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KEY EVENTS 2020
Plane Crash in Iran
On January 8, a Ukrainian International flight crashed in Iran, killing all 176 people on board. On January 11, it was revealed that the crash was due to missiles launched by Iran.Tehran said they mistook the airliner for enemy jet.
US-Taliban accord
The US and the Taliban signed a deal in Doha on February 29, with all foreign forces to quit Afghanistan by May 2021 after nearly two decades of war. Talks between the Afghan government and insurgents started in September, but fighting raged on as the Taliban launched attack after attack and a string of civil society figures were assassinated. The Pentagon is due to pull 2,000 of 4,500 US soldiers out of the country by January 15, 2021.
Shooting in Thailand
On February 8, a disgruntled Thai soldier started a shooting spree at a mall in Nakhon Ratchasima that left 30 people dead and 57 wounded. The shooter was shot and killed.
RIOTS IN DELHI
Starting from February 23, a 5-day riot killed at least 53 people in the worst violence the Indian capital witnessed in decades. The violence erupted after a mob led by a ruling party leader targeted sit-ins in New Delhi against a new citizenship law, which critics say goes against the secular ethos of the country. Besides Muslims, at least a dozen Hindus died in the violence.
Pakistan Plane Crash
On May 22, a Pakistani plane carrying 99 passengers and a few crew members crashed after the pilot reported technical difficulties. At least 2 people have survived. This is one of Pakistan’s first flights since the coronavirus lockdown. Later a probe blamed Pilot’s mistake for the tragedy.
THAIS RISE UP AGAINST ELITES
Students spark pro-democracy protests in July that rolled on for the rest of the year calling for a new constitution, reform of the untouchable monarchy, and for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha to resign.
Crisis in Belarus
Belarus strongman President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed victory in August 9 elections sparked four months of anti-government protests, centred on his main rival, political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Opposition leaders were jailed or driven into exile.
The Navalny affair
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was flown to Berlin on August 22 in a medically induced coma after becoming violently ill 2 days earlier. Tests reveal he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to kill him and later released a recording where he appears to trick the alleged agent responsible into telling him the poison was put in his underpants.
Japan PM Resigns
On August 28, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan announced his resignation, citing health concerns. Abe, Japan’s longest serving prime minister, suffers from colitis, an incurable bowel disease.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Heavy fighting for the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke away from Azerbaijan after a war in the 1990s, went on for 45 days starting from September 27. Several thousand died before a Kremlin-brokered peace deal on November 9, with Armenians losing swathes of territory to Azerbaijan forces.
Ethiopia: Tigray conflict
In early November, Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed ordered a military response to attacks on federal army camps in the dissident northern Tigray region. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front -- which has dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades -- denied responsibility and said the reported attacks are a pretext for an “invasion”. Federal forces took control of the Tigrayan capital on November 28.
Farmers protest in India
Since late November, tens of thousands of farmers from across India launched a mass protest against government reforms on farming laws in the country. There has been a lot of anger against these three new laws, as farmers believe that they are not in their best interests and will harm their business. Farmers say they will continue to protest until the government changes back the reforms carried out in September.