behalf of Iranian intelligence and for conspiring to assassinate the leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz. He will be expelled permanently from the country upon the end of his sentence. (Reuters)
• A court in the United Kingdom sentences an 18-year-old man to 15 years in prison for attempted murder for throwing a six-year-old French boy off the roof of the Tate Modern art gallery in London in December. He was 17 at the time of the crime, and said he "wanted to be on the television news". The boy survived but suffered life-changing injuries. (Reuters) (BBC News) (CNN)
• The Chief of Police of Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch, is injured but "out of danger" in an assassination attempt upon him. Two of his bodyguards and a passerby were killed. García Harfuch blamed the attack on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• George Floyd protests
  • Employees at Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, working in multiple U.S. locations are being sent home for refusing to take off Black Lives Matter face masks. Workers are protesting these actions. (Boston Globe) (Fox News)
• Statehood movement in the District of Columbia, Proposals for a 51st state in the United States
  • The United States House of Representatives passes a bill that would make Washington, D.C. a U.S. state, with the exception of important government buildings. This legislation is unlikely to pass in the Republican-held United States Senate and President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to the matter. (CNBC)

June 27, 2020 (2020-06-27) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• June 2020 Afghanistan attacks; War in Afghanistan
  • Two Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission workers are killed when a bomb attached to their vehicle explodes in Kabul. The Taliban denies responsibility and no other group has claimed responsibility. The attack is condemned by the United Nations. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • An ISIL-affiliated group attacks a town near billion-dollar gas projects managed by Total S.A. and Exxon Mobil in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique. An army spokesman reports that the armed forces suffered casualties in the attack. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Hinduism in Pakistan
  • The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan approves a grant of Rs100 million for the construction of the first Hindu temple in the capital of Islamabad. (DAWN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic in India
  • India surpasses 500,000 cases after reporting 18,552 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest toll to date. India also reports a total 15,685 deaths from the disease. (AP News)

International relations

• Libyan Civil War, Wagner Group
  • Libya's international-recognized government, the Government of National Accord, calls for the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on individuals and "mercenaries", after its National Oil Corporation stated that Russian mercenaries and other foreign actors had forced their way into the Sharara oilfield. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Red Bluff shooting
  • An employee is killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, California, United States. The shooter was then confronted by responding police officers and fatally shot during a shootout. (AP News)
• George Floyd protests
  • One person is killed and another injured when a gunman opened fire at people protesting the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. (AP News)

Politics and elections

• Hong Kong 1 July marches
  • Police in Hong Kong ban the 1 July march for the first time in 17 years. In a letter of objection addressed to protest organizer and convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham, police cite "persisting social unrest" and vandalism. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung rejects an appeal by the CHRF who have said they will appeal the ban. (Hong Kong Free Press)
• 2020 Icelandic presidential election
  • Citizens of Iceland cast their vote in the latest presidential elections. Incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is expected to be the clear winner of the election. (DW)
• Irish government formation
  • Following long negotiations, the new Irish government is voted into office by Dáil Éireann. The government is formed after a historic coalition deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin takes office as Taoiseach (Prime Minister), with outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), due to return to the post in December 2022 as part of the coalition deal. (RTÉ)
• 2020 Malawian presidential election
  • Lazarus Chakwera has been elected President with 58.57% of the votes. (Nyasa Times)

June 28, 2020 (2020-06-28) (Sunday)

Arts and culture

• List of name changes due to the George Floyd protests
  • Princeton University says it will remove the name of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from its public policy school and a residential college, calling him "a racist". Christopher L. Eisgruber says that "Woodrow Wilson's racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms". (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Following negotiations with creditors, Chesapeake Energy applies for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. It will seek to restructure its debts in order to continue operations. The company is experiencing cash flow and liquidity issues due to low energy prices and large amounts of debt. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • The worldwide COVID-19 case total surpasses 10 million while the worldwide death total surpasses 500,000. The United States remains the leading nation in cases, accounting for over 25 percent of both cases and deaths worldwide. (NBC News) (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• Second Libyan Civil War, Libya–Sudan relations
  • Sudan says it has detained 122 of its nationals, including eight children, who were heading to neighboring Libya to fight as "mercenaries". Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdalla says, "We cannot get involved in a conflict in any neighboring country." (Arab News)

