Portal:Current events
This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from February 2019.
February 1, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Dissident Irish Republican campaign
- Two people were shot and injured in two individual attacks in Londonderry. (BBC)
- Ammunition and a mortar tube was found at the Irish border in County Louth. (BBC News)
Arts and culture
- The Associated Press and Snopes say they are no longer providing fact-checking services for Facebook. (BBC News)
- Boy Scouts of America membership controversies, Boy Scouts of America, Gender equality
- The Boy Scouts officially changes its name to Scouts BSA and young women join as official members of the organization for the first time. (ABC6) (Scouting Newsroom)
Disasters and accidents
- January 2019 North American cold wave
- The death toll from a North American cold wave caused by a polar vortex rises to at least 21 people. (BBC News)
- A large-scale natural gas shortage in the U.S. state of Michigan is averted following the compliance of an emergency request from Consumers Energy for state residents to lower thermostats, after a fire at a natural gas compressor station threatened to halt the delivery of gas to consumers. The public's observance of the request resulted in a 10 percent decrease in natural gas usage across the state. (WNEM-TV) (Associated Press)
- Three students at a school in Johannesburg, South Africa, are killed after a footbridge connecting the main school administration to various class rooms collapses. (AA)
International relations
- Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Cold War II, Russia–United States relations
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces that the United States is suspending its role in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an agreement made in 1987 with the USSR (and, by extension, its successor state Russia) banning both countries from possessing or testing nuclear and conventional intermediate-range missiles, as well as their launchers, citing Russian non-compliance with the treaty. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- U.S. Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker announces that he is running for the office of the presidency in the 2020 presidential election. (CNN)
- Republican and Democratic leaders call for the resignation of Virginian Governor Ralph Northam after a 1984 yearbook photograph apparently featuring Northam surfaces showing one person wearing blackface and another person wearing Ku Klux Klan attire. (The Hill)
Science and technology
- A meteorite strikes near the Cuban town of Viñales, in the western province of Pinar del Río, after sightings of a fireball over the Florida Keys. The last confirmed meteorite to hit Cuba was in 1994. (DW)
Sports
- 2019 AFC Asian Cup
- Qatar defeats Japan 3-1 to win the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, earning them their first continental championship title. (The Guardian)
- American Olympic alpine skier Lindsey Vonn announces she will retire after the 53rd Alpine Ski World Cup in Sweden, which is currently taking place and will conclude in March. (Time)
February 2, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Moro conflict
- Patikul, Sulu shootout
- Five soldiers and three militants die in an attack that also injured several others in Patikul, Sulu, in The Philippines. (Al Jazeera)
- Patikul, Sulu shootout
- Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
- An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member is killed and five others are injured at an Iranian paramilitary base in Nik Shahr. (Al Jazeera)
- Somali Civil War
- Two people are killed and at least five others injured by a suicide car bombing that targeted an African Union Mission base in Somalia. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack. (AA)
Art and culture
- 33rd Goya Awards
- The 33rd edition of Goya Awards are held in Seville, Spain. Champions, portrayed by disabled people, gets the Goya Award for Best Film. (Hollywood Reporter) (Washington Post)
Law and crime
- Crime in Cincinnati
- A sheriff's deputy is killed and another wounded during a 12 hour standoff in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The suspect has been taken into custody. (NBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- A collapse of a building damaged by the war in Aleppo, Syria, kills 11 people. (BBC News)
International relations
- Russia–United States relations, Cold War II
- Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends Russia's involvement in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and will now start developing new missiles, in response to the United States' decision to withdraw from the Cold War-era treaty. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- Crisis in Venezuela, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro supports a proposal by the 2017 Constituent National Assembly to hold early legislative elections, which is seen as an attempt to eliminate the threat posed by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence tells a Florida rally that the time for dialogue "had ended" and "all options were on the table." (RTE)
- Venezuelan Air Force general Francisco Yáñez becomes the first high-ranking general to publicly support Juan Guaidó after he denounced the "dictatorship" of Maduro and recognized Guaidó's claim as the nation's legitimate leader. (Fox News)
- Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan people take to the streets to protest socio-economic and political situation of the country and to demand a better economic situation. Large competing anti-Maduro and anti-Guaidó rallies are held in Caracas. (The Washington Post)
- 2019 Virginia political crisis
- Governor of the U.S. state of Virginia Ralph Northam says he will not resign from office because he does not believe that he appears in a controversial photograph from his 1984 medical school yearbook showing one person wearing blackface and another person wearing Ku Klux Klan attire. However, Northam later admits to wearing blackface during the same time period for a dance contest, in order to imitate musician Michael Jackson. (Post and Courier) (The Washington Examiner)
February 3, 2019 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- At the request of Chadian authorities, French Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jets strike a convoy of around 40 pickups of an armed group that entered northern Chad from Libya. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Piper PA-46 Malibu disappearance
- The wreckage of the Piper PA-46 Malibu light aircraft, which went missing on January 21, 2019, with two people on board, including Cardiff City F.C. record signing Emiliano Sala, is discovered on the seabed of the English Channel. (Sky News)
International relations
- Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
Law and crime
- Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage is taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), accusing him of actually being a British national who has been in the United States unlawfully since his visa expired in July 2006. (Fox 5 Atlanta)
- The Abbott of the Montserrat Abbey, in Barcelona, Spain, apologizes for the sexual abuses that a monk did and that came to light two weeks ago. (El País)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Salvadoran presidential election
- Former San Salvador mayor Nayib Bukele of the Grand Alliance for National Unity is elected President of El Salvador with over 50% of the ballots cast. (Al Jazeera) (BBC Mundo)
Sports
- Super Bowl LIII
- In American football, the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII by a score of 13–3. (CBS Sports)
February 4, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attack
- Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- 2019 Mogadishu bombing
- A Maltese port manager is killed at a fish market in Puntland by Al-Shabaab militants disguised as fishermen. (BBC News)
Business and economy
- German airline Germania declares bankruptcy and ceases operations, cancelling all flights immediately. (Reuters)
International relations
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Several European Union states, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Spain, officially recognize Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro rejects the European ultimatum to call a new snap election. Other European Union countries, such as Greece and Ireland, stop short of recognizing Guaidó, while Italy's leading coalition party, the 5 Star Movement, declares that it is not "for the EU to tell another nation what to do". (BBC News)
Law and crime
- 25-year-old Australian footballer and refugee from Bahrain, Hakeem al-Araibi, is ordered to defend an extradition order back to Bahrain in a Bangkok court, after being detained upon arrival in Thailand for his honeymoon with his wife in November 2018. International community is treating it as a human rights issue; a campaign to free al-Araibi and return him to Australia is growing. (news.com.au)
Science and technology
- Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel
- After numerous cost overruns and delays, a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) highway tunnel in Seattle, Washington, U.S., opens to traffic, becoming the largest road tunnel in the contiguous United States. It was bored using Bertha, the world's largest tunnel boring machine. (The Washington Post)
- World Magnetic Model
- The location of the magnetic north pole is updated one year early due to its increasingly rapid movement toward Siberia from the Canadian Arctic at a rate of 55 kilometers (34 miles) per year. (NOAA)
February 5, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- The United Kingdom Minister for Security, Ben Wallace, says he has reason to believe British photojournalist John Cantlie is still alive and is being held hostage by surviving Islamic State militants. (BBC News)
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- The Taliban kill over 40 people in three separate attacks while Afghan-Taliban peace talks are taking place in Moscow. 12 others were injured. (Al Jazeera)
- Two Afghan journalists are killed by gunmen in an attack on a radio station in Taloqan, Takhar province. (Reuters)
- Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
- Central African Republic Civil War
- The Government of the Central African Republic sign a peace deal with 14 rebel groups. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
- Several homes have been damaged in an uncontrolled bushfire near the New Zealand city of Nelson. (Stuff)
International relations
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Eleven Lima Group member states support a declaration recognizing Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela, while three members of the Lima Group, Guyana, Mexico and Saint Lucia, did not back the declaration. (BBC News)
- Portuguese bank Novo Banco blocks the transfer of $1.2 billion of Venezuelan government financial assets to Uruguay. The move was requested by the Nicolás Maduro government. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- February 2019 Paris fire
- A fire in an apartment block in Paris, France, kills ten and leaves over 30 wounded. The incident is being treated as possible arson. A woman was arrested on suspicion of setting the fire. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
- Pope Francis makes a public statement acknowledging that some priests and bishops in the Catholic Church have been sexually abusing nuns. (CBS-6)
Politics and elections
- 2019 State of the Union Address, Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
- U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union Address to the 116th United States Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives. (The Washington Post)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Viet Nam, North Korea–United States relations
- During the State of the Union speech, President Trump announced he will meet with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. (USA Today)
- Nationwide protests organised by the French Confédération Générale du Travail union attract over 18,000 people in Paris, including many supporters of the Yellow vest movement. (France24) (Daily Mail)
February 6, 2019 (Wednesday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Anchorage earthquake
- Two aftershocks strike Anchorage, Alaska, the first a magnitude 4.1, and the second a magnitude 3.7, occurring 23 minutes later. (Anchorage Daily News)
- Heavy rain hits Rio de Janeiro, leaving three people dead and two missing. (G1)
- Fourteen people were killed, and fourteen others are injured when an eight-story apartment building collapsed in Istanbul, Turkey. (BBC News)
Health and environment
- 2019 Philippines measles outbreak
- The Philippines Department of Health declares a measles outbreak attributed to the drop in trust in vaccines due to the Dengvaxia controversy. (The Philippine Star)
International relations
- Accession of Macedonia to NATO
- In Brussels, an accession protocol for joining NATO is signed between Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, and Nikola Dimitrov, foreign minister of the Republic of Macedonia. (The Washington Post)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Colombia–Venezuela relations
- The Venezuelan National Guard blocks off a bridge on the Colombia–Venezuela border with a tanker truck. The Venezuelan opposition had been planning to use the bridge to bring humanitarian aid into the country, while President Nicolás Maduro has rejected foreign aid, saying "we're not a nation of beggars". (BBC News) (Daily Star)
Law and crime
- Game law
