Biggest news stories of 2020 so far

Shortly after taking off from Tehran, Iran, a Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed, killing all 176 on board. After denying initially, the Iranian government said that it shot down the passenger vessel “unintentionally.” Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh told the media that the plane was mistaken for a “cruise missile” and was shot down by a short-range missile that exploded near it. Iran President Hassan Rouhani described the crash as an “unforgivable mistake.” As a result of the disaster, mass protests broke out in Iran calling for the removal of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.