October 20, 2013 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- A suicide truck bomber attack by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front on a government checkpoint outside Hama, Syria, kills at least 30 people, including a number of soldiers. (AP via USA Today)
- Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present):
- Cattle raiders believed to be led by David Yau Yau attack villages in Jonglei state, leaving at least 78 dead. (BBC)
- Gunmen open fire on a Christian wedding in a Cairo suburb in Egypt, with at least three people killed and nine others injured. (BBC)
Business and economy
- Toyota Motor Corporation recalls 885,000 vehicles due to electrical problems that could prevent airbags from deploying. (NBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Barry O'Farrell, the Premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, declares a state of emergency due to bushfires that have already claimed one life and destroyed hundreds of homes. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Jamalul Kiram III, claimant to the Sultanate of Sulu and leader of the militant group behind the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, dies in Manila. (The Washington Post)
- At Luxembourg's general election, Jean-Claude Juncker's Christian Social People's Party loses three seats, but remain the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies with 23 of the 60 seats. (BBC)