2020 XFL season, Star of the Week
The Star of the Week is a weekly award given out by the XFL. The XFL selects eight nominees (one from each team) based on who they feel had the best performance, or the performance that had the most impact, of that week in XFL play and the public votes on their choice. The two winners from Saturday and Sunday's polls go against each other, and once again the public votes for the winner.


2020 XFL season, Midseason awards
The midseason awards are given out by the XFL at the end of Week 5. These awards are given out first by the league selecting four nominees, and the public votes on who should win. The XFL also selected a mid-season All-XFL Team for the best players at each position.


2020 XFL season, Midseason awards
The Houston Roughnecks had the most number of players on the All-XFL midseason team with 6, with the St. Louis BattleHawks and Dallas Renegades tied for second at four players. The Tampa Bay Vipers had three, and the other four teams with two each.


2020 XFL season, Signees to other professional leagues
After the XFL season was cut short on March 12, 2020, players were allowed to sign with National Football League (NFL) or Canadian Football League (CFL) teams beginning on March 22.


2020 XFL season, Signees to other professional leagues, NFL signings
St. Louis BattleHawks safety Kenny Robinson was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the only NFL Draft-eligible player who played in the XFL in 2020.


2020 XFL season, Attendance
Announced attendance figures for each home game. In the weekly columns, dashes (—) indicate away games, while bold font indicates the highest attendance of each team.


2020 XFL season, Broadcasting
This was the first year of a three-year agreement with ESPN and Fox Sports to carry all 43 regular season and playoff games.


2020 XFL season, Broadcasting
During the regular season, ABC was scheduled to air ten Saturday games, five of them ended up being televised, and four Sunday games, airing only one of the four Sunday games. ESPN was to air five Sunday games, airing only two of them, and ESPN2 was to air two Sunday games, airing only one of the two. Fox was to air seven Saturday games, five of the seven being televised, one Sunday game, which was televised, and two Thursday games, neither being played.


2020 XFL season, Broadcasting
Fox's main cable sports network, FS1, was to air nine Sunday games, with only four being played, and FS2 was to air one Saturday game, which was not played. ESPN and Fox were both scheduled to air one semifinal each, and ESPN was to air the championship game. All three never made the air.


2020 XFL season, Broadcasting
Vegas Stats & Information Network produced supplemental "BetCasts" for iHeartRadio for two games each week, which featured commentary from a sports betting perspective.


2020 XFL season, Broadcasting, Viewership
One decimal place is shown in table but three decimal places are used in all calculations.


2020 XL5
2020 XL5 is a sub-kilometer near-Earth asteroid and suspected Earth trojan discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii on 12 December 2020. In a corotating reference frame with Earth, 2020 XL5's path oscillates about the Sun–Earth L4 Lagrangian point (leading 60°), one of the dynamically stable locations where the combined gravitational force acts through the Sun's and Earth's barycenter. Analysis of 2020 XL5's trojan orbit stability suggests it will remain around Earth's L4 point for several thousand years until gravitational peturbations by Venus destabilize its trojan configuration. It is considered the second Earth trojan discovered, after 2010 TK7 in 2010.


2020 XL5, Discovery
2020 XL5 was discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii on 12 December 2020. It was first observed in the constellation Crater at an apparent magnitude of 21.4. The asteroid was moving at an on-sky rate of 3.02 arcseconds per minute, from a distance of 0.68 AU (102 million km; 63 million mi) from Earth.


2020 XL5, Discovery
The asteroid was subsequently listed on the Minor Planet Center's Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page (NEOCP) as P11aRcq. Over two days, follow-up observations were carried out by the Višnjan Observatory (L01), ESA Optical Ground Station (J04), and Cerro Tololo Observatory (807). The asteroid was identified in earlier Mount Lemmon Survey (G96) observations from 26 November 2020. The listing was confirmed and publicly announced as 2020 XL5 on 14 December 2020.


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification
Having been observed for only 43 days, the orbit of 2020 XL5 has significant uncertainty with a condition code of 7. Additional observations over several oppositions are necessary to constrain its orbit over the long-term.


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification
2020 XL5 orbits the Sun at an average distance of 1.001 AU once every 365.78±0.14 days, or approximately 1 Earth year. Its orbit has a high eccentricity of 0.388 and an inclination of 13.8° with respect to the ecliptic plane. Over the course of its orbit, its distance from the Sun ranges from 0.61 AU at perihelion to 1.39 AU at aphelion, crossing the orbits of Venus and Earth. Since its orbit crosses that of Earth's while having a semi-major axis greater than 1 AU (by a small margin), 2020 XL5 is classified as an Apollo asteroid.


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification, Trojan orbit
Trojan objects are most easily conceived as orbiting at a Lagrangian point, a dynamically stable location (where the combined gravitational force acts through the Sun's and Earth's barycenter) 60 degrees ahead of (L4) or behind (L5) a massive orbiting body, in a type of 1:1 orbital resonance. In reality, they oscillate around such a point.


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification, Trojan orbit
On 26 January 2021, amateur astronomer Tony Dunn reported that 2020 XL5's nominal trajectory appears to be librating about Earth's leading L4 Lagrangian point, suspecting it to be an Earth trojan. Subsequent analysis confirmed modeling stability for at least several thousand years into the future based on existing orbital parameters. This would make 2020 XL5 more stable than the prototype L4 Earth trojan 2010 TK7, which is potentially unstable on timescales of less than 2,000 years.


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification, Trojan orbit
A comparison between the dynamical evolutions of these two objects confirms the conclusions obtained on Earth trojan 2010 TK7 but shows that the available data for 2020 XL5 are not robust enough to confirm its trojan nature, although the current nominal orbit of this object displays short-term trojan behavior (significantly shorter than that of 2010 TK7).


2020 XL5, Orbit and classification, Trojan orbit
2020 XL5's high orbital eccentricity results in wide, tadpole-shaped oscillation paths in a corotating reference frame with Earth and its Lagrangian points. Although the asteroid crosses Venus's orbit with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.0273 AU (4.1 million km; 2.5 million mi), perturbations by the planet are currently negligible since its nominal orbit brings it either too high or too low from the plane of Venus's orbit. Venus's influence on 2020 XL5's orbit will become greater over time as their longitudes of the ascending node precess over hundreds of years, lowering 2020 XL5's Venus MOID and eventually destabilizing its trojan orbit by sending it to Earth's L3 point in several thousand years.


2020 XL5, Physical characteristics
Based on an magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 20.16, 2020 XL5 measures between 250 and 550 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.25 and 0.05, respectively. Its absolute magnitude is slightly smaller (thus brighter) than that of 2010 TK7 (20.8), implying that 2020 XL5 likely has a slightly larger diameter if it is assumed that both have the same geometric albedos. This makes 2020 XL5 likely the largest known Earth trojan to date.


2020 XR
2020 XR is an Apollo near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid roughly 390 meters (1,000 feet) in diameter. With a 5-day observation arc it was briefly listed as having a 1 in 11,000 chance of impacting Earth on 1 December 2028 placing it at the top of the Sentry Risk Table with a Palermo scale rating of -0.70.


2020 XR, Discovery
2020 XR was discovered by Pan-STARRS 2 on 4 December 2020, when it was 0.426 AU (63.7 million km) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 75°. It came to perihelion on 8 December 2020. On 2 January 2021, it passed 0.328 AU (49.1 million km) from Earth.


2020 XR, Discovery
On 13 December 2020, precovery observations from 2013, 2016, and mid-2020 extended the observation arc from 8 days to 7.8 years allowing the asteroid to be removed from the Sentry Risk Table.


2020 XR, 2024
It was the Earth perturbations of the asteroid in 2024 that determined if an impact was possible in December 2028. On 4 December 2024, the asteroid will pass 0.0147 AU (2.20 million km; 5.7 LD) from Earth with an uncertainty region of about ±800 km. This will increase the asteroid's orbital period by 10 days.


2020 XR, 2028
On 7 November 2028, the asteroid will pass 0.121 AU (18.1 million km) from Earth. By 1 December 2028 the asteroid will be 0.19 AU (28 million km) from Earth with an uncertainty region of about ±10,000 km.


2020 Xfinity 500
The 2020 Xfinity 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 1, 2020 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track, it was the 35th race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the ninth race of the Playoffs, and final race of the Round of 8.


