Economic edit
- 2011 09 20 - Qantas flights throughout Australia are disrupted by a four-hour strike by airport ground staff and baggage handlers. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- 2011 09 20 - The International Monetary Fund warns of a double-dip recession in the coming years. (Sky News)
- 2011 09 20 - The world's 8th largest search engine, Yandex, expands into Turkey, marking its first venture outside the CIS. (Total Telecom)
- 2011 09 20 - Wadah Khanfar steps down as the head of the Al Jazeera network and is replaced by Sheikh Ahmad bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. (Financial Times) (Irish Times) (Al Jazeera)
Humanitarian edit
- 2011 09 20 - Floods and landslides caused by a week of heavy rain in the People's Republic of China have killed at least 57 people and forced a million people from their homes. (BBC)
- RusAir Flight 9605
- 2011 09 20 - Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee finds that the cause is alcohol related pilot error, inadequate weather forecast and ground equipment. (Wall Street Journal)
- 2011 09 20 - The road to the Indian town of Mangan reopens after the 2011 Sikkim earthquake with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers reach the worst affected areas. (Times of India)
- 2011 09 20 - The European Court of Human Rights rules that Russia did not abuse legal processes to destroy Yukos, once its largest oil company. (The Scotsman)
- 2011 09 20 - 2011 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Ophelia forms in the central Atlantic Ocean with no warnings currently in place. (National Hurricane Centre via NOLA.com)
Scientific edit
Politics edit
- Don't ask, don't tell
- 2011 09 20 - The United States military officially ends its policy of Don't ask, don't tell, allowing gay and lesbian personnel to publicly declare their sexual orientation. (New York Times)
- 2011 09 20 - Burhanuddin Rabbani, Former President of Afghanistan was killed in a suicide bombing at his home in Kabul while meeting with a Taliban delegation. (Al-Jazeera)
- Zambian general election, 2011
- 2011 09 20 - Voters in Zambia go to the polls for a general election with a close Presidential race expected between incumbent Rupiah Banda and opposition leader Michael Sata. (Voice of America)
- 2011 09 20 - The African Union officially recognises the National Transitional Council as Libya's legitimate leadership. (AFP via Google)
Crime edit
- 2011 09 20 - A group of Italian scientists go on trial for allegedly downplaying the risk of a major earthquake before the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake which killed 308 people. (The Independent)
- 2011 09 20 - Mexican gunmen dump 35 bodies in the city of Boca del Rio with at least some of the victims having links to organised crime. (AP via Bakersfield Now)
War edit
- 2011 Norway attacks
- 2011 09 20 - A Norwegian judge orders Anders Behring Breivik to be kept in solitary confinement for four more weeks. (CNN)
- 2011 09 20 - Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former President of Afghanistan, is killed in a suicide bombing at his home in Kabul while meeting with a Taliban delegation to discuss a possible peace deal. (Al-Jazeera), (AFP via The Australian)
- 2011 09 20 - Gunmen in the Pakistan province of Baluchistan open fire on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Iran killing at least 25 people. (New York Times)
- 2011 09 20 - A bombing attack in in the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara kills at least 3 and injures 34. (New York Times)
Entertainment edit
- 2011 09 20 - Gears of War 3, the final game in the Gears of War videogames franchise, goes on sale with 20,000 stores around the world opening at midnight. (The Guardian)