- In a landmark decision, the Constitutional Court of Colombia rules to ban recreational hunting, citing environmental protection concerns. (El Tiempo)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Guatemalan general election
- The Attorney General files a request to withdraw immunity to the presidential candidate of National Unity of Hope, former First Lady Sandra Torres, for alleged crimes of illicit electoral financing. Torres said it was a political persecution of the former Attorney General and presidential candidate Thelma Aldana. (The Washington Post)
February 7, 2019 (Thursday)
Business and economy
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos publishes an online essay accusing American Media, Inc. owner David Pecker of "extortion and blackmail." (The New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- Six people are killed by a gas explosion in an abandoned coal mine in Middelburg, South Africa. (BBC News)
- 2019 Piper PA-46 Malibu crash
- The lone body found in the Piper PA-46 Malibu that disappeared two weeks ago is confirmed to be that of missing footballer Emiliano Sala. The pilot remains missing, presumed dead. (Mirror)
Politics and elections
- France–Italy relations
- France withdraws its ambassador to Italy, for the first time since the Second World War, amid an ongoing verbal row and Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio’s decision to meet with members of the French yellow vest movement. (Reuters)
- Me Too movement / 2019 Virginia political crisis
- Californian professor Vanessa Tyson accuses Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Justin Fairfax of having sexually assaulted her in 2004. (CNBC)
Science and research
- NASA scientists report the MarCO satellites, two CubeSats in deep space, have lost contact with Planet Earth. (CNN)
February 8, 2019 (Friday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018–19 North American winter
- Washington Governor Jay Inslee declares a state of emergency as a winter storm that could bring up to 8 inches (20 cm) of snow begins to affect the state. (NBC News)
- A fire at Flamengo sports club's youth training camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaves ten people dead and three injured. (CNN)
- A train collision near Barcelona, Spain, leaves one dead and 100 injured. (The Washington Post)
Law and crime
- 2010–2017 Toronto serial homicides
- Bruce McArthur is sentenced to life imprisonment for eight murders in Toronto, making him the oldest known sexually motivated serial killer in Canadian history. (CBC News) (Toronto Star)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Crisis in Venezuela, United States–Venezuela relations
- A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, reveals that the United States government is holding direct communications with members of Venezuela's military urging them to abandon Nicolás Maduro. (Reuters)
- Accession of Macedonia to NATO
- In a 153–140 vote, the Parliament of Greece ratifies the NATO accession protocol for North Macedonia. (RFE/RL)
- Spanish constitutional crisis
- The Spanish government announces that it is breaking off dialogue with the government of Catalonia, escalating the regional crisis. (Reuters)
- 2019 Thai general election
- Thai Princess Ubolratana conveyed a message of thanks to Thais on Saturday morning after King Vajiralongkorn issued a royal announcement late on Friday night saying political involvement by a senior royal is inappropriate. (Bangkok Post)
February 9, 2019 (Saturday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Piper PA-46 Malibu crash
- The family of pilot David Ibbotson launch a GoFundMe campaign to locate and recover his body, raising thousands of pounds within hours. Footballer Emiliano Sala's body was recently found in the wreckage and recovered two weeks after the plane first went missing. (BBC News)
- 2018–19 North American winter
- Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area receive 10 inches (25 cm) of snow, the most in 70 years. (CBS News)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign
- United States Senator Elizabeth Warren announces her intention to run for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election. (CNN)
- Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Venezuela's interim President Juan Guaidó says he will not rule out seeking the help of the United States military to remove Nicolás Maduro from power. (AFP via France 24)
- Venezuelan authorities claim that a U.S.-owned air freight company delivered a crate of weapons to the international airport in Valencia to be used in "terrorist actions" against the Maduro government. The air charter business involved, 21 Air, denies the charges. (Chicago Tribune)
Sports
- 2019 AAF season
- The Alliance of American Football kicks off its first season with two games. (CBS Sports)
February 10, 2019 (Sunday)
Law and crime
- Sexual abuse scandal in Southern Baptist churches, Religious abuse, Baptists in the United States
- An investigation by Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News found that since 1998, about 380 Southern Baptist church clerics, laypersons, and volunteers have faced credible accusations of sexual abuse and that of those, roughly 220 were convicted of sex crimes or received plea deals, in cases involving more than 700 victims. Many accusers were young men and women, who allegedly experienced everything from molestation to rape and impregnation at the hands of church members. (Houston Chronicle) (Houston Chronicle2) (San Antonio Express-News)
- President of the Southern Baptist Convention J. D. Greear condemns the sexual abuse committed by the clergy, laypersons, and volunteers and calls it "pure evil". (The Washington Post)
- Three people are killed in Gandhinagar, India, by a serial killer. The alleged killer, who is later identified as a eunuch, remains at large. (Ahmedabad Mirror)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Amy Klobuchar 2020 presidential campaign
- United States Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her intention to run for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election. (NBC News)
- Amy Klobuchar 2020 presidential campaign
- Demographics of Hungary, Opposition to immigration
- Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announces new tax and loan benefits for families as part of his government’s efforts to increase the birth rate in Hungary. The new measures include the expansion of a loan program for families with at least two children and waiving personal income tax for women raising at least four children. Orbán is one of the most outspoken critics of immigration to Europe from the Middle East and Asia. (France 24) (Reuters)
Sports
- 2019 Caribbean Series
- In baseball, the Toros de Herrera become the first Panamanian team since 1950 to win the Caribbean Series as they defeat the Leñadores de Las Tunas of Cuba 3-1 in the final. (Associated Press via ESPN)