2020 Xfinity 500, Report, Background
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.


2020 Xfinity 500, Qualifying
Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
At the start of the race, three transfer spots were still available as only Joey Logano had clinched from his win at Kansas (he had 4.094 points). Kevin Harvick (4,137 points) led Denny Hamlin (4,122) and Brad Keselowski (4,120) for the three positions. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman were tied at 4,095 points, Martin Truex, Jr. (4,084), and Kurt Busch (4,039) were the positions. Kurt Busch had to win. If Elliott, Bowman, Truex, or Kurt Busch won, the winning driver would move to the second position and only two positions would be available from points. That meant Harvick's lead over fourth was 17 points.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
As Truex or Elliott led for the majority of the second half, it would mean only two of the three could advance should either win. Harvick struggled all day and had been numerous laps down because of a green flag pit stop from a cut tire, returning to the lead lap on a Lap 401 safety car caused by James Davison stalling. On that safety car, Keselowski committed a speeding infraction. Hamlin's car was struggling once lights were turned on as the sun was setting. With 25 laps remaining, Keselowski was 6th, Hamlin was 11th, and Harvick was 12th.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
At that time, Hamlin's teammate Erik Jones, who did not make the playoff and was leaving the team at the end of the season, was behind Hamlin. The points were Hamlin up four, Keselowski one ahead, and Harvick one behind the cut line. With two laps remaining, it was Keselowski (4th) and Hamlin (12th) at the cut line, with Harvick (10th) one behind and Hamlin ahead of Jones.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
In order to cause a three-way tie that would eliminate Keselowski on tiebreaker (the driver whose best finish in the three race round was the worst of three would be eliminated), Harvick made a desperation pass on Kyle Busch. The two made contact and Busch finished 9th, while Harvick finished 17th, being eliminated.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
On Monday morning, less than 15 hours after the race concluded, NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller informed SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the sanctioning body will be investigating both Harvick's deliberate crash into Kyle Busch, and team orders on the radio by Joe Gibbs Racing to ask Jones not to pass Hamlin in order to help Hamlin advance to the final.


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
NBC Sports posted conversations among the No. 20 Gibbs team's driver (Jones), crew chief Chris Gayle, and spotter Rick Carelli, where Gayle told Jones that Hamlin is "going to race you hard because he needs to, because it’s within like three points for those guys. He’s going to race you hard because it’s three points on those guys. Just so you’re aware.” Jones responded to Gayle, “I’ve got a huge gap behind me.” Four laps later, Carelli responded on the radio, "Don’t pass (Hamlin), Jones. Stay with him and drive what you can."


2020 Xfinity 500, Race, Post-race investigation
NASCAR ultimately did not issue penalties for Jones' or Harvick's team.


2020 Xfinity 500, Media, Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1997 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2014 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the action from the booth. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties.


2020 Xfinity 500, Media, Radio
MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle had the call for MRN when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody covered the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstraightway into turn 3. Winston Kelley and Steve Post covered the action for MRN from pit lane.


2020 Yangon United F.C. season
The 2020 season is Yangon United's 11th season in the Myanmar National League since 2009.


2020 Yangon United F.C. season, Season Review, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Yangon United F.C. season, Transfer, Transfer In
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Yangon United F.C. season, Transfer, Transfer Out
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Yasar Dogu Tournament
The 48th Yasar Dogu Tournament 2020, was a wrestling event held in Istanbul, Turkey between 10 and 12 January 2020.


2020 Yasar Dogu Tournament
The international tournament included competition in both men's and women's freestyle wrestling. The tournament was held in honor of the two time Olympic Champion, Yaşar Doğu.


2020 YellaWood 500
The 2020 YellaWood 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 4, 2020 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 200 laps -- extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12.


2020 YellaWood 500, Report, Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.


2020 YellaWood 500, Qualifying
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.


2020 YellaWood 500, Race, Final Stage Results
Stage ThreeLaps: 80 (was originally 68, but got extended due to Overtime)


2020 YellaWood 500, Finish
Track limits are used at Daytona, Talladega, and the road courses. Officiating by NASCAR officials involving the finish of the race generated in regards to track limits drew considerable controversy afterwards. Initially, second-place finisher Matt DiBenedetto and sixth-place finisher Chase Elliott were penalized and moved to 21st and 22nd positions, respectively. NASCAR penalized DiBenedetto for forcing William Byron beyond track limits, marked with a double yellow line at the bottom of the track, and the sanctioning body penalized Elliott for voluntarily moving under the line.


2020 YellaWood 500, Finish
NASCAR later redistributed its penalty originally given to Elliott, assessing it to Chris Buescher for forcing Elliott beyond track limits. Race winner Denny Hamlin also maneuvered under the track limits boundaries on the final corner, but race officials ruled that he was avoiding a potential accident from DiBenedetto and Byron. Despite myriad negative reactions to the decision at Talladega and online, a NASCAR official later said that the rulings were "clear-cut". NBC commentators Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett called for NASCAR to remove track limits, but the sanctioning body, citing safety concerns, said the rule would stay in place.


2020 YellaWood 500, Media, Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the action from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was the last time this setup would be used, as starting with the next race booth commentators started calling races on site. Steve Letarte called the action on site. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties on site.


2020 YellaWood 500, Media, Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race for MRN when the field races thru the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the action from turn 1, Mike Bagley called the action for MRN when the field races down the backstraightaway, and Dan Hubbard called the race from the Sunoco tower just outside of turn 4. Winston Kelley and Steve Post called the action for MRN from pit lane.


2020 Yemen flood
The 2020 Yemen flood was a flash flood that killed at least 172 people in Yemen and damaged homes and UNESCO-listed world heritage sites across the country, officials said.


2020 Yemen flood
In the mainly government-held Maʼrib Governorate east of the capital Sanaa, 19 children were among 30 people killed by the floods, a government official said.


2020 Yemen flood
By 7 August, the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Sana’a reported that 131 people had died and 125 had been injured across northern governorates, and 106 homes and private and public facilities had been destroyed and 156 damaged.


2020 Ykkönen
The 2020 Ykkönen was the 49th season of Ykkönen, the second highest football league in Finland. The season began on 18 April 2020.


2020 Ykkönen, New league format
Ykkönen adopted a new league format for the 2020 season. The number of teams was raised from ten to twelve, and Promotion Series and Relegation Series will be played after the regular season. Each team will play against each other twice in the regular season. After the regular season the top six teams advanced to the Promotion Series which determines the champion and Veikkausliiga promotion places. The bottom six teams advanced to the Relegation Series.


2020 Ykkönen, New league format
The 1st team from the Promotion Series will promote to the Veikkausliiga. The 3rd placed team from the Promotion Series plays against 4th placed team, and the winner of that match plays against 2nd placed team for place in the Veikkausliiga promotion play-offs against 11th placed team from Veikkausliiga.


2020 Ykkönen, New league format
The bottom 3 teams from the Relegation Series will relegate to the Kakkonen.


2020 Ykkönen, Overview
A total of twelve teams will contest in the league, including seven sides from the 2019 season, VPS and KPV were relegated from Veikkausliiga and Gnistan, MP and SJK Akatemia who were promoted from Kakkonen after winning the promotion play-offs.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open
The Yonex Thailand Open was a badminton tournament which took place at the Impact Arena in Thailand from 12 to 17 January 2021. It had a total purse of $1,000,000.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open, Tournament
The Yonex Thailand Open was the eighth tournament of the 2020 BWF World Tour and also part of the Thailand Open championships, which had been held since 1984. This tournament was organized by Badminton Association of Thailand and sanctioned by the BWF. It was the first of three BWF tournaments taking place in Thailand in January 2021. Participation in both Thailand Opens was mandatory to qualify for the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open, Tournament
Four out of five world number ones withdrew from all three tournaments. The Chinese team withdrew from all three tournaments after failing to get permission to travel to Thailand; affected players include Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan (women's doubles), and Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong (mixed doubles). In addition, the Japanese team withdrew from the tournaments following the positive COVID-19 diagnosis of Kento Momota (men's singles). Following Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo's positive COVID-19 diagnosis, he and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (men's doubles) withdrew from the tournaments.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open, Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at the Impact Arena in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open, Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 1000 event.


2020 Yonex Thailand Open, Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$1,000,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2020 York Centre federal by-election
A by-election was held in the federal riding of York Centre in Ontario on October 26, 2020 following the resignation of incumbent Liberal MP Michael Levitt after 5 years in Parliament. The seat was held for the Liberals by businesswoman Ya'ara Saks, albeit on a much reduced majority. People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier ran in this election to attempt to gain his party's first seat in Parliament (after having lost his seat in Beauce - the party's only seat - to the Conservatives in the 2019 election), to little success, winning just several hundred votes.


2020 York Centre federal by-election
It was held on the same day as the by-election in nearby Toronto Centre.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Background, Constituency
York Centre is a suburban constituency in Toronto. It contains the neighbourhoods of Westminster–Branson, Bathurst Manor, Wilson Heights, Downsview, and York University Heights.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Background, Constituency
As per the 2016 Census, 17.0% of York Centre residents are of Filipino ethnic origin and 16.0% belong to the Filipino visible minority, which are the highest such figures among all City of Toronto ridings. At the same time, the York Centre riding has the highest percentage of residents of Russian (9.5%) and Jewish (5.6%) ethnic origins (in the 2011 National Household Survey, 13.6% of York Centre residents had entered a Jewish ethnic origin).