Politics and elections

• 2020 Icelandic presidential election
  • Incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson wins re-election with 92% of the votes. (Euronews)
• 2020 Polish presidential election
  • Voters in Poland head to the polls to elect their next president. The election had to be postponed once due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (DW)
  • Incumbent president Andrzej Duda wins the first round of voting. He will face Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski in a second-round runoff. (BBC News)
• Reactions to the George Floyd protests
  • The Mississippi Legislature votes to remove the Confederate battle flag from its 126-year-old state flag and to form a commission to redesign a new flag. Mississippi is the last U.S. state to display the Confederate battle emblem. The bill now heads to Governor Tate Reeves to sign into law. (NPR)

Sports

• 2020 NFL season
  • The New England Patriots reach an agreement to sign quarterback Cam Newton. He will replace the Patriots' longtime quarterback Tom Brady, who left the team in March. (AP)

June 29, 2020 (2020-06-29) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Afghanistan
  • June 2020 Afghanistan attacks
    • At least 23 civilians are killed when rockets hit a cattle market in Sangin, Helmand. The government and the Taliban blame each other for the attack. (Reuters)
• 2020 Pakistan Stock Exchange attack
  • An attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi leaves at least seven people dead. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claims responsibility. However, the BLA's claim could not be independently verified. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage
  • Cirque du Soleil files for bankruptcy in Canada and cuts 3,500 jobs. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 32 people die when their ferry collides with another vessel and sinks in the Buriganga River, near Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. There are still about 20 passengers missing. (BBC News)

International relations

• Iran–United States relations
  • Iran issues an arrest warrant against U.S. President Donald Trump and asks Interpol for help. Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr accuses Trump and 30 others of "murder and terrorism charges" for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in January. Interpol refuses the request. (Al Jazeera)
• Censorship in India, China–India relations
  • The Indian Ministry of Information Technology blocks 59 Chinese apps, including video sharing app TikTok, citing security and privacy concerns. The bans come as tensions mount between the two countries over the recent border skirmishes. (Times of India)
• China–United States relations
  • The United States formally revokes Hong Kong's special trade status; it is now seen as equivalent to mainland China. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Fillon affair
  • Former Prime Minister of France François Fillon and his wife Penelope are found guilty in a fake jobs case, in which Penelope was paid €1.156 million for work she did not do as a parliamentary aide. François is sentenced to five years in prison, three of them suspended, and is barred from office for ten years; Penelope will also serve a three year suspended sentence. (BBC News)
• Golden State Killer
  • Joseph James DeAngelo pleads guilty to all of the charges pressed against him, including 13 counts of first-degree murder. (The Sacramento Bee)

Science and technology

• Social media use by Donald Trump
  • Reddit bans approximately 2,000 communities for violating its rules on hate speech, including The_Donald, which was dedicated to U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters. (The New York Times)
  • Twitch suspends U.S. President Donald Trump's account due to "hateful conduct" from two videos from 2015 and 2016 in which he made comments about Mexicans, which were found to be offensive and in breach of their community guidelines. (The New York Times)

June 30, 2020 (2020-06-30) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Rohingya conflict
  • Three military officers are found guilty of atrocities against the Rohingya by a court-martial in Myanmar. No details were provided on the perpetrators, their crimes, or their sentences. (Al Jazeera)
• Afghan peace process
  • Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen says on Twitter that there was a videoconference on Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Taliban official Mullah Baradar to discuss the peace process. The group reiterated its commitments to not attack American personnel, to engage in intra-Afghan talks and "not let anyone to use its soil to attack other countries". The meeting was confirmed by the U.S. State Department. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to extend the mandate of MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, until June 30, 2021. (Xinhuanet)

Arts and culture

• List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
  • A vandalized statue of former King Leopold II of Belgium is removed from public display in the city of Ghent amid anti-racism protests. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• A large explosion at a medical clinic in Tehran, Iran, kills at least 19 people, mostly women, according to Iranian authorities. A gas leak is suspected as being the cause. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia
      • Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson orders residents to wear masks in public as cases surge. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts
      • Massachusetts reports no COVID-19 deaths for the first time in months. (Boston Globe)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    • The COVID-19 death toll in Mexico reaches to 28,000, surpassing Spain. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    • Fiji quarantines 160 peacekeeping soldiers who returned from the Middle East on Saturday after the army had expressed concern that some of the troops may have been in contact with infected people. (RNZ)