February 11, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
- The Libyan Tobruk-based government has full control of the El Sharara oil field, the largest oilfield in Libya, after it was captured by the Libyan National Army. The oilfield, which was formerly under the control of Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, was taken over by local tribesmen in December 2018. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Mars One, a private Dutch organization that had claimed it would send humans on a one-way trip to Mars starting in 2024, releases a statement saying it has been declared bankrupt. (CBC)
Disasters and accidents
- A helicopter carrying Brazilian journalist and news anchor Ricardo Boechat crashes in São Paulo, killing both Boechat and the pilot. (BBC News)
- 2018–19 North American winter
- A winter storm is expected to bring up to 12 inches (30 cm) of snow to the Midwestern and Northeastern United States in the upcoming days. (NBC News)
- A winter storm hits Hawaii, depositing snow at record-low elevations at Polipoli State Park, along with massive waves, coastal flooding, and strong winds, resulting in at least one death. (AP) (The Washington Post)
International relations
- Switzerland–United Kingdom relations
- The United Kingdom and Switzerland sign a trade continuity agreement to maintain current trade relations post-Brexit. (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal
- A 15-year-old student has stabbed and killed his teacher and a classmate at a high school in Stolbtsy, Belarus. Two other classmates were also injured. (The New York Times)
February 12, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Four Pakistani police officers are shot dead by a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar splinter group. Three additional officers are injured. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden confirms the election of Finnish writer and poet Tua Forsström as a new member of the Swedish Academy, the body that formally decides the annual winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. (Swedish Academy)
Disasters and accidents
- Delhi hotel fire
- At least 17 people are killed in a fire at a hotel in Delhi, India. (BBC News)
International relations
- Greece–North Macedonia relations
- The Republic of Macedonia officially changes its name to North Macedonia, ending a long-standing naming dispute with neighbouring Greece. (The Guardian)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, United States–Venezuela relations
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in an interview with the BBC's Orla Guerin, accuses U.S. President Donald Trump of being openly a white supremacist who is "warmongering against Venezuela", saying that "the Ku Klux Klan is running the White House". (BBC News) (Evening Standard)
Law and crime
- A Swedish district court rejects the application of a European arrest warrant to extradite from Sweden to Poland a Stalinist-era judge, Stefan Michnik, suspected of issuing unlawful death sentences to underground fighters in the 1950s. (Radio Poland)
- Spanish constitutional crisis, 2017 Catalan independence referendum
- United States of America v. Joaquín Guzmán Loera
- At his trial in a Brooklyn federal court, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is found guilty on all 10 counts; the charges include engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs, and use of firearms during the commission of a felony. (CNN)
- All 78 inmates escape from a prison in Aquin, Haiti, amid ongoing unrest in the country that has left four people dead. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly announces that he will run for the 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona. (CNN)
- Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns as Canada's Minister of Veterans Affairs less than one month into her term amid allegations she had been pressured by the Prime Minister's Office to go easy on SNC-Lavalin while she was Minister of Justice. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- A wreck at the site of the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands is identified as the WWII-era U.S. Naval aircraft carrier USS Hornet. (CBS News)
Sports
- Rikako Ikee, 18-year-old Japanese swimmer who won six gold medals at 2018 Asian Games, announces that she has been diagnosed with leukemia. (CNN)
- North and South Korea announce they will launch a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. (The Guardian)
February 13, 2019 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Khash-Zahedan suicide bombing
- At least 27 Iranian Revolutionary Guards are killed after a suicide bombing attack in southeastern Iran. The attack is claimed by Jaish ul-Adl militants. (The New York Times) (Reuters)
International relations
- Israel–Venezuela relations, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Venezuelan disputed interim President Juan Guaidó states that he is working to restore ties with Israel, which were broken by Hugo Chávez's anti-Israeli policy, while also weighing whether to relocate the nation's embassy into Jerusalem. (Al Jazeera)
- Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- The Kremlin announces that Russia, Iran and Turkey will hold their fourth round of talks in Sochi on Thursday with regards to their roles in the Syrian Civil War. (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- The Public Prosecutor General of Germany announces the arrest of two members of the Syrian military intelligence service on charges of crimes against humanity. The arrests happened the day before in the states of Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate. (DW)
- Special Counsel investigation
- U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson rules that political consultant and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort breached his plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller by intentionally lying, about three of five matters, to investigators and the federal grand jury. (BBC News) (Daily Mail)
Politics and elections
- Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- FEMA Administrator Brock Long announces his resignation. (Fox News)
Science and technology
- Exploration of Mars
- The mission of NASA's Opportunity rover on Mars comes to an end. The rover stopped communicating in June 2018 after a Martian dust storm, and attempts to reestablish communications have not been successful. (NASA)
February 14, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- 2019 Pulwama attack
- At least 46 members of India's security forces are killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up as a convoy of military vehicles drove on a highway in Jammu and Kashmir. (BBC News)
- Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- A roadside bomb blast kills 8 Shiite militiamen and wounds others. (France 24)
- Syrian Civil War, Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
- Thousands of ISIL fighters and their families flee or surrender to the Syrian Democratic Forces, pushing back ISIL control to a square mile in the last ISIL stronghold of Baghuz. It is expected that ISIL still holds several hostages, including British Journalist John Cantlie. (US News) (The Guardian)
Business and economy
- Amazon HQ2
- Amazon cancels its New York City headquarters plans, citing opposition from activists and local politicians. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Murder of Laquan McDonald
- Former CPD officer Jason Van Dyke, known for the fatal shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald, is allegedly attacked in prison. (NBC News)
- Florida rapper YNW Melly is arrested for allegedly murdering two friends. (CTV News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Haitian protests
- The death toll rises to 9 as protesters ask for Jovenel Moïse to step down as president of Haiti. The protest started February 7. (BBC News) (TIME)
- Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, February 2019 Warsaw Conference
- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accuses European Union members of trying to break U.S. sanctions against Iran, and calls on the EU to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. (Reuters)
- Special Counsel investigation
- Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe confirms he ordered the probe on U.S. President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice, citing concerns that arose from the dismissal of James Comey. (CBS News)
- Political appointments by Donald Trump
- The U.S. Senate votes to confirm Trump nominee William Barr as United States Attorney General with a vote of 54–45. (NBC News)
- Brexit
- The House of Commons votes to reject British Prime Minister Theresa May's negotiating strategy with the EU, though this motion has no legal force. (BBC News)
February 15, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- 2019 Kaduna State massacre
- 66 people were killed by gunmen in Nigeria's Kaduna State including 34 victims being either women or children. The attack happened one day before the scheduled election before it was delayed another week. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
Business and Economy
- Amazon HQ2
- After announcing that it was canceling its New York City headquarters plans the day before, Amazon announces that it will keep its second headquarters in Virginia. (CNET)
- Payless ShoeSource is closing all its 2,100 stores in America, starting liquidation sales on Sunday. (USA Today)
Law and crime
- Aurora, Illinois shooting
- Five people are dead and six others are injured during a mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois. The suspected shooter was later killed by police. (CBS Chicago)
- Brumadinho dam disaster
- Eight Vale employees from Minas Gerais are arrested over alleged involvement in a dam collapse that killed at least 166 people. (Financial Times) (The Wall Street Journal)
- Ethnic issues in Japan
- The government of Japan approves a bill which officially acknowledges the Ainu as an indigenous people, following a non-binding resolution that was passed in 2008. (The Japan Times)
Politics and elections
- United States–Mexico barrier, Trump wall
- U.S. President Donald Trump declares a National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States. (Fox News)
- The American Civil Liberties Union and watchdog group Public Citizen announced they will file lawsuits challenging the legality of President Trump’s emergency declaration. (Time) (CBS News)
- Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez calls for a snap general election on 28 April and will dissolve the Cortes Generales on 5 March after failing to approve a government budget. (The New York Times) (CNN)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Viet Nam
- North Korean officials arrive in Beijing ahead of the second Trump–Kim summit. (ChannelNewsAsia)
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries
- Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announces the launching of a presidential exploratory committee to run for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election. (CNN)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- A senior United States administration official says the U.S. is willing to meet with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to negotiate an exit to the crisis, as the U.S. military helps deliver aid to Venezuela. (CNN)
Sports
- 2020 Summer Olympics
- Following the announcement of the launch of a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, North Korea and South Korea announce that they are also interested in marching jointly at the 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as fielding unified teams in some sports. (ESPN)
February 16, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have taken control of Al-Baghuz Fawqani, following the surrender of the last remaining ISIL militants in the town. (Reuters)
- Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
- Sinai insurgency
- Militants attacked an army checkpoint in Sinai Peninsula killing and injuring 15. It is believed that 11 soldiers were killed but that has not been confirmed. Seven militants also died in the attack. (The National) (The Times of Israel)
- Boko Haram suicide bombers and a gunman kill 8 and injure 15 in an attack in Maiduguri, Nigeria. All three attackers were later killed. (Al Jazeera)
- Afghanistan War
- 32 Afghan border security troops are killed by a Taliban attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (The New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 24 miners are found dead and dozens are still missing after two mines were flooded two days ago in Battlefields, Zimbabwe. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Nigerian general election
- Voting is delayed in Nigeria for a week, hours before polling was due to start because of violent incidents in the lead up to the election. (BBC News)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Vietnam
- North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un is to arrive in Vietnam on February 25 ahead of the second summit meeting between the two leaders on February 27–28 in Hanoi. (Reuters)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- United States Air Force C-17s land at Cúcuta near the Colombia–Venezuela border, the aircraft are loaded with humanitarian aid intended for Venezuela. (ABC News)
- Political appointments by Donald Trump
- State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert withdraws from consideration for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations nomination. Jonathan Cohen has been serving in that position since January 1, 2019, following Nikki Haley's resignation. (NPR)