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Background, Representation
The riding was previously considered one of the safest Liberal Party seats in Canada; electing liberal MPs near consistently since 1962.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Background, Representation
Conservative Mark Adler won the seat in 2011, but lost it to Michael Levitt in 2015. In recent years, York Centre has been considered a marginal seat. Levitt was re-elected on an increased majority in 2019.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Background, Representation
On August 4, 2020, Levitt announced he would be resigning as an MP, effective September 1, 2020, to become the President and CEO of the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
By September 7, five candidates had launched their campaigns for the Liberal nomination including 2019 Thornhill candidate Gary Gladstone, former chief fundraiser of the provincial Ontario Liberal Fund, Bobby Walman, as well as former Canadian Jewish News editor Yoni Goldstein. It was announced on September 17 that communications specialist Ya'ara Saks would be appointed as the Liberal candidate.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
Rumoured candidates for the Conservative nomination included 2019 candidate Rachel Willson, York Centre MPP Roman Baber, and former parliamentary staffer Melissa Lantsman; they all declined. Wilson announced on September 18 that she would not be running. The Conservatives ultimately nominated Julius Tiangson, who previously ran for the party in Mississauga Centre in 2015.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
NDP candidate Andrea Vásquez Jiménez previously ran for the seat in the 2019 election.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier said he intended to run in either the Toronto Centre or York Centre by-election. Bernier decided he would run in York Centre when the by-elections were announced.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
Perennial candidate John "The Engineer" Turmel registered as an Independent candidate.


2020 York Centre federal by-election, Campaign
The Speaker's warrant regarding the vacancy was received on September 1, 2020; under the Parliament of Canada Act the writ for a by-election had to be dropped no later than February 28, 2021, 180 days after the Chief Electoral Officer was officially notified of the vacancy via a warrant issued by the Speaker. Under the Canada Elections Act, the minimum length of a campaign is 36 days between dropping the writ and election day.


2020 York9 FC season
The 2020 York9 FC season was the second season in the club's history and the last under the York9 name.


2020 York9 FC season, Transfers, In, Draft picks
York9 FC selected the following players in the 2019 CPL–U Sports Draft on November 11, 2019. Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.


2020 Youngstown State Penguins baseball team
The 2020 Youngstown State Penguins baseball team was a baseball team that represented Youngstown State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Penguins were members of the Horizon League and played their home games at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio. They were led by fourth-year head coach Dan Bertolini.


2020 Youngstown State Penguins baseball team
The season was cut short in stages by March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 Youngstown State Penguins baseball team, Previous season
The Penguins finished the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball season 13–41 overall (7–20 conference) and sixth place in conference standings, qualifying for the 2019 Horizon League Baseball Tournament.


2020 Youngstown State Penguins football team
The 2020 Youngstown State Penguins football team represents Youngstown State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They are led by first-year head coach Doug Phillips and play their home games at Stambaugh Stadium. They are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.


2020 Youngstown State Penguins football team, Previous season
The Penguins finished the 2019 season 6–6, 2–6 in MVFC play to finish in eighth place.


2020 Ypres Rally
The 2020 Rally Belgium (also known as Renties Ypres Rally Belgium 2020) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was scheduled to hold between 20 to 22 November 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was set to mark the fifty-sixth running of Ypres Rally and was planned to be the seventh round of the 2020 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. It was also going to be the final round of the Junior World Rally Championship. The 2020 event was set to be based in Ypres in West Flanders and was scheduled to be contested over twenty-three special stages. The rally was planned to cover a total competitive distance of 265.69 km (165.09 mi).


2020 Ypres Rally, Background, Schedule changes and event inclusion
Following the cancellation of 2020 Rally Japan, the Ypres Rally of Belgium replaced Rally Japan to hold the seventh round of the championship. This would mark the Ypres Rally run as a WRC event for the first time. The country was set to become the thirty-fourth nation to stage a championship round in the WRC. Unfortunately, the rally was eventually announced to be called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 Ypres Rally, Background, Route
The first two days of action would take place in the area around Ypres, while Sunday's final leg would be focused on the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, with the rally-closing Power Stage featuring the famous Eau Rouge-Raidillon section of the track. This meant the Sunday's route would run alongside the 2020 World RX of Benelux of the World Rallycross Championship.


2020 Yukon Men's Curling Championship
The 2020 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, the territorial men's curling championship for Yukon was held from January 24 to 26 at the Whitehorse Curling Club in Whitehorse, Yukon. The winning Thomas Scoffin rink represented the Yukon at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston, Ontario and finished with a 0–7 record.


2020 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, Draw
The event is a double round robin. If any team goes undefeated, they would be declared the champions. If no team goes undefeated, a playoff will occur between each of the three teams. If one team has three or more losses, then there will be a playoff with the top two teams (with the first place team needing to be beaten twice).


2020 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, Draw
The first game of the event was scheduled for 9:00am on January 24, but was postponed to 7:00pm due to compressor issues.


2020 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, Round robin standings
The Thomas Scoffin Rink went 4-0 in the round robin and will represent Yukon at the 2020 Brier.


2020 Yukon Party leadership election
The 2020 Yukon Party leadership election took place on May 23, 2020 to elect a leader to replace Darrell Pasloski, who resigned on November 7, 2016 after the 2016 Yukon general election, which resulted in the party's majority government being defeated and Pasloski losing re-election in Mountainview. Currie Dixon was elected after two ballots with a record turnout of 96% of registered Yukon Party voters.


2020 Yukon Party leadership election, Candidates, Linda Benoit
Linda Benoit, 38, is a businesswoman from Faro who is a former party president, party treasurer, and official agent.


2020 Yukon Party leadership election, Candidates, Brad Cathers
Brad Cathers, 42, is the incumbent MLA for Lake Laberge, having served since 2002. He is a former cabinet minister, having served under both Dennis Fentie and Darrell Pasloski for a cumulative eight years; his portfolios include justice, health and energy. Prior to his election as an MLA, Cathers worked as a businessman in the private sector.


2020 Yukon Party leadership election, Candidates, Currie Dixon
Currie Dixon, 34, is the former MLA for Copperbelt North and cabinet minister, having served from 2011 to 2016. He is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships at ALX Exploration and Mining Supplies.


2020 Zagreb earthquake
At approximately 6:24 AM CET on the morning of 22 March 2020, an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 Mw, 5.5 ML, hit Zagreb, Croatia, with an epicenter 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city centre. The maximum felt intensity was VII–VIII (Very strong to Damaging) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 5.0. It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since the 1880 earthquake and caused substantial damage in the historical city center. More than 1,900 buildings were reported to have been damaged to the point of becoming uninhabitable. The earthquake was also felt in Slovenia. One person was killed and 27 others were injured.


2020 Zagreb earthquake
The earthquake occurred during the coronavirus pandemic and complicated the enforcement of social distancing measures set out by the Government of Croatia. It occurred during the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.


2020 Zagreb earthquake
The direct earthquake damage inflicted on Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje County was estimated at 86 billion Croatian kuna (€11.5 billion).


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Geology
Zagreb lies just to the south of the mountain of Medvednica. The northern edge of the mountain is formed by a major southeast–dipping reverse fault that has been active during the Quaternary, the North Medvednica Fault. Earthquakes in this area involve reverse movement on west-southwest–east-northeast trending faults or strike-slip faulting on either northwest–southeast (dextral) or west-southwest–east-northeast (sinistral) faults.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 Mw  and a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) according to Advanced National Seismic System and 5.5 ML according to the Seismological Service of Croatia. The maximum perceived intensity was VII (very strong) to VIII (damaging) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale (MSK) and VII (very strong) on the European macroseismic scale (EMS-98). It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since the earthquake in 1880.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake's epicentre was located in the northern suburbs of the Croatian capital Zagreb, in the Medvednica nature park, with the closest neighborhoods including Markuševec and Vidovec (in the Podsljeme city district), Čučerje (in the Gornja Dubrava district) and Kašina (in the Sesvete district).


