2020 Kerala floods, Causes
The unnatural increase in rainfall was caused by a monsoon surge, which was aided by a strong Somali Current or Somali Jet and a low-pressure on the Bay of Bengal which dragged strong monsoon winds towards the Western Coast of India. Westerly winds were exceptionally strong at the 850 hPa level, which helped the monsoon currents to penetrate into the ghats. Though the normal rainfall for Kerala for the entire month of August is only 427mm, the state received 476mm in the first ten days of August itself.


2020 Kerala floods, Humanitarian Response
, Kerala police along with the Indian Air Force, civilians, volunteers, fishermen from coastal Kerala are actively taking part in the rescue operations in flood-affected regions. 545 Relief Camps were opened by the Government of Kerala and 12121 inmates were admitted into these relief camps. As part of humanitarian response from NGO's - IAG Kerala, RedR India and Sphere India conveyed a meeting on Palakkad for the preparedness and response plan with respect to the ongoing heavy rainfall situation and all districts Inter Agency Group (IAGs) are activated in the State on August 8th.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case
On July 5, 2020, 30 kilograms (66 lb) of 24 carat gold worth ₹14.82 crores was seized by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs at Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic bag that was meant to be delivered to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case
M Sivasankar, the principal secretary to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, was suspended and removed from the post after preliminary inquiry confirmed that he had links with Swapna Suresh, one of the accused in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
Gold smuggling was rampant in India until liberalisation, which repealed the The Gold (Control) Act, 1968 that prohibited the import of gold except for jewellery.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
In 2011–12 period India's Current account deficit burgeoning to 4.2% of GDP. This was due to high prices of oil and gold which country imports in huge volumes. The Government of India in consequence to this made a series of hikes in Import duty of Gold. This created a lucrative ground for an upsurge in Gold smuggling to country from abroad predominantly Middle East. Most of the smuggled gold enters India from UAE, it is also smuggled through the porous borders India shares with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
Multiple cases of gold smuggling were reported from Kerala in the past and in its initial days in the 1970s the smuggling was lower volumes transported through sea. However post 2012 there was a surge in Gold smuggling into Kerala through airports. The prominence of Kerala Jewellery industry and high domestic demand for gold jewellery in state following Gulf migration by Keralites along with quick and high returns on engaging in Gold smuggling propelled Gold smuggling through Kerala.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
The smuggling and interception were more rampant through Calicut International Airport due to huge passenger traffic between the town and Gulf Cooperation Council nations which made concealment easier. In financial year 2013–14 the gold smuggled through Calicut airport was 70 kg in the previous year it was 12.5 kg only. The smuggling of gold using carriers were rampant in other nearby airports in region too such as Mangalore International Airport, Coimbatore International Airport, Cochin International Airport, Chennai Airport etc.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
During the 2018–2019 fiscal year, customs had seized about 251 kg of gold from various airports in Kerala. In 2019–20, 540 kg was seized which was more than double compared to that of the previous year. About 802 cases, related to gold smuggling, were also registered in the same year. The various reports by Kerala Police suspect Koduvally town as a major hub used by smugglers. It is roughly estimated that around 70% of Gold that is smuggled through Calicut International Airport is handled by various players in the town.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Background
Over a period of time the smuggling activities has graduated from an economic offence to serious security threat to country, due to alleged cases of development of nexus between Smugglers and Non-state actors predominantly extremist organisations and violent mafia. It is also alleged that big jewellery brands from Kerala engage in trading smuggled gold by using small bogus outfits as front.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Incident
On June 30, 2020, acting on an anonymous tip, the Customs officials at Trivandrum International Airport detained a diplomatic baggage from Dubai on suspicion of smuggling. Since the bag came under diplomatic immunity, opening it without following procedures was not possible, especially since a call claiming to be from secretary of the consulate general of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram asked the Customs to release the baggage.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Incident
On Sunday, July 5, 2020, the bag was opened in the presence of a senior officer from the high commissioner's office in Delhi and the consulate official whose name was on the baggage, to reveal the smuggled gold which weighed around 30 kg. The gold was concealed in baggage consisting of bathroom equipment. Further investigation about the call led the initial inquiry to Swapna Suresh, an ex-UAE consulate employee and state IT department consultant. The Indian officials said that it was first time in history that such a large scale smuggling attempt happened under the name of a foreign nation's diplomatic office.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
On 10 July 2020, NIA took up investigation and registered FIR under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the 4 accused  viz. Sarith Kumar, Swapna Prabha Suresh, Fazil Fareid, and Sandeep Nair. NIA subsequently arrested more persons connected with the case and seized many incriminating documents. Enforcement Directorate also initiated a probe into the case on the suspicion that the proceeds were used to fund terror activities. However Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case, was on 5 October granted bail in the case booked by Customs.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
The accused was given statutory bail by the Economic Offences Court, Ernakulam, as the Customs could not file the final complaint within 60 days of arresting the accused.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
On 15 October the NIA Special court granted bail for eight accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case while rejecting the application of two others.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
Swapna Prabha Suresh, a former employee of UAE Consulate and one of the prime accused in the case, was a business development manager of a project undertaken by Space Park under Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited. She was appointed by PricewaterhouseCoopers as a temporary contractual employee. It is alleged that M Sivasankar recommended her for the post however no proof of the same has been found yet. It was also revealed during police investigation that she had faked her educational qualification because of which KSITIL decided to seek probe against PwC for appointing her.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
Swapna is also accused of aiding financial discrepancies in an apartment construction project in Vadakanchery. An internal vigilance investigation was ordered by the state government on these allegations. Immediately after this, a CBI probe was initiated at an unprecedented speed based on a complaint letter sent by Vadakanchery's Indian National Congress MLA stating that Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 was violated. However High Court stayed this investigation by the CBI after it was revealed that the project in question does not come under FCRA.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
NIA identified K.T. Ramees, a businessman from Malappuram who was earlier arrested by the customs, as the kingpin of the operation. According to a report by India Today, Ramees is a relative of the former Education minister, Chakkeeri Ahammed Kutty, and Malappuram MP P.K. Kunhalikutty. According to customs, Ramees is also an accused in other unconnected cases involving poaching and smuggling.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Investigation
Fazil Fareed, the third accused in the case, and the person who allegedly sent the consignment to the UAE consulate was arrested and questioned by the Dubai police. It is alleged that Fazil Fareed also produced some south Indian films.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Reactions
Following the issue, Ahmed Al Banna, UAE's ambassador to India, told the media that he will coordinate with officials in Kerala for the investigation into the incident. UAE embassy released an official statement that said that the gold smuggling in Trivandrum and its diplomatic role had no role in the matter. The statement said the embassy "condemns the attempted misuse of diplomatic channels by an individual engaged in smuggling activity" and "firmly rejected such acts". However, the UAE consulate's admin attache left the country on 12 June 2020, even before National Investigation Agency could question him.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Reactions
The Congress party demanded the resignation of Pinarayi Vijayan over the alleged involvement of his office in the case. Ramesh Chennithala, opposition leader in state legislative, stated that "the current government in the state has tarnished the image of Kerala worldwide". Mullappally Ramachandran, state chief of the congress party, demanded a probe by RAW. UDF, a coalition led by the Congress party, also organised an online sit-in protest.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Reactions
Bharatiya Janata Party, the party leading the coalition ruling the country has organised hunger strikes seeking resignation of Chief Minister of Kerala. Several prominent leaders of the party including V. Muraleedharan, Minister of state for External Affairs, took part in the hunger strike.


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Reactions
CPI(M), the party ruling the state, accused that the central Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan was trying to interfere with the investigation by claiming that the gold seized was not diplomatic cargo. His claim was allegedly proven wrong when the Finance Ministry informed the Parliament that the gold was smuggled through diplomatic baggage. CPI(M) state secretariat said that "Muraleedharan does not have the right to remain in office and should resign" and that "smuggling through diplomatic channels had become rampant after Muraleedharam assumed office".


2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, Reactions
The party said that Swapna Suresh, the key accused had given a statement to the NIA that the head of Janam TV, Anil Nambiar, had asked her to tell the customs officials that the baggage was not a diplomatic one. The party also raised the fact that some members of the Customs investigation team were removed from the case after he was questioned. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that "Muraleedharan was not functioning as per the position he is holding".


2020 Kerala human chain
Manushya Maha Sringhala (Mega Human Network) was a human chain formed on 26 January 2020 across the Indian state of Kerala to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. The chain was formed by approximately 6 to 7 million people and extended for a distance of 700 kilometres (435 miles) stretching north to south from Kasaragod to Kaliyikkavila.


2020 Kerala human chain
The Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India had organized the human chain. The chain was completed at 16:00 Indian Standard Time (+5:30 GMT) when the participants read out the preamble of the Constitution of India and swore an oath to protect it. The chain was formed on the Republic Day of India.


2020 Kerala human chain, Background
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December. India does not have a law to define refugee status and all undocumented individuals in India are considered illegal migrants. The act grants Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who claim to be from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan and reduces the period of naturalization. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also introduced the proposal for implementing a National Register of Citizens (NRC) for all citizens of India.