International relations

• India–Pakistan relations; 2020 Pakistan Stock Exchange attack
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan says "There is no doubt that India is behind the attack" on the Pakistan Stock Exchange yesterday. India rebuffs the accusation and says it had nothing to do with the assault. (Reuters)
• Belgium–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations
  • In a letter to President Felix Tshisekedi, King Philippe of Belgium addresses the atrocities in the Congo Free State under the rule of King Leopold II: "I would like to express my deepest regrets for the wounds of the past, the pain of today, which is rekindled by the discrimination all too present in our society." (The Guardian)
• Latvia–Russia relations
  • Latvia bans seven channels belonging to Russian state-run news network RT, claiming it was trying to present the country as a failed state. Dmitry Kiselyov, head of the separate Russian state-run news agency Rossiya Segodnya, dismisses the claim and accuses the Latvian government of Russophobia in its ruling. (AP News)

Law and crime

• 2017–2018 Iranian protests
  • A court in Iran sentences former journalist and activist Ruhollah Zam to death for fueling anti-government unrest in late 2017 on social media. He was convicted of being corrupt on Earth. (Reuters)
• 2020 boogaloo killings
  • Facebook bans groups affiliated with the boogaloo movement, which was linked to a pair of attacks in California, US, that left two dead and three injured earlier this month and late last month. (AP via WEYI-TV)
• Police in Vatican City raid the department in charge of the maintenance and restoration of St. Peter's Basilica. The raid came due to suspicion of corruption in the awarding of building contracts. (Al Jazeera)
• Vietnam's civil aviation authority grounds all Pakistani pilots flying for Vietnamese airlines, as global aviation regulators respond to revelations by Pakistani authorities that more than 250 pilots obtaining licences fraudulently. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• Hong Kong national security law
  • China passes the controversial Hong Kong national security law. (The New York Times)
  • The political party Demosistō of social activist Joshua Wong is disbanded following the passing of the law. Wong urges the international community to keep "speaking up for Hong Kong people". (Reuters)
• Demonstrations break out in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following the shooting death of protest singer Hachalu Hundessa. (BBC News)
• German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer orders the "partial dissolution" of the country's elite Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) special forces command over its suspected ties to the far-right. The KSK also has a "toxic leadership culture", according to the Defence Minister. (BBC News)
• Mississippi governor Tate Reeves signs a bill into legislation abandoning the state's flag. (The Washington Post)

Sports

• Reactions to the George Floyd protests
  • The Premier League reaffirms its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, saying it was not political but moral support and that it was "aware of the risk posed by groups that seek to hijack popular causes and campaigns". It comes after one group, UKBLM, received widespread criticism for calling for the dismantling of capitalism, and tweeted "Free Palestine". (Reuters)
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • Minor League Baseball cancels its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNN)

June 2020

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

Ongoing events

Business

• Coronavirus recession

Disasters

• COVID-19 pandemic
• 2018–20 Southern Africa drought
• 2019–20 European windstorm season
• 2019–20 locust infestation
• 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
• 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• 2020 Pacific hurricane season
• 2020 Pacific typhoon season
• 2020 wildfire season
• Yemeni famine

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Hong Kong protests
• Iraqi protests
• Libyan peace process
• Post-Brexit diplomatic talks
• United States police reform protests
• Venezuelan presidential crisis (protests)
• Xinjiang re-education camps

Elections and referendums

Recent

• June
  • 21: Serbia, National Assembly
  • 22: Kiribati, President
  • 23: Malawi, President
  • 24: Mongolia, State Great Khural
  • 25 May – 27 June: Iceland, President
  • 28: Poland, President (1st round)
  • 29: Anguilla, House of Assembly

Ongoing

• 25 June – 1 July: Russia, Referendum

Upcoming

• July
  • 5: Croatia, Parliament
  • 5: Dominican Republic, President, Chamber of Deputies, Senate
  • 10: Singapore, Parliament
  • 12: Poland, President (2nd round)
  • 15: North Macedonia, Parliament

Trials

Recently concluded

• Congo DR: Vital Kamerhe
• France: François Fillon
• Iran: Fariba Adelkhah
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Philippines: Maria Ressa
• Russia: Paul Whelan