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Earthquake
The focal mechanism of the earthquake indicates reverse faulting on a west-southwest–east-northeast trending fault. This is consistent with movement on a structure associated with the North Medvednica Fault.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Earthquake, Aftershocks
More than 30 aftershocks were recorded within seven hours of the main tremor, with over 100 aftershocks associated with the earthquake, however, most were weaker than 2.0 magnitude. By 14 April, 145 aftershocks greater than or equal to 1.3 Mw and 850 below 1.3 Mw were detected following the earthquake, among which 8 were reported to be of magnitude 3.0 or greater with the largest being a 5.0 Mw event at 6:01 UTC according to the Seismological Service of Croatia. After a period of lower seismic activity, several lower intensity earthquakes were recorded in June 2020.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response
President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Mayor Milan Bandić gave statements, and urged citizens who left their homes to keep a distance due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Hospital for Infectious Diseases briefly ceased with coronavirus testing, which resumed later during the day. The Ministry of Defence mobilized the army to help clear debris from the streets. Citizens whose homes were critically damaged were accommodated in a student dorm. On the following day, Mayor Bandić declared a state of natural disaster.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response
On 22 March, European Council President Charles Michel extended a message of support to Croatia, saying the European Union is willing to help after strong quakes hit Zagreb this morning. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said that the Emergency Response Coordination Centre was in contact with Croatia's authorities.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response
On 24 March, it was announced that the players of Croatia national football team had donated 4,200,000 Croatian kuna to the relief efforts. On 25 March, it was announced that the members of the Government, as well as United States Ambassador to Croatia Robert Kohorst, had given up on their March paychecks for the benefit of the victims. The Speaker of the Parliament Gordan Jandroković invited the members of the Parliament to do the same. The same day, GNK Dinamo Zagreb donated 250,000 kuna to the Clinic for Children's Diseases Zagreb and the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, respectively.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response
On 27 March, five days after the earthquake, measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic were reduced to allow the opening of shops selling construction tools and materials, in order to allow Zagreb residents to repair earthquake damage. Starting with the following day, parking was temporarily made free in some of the affected neighbourhoods.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response
Željko Kolar, the Prefect of the Krapina-Zagorje County, declared a state of natural disaster for the town of Donja Stubica and the municipalities of Gornja Stubica and Marija Bistrica. After visiting the region, Plenković said that the damage from the earthquake is far more extensive than originally believed. The Ministry of Defence deployed 50 military drones to document the damage.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
Zagreb's administration initially stated that according to the applicable law, it would pay for up to 5 percent of repair costs for uninsured properties whose damage exceeded 60 percent of their value, which was the upper limit according to the law. Mayor Bandić said that 95 percent of the damage incurred by buildings in Zagreb's central areas could have been prevented by a façade renovation project for which, he said, he had been unable to find support.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
The following day, on 26 March, Minister of Construction and Physical Planning Predrag Štromar announced amendments to the law and a special fund to help Zagreb, in agreement with Mayor Bandić. Croatian Prime Minister Plenković met with Mayor Bandić on 30 March to discuss the consequences of the earthquake. Bandić said that the city cannot pay for repairs to private property, and that the "cause [of damage] is neglect of personal property", adding that "those who invested in their property did fine." The opposition criticised his statements as placing blame for the earthquake damage on homeowners.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
Due to snow, rain and cold weather in the days immediately following the earthquake, some of the residents took to repairing their homes on their own shortly after the earthquake. On 30 March, Ministry of Construction and Spatial Planning announced it would finance repairs to damaged houses and flats.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
On 3 April, citizens of Zagreb, dissatisfied with Mayor Bandić's management of the city in the crisis situation, banged pots on their balconies at 7:00 PM CEST protesting under the initiative "Resign, it's your fault, it's been enough". The action was repeated on 17 April. The organisers demanded housing for those rendered homeless by the earthquake, a "fair, transparent and speedy" renovation of the city, and that the city take advice from construction industry associations. These actions were a continuation of ongoing protests against Mayor Bandić which were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
Minister Štromar presented a draft of a law for the renovation of the damaged structures. The draft was criticised for suspending the regulation of public tenders, not financing the repairs of structures whose owners own another property, requiring the residents to pay rent on flats offered as a temporary replacement, and lacking the qualifications to ensure that future earthquakes of the same strength will cause less damage.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Response, Funding for repairs
A state inquiry in the City of Zagreb budget found that the city was 1.9 billion kuna in debt (€250 million), and that the natural disaster fund had been "wasted" on various associations, religious community projects and festivities. Among other irregularities found, the income from monument annuities, collected from owners of buildings deemed worthy of preservation, was to be spent on projects renovating said buildings, but at the time of the revision, none of the renovation contracts had been closed.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
26,197 buildings are reported to have sustained damage, 1,900 of which are unusable. Some neighbourhoods were left without electricity and heat, and in some areas without internet. The earthquake caused several fires. Most of the damaged buildings were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, well before a 1964 law, following the disastrous Skopje earthquake, which mandated that earthquake protection must be taken into account during the design and construction of buildings. In particular, buildings made from reinforced concrete – which was introduced as a construction technique in Zagreb in the 1930s – withstood the earthquake with negligible damage.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
The hardest hit were the older buildings in the historic centre of Zagreb. One of the spires of Zagreb Cathedral broke off and fell on the Archbishop Josip Bozanić's palace. The Basilica of the Heart of Jesus was heavily damaged. A part of the roof of the Croatian Parliament building collapsed and the sessions of the Parliament were suspended. The Banski dvori, which houses the Croatian government, sustained only minor damage.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
Most of the museums in the city's centre were damaged by the earthquake, including the Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Croatian History Museum, and the Schools Museum. The director of the Croatian History Museum said that their building is no longer statically safe. The Croatian News Agency building was severely damaged, but it continued to operate and provide services to clients. The Kolmar building on Ban Jelačić Square, which housed the Croatian Writers' Association, lost one of its cupolas during the earthquake and the other had to be pulled down by firefighters as it was badly damaged. Two buildings of the Komedija Theatre reported significant damage. Other theaters, including the 1895 Croatian National Theatre, suffered no major damage. Minor damage was also registered on the Faculty of Law, the Croatian Music Institute, and the Orthodox Cathedral.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
The city's largest maternity hospital, the obstetrics department of the University Hospital Centre in Petrova Street, was evacuated. Also, 23 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 20 university faculties, and 18 institutes reported damage. In Donja Stubica, Gornja Stubica, and Marija Bistrica 53 houses were completely destroyed and the total damage is estimated at more than 75 million kuna.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
The nearby Krško Nuclear Power Plant, in Slovenia, sustained no damage and continued to operate normally. A 3-metre-wide (10 ft) sinkhole opened on the grounds of the Stubičke Toplice Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital after the earthquake.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
Four Internet autonomous systems in Croatia had gone offline as a consequence of the earthquake, causing the disruptions in Internet access, but connectivity was restored by the next day.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
On 17 April, the northern spire of Zagreb Cathedral was removed due to leaning during the earthquake.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Damage
Minister Štromar presented an estimate by the Civil Engineering Faculty in Zagreb on the total damage from the earthquake. According to the estimate, the damage in Zagreb and the surrounding area is around 42 billion kuna, or 5.6 billion euros.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Casualties
Seventeen people were reported injured on 22 March, with a 15-year-old girl in critical condition. Three people were injured in the Krapina-Zagorje County, 11 in Zagreb and three in the Zagreb County. On the next day ten more injuries were reported, making a total of 27 people injured. On 23 March, the 15-year-old girl from Zagreb, who was in critical condition, died, succumbing to her injuries. She is the first recorded victim of the earthquake.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Casualties
On 27 March, a volunteer construction worker fell to his death from a building while he was repairing damage from the earthquake.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Aftermath
The first scientific paper on the Zagreb earthquake was published on 1 July 2020, in the scientific journal Geosciences.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Aftermath
Some of the buildings affected by the earthquake suffered further damage in the 24–25 July flash flood, including the Children's Hospital Zagreb in Klaić Street, the University of Zagreb Faculty of Science administrative building, and a number of public libraries.


2020 Zagreb earthquake, Aftermath
In December the same year, Zagreb was further damaged by an Mw 6.4 earthquake whose epicenter was near Petrinja, 50 km (31 mi) from the capital.


2020 Zagreb flash flood
On the night of 24–25 July 2020, after 21:00 local time (CEST, 19:00 UTC), Zagreb, Croatia, was struck by a storm which produced one of the worst flash floods in the city's history. An episode of intense rainfall dumped more than 50 millimetres (2 in) of rain within two hours. The torrential streams of the mountain overlying Zagreb surged and overwhelmed the city's combined sewer system, causing flooding. The effects were worst felt in the inner city, notably Ilica, Donji grad and Trnje, though many suburbs were also affected, including Buzin, Črnomerec, Jankomir, and Maksimir.


2020 Zagreb flash flood
Public transport and automobile traffic ceased in many streets, while trapped people had to be rescued from flooded cars and apartments. A firefighter died at an intervention. No financial estimate of damages was released by the authorities. The city government reported receiving over 2,000 damage claims during an eight-day filing period.


2020 Zagreb flash flood
Zagreb lies on the foothills of Medvednica mountain, with the inner city squeezed on a floodplain between the mountain and the River Sava. Both the mountain streams and the river have produced deadly floods in the past. A system of flood defences has since been created to prevent flooding, and is under the jurisdiction of the state water management company, Hrvatske vode. However, in spite of flash flood hazard warnings issued by Croatian and international agencies in the preceding 48 hours, the flood defences were not activated.


2020 Zagreb flash flood
A group of Trnje residents broke into the empty building of the Kuniščak dam, which functions as the outlet to many of the torrential streams, and opened the dam to drain the flood waters from the city. In the following days, a controversy ensued about who was responsible for the dam being closed, and its control building locked and unstaffed. Hrvatske vode, the mayor, and the city's water and sewer utility company all denied responsibility for the flood and faced criticism from the public.


