Portal:Current events/2020 April 20

• COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
  • Saudi Arabia announces the Great Mosque of Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the two holiest mosques in Islam, will remain closed throughout Ramadan this year. (Reuters)
• COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
  • New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announces that major parades scheduled for June, such as NYC Pride March and Puerto Rican Day Parade, are cancelled this year. (NY Daily News)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
  • Israel is expected to commemorate its Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony without public gatherings. (Haaretz)

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
    • Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo Cars resumes full production at its plant in Torslanda, Sweden, which had been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 26, 2020. (Just Auto)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • World oil market chronology from 2003
      • U.S. oil prices for May contract settle at an all-time low, finishing down over 300% to −$37.63 per barrel. (Market Watch)
    • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
      • United Airlines reports a $2.1 billion loss in the first quarter of this year, blaming restrictions on the aviation industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. (CNBC)
• The Industrial Bank of Korea agrees to pay US$86 million and will enter a two-year deferred prosecution agreement to settle lawsuits with the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of New York over a 2011 scheme to help transfer US$1 billion to Iran. (Reuters)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that the country will ease its lockdown on April 27 if progress is maintained. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
      • Schools in Belarus reopen, but authorities say that parents are allowed to keep their children at home despite lifting of restrictions. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany reopens shops, but Chancellor Angela Merkel warns of a second coronavirus wave in the country. (The Guardian)

• Ramos v. Louisiana
  • In a 6–3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that convictions for serious crimes requires a unanimous decision by the jury, overturning the conviction of the plaintiff, a Louisiana man, and the 1972 case Apodaca v. Oregon. The ruling paves the way for hundreds of defendants to receive new trials. (Reuters)
• COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
  • Miami Police disperses crowds who violated social distancing guidelines during David Guetta's coronavirus relief concert in the city. (ABC News)
• Immigration policy of Donald Trump
  • Citing jobs and the ongoing pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump announces he will sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the United States. (The Hill)

• Politics of Vanuatu, 2020 Vanuatuan general election
  • Bob Loughman is elected Prime Minister of Vanuatu with 31 votes in Parliament. Loughman defeated former foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu, who received 21 votes. (RNZ)
• Thirty-fifth government of Israel
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Alliance leader Benny Gantz agree on a deal to form a unity government, thus ending more than a year of political deadlock. As part of the deal, Netanyahu will hold onto his position for 18 more months, with Gantz replacing him afterwards. (The Times of Israel)
• In a deal brokered by South African mediators, Lesotho's government says that Prime Minister Tom Thabane "will immediately resign", in a "dignified and secure" exit from power. Thabane is accused of murdering his ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane in 2017. (BBC News)
• Seoul-based Daily NK reports North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is recuperating from a heart procedure done earlier this month, after his disappearance from various events led to speculation about his health. (Reuters)

• New data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and Hubble Space Telescope, published in the Nature Astronomy journal, suggests interstellar comet 2I/Borisov contains large amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. The new findings suggest the object was formed in the cold outer region of its planetary system. (BBC News)

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    • The Spanish government reaches a deal with Spanish association football league La Liga for teams to return to practice. (Time)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • The Wuhan Zall football team returns to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, after their lockdown restrictions have been lifted. (ABC News)