2020 Kerala human chain, Background
The NRC was first implemented in Assam, which excluded 1.9 million individuals who were declared illegal immigrants and sent to detention camps. The individuals in question were predominantly Hindu or Muslim. The NRC was criticized for being deeply flawed and acting on the basis of guilt until proven innocent thereby providing the possibility of genuine citizens being rendered stateless by the process.


2020 Kerala human chain, Background
The passage of the CAA led to widespread protests across India, leading to at least 25 dead with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party being accused of religious discrimination in providing citizenship, violent suppression of dissent and attempting to disenfranchise and segregate millions of Muslims with the continued insistence on implementing a nationwide NRC. The Act has received criticism from across the world with the UN calling it "fundamentally discriminatory" and a resolution was moved in the EU Parliament against it. Four Indian states passed a resolution against it. Several Indian states also declared that they will not implement either the CAA or the NRC or both of them.


2020 Kerala human chain, Background
In Kerala, the ruling Left Democratic Front coalition and the opposition United Democratic Front coalition granted joint support to the protests across India. The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution against the act. Following the resolution, the government of Kerala filed a lawsuit against the government of India for violating the provisions of fundamental rights and secularism granted by the Constitution of India. The government also stopped work related to the National Population Register which has been reported to be utilized for the conduction of the NRC. The state of Kerala has experienced widespread protests against CAA and NRC while Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala has stated that the state will remain at the forefront to defend the Constitution of India.


2020 Kerala human chain, Protest
On 24 January 2020, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) announced that it would organize a human chain from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram passing through 10 out of 14 districts with adjoining chains from Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts on Republic Day. The chain was proposed to follow roads on the right side. Police officers were employed to prevent traffic disruption on the roads. The LDF convener, A. Vijayaraghavan stated that they welcomed participation from everyone regardless of political affiliation excluding communal and extremist forces. The opposition United Democratic Front however provided no clear indication of support while the LDF was able to disseminate the message that the chain was not to be linked to any electoral interests other than the protection of the constitution and the secular fabric of the country.


2020 Kerala human chain, Protest
On 26 January 2020, the 71st Republic Day of India, the Left Democratic Front organized one of the largest event of protest with a continuous human chain pledging to defend the Constitution of India which stretched from the northernmost end of the administrative border of Kerala to the southernmost end. The chain when formed directly passed through 12 districts of Kerala, those being Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, respectively in sequence. The chain extended till the border of Tamil Nadu at Kaliyakkavilai. The districts of Wayanad and idukki were not a part of the main chain but separate parallel chains were formed in them.


2020 Kerala human chain, Protest
The human chain was organised with the help of transportation provided by the Left Democratic Front to connect the less populated parts along national highways. At 15:30 Indian Standard Time (3:30 PM), leaflets of the pledge were distributed and a rehearsal was held with directions issued through microphones. At 16:00 Indian Standard Time (4:00 PM), the chain was formally formed when the participants read out the preamble to the Constitution of India and then took the pledge. The chain was dispersed at 16:15 Indian Standard Time (4:15 PM) and public meetings were held at 250 locations in the state. The Left Democratic Front claimed that 7.5 million people had participated in the chain. A worker from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh attempted to commit suicide during the demonstration, who was later found out to be psychologically unstable.


2020 Kerala human chain, Protest
Various prominent personalities participated in the human chain. S. Ramachandran Pillai, General-Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha was the first link in the chain and M. A. Baby, former Minister of Education (Kerala) was the last link. Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan and Communist Party of India state secretary, Kanam Rajendran joined the chain in the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram at Martyr's square, Palayam. The whistleblower and ex-nun Lucy Kalappurakkal joined the chain in Wayanad district. Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, a former member of legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir joined the chain at Malappuram.


2020 Kerala human chain, Reactions
Indian Union Muslim League: The IUML which is part of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition while had given joint support with the ruling coalition to the protests suspended one of its local leaders for participating in the human chain, following friction in the UDF resulting from alignment with their political rivals.


2020 Kerala human chain, Reactions
United Democratic Front (Kerala): In response to the human chain, the opposition UDF coalition too formed human maps of India, in 12 out of 14 districts (excluding Wayanad and Kozhikode) in Kerala.


2020 Kerala local elections
Elections to local bodies (Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations) in Kerala were held in December 2020. The polling was held in three stages; on 8, 10 and 14 December, with the votes counted and results announced on 16 December.


2020 Kerala local elections
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), who also forms the state government, won in more than half of all gram panchayats, two-thirds of district panchayats and in four out of six municipal corporations. The United Democratic Front (UDF), led by Indian National Congress (INC), improved its vote share nearly by 0.7%, compared to that in the previous 2015 election. Despite that, they were able to win just three out of fourteen district panchayats and one corporation, in comparison to seven and two respectively in the previous election. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), increased their tally of wards won and secured a majority in two municipalities and nineteen panchayats.


2020 Kerala local elections, Background
Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 made provisions for the creation of local bodies at the village, block and district levels. The Kerala Municipalities Act, 1994 made provisions for the creation of municipalities and corporations.


2020 Kerala local elections, Background
In total, Kerala has 1200 local self-governing bodies – 941 gram panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 87 municipalities and 6 corporations.


2020 Kerala local elections, Background, COVID-19 pandemic
An all-party meeting decided to file a plea in the state high court to defer the polls, which was set for November 2020, considering the increasing COVID cases.


2020 Kerala local elections, Background, COVID-19 pandemic
An ordinance by the Governor of the state, which temporarily amended Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, allows COVID-19 quarantined patients to vote via postal ballots and increases the voting time by two hours.


2020 Kerala local elections, Parties and coalitions
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the coalition of left wing and far-left parties, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). The United Democratic Front (UDF) is a coalition consisting chiefly of centrist and centre-left parties led by the Indian National Congress. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
The president of the Kerala unit of BJP K. Surendran claimed that the incumbent LDF government would face a setback in the election due to the 2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, in relation to which the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's then principal secretary was arrested by Enforcement Directorate. The opposition UDF faced several infightings, one among which alliance partner Kerala Congress (M) underwent a split with the faction led by Jose K. Mani joining LDF. BJP faced factionalism between some of its top leaders and the state president.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
Chellanam 20/20, a newly formed civic forum, contests in the elections to all 21 wards in Chellanam. Twenty20 Kizhakkambalam, a party formed by a corporate firm which had contested in the panchayat for the 2015 elections has fielded candidates in five panchayats. V4Kochi, an apolitical organisation has 74 candidates contesting in all wards of Kochi Corporation. Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), led by Poonjar MLA P. C. George, contests independently in four district panchayats, four block panchayats and two gram panchayats in Kottayam district.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
Voters list for the election was published on 17 June. The final list was published on 1 October with a supplemental list published on 10 November.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
As the term of the current members of local bodies end on November 11, three-member administrative committees would be formed and take over administration in each local body, in accordance with Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, and the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
Kerala High Court dismissed petitions which alleged that reservation of local body constituencies continued for a third successive term citing that the court would not interfere in elections.


2020 Kerala local elections, Campaign
1.68 lakh candidates filed nominations to various local bodies, which was dwindled down to 74,899 candidates after the rest were either rejected or withdrawn. In total there are 34,744 polling booths; 29,321 in panchayats, 3,422 in municipalities and 2,001 in corporations.


2020 Kerala local elections, Result, Popular votes
All of the three major pre-poll alliances in the state increased their vote share compared to that in the previous election.


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, Result analysis
All of the three major pre-poll alliances, LDF, UDF, and NDA, improved their vote share compared to that in the previous election. The result showed popular support in favour of LDF led government, led by Pinarayi Vijayan. Jose K. Mani faction of Kerala Congress (M), which left UDF to join LDF, performed well in traditional UDF strongholds in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts. However UDF improved its position in the districts of Ernakulam and Malappuram. Even though LDF lost majority in some of the Grama Panchayaths and Municipalities, they managed to gain absolute majority in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, became the largest alliance in Kochi corporation, and also won several more Block Panchayaths and District Panchayaths than in the previous election.


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, Reactions
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed his alliance's victory as that of secularism and inclusive development, while remarking that the results were a befitting reply to UDF and BJP. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said that UDF voter base was intact highlighting that they had won more municipalities while mentioning he would introspect about their poor performance in Thiruvananthapuram corporation. BJP national president J. P. Nadda and state president K. Surendran thanked the voters for providing an improved mandate to their party in the election


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, TREND software error
The final results of a few panchayats and municipalities were changed due to error in the TREND software as per the State Election Commission. This meant that the lead UDF had over LDF in municipalities was cut from 10 municipalities to 4. The Election Commission published the results in its official website after rectifying the error.


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, Post-election incidents
LDF won control in 43 municipalities, UDF in 41 and BJP in 2 municipalities. In Kalamassery municipality, UDF won control of the municipality by drawing lots, as both they and LDF had equal backing in the administrative council. LDF also controls 11 district panchayats, while UDF got the remaining 3. The latter assumed control of Wayanad district panchayat through drawing lots.


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, Post-election incidents
21 year old Arya Rajendran became the mayor of Thiruvananthapuram corporation, thereby becoming the youngest ever mayor of a municipal corporation in India.