Sports
- NBA All-Star Weekend takes place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. (CBS Sports)
February 17, 2019 (Sunday)
Business and economy
- Hundreds of airline passengers are left stranded throughout Europe following British airline Flybmi's bankruptcy filing. (AP via The Washington Times)
Disasters and accidents
- At least nine people die after a fire sweeps through more than 200 slum dwellings in Chittagong, Bangladesh. (BBC News)
- Four children die after a landslide in Mauá, São Paulo, Brazil. (G1)
- Eight people are rescued from a gold mine that is flooded in Battlefields, Zimbabwe. (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- A mass shooting inside a nightclub in Cancún, Mexico, leaves five dead and five wounded. (Fox News)
Politics and elections
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appoints intelligence minister Israel Katz to take over the foreign minister portfolio. Netanyahu retains his defence minister and health minister roles. Israel's parliamentary elections are scheduled for 9 April 2019. (Reuters) (The Jewish Chronicle)
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces the country's major political parties computer networks had been hacked by a "sophisticated state actor." (BBC News)
- Saudi Arabia–Pakistan relations
- Saudi Arabia signs $20 billion dollars in deals with Pakistan. (BBC News)
Sports
- 2019 NBA All-Star Game
- The 2019 NBA All-Star Game takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Team LeBron defeating Team Giannis 178–164. Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant is named the game's MVP; it is his second All Star MVP award, the first coming in 2012. (CBS Sports)
- 2019 Daytona 500
- Denny Hamlin wins the 2019 Daytona 500. It is his second win in the event, the first coming in 2016. (Fox News)
February 18, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Kashmir conflict
- Two reported Jaish-e-Mohammed militants, one civilian and four Indian soldiers are killed in a skirmish in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir as police search for suspects in Thursday's suicide attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary police. (arynews)
- Syrian Civil War
- Twin explosions in Idlib, Syria, kill 24 people and injure more than 20. (Daily Sabah)
- A suicide bombing kills the bomber and three police officers in Cairo, Egypt. Two others are injured. (Wall Street Journal)
International relations
- A summit between Israel and the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) is cancelled following Poland's reaction and withdrawal as a result of Israeli officials' statements on the Holocaust alleging Polish involvement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will hold bilateral talks with the three prime ministers attending. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- List of mass shootings in the United States in 2019
- Four people are killed in a shooting at a home in Solon Township, Kent County, Michigan, United States, with police investigating it as a possible murder–suicide. (NBC News) (CBS News)
Politics and elections
- National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States
- Sixteen states sue U.S. President Donald Trump, calling his national emergency declaration made last week "unlawful and unconstitutional". (USA Today)
- History of the UK Labour Party
- Seven Labour Party MPs (Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Ann Coffey and Mike Gapes) resign from the party, forming a new independent group, in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, and "institutional anti-Semitism" within the party. (BBC News)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Vietnam
- The United States is discussing exchanging liaison officers with North Korea. (CNN)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- In a speech, U.S. President Donald Trump urges the Venezuelan military to abandon Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro or "lose everything". (Reuters)
- North Korea–Vietnam relations
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet with Vietnamese General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng in Hanoi ahead of talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Fox News)
- United States Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is reported to be stepping down from his position in mid-March. (Reuters), (Fox News)
February 19, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present)
- Sixteen militants are killed in two different raids in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. A number of weapons and explosives are also found in the raids. (Al Jazeera)
- 2019 Kaduna State massacre
- Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai reports the death toll from Friday's attack in Kajuru is now more than 130, most from the Fulani ethnic group. Nigerian authorities have not identified the gunmen's motive, but they do not believe the attack was related to the upcoming election. (Al Jazeera) (Eyewitness news)
Business and economy
- Economy of the United States
- American retailer Payless ShoeSource files Chapter 11 bankruptcy with plans to close all of their U.S. stores. (USA Today)
- Ford Motor Company will stop selling commercial trucks in South America. (CNBC)
- Honda confirms that it will be closing its car plant in Swindon, South West England, because of decreased demand for diesel cars and tougher emissions regulations. The closure in 2021 will result in the loss of about 3,500 jobs. (BBC News)
- Teva Pharmaceutical settles outstanding cases with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission involving payments from brand-name drugmakers to delay releasing a cheaper version of its product, so-called "pay-for-delay" agreements. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- An avalanche at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland injures four, one seriously, with fears that up to a dozen skiers may have been hit according to witnesses. 240 rescuers including police and army search the affected piste area. No further victims are immediately found, or missing persons reported. (Fox News) (SwissInfo)
- A house fire in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, kills seven children from a Syrian family. (BBC News)
- A father, his son, and a gas station employee are all killed in Wayne, New Jersey when a driver under the influence swerves his car and hits the father and son’s Chevrolet Camaro. (NBC New York)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign
- Vermont Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announces on Vermont Public Radio that he is running for President of the United States as a Democrat in 2020. (NPR)
- Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign
- Politics of Spain
- Francisco José Alcaraz, from Vox, becomes the first far-right politician to become a Senator since the restoration of democracy. (El Mundo)
- History of the UK Labour Party, Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party
- Joan Ryan becomes the eighth MP to quit the Labour Party and join The Independent Group, citing a "culture of anti-Jewish racism" within the party as the reason for her departure. (BBC News)
Sports
- The opening round of the Aeroflot Open, an international open chess tournament, is postponed a day after 45 minutes of play as a bomb threat locks down the Moscow hotel hosting the event. Similar threats also shut down cinemas, shopping centres, and theatres; thousands are evacuated. (Chess.com) (Chessbase)
February 20, 2019 (Wednesday)
Arts and culture
- The Southern Poverty Law Center reports a 30 percent increase in U.S. hate groups over the past four years with a 7% increase in 2018 alone. (NPR)
International relations
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, 2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela
- The Venezuelan Navy closes its maritime borders with the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire ahead of the planned entry of international humanitarian aid into Venezuela on February 23, which Nicolás Maduro considers a precursor to invasion. (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Dhaka fire
- A fast-moving fire has swept through a historic district of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, killing at least 80 and wounding 50 others. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Timbs v. Indiana
- The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous 9–0 decision, rules the 8th Amendment's prohibition on excessive fines applies to state and local governments, as well as the federal government. (The Washington Post)
Politics and elections
- History of the UK Conservative Party
- Three British MPs – Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen – defect from the Conservative Party to The Independent Group, citing their opposition to Brexit and the party's adoption of UKIP policies. This brings the total number of The Independent Group MPs to eleven following recent defections from Labour. (The Guardian)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- The United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee permits those North Koreans on its global travel ban list to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, for the second summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- One surviving female specimen of the Fernandina Galápagos tortoise species, which was thought to be extinct for more than 100 years, is found. (USA Today)
February 21, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- The United States' allies France and the United Kingdom say they won't keep their troops in Syria after the United States pulls out. (The Washington Post)
- Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
- The Tobruk-based Libyan National Army says it has taken control of the El Feel oilfield in Libya's southern Murzuq District. (Reuters)
International relations
- Russia–United States relations
- Russian President Vladimir Putin states that Russia is militarily ready for "a Cuban Missile-style crisis" if the United States wants one, in relation to new U.S. missile deployments in Europe. (Reuters)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- Vietnam tightens security at its rail station on the Chinese border ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Hanoi for his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Reuters)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, 2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro orders the closing of his country's border with Brazil. International humanitarian aid is currently scheduled to enter Venezuela on February 23, under foreign military protection. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- American actor Jussie Smollett is arrested for filing a false police report about an alleged hate crime. (Fox News)
- Hoda Muthana, an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State, is banned from entering the United States. (USA Today) (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- Spanish constitutional crisis
- Separatists in Catalonia launch a general strike in protest of the trial of Catalonia independence leaders, with major participation of the educational community. Demonstrators block major roads, highways, train tracks and the entrance to the port of Tarragona. (Time) (ABC News) (Cope)
- Clashes between demonstrators and Catalan regional police leave three arrested and 20 injured. (The Washington Post)
- 2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election
- North Carolina election authorities unanimously order a new election to choose the district's representative to the United States House of Representatives after their investigation determined the Republican candidate's campaign illegally handled absentee ballots, and the candidate, Mark Harris, reverses his position and calls for a new election. (The New York Times) (NPR)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- United Socialist Party of Venezuela congressman and former head of the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence Hugo Carvajal defects to the opposition, urging the military to abandon Nicolás Maduro. Carvajal says drug trafficking and corruption are commonplace in the government. (The New York Times)
- 2019 Israeli legislative election
- Retired IDF Chief Benny Gantz and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid agree to combine their prime ministerial campaigns in the April 9 Knesset election against incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu. (BBC News)
Science and technology
- A fossil from a new species of tyrannosaur named Moros intrepidus is discovered in the U.S. state of Utah. Scientists are using the find to better understand how Tyrannosaurus rex evolved during the Cretaceous period. (National Geographic)
- Scientists announce that the Megachile pluto (Wallace's giant bee), the world's largest bee, has been rediscovered in North Maluku, Indonesia, after no confirmed sightings since 1981. The first ever pictures and videos are taken of the rare species. (BBC News)
- JAXA's Hayabusa2 space probe successfully lands on Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu. (The Guardian)
February 22, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Venezuelan National Guard (GNB) troops open fire on a group of indigenous Pemon protesters that attempted to block a military convoy heading to the Brazil–Venezuela border, killing at least two people and wounding 14 others, several seriously. (The Washington Post) (Miami Herald)