2020 Zagreb flash flood
Additionally, a local man broke in and operated the dam controls was arrested by the police in an incident described by some as a case of police brutality, prompting a public outcry. Hrvatske vode filed a police complaint for breaking and entering against the group of residents. The man was exonerated of all charges in May 2021.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Background
Zagreb faces flooding hazard from two sources: the River Sava, which caused the devastating flood of 1964; and the so-called Zagreb streams of Medvednica Mountain, on whose southern side the city lies. There are several dozen streams on the Zagreb-facing side of Medvednica. They are known for torrential flow during rainstorms. A particularly violent flash flood occurred in July 1651, when the Medveščak stream overflowed during a night-time storm, washing away numerous houses and trees in Potok Street and causing 52 deaths. Flood defences were built around Medveščak as early as the 17th century.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Background
The last major flooding event in the city was the overflowing of Zagreb streams during record rains of 3–4 July 1989, causing flooding in the area from the Zagreb Zoo in Maksimir Street to Žitnjak, which prompted the construction of retentions and sluices to control the drainage of storm waters from Medvednica foothills, as well as channelling and covering of Zagreb streams. As of 2004, 19 out of planned 39 retentions had been built. No new retentions have been constructed since. Risk of flooding from Zagreb streams is exacerbated by the city's geography. The terrain transitions abruptly from hills to impermeable highly urbanised river lowland, occasionally overwhelming the sewer system during heavy rainfall events.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Background
On 23 July at 02:00 CEST the European Flood Awareness System issued a flood warning for Central Croatia. The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Croatian: Državni hidrometeorološki zavod, DHMZ) had issued a red Meteoalarm thunderstorm warning, the highest level, for 24 July in Central Croatia, specifying a danger of flash flooding and power failures, and expected rainfall over 50 mm (2.0 in). The European Storm Forecast Experiment issued a Level 2 alert for an area including Zagreb, warning of possibilities of large hail, severe wind gusts and tornadoes, and noting that "an excessive rainfall risk could arise over parts of Slovenia and Croatia during the overnight hours."


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Meteorological history
An upper-level trough with cool air was approaching Croatia from the Alps in the west, meeting humid air arriving from the sea in the southwest. Together with orographic lift stemming from coastal Dinaric Alps, this created conditions highly conducive to forming strong thunderstorms, signalled by high convective available potential energy (CAPE) and deep layer wind shear of 10–20 m/s (20–40 kn). Severe thunderstorms first developed during the night of 23–24 July over northern Italy. By mid-day, storms began forming over Croatia. Hail was recorded in Istria, and in the afternoon a flash flood struck Senj, a coastal city south of Zagreb. Storms also caused damage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with flash flooding and high winds recorded in Tuzla.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Meteorological history
The storm cell which caused flooding formed southwest of the city around 21:00 CEST. As the trough turned into a low, the storm system stalled over Zagreb around 21:45, causing heavy rainfall and a high incidence of lightning. The storm dropped unusually high amounts of rain over a short period of time.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Meteorological history
The Zagreb-Grič meteorological station, which has kept hourly rainfall records since 1910, measured a record-breaking 58.9 millimetres (2.32 in) of rain in the one-hour period from 21:00 to 22:00 and a total of 77.0 mm (3.03 in) from 21:00 to 23:00, the latter occurrence having a return period of over 400 years. The Zagreb-Maksimir station measured 51.5 mm (2.03 in) in the same time period, an amount with a 76-year return period.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Meteorological history
The 24-hour totals were 89 mm (3.5 in) for Grič, 70 mm (2.8 in) for Mt Sljeme, Medvednica's peak, and 65 mm (2.6 in) for Maksimir, in places higher than the average for the entire month of July, but fell short of the rainfall of the 1989 flash flood and the 24-hour rainfall records established in 1926. In an average year, the rainiest day sees 47.6 mm (1.87 in) of precipitation.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
The rainfall quickly caused torrential flow in the Zagreb streams. Water level of the Štefanovec stream rose nearly sixfold in a short period of time. According to the DHMZ, overflowing of streams was avoided due to summer low water levels and the precipitation being concentrated on Zagreb city centre, but the high amount of inflowing water strained the mixed sewage–stormwater drain system in the inner city, causing flooding in substantial areas of Zagreb.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
The flooding was worst in the city centre, which lies south of the transition to lowlands, on the River Sava floodplain which is protected from river waters by embankments. Water interrupted tram traffic and rendered major streets and underpasses impassable, while the failure of the sewer system caused water to back into homes and buildings.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
Areas affected by flooding included Ilica street, British Square, Donji grad district, Trnje, Stara Trešnjevka, Rudeš, Jazbina, Črnomerec neighbourhood of Šestinski dol Jankomir, and Buzin. In Črnomerec, Fraterščica Road was closed due to water damage, while drivers had to be helped out of stranded cars in numerous places. Torrential flow blocked the Črnomerec stream culvert at Črnomerec Road, later causing flooding during another hailstorm on 26 July.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
In the low-lying district of Trnje, local residents reported that the flood arrived after 22:00, blowing out manhole covers before entering homes. The water accumulated until some of the residents broke into the empty, flooded control room of the Kuniščak dam and managed to open the sluice gate, after which the water level in the neighbourhood receded. According to the residents, the flood tripped the building's residual-current device, so one of them manually operated the control valve. The Kuniščak dam on the Sava's left embankment is part of Zagreb metropolitan area's flood defence system.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
The dam controls water flow between Sava and many Zagreb streams whose natural mouths have been blocked and flows re-routed to prevent backward flow at high Sava water levels. The dam is managed by Hrvatske vode, who could not be reached during the emergency according to the residents. According to Vodoopskrba i odvodnja (ViO), Zagreb's public water and sewer utility company, the flooding was additionally exacerbated because all 19 retentions on Zagreb streams were left opened. The retentions are intended to be closed when flooding is likely, in order to retard the water flow, thus preventing flash floods downstream.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Flooding
The flood claimed a single indirect fatality, a volunteer firefighter who died while responding to an emergency. Among the injured was a disabled man who was helped out of his car by a passerby after his car was dragged by the torrent into a underpass under 2.5 metres (8 ft) of water. There were several thousand calls to emergency services. Around 23:00, Zagreb Fire Department requested that citizens not call them except in cases of extreme urgency. There were around 50 ambulance interventions.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam
The closed sluice gate quickly became a point of controversy. Both the City of Zagreb and Hrvatske vode, the state company responsible for flood protection, disavowed responsibility for the inactivated flood defences. On 26 July, Hrvatske vode held a press conference at the Kuniščak dam, denying responsibility for the flood. The representatives cited lack of urgency due to low water in Sava, at 161 cm (5 ft 3 in) below the zero level, as the reason for not staffing the dam. They were heckled by assembled residents.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam
The following day, Hrvatske vode stated on the Otvoreno talk show that the sluice gate was closed to avoid river water backing into the city, and because all wastewater was intended for the wastewater treatment plant at the main wastewater canal (Gradski odvodni kanal, GOK), which also has an outlet into Sava, downriver from Zagreb. The ViO director credited a new interceptor sewer in eastern Zagreb with saving the neighbourhoods of Trnava and Sesvete, which are not connected to the treatment plant. Hrvatske vode later stated that it had been ViO's responsibility to staff the dam, and that flash flooding is not their area of responsibility.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam
During a storm on 3 August, the sluice gate was staffed by Hrvatske vode due to "expected water level rises in ephemeral water courses", and was opened to prevent flooding. In response to a subsequent media inquiry, Hrvatske vode stated that they would have opened the gate during the flash flood, had they received such a request from ViO. The official of Hrvatske vode responsible for flood control in the upper course of Sava was removed from his position as a result of the controversy.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam, Arrest
Tihomir Blagus, the Trnje resident who operated the sluice gate was arrested by the police the day after the storm. He had returned to the dam control shed, where he encountered and engaged in conversation with several police officers who were investigating the break-in, confessing to them his actions of the previous night. He was released from custody the same day, allegedly due to public pressure. According to Blagus, he was tackled and arrested after asking for his mobile phone back, after he tried to film the conversation with his phone and a policeman knocked it out of his hands.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam, Arrest
According to a statement by the police, he was under the influence of alcohol, yelled and made gestures at the officers, and refused to cease this behaviour. The police statement described the cause of arrest as breach of peace, not the control building break-in. A video of Blagus' arrest was published on Facebook, showing an officer applying pressure on the man's neck with his knee. The police said that the footage is incomplete and taken out of context. Police did not take disciplinary action against the involved officers, stating that the method of applying shin pressure on the arrestee's neck was legal, while former Croatian interior minister Ranko Ostojić said the method had been banned several years earlier.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam, Arrest
The manner of the arrest gave way to accusations of police brutality, and sparked a discussion on whether citizens are allowed to film police officers on duty. Attorneys consulted by the Jutarnji list newspaper and RTL television network stated that citizens are within their rights to film police officers in similar situations. Ombudswoman of Croatia Lora Vidović announced her office was investigating the incident, but declined to comment on the legality of the arrest. Social and news media condemned the use of force and hailed Blagus as the "hero who saved Trnje" for his actions during the flood. An online petition was started in his support.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam, Arrest
Hrvatske vode reported the control building break-in to the police, and in September charges were filed against Blagus for breach of peace and disrespecting an officer of the law. While Hrvatske vode stated they attempted to retract the break-in complaint. In Croatian law, breaking and entering is punishable by a fine or a jail sentence up to one year. Court cases against some of the residents who broke in were still ongoing as of December 2020; in May 2021, however, Blagus was found not guilty.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Kuniščak dam, Arrest
In Blagus' home, the flood destroyed furniture, appliances, flooring and most of his possessions, including his car. Trnje residents stated they had to wash away accumulated mud from their streets on their own, as city services did not arrive to clean the streets for several days. Blagus was allegedly offered a compensation of 2,500 Croatian kuna (€330) by Mayor Milan Bandić through the neighbourhood council, an offer described as "generous" by the message, which he declined. His employer donated 43,000 kuna (€5,600) worth of furniture to his household. Blagus said that the city estimated the damage at 100,000 kuna (€13,000).