2020 Kerala local elections, Aftermath, Post-election incidents
Reshma Mariam Roy, who was the youngest candidate in the elections, became the youngest ever president of a panchayat in Kerala at 21 years old after being elected as the president of Aruvappulam Grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta. She had filed her nomination on November 18, days before she turned 21.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship
The 2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship was the 119th edition of Kerry GAA's premier Gaelic football tournament for senior teams in County Kerry, Ireland. The tournament consists of 16 teams (8 club teams and 8 divisional teams), with the winners representing Kerry in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship if they are a club team. If the winners are a divisional team the winners of the Kerry Club Football Championship represent the county.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship
The championship usually has a back-door format for the first two rounds before proceeding to a knock-out format. Generally, any team to lose two matches will be knocked out of the championship. This year however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic seen the competition employ a straight knockout format.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship
It was Templenoe's first ever year as a senior club. Rathmore (who were relegated to the I.F.C. for 2020) will provide the East Kerry Divisional side with players for the S.F.C. Additionally, the Kenmare District board ceased to run competitions this year meaning that Kenmare Shamrocks, Kilgarvan, and Tousist will move to East Kerry to make it a 16-club division. The fourth club in the Kenmare District, Templenoe, who have been promoted to senior for 2020, joined the South Kerry Division.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship
East Kerry were the 2019 champions after they defeated Dr. Crokes in the final.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Format Structure Change
8 club teams and 8 divisional teams (16 in total) will take part in this year's S.F.C.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Format Structure Change
Kenmare District did not field a team for this year's S.F.C.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Format Structure Change
Relegation (See below): The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship (The 8 senior clubs play off against each other in two pools in the Club Championship. The two teams that finished bottom of the Group Pools enter a Relegation Final. This loser will be relegated to the I.F.C. for 2021. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship).


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Format Structure Change
The winner of the 2020 I.F.C. will be promoted to the 2021 Senior County and Club Championships.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2019 championship season.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Participating Teams
The teams taking part in the 2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship are:


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Results, Round 1
All 16 teams enter the competition in Round 1. The eight winners proceed to the Quarter-Finals while the eight losers are eliminated.


2020 Kerry Senior Football Championship, Relegation play-off
The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship. The 8 senior clubs are placed into two groups containing four teams during the Club Championship. The teams to finish bottom of both groups will face off in the Relegation Final, with the loser being relegated to the I.F.C. for 2020. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship.


2020 Khelo India Youth Games
The third Khelo India Youth Games was held from 10 January 2020 and 22 January 2020 in Guwahati, Assam, India. The event will witness 20 national level multidisciplinary grassroots games to get played among the age groups of under-17 and under-21 categories. Maharashtra defended its title as they topped the medal tally with 78 Gold medals, 77 Silver medals and 101 Bronze medals. The winning contingent of Maharashtra also broke their previous record of total medal haul of 228 medals created at Pune, by winning a total of 256 medals. The event is held in 20 disciplines with the participation of 37 states and Union Territories. Khelo India programme's inaugural edition was held in New Delhi in 2018, while Pune hosted 2nd edition in 2019.


2020 Khelo India Youth Games
Every year best performing 1000 participants are given an annual scholarship of Rs 500,000 for 8 years to prepare them for international sporting events.


2020 Khelo India Youth Games, Sports events
There are 20 sports disciplines in Khelo India Youth Games 2020. Cycling and Lawn Bowls are the new additional games of this year's event.


2020 Khelo India Youth Games, Medals tally
The final medal tally of the 3rd edition of Khelo India Youth Games is listed below. The host state, Assam, is highlighted.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards
The 33rd Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (officially titled "Nickelodeon's Kids’ Choice Awards 2020: Celebrate Together") was held virtually on May 2, 2020, and hosted by Victoria Justice. Asher Angel performed during the ceremony. It aired live on Nickelodeon and in a domestic simulcast with several other ViacomCBS cable networks, and tape delayed across all of Nickelodeon's international networks.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards
It was the first time the ceremony was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the smallest-scale ceremony since 1987, when the first ceremony—entitled The Big Ballot -- aired as part of the existing series Rated K: For Kids by Kids, and was made up of only pre-recorded award acceptances after balloting. Nickelodeon presented a $1 million donation to No Kid Hungry in support of children and families affected by the pandemic.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards
In its originally planned form, the ceremony was to have been held at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Chance the Rapper was originally set to host, with Justin Bieber and Quavo performing their song "Intentions". The ceremony was also originally scheduled to coincide with Nickelodeon's SlimeFest weekend of March 21 and March 22, airing on March 22, the first time it would have aired on a Sunday instead of its traditional Saturday night berth. On March 7, the outdoor aspects of SlimeFest were postponed to a future date due to public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, before the network cancelled the event as a whole. The ceremony itself was postponed four days later. The original timeslot instead contained a "best-of" compilation special.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards
The series finale of Henry Danger, "The Fate of Danger: Part II", was to originally serve as lead-in for the ceremony. With the postponement, it instead aired alone on March 21.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards, Appearances
The following actors, singers, and social media personalities all appeared via remote videotelephony during the ceremony:


2020 Kids' Choice Awards, Winners and nominees
The nominations were announced on February 13, 2020 via a video posted to the network's social media presences hosted by YouTube personalities Annie and Hayley LeBlanc. Voting ended on March 22, 2020. The winners are listed below, in bold.


2020 Kids' Choice Awards, International
The following are nominations for awards to be given by Nickelodeon's international networks.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship
The 2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship was the 127th edition of the Kildare GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Kildare, Ireland. The tournament consists of 16 teams with the winner not going on to represent Kildare in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship, due to the latter competition's cancellation. Due to the emergence of and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games, the championship had a different format this year, beginning with a group-stage followed by a knock-out stage. Championship activity was postponed temporarily between Friday 7th and Sunday 23 August, when Co. Kildare was placed into lockdown alongside Laois and Offaly.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship
Sarsfields were the defending champions this year after they defeated Moorefield in the previous years final.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship
This was Monasterevan's return to the senior grade after a three year exodus when claiming the 2019 Kildare I.F.C. (they were relegated from senior back in 2016).


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship
On 3 October 2020, Athy won their 7th Kildare Senior Football title and first since 2011 after beating Moorefield 1-11 to 0-12 in the final.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2019 championship season.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship, Group stage
All 16 teams play in the group stage, drawn into four groups of four. The top two teams in each group qualify into the Quarter-Finals, while the bottom team in each group enter the Relegation Playoffs.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship, Relegation Play-Offs, Relegation Semi-Finals
The four teams who finished bottom of their respective groups entered the Relegation Semi-Finals. The two winners from these Semi-Finals will secure their Senor status for 2021, while the two losers will proceed to the Relegation Final.


2020 Kildare Senior Football Championship, Relegation Play-Offs, Relegation Final
The loser of the Relegation final will be relegated to the 2021 Kildare I.F.C. The winner will maintain their Senior status into 2021.


2020 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship
The 2020 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship was the 56th staging of the Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Kilkenny County Board in 1929. The championship began on 29 August 2020 and ended on 26 September 2020.


2020 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship
On 26 September 2020, Lisdowney won the championship after a 4-3 victory in a penalty shoot-out against Thomastown in the final at UMPC Nowlan Park. It was their first ever championship title.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
The 2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship was the 126th staging of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Kilkenny County Board in 1887. The championship began on 29 August 2020 and ended on 27 September 2020.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
Ballyhale Shamrocks were the defending champions. Danesfort were relegated after suffering a 1-15 to 1-13 defeat by Graigue-Ballycallan in a playoff.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
On 27 September 2020, Ballyhale Shamrocks won the championship after a 5-19 to 1-10 defeat of Dicksboro in the final at UPMC Nowlan Park. It was their 18th championship title overall and their third title in succession.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling League
The 2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling League was the 29th staging of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling League since its establishment by the Kilkenny County Board in 1992. The league began on 31 July 2020 and ended on 23 August 2020.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling League
On 23 August 2020, Dicksboro won the league after beating O'Loughlin Gaels 3-0 in a penalty shoot-out at UPMC Nowlan Park, after the game had ended 1-20 apiece after extra time. It was the first league final to be decided on penalties.


2020 Kilkenny Senior Hurling League
Dicksboro's Shane Stapleton was the league's top scorer with 1-37.


2020 Kimanis by-election
The 2020 Kimanis by-election is a by-election held on 18 January 2020 for the Dewan Rakyat seat of Kimanis. The seat was declared vacant after the Federal Court on 2 December 2019 upheld the Election Court's ruling earlier on 16 August, nullifying the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Anifah Aman's victory in the 2018 general election (GE14).


2020 Kimanis by-election
Anifah was the former Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2018 and formerly a member of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition until he left to become an independent, despite the fact that he had been a 4-term MP for Kimanis since 2004 and had just retained the seat under BN in the 2018 election a few months prior.


