October 20, 2017 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Raqqa (2017)
- The Syrian Democratic Forces announce the "total liberation" of Raqqa, previously the de facto capital of ISIL. (CNN)
- Battle of Raqqa (2017)
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Two suicide bomber attacks, one on a Shia mosque in Kabul and one on a Sunni mosque in Ghor Province, kill approximately 60 people. Approximately 180 people have been killed in bombing attacks this week. (BBC)
- Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present)
- Sixteen members of the Egyptian Police have died in a clash with Islamic militants from the Hasm Movement. More than fifteen militants have been killed. (Al-Ahram)
Law and crime
- Crime in Malawi
- Pope Francis and Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta express sorrow over the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who died in a car bomb attack. (Catholic News Agency)
Politics and elections
- Czech legislative election, 2017
- Voters in the Czech Republic go to the polls to elect new members of the Chamber of Deputies. (BBC News)
- Brexit
- The European Union heads of state prepare to start negotiations on a future UK–EU trade agreement in December, depending on progress with the financial "exit bill" negotiations by then. (Reuters)