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Damages
Numerous households were inundated by storm waters and backed up sewage. Zagreb Fire Department conducted several hundred interventions, mainly pumping out water from homes, and rescuing people from stranded cars, and basement and ground floor apartments. The flood caused further damage to some of the buildings already damaged in the earthquake four months earlier. Among those were the Children's Hospital Zagreb in Klaić Street, where the flood destroyed the hospital pharmacy and medical equipment, including the hospital's supply of artificial skin, the University of Zagreb Faculty of Science administrative building, and a number of public libraries.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Damages
Initial estimates put the damage in the children's hospital at 1–1.5 million kuna (€130,000–€200,000) not including furniture and computer equipment. Equipment was lent from other hospitals. Hospital workers spent the night of the flood pumping and bailing out water which reached a height of 60 cm (2 ft). Other buildings with significant flood damage included the Museum of Arts and Crafts and Importanne Centar shopping mall, the recently opened Backo Mini Express model train museum, and University of Zagreb's Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Damages
As of September 2020, Zagreb city government had not released information about the extent of the damages. On 26 July, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds considered requesting financial assistance for flood damage from the EU; there were no further announcements on this matter.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Response
President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Mayor Milan Bandić expressed their condolences for the deceased firefighter and his family. Mayor Bandić said the city would help with flood damages, but denied local government's responsibility for the damages. He said that damages were "minimal", the "cause was chiefly do-it-yourself [construction]", and the flood would have been "forgotten in 24 hours" if it were not for the deceased firefighter. These comments were criticised by the opposition and by residents affected by the floods.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Response
The residents and neighbourhood councils were initially given less than two days to file damage claims and have them relayed to the city government. The deadline was later extended by one week after requests from opposition parties. The city government reported receiving 2,277 damage claims, of which 1,738 were accepted. Mayor Bandić stated that the flood did not fulfill the requirements for proclaiming a state of natural disaster because it caused less than 1 billion kuna (€130 million) in damage. Although Bandić initially promised compensation of up to 50,000 kuna (€6,600) or accommodation in public housing, in February 2021, the City requested further documentation for the claims, and announced that uninsured flood victim households would receive lump sum payments of 3,000 to 12,000 kuna (€400–1,580) as compensation.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Response
News reports covered the poor shape of storm drains in Zagreb, the maintenance of which had ceased after the earthquake, according to ViO director. ViO and the city also received criticism for poor sewerage design from residents of a number of flooded neighbourhoods, citing recurring flooding issues that started after sewer or road works. Residents of Jazbina street blamed the city's 2011 street reconstruction, which re-routed storm runoff around the 614 m (2,014 ft) long Jazbina retention, for recurrent flooding at heavy rainfall. Newspapers questioned why the city of Varaždin, 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Zagreb, saw more rainfall from the same storm system (128 mm, 5.04 in), yet did not experience significant flooding as in Zagreb. An expert credited lower intensity of rainfall in Varaždin, different terrain, and better sewerage maintenance.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Response
On 28 July, Mayor Bandić announced the city would sue Hrvatske vode for "stealing 450 million kuna [€60 million] in utility charges" from Zagreb residents. Opposition politicians criticised Bandić's response, blaming the disaster on a lack of communication between the City and Hrvatske vode, and a long-term state of disrepair of utility services in Zagreb, citing frequent water and district heating outages, open sewers near the city centre, and sinkholes opening up on street surfaces.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Future
ViO announced a 2 billion kuna (€260 million) project, and plans to retrofit Zagreb's stormwater drain system to prevent such floods in the future, though "warning" that it would not be possible without cooperation with Hrvatske vode. The plans would involve replacement of aged pipes and adding computer-controlled valves and sensors. ViO announced a plan to transfer the Kuniščak dam under its own responsibility and outfit it with a remote control system. Zagreb's sewers date back to 1892, and inner city drains transport both sewage and storm waters.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Future
According to ViO, the day's rainfall was three times more than the sewers can handle. The DHMZ said that such heavy rainfall events will become more common and more extreme in the future due to climate change. As in many other large cities, the risk and severity of urban flooding has also increased due to the urban area expanding and taking over previously permeable ground. Over the preceding 15 years, ViO and its parent company, Zagreb Holding, had raised several hundred million euro through bonds for improvements to Zagreb's water and sewerage network, but nearly all of the money was spent on other purposes, including real estate deals.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Future
Together with the COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquake, the flood contributed to the growth in the number of homeless people in Zagreb in 2020.


2020 Zagreb flash flood, Future
The flood was also commemorated in art. Filip Šovagović and Dubravko Mihanović wrote Zagreb 2020, a play about the calamities which struck the city in 2020, including the flood. The play premiered on 27 November 2020 at the Lauba House, and is as of June 2021 performed at other venues by the staff of Gavella Drama Theatre, whose building awaits earthquake damage repairs. Performance artist Aleksandar Battista Ilić hung large red crosses made of canvas on several damaged buildings in Ilica street as part of the Project Ilica: Q'Art community art event.


2020 Zagreb shooting
The 2020 Zagreb shooting, commonly referred to as the St. Mark's Square attack (Croatian: Napad na Trgu svetog Marka), occurred on 12 October 2020 in Zagreb, Croatia, when 22-year-old Danijel Bezuk approached Banski dvori, which houses the office of the Prime Minister and serves as the meeting place of the government, on St. Mark's Square and started shooting at it with an assault rifle, wounding a police officer in the process. In the aftermath, the perpetrator ran off to a nearby neighborhood and committed suicide.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Attack
The attack occurred after 22-year-old Danijel Bezuk from Kutina, Sisak-Moslavina County, did not appear at his workplace in Zagreb, but instead headed to St. Mark's Square where the government building (Banski dvori), the Croatian parliament building (Sabor) and the Constitutional Court building are located. He subsequently took out the automatic rifle (5.45×39mm AK-74) and opened fire on 33-year-old police officer Oskar Fiuri, who was guarding the main entrance, wounding him with four rounds, after which he continued shooting on Banski dvori.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Attack
Another police officer who was guarding the Parliament on the opposite side of the square noticed what was happening across the square, so he took out his personal weapon and fired on the attacker who ran to the nearby street to take cover and reloaded his gun. He then returned and fired on the police again, but was again suppressed by the police fire, so he fled the scene in response.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Attack
The wounded officer Fiuri in a state of shock, ran approximately 50 metres away where he collapsed but was provided help by the bystanders. After the bystanders called an ambulance, the wounded policeman was taken to Sisters of Charity Hospital in Zagreb, where he was treated for his wounds. Police then swarmed St. Mark Square looking for the attacker, but soon received the report of shots again being heard in the nearby Jabukovac Street, which turned out to be Bezuk taking his own life.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Motives
Soon after the attack, the Croatian media found out the attacker's identity and started analyzing Bezuk's Facebook account, which featured written statuses, expressing his frustrations with the state of affairs in Croatia. The posts included a link to a YouTube video dedicated to snipers, captioned with: "I wish I was one of these guys, to take out Serbs". In another post, he described himself as "a tourist in his own country". In yet another post, he expressed his support for far-right Croatian Party of Rights' (HSP) paramilitary wing Croatian Defence Forces (HOS). In his last Facebook status before committing suicide, he wrote: "Enough of frauds and ruthless trampling of human values without [any] responsibility".


2020 Zagreb shooting, Motives
In February 2021, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the motive of the attack was his party Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)'s coalition with the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS).


2020 Zagreb shooting, Reactions
After the Croatian media started writing about Bezuk's Facebook profile, his profile received support from many other users. However, it was later deleted.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Reactions
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, President Zoran Milanović held a press conference in which he called the government to protect the central state institutions, saying that "they are not a tourist destination". On the same day, police raided Bezuk's family home, where they apparently found two rifles with optical sights, silencers, and over 1,000 pieces of ammunition. On 14 October, Prime Minister Plenković said that "[Croatia is] having a serious issue with radicalism" and that the attack had elements of a terrorist act, based on the Croatian law on terrorism.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Reactions
He also urged the police, State's Attorney Office of the Republic of Croatia and Security and Intelligence Agency to investigate "how a young man could become so radicalized". He also appealed to society to "raise the level of respect, in order to build a public culture which will prevent similar incidents from happening". On 15 October 2020, Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved, while commenting the attack, pointed out that there were "series of clues indicating that the Prime Minister himself was the attacker's target".


2020 Zagreb shooting, Investigation
On October 16, Croatian daily newspapers Jutarnji list, referring to the source from the police, published the article saying that prior to the attack Bezuk searched the internet for texts and photographs of government office location, building interior and regular activities of the President and the Prime Minister.