2020 Kimanis by-election
The Election Commission (EC) had set the nomination day on 4 January, early voting on 14 January and polling day for 18 January 2020 with a 14-day campaign period. The electoral roll in the parliamentary constituency to be used would be the one up to the third quarter of 2019 which was last updated on 9 December 2019 with a total of 29,664 voters made up of 52,698 ordinary voters, 9 early voters while 1 absentee voters (who are abroad). Kimanis which consists of the Bongawan and Membakut state seats, has about 68% Muslim-bumiputras voters of mainly Bruneian Malay, Bisaya and Bajau communities, some 25% non-Muslim bumiputras voters of mainly ethnic Kadazan-Dusun and Murut, while the remaining 7% were Chinese and others.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
On 11 December 2019, Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) Chairman and Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew said that PH will pave way and support ally, Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN) to field its candidate. Previously, the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) had offered to contest the by-election but decided to support the WARISAN candidate instead. Karim Bujang, the WARISAN candidate for Kimanis in GE14 who had lost and filed the election petition, was once again nominated as WARISAN's candidate for the by-election.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
Sabah UMNO chief, Bung Mokhtar Radin confirmed that BN will contest the by-election by fielding a candidate from UMNO. BN decided to field UMNO Kimanis division chief and former Bongawan assemblyman, Mohamad Alamin as their candidate for the by-election.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has announced its support for the BN candidate in the by-election. PAS secretary-general, Takiyuddin Hassan, said that the party will mobilise its election campaign machinery to support the BN candidate.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
Anifah Aman, the incumbent prior to the disqualification, denied that he will contest the seat again. Anifah also said that he will return in the coming 15th General Election instead. Anifah has since declared his support for the BN candidate in the by-election.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR), United Sabah National Organisation (USNO Baru), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and the Sabah United Party (PBS) have declined to contest the by-election,  paving the way for a possible straight fight between BN and Warisan.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Nomination
On Nomination Day, BN's Mohamad Alamin and WARISAN's Karim Bujang filed their nomination papers, setting the stage for a two-cornered fight for the parliamentary seat.


2020 Kimanis by-election, Controversies and issues
The main issues in the by-election are not national matters but local issues such as the Sabah Temporary Pass or Pas Sementara Sabah (PSS) for Filipino refugees immigrants, bread-and-butter and job opportunities issues.


2020 King Cup Final
The 2020 King Cup Final was the 45th final of the King Cup, Saudi Arabia's main football knock-out competition.


2020 King Cup Final
It was played at the King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, on 28 November 2020; it was originally scheduled for May but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. The match was contested between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. It was Al-Hilal's 16th King Cup final and Al-Nassr's 14th. This was the fifth meeting between these two clubs in the final. The match was held behind closed doors.


2020 King Cup Final
Al-Hilal won the game 2–1 to secure their ninth title.


2020 King Cup Final, Venue
The King Fahd International Stadium was announced as the final venue on 13 November 2020. This was the seventh King Cup final hosted in the King Fahd International Stadium following those in 1988, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2019.


2020 King Cup Final, Venue
The King Fahd International Stadium was built in 1982 and was opened in 1987. The stadium was used as a venue for the 1992, 1995, and the 1997 editions of the FIFA Confederations Cup. Its current capacity is 68,752 and it is used by the Saudi Arabia national football team, Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, and major domestic matches.


2020 King Cup Final, Background
Al-Hilal reached their 16th final after a 2–0 win against Abha. This was Al-Hilal's first final since 2017, and fourth final since the tournament was reintroduced. Al-Hilal won their two most recent finals against Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr.


2020 King Cup Final, Background
Al-Nassr reached their 14th final, after a 2–1 away win against Al-Ahli. This was Al-Nassr's first final since 2016, and fourth final since the tournament was reintroduced. Al-Nassr lost their three most recent finals against Al-Ahli twice and Al-Hilal once.


2020 King Cup Final, Background
The two teams met earlier in the week in the fifth round of the Pro League. Al-Hilal defeated Al-Nassr 2–0 thanks to goals from Bafétimbi Gomis and Saleh Al-Shehri. This was the 19th meeting between these two sides in the King Cup and fifth meeting in the final. Al-Hilal won eight times including the 1989 Final, while Al-Nassr won four times including the 1981 Final and 1987 Final. The two teams drew each other six times, with Al-Hilal winning the 2015 Final on penalty shoot-outs. This was the 169th competitive meeting between these two sides.


2020 King Cup Final, Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2020 King Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Pawel Sokolnicki (Poland)Tomasz Musiał (Poland)Fourth official:Khaled Al-TerisVideo assistant referee:Zbigniew Dobrynin (Poland)Assistant video assistant referees:Omar Al-Jaml


2020 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
The 2020 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 25 July 2020. It was the 70th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.


2020 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
The winner was Enable, a six-year-old bay mare trained at Newmarket by John Gosden, ridden by Frankie Dettori and owned by Khalid Abdullah. Enable's victory was a record-equalling seventh in the race for Dettori, the fifth for Gosden and the fourth for Khalid Abdullah. Enable became the first horse to win the King George three times, and the second six-year-old to win the race after Swain in 1998. The race was contested by only three runners, the smallest field in the event's history.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections in Kiribati, for electing the Maneaba ni Maungatabu, were originally planned on 7 April 2020, with a second round of voting to be held on 15 April 2020. However, in late March the Electoral Commission changed the voting date to 14 April 2020, with a second round on 21 April 2020.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election
The elections resulted in President Taneti Maamau's pro-China Tobwaan Kiribati Party losing a majority in parliament to parties either supportive of Taiwan or critical of his handling of diplomatic recognition of China. But on 22 May, during the first meeting of the new House, the 44 MPs were equally divided on 2 benches : 22 MPs supporting the new Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party and the 22 MPs of the former majority.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election, Electoral system
Of the 45 members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu, 44 are elected in 23 single- and multi-member constituencies (seven with one seat, eleven with two seats and five with three seats) using a modified two-round system. One member of the Maneaba is chosen by the Rabi Council of Leaders to represent the Banaban community on Rabi Island in Fiji. The Attorney general was also an ex-officio member when not elected (until October 2016). The Speaker is elected after the elections, from outside the Maneaba, and does not participate in votes.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election, Electoral system
Voters have as many votes to cast as the number of seats in their constituencies. In the first round a candidate is elected if he or she receives more than 50% of the ballots cast. Where not all seats are filled, a second round is held with the number of candidates being equal to the number of seats remaining to be filled plus two, with those who received the fewest votes in the first round being eliminated. A tie in the second round results in a third round of voting.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election, Electoral system
The first meeting of the new session was held on 22 May.


2020 Kiribati parliamentary election, Results, Candidates
The Ministry of Justice communicated the official list of candidates running this general election.


2020 Kiribati presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 22 June 2020. Incumbent President Taneti Maamau of the Tobwaan Kiribati Party was re-elected with 59% of the vote.


2020 Kiribati presidential election, Campaign
Relations with China and Taiwan served as the main issue during the election, with Maamau having switched Kiribati's recognition to China from Taiwan and Berina seen as more sympathetic toward Taiwan. The election was seen by many as a critical test for the Chinese Communist Party's expansionary foreign policy.


2020 Kiribati presidential election, Results
The results were declared on 23 June 2020 by Chief Justice John Muria at the Ministry of Justice headquarters in South Tarawa. Maamau won the election with 59% of the vote, receiving a majority in 16 of the 23 constituencies, while Berina finished first in seven constituencies.


2020 Knox County stabbing
The 2020 Knox County Stabbing occurred on April 7, 2020, shortly before 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, when Idris Abdus-Salaam, a black man, stabbed to death three white women and injured another at a Pilot truck stop a few miles east of Knoxville, Tennessee, located at 7210 Strawberry Plains Pike. Three people were killed and another was injured in the attack, while the perpetrator was shot and killed minutes later by the responding police officer on the scene.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Attack
A man armed with a knife inside a Pilot truck rest stop randomly followed store manager Joyce Whaley, 57, into the woman's bathroom, launching the start of a stabbing rampage. He stabbed Whaley 11 times, killing her, and then left the washroom to attack other patrons at the station. He stabbed to death Patricia Denise Nibbe, who was nearby the washroom door - and then began to stab Nettie R. Spencer, 41.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Attack
Others at the scene began to react to the attack, and attempted to intervene against the assailant, with one person reportedly spraying the attacker with a fire extinguisher as Spencer managed to leave through the front door of the station. The assailant chased Spencer outside and began attacking her again, killing her. He then launched himself at the nearby car of customer Dessa Hutchison, who had left the station earlier in response to the attack, and fled to the driver's seat of her vehicle to call 911.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Attack
The attacker pulled Hutchison from her car, repeatedly stabbing her while she was still on the line with police operators. The attacker then left her car, and began wandering around the stations's parking lot. During this time, a Pilot employee bystander got behind the wheel of a nearby SUV he found open, and ran the car into the assailant twice - sending him over the hood of the car on the second attempt. After both collisions, the attacker got back up, and began to wander around the parking lot again.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Attack
The first police officer to arrive on the scene was Officer Jordan Hurst, who confronted the assailant on the street outside the stop while the assailant was still armed with the knife. Hurst shouted at the suspect from his vehicle to stop and drop the knife eight times before firing five close range rounds at the attacker as he refused to drop his knife and started moving towards the car. Hurst was placed on paid administrative leave during investigation of the incident, per department policy, and later returned to duty.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
The assailant was truck driver Idris Abdus-Salaam, aged 33, from Durham, North Carolina. Abdus-Salaam's driving log from his truck confirmed that he was driving between Kentucky and Illinois at the time of the attack. Abdus-Salaam had been already in and out of the store multiple times throughout that morning.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
Security cameras spotted him parking his truck, taking a shower, returning to his vehicle multiple times, loitering in throughout the station, and observing the stop on multiple occasions from a corner where he could get a full view of both main sections of building, while he was watching the staff serving the incoming early-morning influx of customers. These cameras also later captured much of the events of the attack itself.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
Although Abdus-Salaam was a Muslim, nothing was found to indicate that any religious motivation played a part in the attack. Police found during their investigation that during the lead up to the attack, Abdus-Salaam had left rambling journal writings and an internet history that suggested he was "paranoid", and "angry" - being described as "angry towards all people in general". They showed a recent preoccupation with the concept of religion, looking up the beliefs and prayer behaviors of multiple religions.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
They also showed a resentment toward law enforcement, as well as mentioning “demons”, and expressing how he felt “abandoned and mistreated” by society. Overall, investigators found the records fairly "random", with nothing to indicate any sort of radicalization. There was additionally no indication he had conspired with anyone else at any point before the attack.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
In the short term, his employment was believed to be a main trigger for the attack. By the time of the stabbing, Abdus-Salaam had been employed as a truck driver by Swift Transportation Inc. for about nine months. He had only started this job after he was forced to resign in May 2019 from his previous job, as a prison guard with the North Carolina Department of Safety. His resignation was mandated following a confrontation with a co-worker, for which Abdus-Salaam received a written reprimand. He made multiple attempts to get his job back, but all these were refused. He had recently been notified ten days before the attack that he had no chance of being rehired. It is believed that was a "tipping point" for the attack.


