BRING ON THE NEW YEAR
By Agnes Aui
1. START OF A NEW DECADE
Say hello to a new decade, most likely called the 2020’s (pronounced as ‘twenty- twenties’). This decade may also signify a new generation as the customary gap is of approximately 20 years.
2. LEAP YEAR
Rejoice leap year babies, it’s your time to shine! The wait is over and now you can celebrate on your actual birth date.
3. FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS
Bring out the festive food and fashion because the Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali celebrations are coming again!
4. MORE ELECTRIC BUSES IN MALAYSIA
Following the 2020 Budget, the Malaysian government aims to invest RM450 million in acquiring up to 500 electric buses nationwide.
5. 2020 SUMMER OLYMPICS
Something that athletes look forward to, the 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan with an expected 206 participating nations and 11,091 athletes.
6. NASA’S MARS 2020 MISSION
This coming year, NASA will launch a robot to Mars between July 17 to August 15 2020 to seek for signs of habitable conditions and past microbial life.
7. THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Incumbent president Donald Trump of the Republican party will run again in the US Presidential Election, scheduled to be held on November 3 2020.
8. RARE CONJUNCTION OF JUPITER AND SATURN
Named the great conjunction, this occurrence will happen on December 21 in the night sky for seven arc minutes. This happens once every 20 years and the next is expected in 2040.
9. JAPAN WILL FINISH BUILDING A ROBOT MOON BASE
Built by robots for robots, Japan’s plan of an unmanned lunar base should be up and running by 2020 according to Popular Science. The base will act as a working or living space for future robots.
10. RARE SOLSTICE RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE
The Solstice Ring of Fire Eclipse which actually happens annularly will have the Sun 99% obscured this year, lasting up to a minute and making it a rare event.
11. PS5 RELEASE
According to Sony, the new PS5 will be released between October and December 2020. The console, officially called PlayStation 5, will still play discs and is compatible with PSVR hardware.
12. IPHONE 12 DROPS
The iPhone 12 is set to be released in September 2020 and may feature Sony’s new camera sensor, the IMX686. There is also speculation on a fourth lens but nothing has been confirmed so far.
13. TAIWAN’S STARLUX AIRLINES LAUNCH Airline startup by former EVA Air chairman, Chang Kuo-wei will begin operations on January 23 2020 to three destinations namely Da Nang, Macao and Penang.
14. LAUNCH OF THE ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWS NETWORK IN AMERICA Black News Channel (BNC), co-founded by J.C. Watts and CEO Bob Brillante will be launched on January 6 2020. The network aims to inspire and empower African American viewers.
15. GENTING OUTDOOR THEME PARK OPENS
Genting’s outdoor theme park is expected to open in the Q3 of 2020. There will be various types of tickets available including annual, day, priority and VIP tour passes according to the management.
16. WORLD’S FIRST ROTATING SKYSCRAPER TO BE BUILT
Proposed in 2008 by architect David Fisher, the 80-storey Dynamic Tower will finally be built. It will be the world’s first skyscraper made up of separate rotating floors
17. MET GALA 2020
Met Gala is where celebrities go all out on red carpet looks to fit extravagant themes. Its 2020 theme is “About Time: Fashion and Duration”, so be ready to spot some nostalgic pieces.
18. POSSIBLE RETURN OF VS FASHION SHOW
In 2019, Victoria’s Secret shockingly cancelled the VS Fashion Show, a first in 23 years since 1995. It’s been rumoured to come back in 2020 though nothing has been confirmed.
19. AMAZON GROCERY STORE
The Verge has said that Amazon would be opening a grocery store chain in Woodland Hills, California. It was reported that thestore might be housed in what was once a Toys R Us shop.
20. COACHELLA 2020
Coachella 2020 will be held over two weekends in April 2020 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio California. Tentative lineups are Rage Against The Machine and Frank Ocean.