2020 Zagreb shooting, Investigation
The investigation was concluded on July 22, 2021 with official statement of State's Attorney Office reporting:


2020 Zambian Charity Shield
The 2020 Zambian Charity Shield (also known as The Atlas Mara Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndhlovu Charity Shield  for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the Super League, Nkana and the winners of the ABSA Cup. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2019–20 ABSA cup did not take place, FAZ  had to pick the winners of the second-tier league champions Indeni. This was Nkana's 17th Charity Shield final and the second appreance for Indeni since 2000. The game was played behind closed doors on 24 October 2020 at  Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe, but the match was televised live on SuperSport.


2020 Zambian Charity Shield
Zanaco were the defending champions as winners of the 2019–20 Zambian Charity Shield but, did not qualify for this edition, as they failed to win the Super League.


2020 Zambian Charity Shield
Nkana won 2–0 with both goals scored by Idris Mbombo who was named man of the match for his performance.


2020 Zambian Charity Shield, Background
The 2020-21 Charity Shield only featured the Super League champions, Nkana and the National Division One League champions, Indeni since the 2019–20 ABSA cup did not take place due to Covid-19.


2020 Zambian Charity Shield, Match, Summary
The match started on a cagey note, with Indeni looking more enterprising but the first chance would fall to Nkana when Ramadhan Singano saw his effort come off the woodwork in the 17th minute. Four minutes later, Nkana broke the deadlock, with Idris Mbombo tapping home from close range from an assist by Patrick Gondwe after Indeni failed to clear a cross by Liaison Thole. Mbombo was again on hand to net his second of the match with an acrobatic effort from a rebound after goalkeeper Charles Lawu failed to deal with a Gondwe shot.


2020 Zanzibari general election
General elections was held in Zanzibar on 28 October 2020 alongside the Tanzanian general elections to elect the President and National Assembly of the Semi-autonomous state of Zanzibar. Voters elect the president, Zanzibar House of Representatives and local government councillors. By convention, the election was held on the last Wednesday of October and is supervised by the Zanzibar Election Commission.


2020 Zanzibari general election
The incumbent president, Ali Mohamed Shein, is ineligible to be elected to a third term because of term limits and will be stepping down as president. The president of Zanzibar is the third highest position in the Union government of Tanzania.


2020 Zanzibari general election, Background
Elections in Zanzibar have often been contentious. The ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi has maintained a government within the isles since independence and has never lost an election. The opposition has continually accused the government of cheating their way through the elections and almost every election has resulted in post-election violence. Said violence in 2015 was most heated after the electoral commission's controversial annulment of the elections, citing irregularities. A rerun was held in 2016, however, but the opposition had boycotted the election, giving the ruling party a landslide victory.


2020 Zanzibari general election, Presidential candidates, Chama Cha Mapinduzi
With incumbent president Ali Mohamed Shein constitutionally bared for a third term, the CCM ticket for presidency was hotly contested. Dr Hussein Mwinyi won the nomination against 31 candidates at the CCM party congress held on July 20, 2020.


2020 Zanzibari general election, Presidential candidates, Opposition
Seif Sharif Hamad, will be running for a 6th time for the presidency of Zanzibar, however, under the Alliance for Change and Transparency ticket after he left Civic United Front in March 2019. ACT-Wazalendo held their central committee elections on 5 August 2020. The party's 420 central committee members nominated Seif Hamad with 99.76% vote as the Zanzibar presidential candidate. Hamad ran unopposed and only 1 member of the committee cast a vote against Mr Hamad.


2020 Zanzibari general election, Voters
The total number of voters registered in Zanzibar are 448,482, which is a decrease of 55,300 from the 2015 elections. It is estimated that almost 120,000 voters were unable to register due to Zanzibar ID Document requirements.


2020 Zed Tennis Open
The 2020 Zed Tennis Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2020 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. It took place in Cairo, Egypt between 10 and 16 February 2020.


2020 Zed Tennis Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2020 Zed Tennis Open II
The 2020 Zed Tennis Open II was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2020 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. It took place in Cairo, Egypt between 17 and 23 February 2020.


2020 Zed Tennis Open II, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2020 Zed Tennis Open II – Doubles
Marta Kostyuk and Kamilla Rakhimova won the title, defeating Paula Kania and Anastasiya Shoshyna in the final, 6–3, 2–6, [10–6].


2020 Zed Tennis Open II – Singles
Marta Kostyuk won the title, defeating Aliona Bolsova in the final, 6–1, 6–0.


2020 Zed Tennis Open – Doubles
Aleksandra Krunić and Katarzyna Piter won the title, defeating Arantxa Rus and Mayar Sherif in the final, 6–4, 6–2


2020 Zed Tennis Open – Singles
Irina-Camelia Begu won the title, defeating Lesia Tsurenko in the final, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia
The amendments of 2020, which were proposed in January 2020, are the second substantial amendments to the Constitution of Russia of 1993. To introduce these amendments, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, held a national vote. They were approved on 1 July 2020 by a contested popular vote.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia
With Putin's signing an executive order on 3 July 2020 to officially insert the amendments into the Russian Constitution, they took effect on 4 July 2020.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, History
Since the ratification of the Constitution in 1993, only three amendments have been proposed. In 2008, in order to prolong the presidential and the State Duma terms, as well as imposing an annual report by the Prime Minister for the Duma members, four articles had been changed. In the beginning of 2014, eight more amendments were ratified and one was taken away, which resulted in abolition of the Supreme Court of Arbitration and adjustment of prosecutors assignment. In the summer of 2014, two more articles had been changed in order to allow the President to choose up to 10% (17 members) of the Federation Council.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, History
President Vladimir Putin made new proposal during his annual address to the Federal Assembly on 15 January 2020.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, History
According to the articles 136 and 108, amendments to the provisions of Chapters 3–8, require the same approval as a federal constitutional law, that is, a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma, the lower house and a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council, the upper house, and come into force as they have passed the Regional legislatures of no less than two thirds of the 85 federal subjects.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, History
The President formally submitted the bill to the State Duma on 20 January. On 11 March 2020, the State Duma, dominated by pro-government parties, swiftly approved the proposal in the third reading with no objection. By 13 March 2020, legislative assemblies of all 85 Federal subjects approved amendments to the Constitution. On 16 March the Constitutional Court of Russia gave their approval to the amendments.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Background
According to point 3 of article 81 of the Constitution of Russia, the same person cannot hold a position of the President of the Russian Federation more than two terms in a row. This means that Vladimir Putin, who was elected president in 2012 and re-elected in 2018, was not able to participate in the 2024 presidential election without additional steps. In 2018 Putin said that he was not going to hold the post of president for more than two consecutive terms and denied the possibility of his participation in the 2030 election.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Background
Amendments to the Constitution of Russia solved so-called the "2024 problem" that was connected with end of Putin's presidential powers in 2024.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Background
According to Gallup International opinion poll conducted in December 2017, if Putin was not to be on the ballot, 46% would not have known for whom to vote and 19% would have made the ballot paper invalid. Valery Fedorov said that the Russian population does not think about this problem, while the focus group participants gathered by the Levada Center identified two main scenarios for its solution: preservation of presidential powers by Vladimir Putin and the appointment of a successor. Valery Zorkin in 2018 proposed changing the constitution so Putin could remain in his office.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Background
Putin said he was not going to change the Constitution in an interview with Megyn Kelly in March 2018. Sergei Markov said that Putin's repeated statements that there will be no abolition of terms of office have led discussion of possible scenarios for 2024 to a standstill. As a result, despite earlier promises the restrictions that prevented Putin from remaining as president of the Russian Federation changed.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Background
According to political analyst Kirill Rogov, the constitutional design of Russian statehood remains unclear due to the unsuccessful experience of the “tandem” and the lack of institutions of distributed power. In addition to the obvious conflict between Putin's political regime and the official state system, the issue is also the impossibility for Putin to guarantee security for himself and his family if he leaves office completely and the constitution which guarantees that as an eventual certainty.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Proposed amendments
In 2020, 41 articles were rewritten and five more were added. Excluding the 1st, 2nd and the 9th chapters, which can be changed only by calling together a Constituent Assembly and developing a new Constitution, around 60% of articles were altered. Essentially, after the 1st of July there is going to be a “Putin” Constitution instead of “Yeltsin” Constitution, which means a significant change in a political system that has existed for over twenty five years. The main amendments are focusing on how power is distributed between the branches of government: moving away from the super-presidential system that was established in 1993 and simultaneously creating a new one based on the principle of checks and balances.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Proposed amendments
Along with the redistribution of power initiatives, the first draft included a couple of social- and economically directed amendments. Specifically, Putin has suggested to require the minimum wage to be above the poverty line and to guarantee an annual increase in pension payments. The amendments from this block were developed by a special group consisting of parliament members, scientists and public representatives. As a result of their work, the Constitution was supplemented by articles imposing a distinct government attitude towards such things as public health, science, culture, voluntary work and young people.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Proposed amendments
In addition, the amendments have a few innovations, such as regarding the Russian language as a “language state-forming people”, protecting “historical truth” and mentioning faith in God in regards to heritage. Most of these amendments do not embody new concepts, but rather duplicate norms that are already found in federal laws. One of the amendments banned the ceding of Russian territory to foreign powers.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Enactment
The amendments have been put to a national vote initially called for April 2020 but later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been rescheduled for 1 July (with early voting allowed from 25 June).