2020 Knox County stabbing, Assailant
In the days after the attack, Abdus-Salaam's mother, Walidah Abdus-Salaam, stated the attack was completely out of character for her son, and that he hadn't been a violent person. However, his girlfriend and his sister did tell investigators they both had noticed Abdus-Salaam displaying paranoid behavior recently, both independently claiming they had spoken to him and urged him to seek help for his mental health. Despite this, there was no record that he ever was diagnosed with, or sought any treatment for, any mental condition. For a short time, it was suspected Abdus-Salaam may have been connected with an earlier (and still unresolved) knife attack on a nurse in Millington, Tennessee, in October 2019. He was later confirmed to have been uninvolved, being far away from the town at that time.


2020 Koblenz Open
The 2020 Koblenz Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2020 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Koblenz, Germany from 17 to 23 February 2020.


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


2020 Koblenz Open – Doubles
Zdeněk Kolář and Adam Pavlásek were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2020 Koblenz Open – Doubles
Sander Arends and David Pel won the title after defeating Julian Lenz and Yannick Maden 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) in the final.


2020 Koblenz Open – Singles
Gianluca Mager was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2020 Koblenz Open – Singles
Tomáš Macháč won the title after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 in the final.


2020 Kolazhy Grama Panchayat election
Election to Kolazhy Grama Panchayat was held on 10 December, 2020 as part of Local Body Elections, Kerala. Counting was held on 16 December, 2020. LDF secured majority by winning 12 out of 17 seats in the panchayath.


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election
The 5th Kollam Municipal Corporation council election was held on 8 December 2020 and the result announced on 16 December. LDF won 39 seats, UDF fronts won 9 seats, NDA won 6 seats and others won 1 seat. CPI(M) lead LDF won the majority to rule


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election, History
Kollam became the fourth municipal corporation of Kerala in the year 2000. Since the inception, only LDF ruled the corporation.


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election, History, Election history
Since the incorporation of the KMC in 2000, only the LDF has been in power.


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election, Background
The tenure of the members of the municipal corporation of Kollam ended on early November 2020. As per the voters list published in 2020 November, there were around 2,88,804 eligible voters (1,38,820 male voters, 1,49,984 female voters) in which 2,04,058 cast their votes through 265 polling stations in the corporation area. The total polling rate was 66.06%.


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election, Background
There were 55 wards with one polling booth in each ward. The vote counting station in the municipality was Government Boys HSS, Thevally.


2020 Kollam Municipal Corporation election, Parties and coalitions
There are two major political coalitions in Kollam corporation. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the coalition of left wing and far-left parties, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the coalition of centrist and centre-left parties led by the Indian National Congress. The third front is led by Bharatiya Janata Party.


2020 Kolmonen – Finnish League Division 3
League tables for teams participating in Kolmonen, the fourth tier of the Finnish soccer league system, in 2020. A total of 108 teams compete in the 2020 campaign, split into 9 groupd based on regional locations.


2020 Korean FA Cup
The 2020 Korean FA Cup, known as Hana Bank FA Cup due to sponsorship reasons, is the 25th edition of the Korean FA Cup. Video assistant referees (VAR) system will be used from Semi Finals. Suwon Samsung Bluewings were the defending champions. Starting this year, U-League teams will not participate. As a result, the top eleven sides from the K5 League gained qualification to this tournament.


2020 Korean FA Cup, Final, Second leg
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors win the Korean FA Cup with a 3-2 aggregate score.


2020 Korean Series
The 2020 Korean Series was the championship series of the 2020 KBO League season. The NC Dinos, as the regular season champions, automatically advanced to the Korean Series, where they faced the Doosan Bears.


2020 Korean Tour
The 2020 Korean Tour was the tenth season of the Korean Tour to carry Official World Golf Ranking points. The season consisted of 11 official events. All the tournaments had prize funds of at least 500 million won (approximately US$500,000). Six had prize funds of 1 billion won ($1,000,000) or more.


2020 Korean Tour, Tournament schedule
The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Korean Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament.


2020 Korean Tour, Genesis Points table
The Order of Merit used a points system, called Genesis Points. Points were awarded based on the player's position in each event. 1,000 points were awarded to the winner, 600 points for second place, down to 5 points for those finishing outside the top 60. All 11 events had the same points.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy
The 2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy refers to the practice of undisclosed or 'backdoor' advertising by Korean YouTubers and internet celebrities, involving the promotion of products without the disclosure of a paid partnership with the suppliers of these products. The discovery of this practice led to widespread controversy and the eventual involvement of the South Korean Fair Trade Commission, which imposed strict regulations on social media providers in a major crackdown. The incident also prompted calls for similar regulation in other countries, such as the United States and Japan.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Beginning of the controversy
On 15 July 2020, Dispatch, a Korean media organisation, reported that prominent Korean internet celebrities such as Han Hye-yeon (한혜연) and Kang Min-kyung (강민경) were involved in the process of undisclosed or 'backdoor' advertising, where products were promoted without the disclosure of a paid partnership. Kang Min-kyung was revealed to have been promoting products worth tens of thousands of dollars in videos without revealing that these videos were sponsored. Both figures later publicly apologised for actions following major controversy.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Beginning of the controversy
Subsequently, prominent figures such as singer Kang Min-gyeong (강민경) and YouTuber 'Charm PD' (참피디) also revealed their involvement in this practice. The latter would also publicly reveal that several other prominent Korean YouTubers were similarly involved, which served to greatly increase the scale of the controversy.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Impact on YouTubers
YouTubers such as mukbang food reviewers Tzuyang (쯔양), Embro (엠브로), Moon Bok-hee (문복희), and Hamji (햄지) publicly apologised for their actions by admitting to their use of undisclosed advertising. However, this failed to improve public opinion, and led to significant losses in popularity among those involved, with one YouTuber losing 96% of their viewership in a month. Some YouTubers stopped uploading videos altogether, and announced their retirement from YouTube as a result of the controversy.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Legal regulation
The growing scale of the controversy led to the official involvement of the South Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC). On August 24 2020, Chairman of the FTC Cho Seong-wook met with prominent individuals and internet celebrities at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Jung District of Seoul, which resulted in the implementation of strict regulations on social media platforms (including YouTube) in order to crackdown on the practice of 'backdoor' advertising. These regulations did not immediately come into effect, but were instead enforced after a certain period of time, in order to allow affected individuals time to comply.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Legal regulation
The regulations required internet celebrities to clearly disclose instances of advertising and paid sponsorships as well as associated payments, and prohibited ambiguous phrases such as 'experience group' and 'thanks to'. Contravention of these regulations would be met by significant legal and financial penalties, including up to two years in prison and fines of up to 150 million won. Although these laws were typically applied to business owners, internet celebrities were considered as such and were therefore subject to the same treatment under South Korean law.


2020 Korean YouTube backdoor advertising controversy, Impact on other countries
The strict response by the South Korean FTC prompted calls for similar measures abroad, with the Federal Trade Commission of the United States issuing a statement in February 2021 calling for the implementation of similar regulations. Legislative bodies in Japan and France passed similar measures, with offenders in France facing penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to 300,000 euros.


2020 Korean floods
Since June 2020, floods have severely impacted large areas of both North and South Korea due to heavy rains of the regional rainy season, primarily in the far southern parts of the Korean Peninsula. These floods are closely related to ones across China and in Kyushu, Japan. As of 9 August 2020, 30 people have died in South Korea as a result.