Ongoing

• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Cambodia: Kem Sokha
• Guatemala: Otto Pérez Molina, Roxana Baldetti, Juan Carlos Monzón and others
• Greece: Nikolaos Michaloliakos
• Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum, Benjamin Netanyahu
• Malaysia: Najib Razak
• Malta: Murder of Daphne Caruana
• Philippines: Leila de Lima, Marcos vs. Robredo electoral protest
• Russia: Mikhail Yefremov
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: Bárcenas affair, Catalan police leadership
• United States: Fat Leonard scandal, Varsity Blues scandal, North Korean Embassy in Madrid raid, 6ix9ine
• International: The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Guatemala: Álvaro Colom, Manuel Baldizón, Juan Alberto Fuentes
• Japan: Carlos Ghosn
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, R. Kelly, Nikolas Cruz
• Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo

Sport

• Association football
  • UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
  • 2019–20 UEFA Champions League
  • 2019–20 UEFA Europa League
  • 2019–20 La Liga
  • 2019–20 Premier League
  • 2019–20 Serie A
  • 2019–20 Bundesliga
• Women's association football
  • 2019–20 Champions League
  • 2019–20 Division 1 Féminine
  • 2019–20 FA WSL
  • 2019–20 Frauen-Bundesliga
  • 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
• Baseball
  • 2020 MLB season
  • 2020 NPB season
• Softball
• Basketball
  • 2019–20 EuroLeague
  • 2019–20 NBA season
• Golf
  • 2020 European Tour
  • 2019–20 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2019–20 NHL season
  • 2019–20 KHL season
• Rugby sevens
  • 2019–20 World Rugby Sevens Series
  • 2019–20 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series
• Rugby union
  • 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup
  • 2019–20 Premiership Rugby
  • 2019–20 Pro14
  • 2019–20 Top 14
• Other sports seasons
  • 2019–20 international cricket season
  • 2019–20 curling season
  • 2019–20 figure skating season
  • 2019–20 snooker season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

June 2020

• 29: Benny Mardones
• 29: Carl Reiner
• 27: Pete Carr
• 27: Freddy Cole
• 27: Linda Cristal
• 26: Kelly Asbury
• 26: Milton Glaser
• 25: Huey
• 25: Joe Sinnott
• 22: Steve Bing
• 22: Joel Schumacher
• 20: William Millerson
• 19: Ian Holm
• 19: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• 18: Jules Sedney
• 18: Vera Lynn
• 17: Jean Kennedy Smith
• 16: Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
• 14: Sushant Singh Rajput
• 13: Sabiha Khanum
• 12: William S. Sessions
• 12: Perfecto Yasay Jr.
• 11: Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet
• 11: Rosa Maria Sardà
• 9: Pau Donés
• 8: Pierre Nkurunziza
• 8: Bonnie Pointer
• 6: Ramadan Shalah
• 5: Kurt Thomas
• 4: Marcello Abbado
• 4: Steve Priest
• 4: Pete Rademacher
• 3: Bruce Jay Friedman
• 2: Héctor Suárez
• 2: Wes Unseld
• 1: Javier Alva Orlandini

May 2020

• 31: Christo
• 31: Danny Havoc
• 30: Yawovi Agboyibo
• 30: Michael Angelis
• 30: Hassan Hosny

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
• Libya
  • Second Civil War
  • American intervention in Libya
  • Turkish intervention in Libya
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• South Sudan
  • Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War)
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican War on Drugs
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan War
• China
  • Xinjiang conflict
• India
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
    • Border skirmishes
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion in the Philippines
  • Philippine Drug War
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Georgia
  • Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
  • Georgian–Ossetian conflict
• Russia
  • Chechen–Russian conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbass
    • Russo-Ukrainian War

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai terror attacks
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
• Iraq
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Saudi Arabian–Yemeni border conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2020 events and developments by topic

Arts

• Animation (Anime)
• Architecture
• Comics
• Film (Horror, Science fiction)
• Literature (Poetry)
• Music (Classical, Country, Hip hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US, Korea)
• Radio
• Television (Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, Scotland, US)
• Video games

Politics and government

• Elections
• International leaders
• Sovereign states
• Sovereign state leaders
• Territorial governors

Science and technology

• Archaeology
• Biotechnology
• Computing
• Palaeontology
• Quantum computing and communication
• Senescence research
• Space/Astronomy
• Spaceflight
• Sustainable energy research

Environment and environmental sciences

• Climate change
• Weather (Heat waves
• Tornadoes
• Wildfires)

Transportation

• Aviation
• Rail transport
• Transportation technology

Establishments and disestablishments categories

• Establishments
• Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

• Works
• Introductions
• Works entering the public domain