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Enactment
The voting procedure was decided on already during the development process. Before that there was no concept of a “nationwide voting”. The approved procedure is noticeably different from a regular voting or a referendum: just a month of preparation instead of 90–100 days; the observers can be only from the Public Chambers, which are formed by federal and regional authority; “informing the public” regarding the content of the amendments instead of agitation; no minimum voter turn-out; an online-voting option.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Enactment
With 98% of the ballot counted, and with 78% voting in favor versus 22% against, the amendments easily passed.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Criticism
The amendments were seen as allowing President Vladimir Putin to serve as president after 2024. Under the previous version of the constitution, Putin would have been required to step down in 2024.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Criticism
The main debates around the whole arrangement were caused by the change of the amending procedure of the Constitution itself (which are stated in the chapter 9). A new three-step procedure was imposed. After being approved by federal and regional parliaments, only the third article was enacted, describing the procedure of the change coming into force. After the Constitutional Court had validated the document, the second article was enacted, which regulated the nationwide voting procedure. The first article, which consists of all the amendments, can be enacted only when approved by the majority of the voters.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Criticism
Content-related critique was directed at the amendments, which contradict with the first and the second chapters of the Constitution. Particularly, the ones about the superiority of the Constitution above the interstate authority decisions, the President's right to resign judges, including local authority into one “single public authority system” and the one regarding religion. However, after carefully examining these pretensions, as well as the one regarding the discounting previous presidential terms before the amendment enters into force, the Constitutional Court has not found anything contradicting.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Foreign analysis
The New York Times wrote that the proposed prohibition of same-sex marriage was "an effort to raise turnout for a constitutional referendum that could keep him in power and has stirred big enthusiasm among Russians".


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Foreign analysis
The Guardian wrote that "[t]he move, announced by Putin in January, was initially seen as a way for him to hold on to power after 2024, when as things stand he will no longer be able to serve as president because of term limits." The Guardian further noted that "Putin's direct support for the amendments makes it likely they will go through. He has taken an increasingly conservative turn in his fourth term as president".


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, Foreign analysis
Will Partlett has written that the amendments are an example of "theatrical constitution-making" that is being used to support authoritarian populism in Russia. The amendments therefore constitutionalise legislative trends toward centralism, personalism, and protectionism.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
On 16 March 2020, 128 Russian lawyers, political scientists and human rights defenders, including the member of the Constitutional Conference of the Russian Federation Georgy Satarov, the professor of the Higher School of Economics, doctor of sciences in jurisprudence Irina Alebastrova, the professor of the Institute of Political Studies Sergei Guriev, human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov, have addressed to the Council of Europe with the petition requesting a legal assessment to the amendments to the Constitution. The petition was posted on Change.org where it garnered over 200,000 signatures by 27 May 2020. On 27 May 2020 the Council of Europe decided to send the request to the Venice Commission. The Commission should check for compliance with european and international standards of democracy and the rule of law, as well as with Russia's legal obligations as a member of the Council of Europe.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
On 18 June 2020, the opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendmends to the Constitution (as signed by the president of the Russian Federation on 14 March 2020) related to the execution in the Russian Federation of decisions by the European Court of Human Rights  was published. The Commission indicated that there is no choice to execute or not to execute the European Court of Human Rights judgment: under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights the judgments of the ECtHR are binding.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The proposed amendments use the notion "contrary to the Constitution", which is too broad a formula, broader than that of current Article 79 of the Constitution ("limiting the rights and freedoms of the individual and the citizen or contradicting the fundamentals of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation"). These concerns should be seen against the backdrop of the proposed amendment to Article 83 of the Constitution, empowering the Council of the Federation to dismiss the judges of the Constitutional Court at the request of the President.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
On 23 March 2021, the opinion of the Venice Commission on constitutional amendmends to the Constitution and the procedure for their adoption  was published.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The Commission welcomed that the amendments bring about several positive changes (the increased protection of social rights, the two-term limitation of the mandate of the President, the possibility for the President to refer to the Constitutional Court the use of a presidential veto, the constitutionalisation of the State Council, which has, already for two decades, operated based solely on an executive legal act, the extension of parliamentary control, including the possibility of carrying out inquiries into the heads of state bodies and the competence to "hear" the annual report of the Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, the introduction of a fixed six-year term for most of the Senators of the Federation Council). Nonetheless, the Commission has identified some serious flaws in the Constitution and the procedure of its adoption.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The Commission indicated that on a general note raising to the constitutional level (constitutionalising) existing provisions of ordinary law creates a risk of excluding the issues in question from open debate and thus restricts democracy. Constitutionalised norms become more rigid; they cannot be reviewed by the Constitutional Court and become, on the contrary, the Court's yardstick for evaluating other legal provisions.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The Commission concluded that the amendmends have disproportionately strengthened the position of the President of the Russian Federation and have done away with some of the checks and balances originally foreseen in the Constitution. The ad hominem exclusion from the term limits of the current and previous Presidents (Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev) contradicts the very logic of the adopted amendment limiting the President's mandate to two terms. The unusually wide scope of immunity, taken together with rules of impeachment that make it very difficult to dismiss a President raise serious concerns as to the accountability of the President.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The President has acquired additional powers at the expense of the Chair of the Government. The increase in the number of Senators appointed by the President may give the latter additional leverage, thus raising doubts as to whether the Federation Council will be independent enough from the executive to be able to exercise the monitoring functions entrusted to it by the Constitution. Taken together, these changes go far beyond what is appropriate under the principle of separation of powers, even in presidential regimes.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
The Commission found that the amendmends to the provisions relating to the judiciary, notably the power for the President to initiate the dismissal of apex court presidents as well as presidents, vice-presidents and judges of the cassation and appeal courts on very vague grounds affect the core element of judicial independence. Taken together, the amendments to the provisions on the judiciary amount to a danger to the rule of law in the Russian Federation.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
Furthermore, the Commission concluded that the amendments weaken constituent subjects and local self-government bodies. The inclusion of provisions referring to the Russian nation creates a tension with the multi-ethnic character of the Russian Federation.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
As to the procedure of the adoption of the amendments, the Venice Commission concluded that the speed of the preparation of such wide-ranging amendments was clearly inappropriate for the depth of the amendments considering their societal impact. This speed resulted in a lack of time for a proper period of consultation with civil society prior to the adoption of the amendments by parliament. As a Constitutional Assembly of Russia was not convened, the Constitution was adopted after it was voted by Parliament and by the subjects of the Federation.


2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, The position of the Venice Commission
Following these steps, the amendments had to enter into force under Article 135 of the Constitution. A negative outcome of the additional steps which were introduced ad hoc, i.e. the review by the Constitutional Court and the all-Russian vote, could not have prevented the entry into force of the amendments. It follows that the introduction of these additional steps in the procedure used to amend the Constitution created an obvious tension with Article 16 of the Constitution which safeguards "the fundamental principles of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation".


2020 bombardment of Martuni
The bombardment of Martuni (Armenian: Մարտունի բնակավայրի ռմբակոծություն) was the bombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in the Martuni Province, Nagorno-Karabakh of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh (de jure as part of Azerbaijan). It was carried out by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The city Martuni, along with the de facto capital Stepanakert, were badly damaged as a result of shelling. The shelling resulted in the deaths of civilians. 1,203 buildings were damaged in the province throughout the bombardment. Victoria Gevorgyan, a resident of the Martuni Province of Nagorno-Karabakh, became the first child killed on the very first day of the war.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Background
The clashes are part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority. The region is a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but is de facto held by the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia. The region has been historically inhabited and governed by ethnic Armenians. In 1921, Stalin made Nagorno-Karabakh an autonomous region in Soviet Azerbaijan, against the will of its majority ethnic Armenian population. Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s, and exploded into a full war following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Background
The war ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as occupying the surrounding districts of Agdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan of Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh held an independence referendum in 1991, voting to secede from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan did not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and the war continued until the 1994 ceasefire.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
The shelling of Martuni began on 27 September 2020, killing several locals, including a nine-year-old girl and an elderly woman.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
On 1 October 2020, the town of Martuni in Nagorno-Karabakh was subjected to artillery fire and bombardment by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. As a result of the shelling Martuni, roofs of houses were broken, leaving piles of rubble and shattered glass. Some residents were sleeping in their houses among shards of broken glass. Azerbaijani Armed Forces began bombarding central streets and the local government headquarters with BM-21 Grad rocket launchers while a team of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists were talking to residents. Locals insisted that there were 40 explosions.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
There were no military forces and military structures located in Martuni and there were no soldiers in the area. The shelling injured two French journalists from Le Monde newspaper and two Armenian journalists. President Emmanuel Macron said the French Foreign Ministry was working to organize the journalists’ repatriation “as quickly as possible.” "A medical plane is ready to leave. We are doing everything to stabilize the wounded on the spot before allowing their evacuation," Macron said. The town was also shelled by multiple rocket launcher TOS-1, which hit residential buildings.