2020 Korean floods, Events
The monsoon rainy season began in South Korea in late June. In early July, Busan was flooded following heavy rains. Late July again saw heavy downpours and strong winds hit southeastern areas of South Korea, killing several people and causing more damage. In mid-July, a Korea Meteorological Administration official stated that "the rainy season began on Jeju Island on June 10 and in the southern and central regions on June 24. Generally, the wet season ends in those areas in late July, though the exact period differs from region to region."


2020 Korean floods, Events
August, however, witnessed a continuation of the seasonal rains with flooding all over South Korea, while most damage and fatalities continued to be in the southern areas. Evacuees and local officials raised concerns regarding emergency shelter given the simultaneously ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 Korean floods, Events
The floods worsened as Typhoon Hagupit and Tropical Storm Jangmi dropped more rainfall over the Korean Peninsula in August 2020.


2020 Korean floods, Events
As of 8 August 2020, the 2020 rainy season is the second longest on record after the 2013 season.


2020 Korean floods, Events
On 3 August, the North Korean State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, issued a red alert over extreme rainfall in parts of the south and northwestern regions of North Korea. Accurate information on the effects of the rains in North Korea is hard to come by, but the North is typically highly susceptible to seasonal flood damage. The Korean Central News Agency reported damage in North Korea, but no fatalities. Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was reported on 7 August to have inspected flood-damaged areas of North Hwanghae Province, adjacent to South Korea, among them in village of Taechong-ri, Unpa County.


2020 Korean floods, Events
There are concerns that the late flooding in 2020 could interfere with the North's food harvest and precipitate a threat to the state's food security. Further reconstruction works took place in Kangbuk-ri, Kumchon County. On October that year, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Choe Ryong-hae visited the village Samjigang-ri in Chaeryong County to inspect reconstruction efforts.


2020 Kosovar Supercup
The 2020 Kosovar Supercup was the 29th edition of the Kosovar Supercup, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Football Superleague of Kosovo and Kosovar Cup competitions. The match was played between Drita, champions of the 2019–20 Football Superleague of Kosovo and Prishtina, who beat their opponents to win the 2019–20 Kosovar Cup Final. Prishtina won the match 3–1 and claimed their 10th Supercup title.


2020 Kristiansund BK season
The 2020 season was Kristiansund's fourth season in the Eliteserien, the top football division in Norway.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Season events
In January, Sander Lille-Løvø was promoted to the first team from Kristiansund's youth team.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Season events
On 12 June, the Norwegian Football Federation announced that a maximum of 200 home fans would be allowed to attend the upcoming seasons matches.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Season events
On 10 September, the Norwegian Football Federation cancelled the 2020 Norwegian Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Season events
On 30 September, the Minister of Culture and Gender Equality, Abid Raja, announced that clubs would be able to have crowds of 600 at games from 12 October.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Kristiansund BK season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season
The 2020 season was Kuala Lumpur's 42nd season in competitive season and the 1st season in the Malaysia Premier League since relegation 2019 season.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season, Overview
By 14 December 2019, 23 players already signed a contract with the club for 2020 Malaysia Premier League season.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season, Overview
On 26 December 2019, Nidzam Adzha joined Kuala Lumpur as club's new head coach.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season, Overview
On 3 January 2020, Azamat Baimatov joined the club from Dordoi Bishkek.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season, Overview
On 6 January 2020, the club announced Guy Gnabouyou joined the club.


2020 Kuala Lumpur FA season, Overview
On 31 October 2020, Kuala Lumpur suffered defeat to Kuching in last league match.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election
The 2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election (Chinese: 2020年中國國民黨主席補選) was held on 7 March 2020. This was the ninth direct election of the party leader in Kuomintang history. All registered, due-paying KMT party members were eligible to vote.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Background
Kuomintang candidate Han Kuo-yu lost the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election held on 11 January 2020. On the same date, Kuomintang chairman Wu Den-yih announced his intention to resign his post, and stated that other high-ranking officers would also resign. On 14 January, the Kuomintang announced that a leadership election was scheduled for 7 March 2020. Wu's resignation as chairman took effect on 15 January 2020. From that date, Lin Rong-te assumed the chairmanship on an acting basis. Also on 15 January, seven members of the Kuomintang Central Standing Committee resigned their positions.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Eligibility
Candidates for the party leadership must be a party member. The last day to declare candidacy for the 2020 leadership election was 31 January. For the 2020 leadership election, each candidate was required to collect signatures from at least 3 percent of the party membership prior to 4 February 2020. At minimum, successfully registered candidates were expected to turn in petitions with at least 7,751 valid signatures. Registration of candidates took place on 3 and 4 February.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Eligibility
In previous leadership elections, candidates were required to secure a simple majority in a two-round system before their certification as the victor. The party's electoral rules were revised in 2018, so that the candidate with a majority of votes would win the election. In elections with a single candidate, that candidate must win a simple majority. If a vote is tied, another election must be held within thirty days. Recounts can be requested if the margin between two candidates is within 0.2%. Additionally, regulations regarding suffrage for overseas party members were tightened.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Eligibility
Unlike Taiwan-based members of the Kuomintang, who were eligible to vote after four months of party membership, overseas party members must have held membership for one year. The right to vote in the 2020 chairmanship election is guaranteed to party members who have paid their dues before 23 February 2020. Senior members with over 40 years affiliation with the Kuomintang are exempt from party dues, as are party members from a middle or low-income household and 65 years of age or older.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Candidates
Chang Ya-chung declared his candidacy for the Kuomintang chairmanship on 14 January 2020. Wu Chih-chang, leader of the Blue Sky Action Alliance, also announced his bid. On 20 January, Hau Lung-pin began his campaign for the chairmanship. Johnny Chiang entered the leadership election on 25 January. He was also the first candidate to complete the registration process, submitting 34,782 signatures on his petition for candidacy. Hau Lung-pin was the only other candidate to register by the deadline on 4 February, submitting a petition with 40,632 signatures. Because Chang Ya-chung had not yet served on the Kuomintang's Central Committee or Central Review Committee, his chairmanship bid was ruled ineligible. Wu Chih-chang's candidacy was also deemed ineligible.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Candidates
A policy presentation for candidates was held on 12 February. During the discussion, both Chiang and Hau backed party reform. Hau later specified that the Kuomintang's approach to leadership, in which discourse is dominated by the party's leader, should change to a culture emphasizing collective leadership. Changes to the Kuomintang's policy on cross-strait relations were also discussed.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Election
Johnny Chiang won the chairmanship election held on 7 March 2020, winning 84,860 votes to Hau Lung-pin's 38,483. Chiang won the vote in every county, as well as the majority of votes from overseas party members. Of the 345,971 eligible electors, 124,019 cast votes; 676 of those votes were deemed invalid. Turnout was 35.85 percent. The turnout was a record low, less than the 41.61% of the 2016 chairmanship by-election.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Reactions
On 8 March 2020, the Democratic Progressive Party released a statement on Chiang's election as Kuomintang chairman. It read, in part, "We expect the new KMT chairman, Chiang, to open up a new era... People look forward to good interaction and cooperation between the ruling party and opposition parties, and for them to work together to advance Taiwan's democracy and achieve major reforms that benefit the nation." Hsu Yung-ming, who taught alongside Johnny Chiang at Soochow University, issued congratulations to Chiang in his capacity as chairman of the New Power Party.


2020 Kuomintang chairmanship by-election, Reactions
Although the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party traditionally acknowledged the inauguration of a new Kuomintang chairman via telegram, a direct message between the two officeholders was not sent. However, the Taiwan Affairs Office in China stated that Chiang should "cherish and protect the mutual trust between the CPP and the KMT on the foundation of the 1992 consensus."


2020 Kurdish protests in Sulaymaniyah Governorate
The 2020 Kurdish protests were a series of demonstrations and riots against the Kurdistan Regional Government in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan. The demonstrations started on 2 December 2020. Demonstrators have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the political leadership, high unemployment rate, lack of public services and employs was not get salary from few months. Demonstrators set fire to several government buildings and headquarters of political parties. The Kurdish security forces killed and arrested many protesters.


2020 Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
The 72nd edition of the Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne cycling classic was held on 1 March 2020. It is part of the 2020 UCI Europe Tour and ranked as a UCI ProSeries event. The route was 201.0 km (125 mi), starting and finishing in Kuurne. It is the second and concluding race of the Belgian opening weekend, the year's first road races in Northwestern Europe, one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.


2020 Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, Teams
Twenty-five teams were invited to start the race. These included eighteen UCI WorldTeams and seven UCI Professional Continental teams.


2020 Kuwaiti general election
General elections were held in Kuwait on 5 December 2020. Two-thirds of the incumbents lost their seats, including the 2016 parliament's sole woman MP Safa Al Hashem.


2020 Kuwaiti general election, Background
Registration of candidates contesting for the 50 seats of the National Assembly took place between 26 October and 4 November 2020. 102 schools were used for the 2020 National Assembly elections on December 5. Each school had a clinic set up to check on the health condition of all those entering.


2020 Kuwaiti general election, Electoral system
The 50 elected members of the National Assembly are elected from five 10-seat constituencies by single non-transferable vote. Political parties are not officially licensed, therefore candidates run as individuals, although many political groups operate freely as de facto political parties. All Kuwaiti citizens (both male and female) above the age of 21 have the right to vote. Expatriate workers, who constituted 70% of the population, were not enfranchised.


2020 Kuwaiti general election, Results
Overall, opposition candidates won 24 seats, up from 16 in the previous parliament. The election was seen as a victory for the anti-government opposition bloc. Thirty of the elected candidates were under the age of 45; whilst there were 29 female candidates, none were elected, leaving the parliament without a female MP for the first time since the year 2012. There was a total of 567,694 registered voters, of which 394,131 cast a valid vote.


2020 Kuwaiti general election, Aftermath
Following the elections, a new Speaker of the National Assembly was elected on 15 December. Incumbent Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim was re-elected with 33 votes, defeating Bader Nasser Al-Humaidi, who received 28. Four members did not vote.


2020 Kuwaiti general election, Aftermath
Parliament unanimously approved a motion of noncooperation, meaning the cabinet must be replaced.


2020 Kyalami 9 Hours
The 2020 Kyalami 9 Hours was an endurance event that took place on 12 December 2019 at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand, South Africa. The event was the fourth and final round of the 2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge, a season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 Kyalami 9 Hours
Honda team JAS Motorsport won pole position for the event and dominated the race by leading for eight hours until heavy rain switched up the order with an hour remaining. The race finished under a Full Course Yellow period and was won by BMW team Walkenhorst Motorsport, driven by local driver Sheldon van der Linde alongside Augusto Farfus, Jr. and Nick Catsburg. The result handed the latter two the drivers' title by five points over the third-placed trio of Matthew Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Patrick Pilet, while Porsche won the manufacturers' championship by 24 points over BMW.


2020 Kyrgyz Premier League
The 2020 Kyrgyz Premier League (Kyrgyz: 2020 Кыргыз Премьер Лигасы, 2020 Qyrğyz Premjer Ligasy) was the 29th season of the Kyrgyzstan League, Kyrgyzstan's top division of association football organized by the Football Federation of Kyrgyz Republic. The season started on  March 2020, with ninth teams participating.


2020 Kyrgyz Premier League, Teams
Prior to the start of the season, Akademija Osh was split in to two clubs, FC Kaganat and FC Lider.


2020 Kyrgyz Premier League, Foreign players
The number of foreign players is restricted to five per USL team. A team can use only five foreign players on the field in each game.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 4 October 2020. The results showed that pro-government parties had won a supermajority of seats. The election was subsequently annulled by the Central Election Commission during the 2020 Kyrgyzstan protests.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Background
Due to party infighting between supporters of current President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and former President Almazbek Atambayev, the governing Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan did not contest the election, and new parties split off and ran in their stead: the pro-Jeenbekov Unity, and the pro-Atambayev Social Democrats of Kyrgyzstan. Ata-Zhurt, which had previously split with the Respublika Party, partnered up with My Homeland Kyrgyzstan and both parties ran under the latter's name. The Ata Meken Socialist Party entered into a coalition called "New Breath" with the Liberal Democratic Party, New Breath Youth Association, and the Association "Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan".


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Electoral system
The 120 seats in the Supreme Council are elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. To win seats, parties must pass a national electoral threshold of 7% of the votes cast, and receive at least 0.7% of the vote in each of the seven regions. No one party is allowed to hold more than 65 seats. Party lists are required to have at least 30% of the candidates from each gender, and every fourth candidate had to be of a different gender. Each list is also required to have at least 15% of the candidates being from ethnic minorities and 15% of under 35 years old, as well as at least two candidates with disabilities.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Conduct
Several opposition parties called on the government to postpone the election due to the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the campaign period in September.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Conduct
During the elections, several parties were accused of buying votes. Several journalists also reported that they had been harassed or attacked. The costs associated with filing to run for the elections and campaigning were also criticized, with critics saying it was impossible for smaller parties without ties to an oligarch to afford.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Preliminary results
Unity received a plurality of votes, beating out the Ata-Zhurt–My Homeland Kyrgyzstan alliance by under one percent, with 46 seats. Ata-Zhurt–My Homeland Kyrgyzstan received 45 seats, while other parties lagged behind. The Kyrgyzstan Party received 16 seats, while United Kyrgyzstan entered parliament for the first time with 13. Several other parties failed to meet the 7% threshold, including Ata Meken, which had been a part of every parliament since the 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Preliminary results
Out of the parties that made it into parliament, only United Kyrgyzstan consistently opposes the incumbent government led by President Jeenbekov.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
The Ata Meken Socialist Party and the Social Democrats both disputed the results, and staged a brief protest in Bishkek. One other party also disputed the result. Around 4,000 people also staged a protest in Bishkek when the results were announced, with smaller protests held in two other cities. Around 16 people were injured as police attempted to disperse the crowds. A total of 12 parties also signed a document urging the government to annul the elections as a result of irregularities and hold new ones.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
One group protesting in Bishkek managed to free ex-President Atambayev from jail on late in the night on 5 October, where he had been serving an 11-year-and-two-month sentence for a corruption since June. Protestors also occupied the building housing the parliament and presidential administration. There were also reports that part of the parliament building was set ablaze. Protests continued throughout the day on 6 October, eventually resulting in one death and around 590 injuries. A further several hundred were injured on the following day as well as protests continued. Atambayev was re-arrested on 10 October.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
Following continued protests, the results were annulled by the Central Election Commission on 6 October. Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov and parliament speaker Dastan Jumabekov also tendered their resignation on 6 October. The parliament announced opposition figure Sadyr Zhaparov of the nationalist Patriotic party as acting Prime Minister, and Myktybek Abdyldayev as the new speaker of parliament. Zhaparov had been serving an 11-year and six-month prison sentence for taking a government official hostage in 2013 until his appointment. The mayors of Bishkek and Osh, as well as the governors of the Naryn, Talas, and Issyk-Kul regions also resigned.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
A group of 13 opposition parties said that they had formed the Coordinating Council of Popular Trust which would assume responsibility for formulating ideas to find a way out of the deadlock. It was later announced that Zhaparov did not have the backing of enough parties to be installed as the new PM, resulting in further confusion. Zhaparov eventually ended up being elected PM with the necessary quorum (51 MPs were present and 10 were voting by proxy) in the early hours of the morning on 11 October. President Jeenbekov vetoed the nomination on 12 October, but later accepted it after parliament voted to confirm him again on 13 October. Abdyldayev resigned as speaker on 10 October only a few days after he was appointed, with Kanatbek Isaev taking over the speakership on 13 October.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
On 15 October, President Jeenbekov announced that he would resign to prevent further bloodshed. His resignation will take effect should parliament approve it. It was approved on 16 October, and Prime Minister Zhaparov was installed as interim President by the parliament until new elections could be held, despite the Kyrgyz Constitution saying that the next person in the line of succession is the speaker of the parliament. Speaker Isaev had previously stated that he was not interested in the position.


2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, Aftermath
New elections were tentatively scheduled for 20 December, but were later pushed back to no later than June 2021 so constitutional reform could be enacted. They are now due to be held in autumn.


2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup
The 2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup is the 29th season of the Kyrgyzstan Cup, the knockout football tournament in Kyrgyzstan. The cup winner qualifies for the 2021 AFC Cup.


2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup
The draw of the tournament was held on 24 September 2020, based on the 2020 Kyrgyz Premier League final positions. The seven teams which finished second to eighth in the league will participate. Dordoi, which finished first in the league, will not participate as they have already secured qualification for the 2021 AFC Cup.


2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup, Quarter-finals
The matches, originally scheduled for 9 October, will be played on 16 October.


2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup, Semi-finals
The semi-finals were played on 19 October 2020 after originally being scheduled for 12 October 2020.


2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup, Final
The 2020 Kyrgyzstan Cup was played on 22 October 2020 after originally being scheduled for 15 October 2020.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests
The 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests (or Kyrgyz Revolution of 2020) began on 5 October 2020 in response to the recent parliamentary election that was perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of vote rigging. The results of the election were annulled on 6 October 2020. On 12 October 2020, President Jeenbekov announced a state of emergency in the capital city of Bishkek, which was approved by Parliament the following day. Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Background
Kyrgyzstan had faced two revolutions during the early 21st century, including the Tulip Revolution in 2005 and the Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010. In August 2020, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov indicated that the parliamentary elections would not be postponed despite the coronavirus pandemic. During the elections, several parties were accused of buying votes. Several journalists also reported that they had been harassed or attacked. Out of the parties that made it into parliament, only United Kyrgyzstan consistently opposes the incumbent government led by Jeenbekov.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Background
Political analysts have tied the 2020 protests to a socio-economic divide between Kyrgyzstan's agrarian south and more-developed north. Of the initial election results, 100 of the 120 seats were filled by southerners who supported Jeenbekov.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 5 October
The protests began on 5 October 2020, with a crowd of 1,000 people,  that grew to at least 5,000 people by evening in Bishkek (the capital of Kyrgyzstan) in protest against results and allegations of vote-buying in the October 2020 parliamentary election. After nightfall, following a police operation to clear the Ala-Too Square of protesters with tear gas and water cannons, protesters allegedly attacked police officers with rocks and injured two of them. Former President Almazbek Atambayev was freed from prison.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 6 October
In the early morning of 6 October 2020, the protesters reclaimed control of the Ala-Too Square in central Bishkek. They also managed to seize the White House and Supreme Council buildings nearby, throwing paper from windows and setting them on fire, also entering the President's offices. A protestor died and 590 others were injured.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 6 October
On 6 October, following the protests, the electoral authorities in the country annulled the results of the parliamentary elections. Central Election Commission member Gulnara Jurabaeva also revealed the commission was considering self-dissolution.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 6 October
In the meantime, opposition groups claimed to be in power after seizing government buildings in the capital, in which several provincial governors have reportedly resigned. President Sooronbay Jeenbekov said that he faced a coup d'état, then he told the BBC, that he was "ready to give the responsibility to strong leaders".


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 6 October
Protestors freed former president Almazbek Atambayev and opposition politician Sadyr Japarov from prison.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 6 October
Likely due to pressure from the protest, Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov resigned, citing parliamentary deputy Myktybek Abdyldayev as the new speaker.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 7 October
Opposition parties were unsuccessful at forming a new government on Wednesday, 7 October. Following the resignation of Prime Minister Boronov, former lawmaker Sadyr Japarov was appointed to replace him. Opposition parties rejected the legitimacy of Japarov's status and instead put forward their own candidate for prime minister, Tilek Toktogaziyev. Japarov claimed that he was already the "legitimate prime minister" and that he was appointed by "the parliament's majority." Boronov's resignation, however, had yet to be confirmed by President Jeenbekov, and government websites continued to list him as the prime minister on 7 October.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 7 October
Crowds gathered to protest the nomination of Japarov and demand the resignation of Jeenbekov. According to the Ministry of Healthcare, no fewer than 768 people injured during the protests have been treated by the country's hospitals and clinics as of Wednesday morning. According to Reuters, at least three distinct groups have now attempted to claim leadership.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 7 October
Meanwhile, Kyrgyz parliamentarians launched impeachment procedures against Jeenbekov, according to a parliamentarian from the opposition party Ata-Meken, Kanybek Imanaliev.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 9 October
Jeenbekov declared a state of emergency, ordering troops to deploy in Bishkek. The declaration imposes a 12-hour curfew until October 21. Gunfire was heard during violent clashes in Bishkek that broke out after Jeenbekov's declaration. Jeenbekov formally accepted Boronov's resignation.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 10 October
Kyrgyzstani special forces detained former President Almazbek Atambayev in a raid on his compound. Former Member of Parliament Sadyr Japarov, who was freed from prison on October 5 by protesters, was nominated as interim Prime Minister by Parliament.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 12 October
A second state of emergency was declared by President Jeenbekov in Bishkek from 12 October to 19 October. Opposition parties announced their intentions to oust Jeenbekov; Jeenbekov stated that he would consider resigning, but only after the political crisis is resolved. A curfew was put in place, in effect from 10 pm to 5 am. Convoys of troops from the Kyrgyz military were sent into the capital city to control the situation.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 13 October
Kanat Isaev was elected as the new Speaker of the Supreme Council, as there were no other candidates seeking the position. Parliament endorsed Jeenbekov's second declaration of a state of emergency, after previously rejecting his first. President Jeenbekov formally rejected the nomination of Sadyr Japarov to the position of Prime Minister.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Timeline, 15 October
Sooronbay Jeenbekov resigned as President of Kyrgyzstan in an attempt to end the political unrest, while also stating that he "Calls on Japarov and the other politicians to withdraw their supporters out of the capital of the nation and to return the people of Bishkek to peaceful lives". Japarov declared himself as acting president. Despite the Kyrgyzstan Constitution stating that the speaker of the Supreme Council should succeed the role, Kanatbek Isaev refused to assume office, resulting in Japarov becoming the acting president.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Reactions, China
On 7 October, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, "As a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner, China sincerely hopes that all parties in Kyrgyzstan can resolve the issue according to law through dialogue and consultation, and push for stability in Kyrgyzstan as soon as possible."


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Reactions, Russia
On 7 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed that Russia is concerned by the political unrest taking place in nearby Kyrgyzstan and hoped for a swift return to stability for the former Soviet state. Russia also gave assurances it was in touch with all the sides in the conflict and hoped that the democratic process would be restored. On 8 October, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "The situation looks like a mess and chaos." and Russia was obliged by a security treaty to prevent a total breakdown in the country.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Reactions, European Union
The European Union called on all political forces in the country to act within the framework of the constitution and to settle their disagreements peacefully.


2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Reactions, United States
The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek expressed support for Jeenbekov, stating on 13 October that "the United States supports the efforts of President Jeenbekov, political leaders, civil society, and legal scholars to return the political life of the country to a constitutional order. It is clear that one of the obstacles towards democratic progress is the attempt by organized crime groups to exert influence over politics and elections."


2020 Kyushu floods
The 2020 Kyushu floods were a series of floods in July 2020 brought on when record-breaking heavy rain hit the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, on 4 July 2020 in the middle of the East Asian rainy season. The event is officially referred to as Reiwa ni-nen shichi-gatsu gōu (令和２年７月豪雨, "Heavy rain of July, Reiwa 2") by the Japan Meteorological Agency. As a result of flooding and landslides, 77 people were confirmed dead (includes 1 death due to cardiopulmonary arrest) and approximately seven are missing. Fourteen of the victims were residents of an old age home in Kuma, Kumamoto that was flooded. Approximately 15,335 buildings were destroyed, damaged or flooded.


2020 Kyushu floods, Background
Typhoons, storms, and heavy flooding have hit Japan hard in the years prior to 2020. Aside from Hokkaido, the entire country is subject to the East Asian rainy season, known as Tsuyu (梅雨), during the early part of summer. The mountainous terrain of Japan places it at risk for flooding and landslides. These climate events have killed hundreds of people, and expert analysis has stated global warming is a contributing cause.


2020 Kyushu floods, Background
The Kuma River basin had previously flooded in 1965. One of three major rapids in Japan, the Kuma is a 115-kilometer-long (71 mi) class A river. Its course begins in the mountain range in Kyushu, and runs through Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto; Kuma, Kumamoto; and Yatsushiro, Kumamoto before it discharges into the Yatsushiro Sea.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
On 4 July 2020, heavy rain caused flooding in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. At 5 AM, local time (UTC+9) the Japan Meteorological Agency raised its heavy rain warning to its highest level of 3 in many parts of the prefectures, the first time it has ever done so for these areas. The Japan Meteorological Agency stated the amount of rain was record-breaking for the region and was never seen before. The rate of rainfall exceeded 100 millimeters (3.9 in) per hour.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
As of 9 July 2020, 60 people are confirmed dead and approximately a dozen are reported missing. According to Kyodo News, 1.3 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes and there were 12 different landslide events.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
Fourteen of the dead were residents in a flooded old age home in Kuma, Kumamoto. Kumamoto governor Ikuo Kabashima stated that scores were stranded after mud and floodwater gushed into the old age home. According to a rescue volunteer, when they reached the old age home, the water was still on the first-floor level. The rescue personnel managed to rescue residents who had made it up to the second floor but were unable to reach those left below. According to the staff at the home, they roused residents at 5 a.m. and shuffled them upstairs. On the first floor, when water came into the building, they placed residents with wheelchairs on top of tables in the dining room. The staff was unable to rescue the deceased residents after water broke through the windows and the patients floated off the tables.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
Following overnight rains, authorities instructed more than 75,000 residents to evacuate in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima. 203,200 residents were instructed to shelter in place, and 109 shelters were opened in the region.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
The Kuma River overran its bank in eleven different locations and breached one levee. In Kuma, Kumamoto, stranded residents were rescued by a rescue helicopter. Eight homes were swept away in Ashikita, Kumamoto. In Tsunagi, Kumamoto, 2–3 people were pulled out of a landslide without signs of life. Some 8,000 homes were left without power in Kumamoto and Kagoshima according to the Kyushu Electric Power Company. Another 6,100 houses were estimated to be submerged, 11 bridges destroyed and 4,700 buildings destroyed, damaged or flooded.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
A dike was breached near the town of Hitoyoshi, normally known for its hot springs and boating, which was flooded by the Kuma River. Volunteers from the local rafting association in Hitoyoshi used their rafts to rescue stranded residents in the flooded town. At least 17 people in Hitoyoshi died.


2020 Kyushu floods, Events
On the morning of 7 July, the Chikugo River overflowed in Hita, Ōita leading authorities to issue the highest level alert to residents.


2020 Kyushu floods, Effects
The flooding has also disrupted economic activity in Kyushu, an important manufacturing area in Japan. Companies including Toyota, Canon, and Panasonic temporarily halted production in the area as a precaution for employee safety. However, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, in a statement on 6 July, said he did not expect major supply chain disruptions.


2020 Kyushu floods, Effects
Evacuees and local officials raised concerns regarding emergency shelter given the simultaneously ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Evacuees arriving at shelters had their temperatures checked, or were asked to go elsewhere so that social distancing could be maintained. Some evacuees chose to take refuge in their cars, while others stayed with friends. These measures follow recommendations created the previous month in June when government officials anticipated a possible "double disaster" of flooding and disease transmission.