- American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- U.S. President Donald Trump agrees to keep about 400 U.S. troops in Syria. (CNN)
Arts and culture
- Crisis in Venezuela
- The Venezuela Aid Live benefit concert takes place on the Colombia–Venezuela border. The all-day event on the Colombian side of the Tienditas Bridge is expected to attract up to 250,000 people. (The Journal)
- In response to the concert, Nicolás Maduro announces a rival concert on the Venezuelan side of the border, and state-owned Venezolana de Televisión reports 150 artists will participate, but no artists are signed. (Billboard)
- Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaidó arrives at the Venezuela Aid Live concert in Cúcuta, Colombia, defying a travel ban placed on him by the Maduro regime. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- List of earthquakes in 2019
- Flooding is reported throughout Tennessee amid heavy rain. Rain is expected to continue, possibly making the flooding worse. (WSMV)
Law and crime
- R. Kelly sexual abuse case
- American musician R. Kelly is indicted for raping a minor. A judge in Cook County, Illinois, issues an arrest warrant for Kelly in regard to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. (CNN) (NBC News)
- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is charged in a prostitution sting in the U.S. state of Florida. (The New York Times) (USA Today)
Politics and elections
- History of the UK Labour Party, Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party
- British MP Ian Austin quits Labour over a "culture of extremism, anti-semitism and intolerance" within the party under Jeremy Corbyn, becoming the ninth Labour MP to quit this week. However, unlike the others, he will not be joining The Independent Group. (The Guardian)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- The Trump administration weighs softening demands ahead of the second summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi. (CNN)
- Sudanese protests (2018–19)
- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declares a year-long state of emergency, dissolves his Cabinet and sacks all state governors amid ongoing anti-government protests. (BBC News)
- Political appointments by Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump nominates U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft to be the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. (CNN)
February 23, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, 2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, 2019 Venezuelan protests
- Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Colombia and Brazil attempt to enter Venezuelan territory. Two trucks are set on fire on the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge. (Herald Sun)
- Venezuelan people clash with the Venezuelan National Guard on the Venezuela's border with Colombia and Brazil. Three people have died in southern Bolívar State. (The Guardian)
- Sixty Venezuelan National Guard personnel defect to Colombia; three of them defect after smashing a barrier at the Simón Bolívar International Bridge on the Colombia–Venezuela border in two armored vehicles, leaving some injured. A video posted on social media shows the men with their guns above their heads in a sign of surrender. (Miami Herald) (AFP) (Reuters)
- Venezuela breaks diplomatic relations with Colombia and expels all of Colombia's diplomats; however, Colombia maintains diplomatic relations with Guaidó's ambassador, Humberto Calderón Berti. (Reuters) (Colombian Foreign Minister) (Colombia's Caracol TV)
- Venezuelan opposition deputy Freddy Superlano and his assistant are poisoned at a restaurant in Cúcuta, Colombia. His assistant and cousin, Carlos Salinas, has died while Superlano is in a serious but stable condition in hospital. (The Washington Post) (BNO News)
Disasters and accidents
- Atlas Air Flight 3591
- A Boeing 767 on a cargo flight crashes into the Trinity Bay en route from Miami to Houston, killing all three crew members. (The Weather Channel)
International relations
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry announces that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will make an official visit to the country in the coming days, ahead of the upcoming summit between him and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
February 24, 2019 (Sunday)
Arts and culture
- 91st Academy Awards
- The 91st Academy Awards are presented in Hollywood. Bohemian Rhapsody wins a leading four awards, followed by Black Panther, Green Book, which won Best Picture, and Roma, with three awards each. (The Guardian), (The New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- During a training exercise, a twin-engine aircraft crashes through the roof of a home in Winter Haven, Florida, shortly after takeoff. The pilot was killed. A trainee pilot and eight people in the house suffered minor injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating. (ABC News via MSN)
- A state of emergency is declared in Tennessee amid flooding that has caused landslides and one death. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight 147
- Bangladeshi special forces shoot and kill an armed man after he attempted to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight heading to Dubai International Airport. All 148 passengers and crew members disembarked safely. (BBC News)
- National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System
- A federal judge rules that the exclusion of women from the Selective Service System is unconstitutional. (The New York Times)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Moldovan parliamentary election
- Voters in Moldova go to the polls to elect the new members of Parliament. (France 24)
- 2019 Senegalese presidential election
- 2019 Cuban constitutional referendum
- Voters in Cuba are asked whether they approve of a new constitution that gives criminal defendants the presumption of innocence, recognizes private property, bans some forms of discrimination, creates a term limit for the president, and restores the position of Prime Minister. (Al Jazeera)
- Brexit
- British MPs will vote on the latest Brexit deal by March 12, according to Prime Minister Theresa May. (BBC News)
- 2019 Okinawan referendum
- Voters in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa go to the polls in a referendum on the central government's plan to move the Futenma airbase to Henoko in northern Okinawa Island. 72% of voters oppose the plan. (Asahi Shimbun English)
Sports
- 2019 English Football League Cup Final, 2018–19 English Football League Cup
- Manchester City F.C. defeat Chelsea F.C. in the English Football League Cup Final in the penalties after 120 minutes of goalless draw for their 6th EFL title. Post-match discussion is dominated by Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga's controversial refusal to leave the pitch when head coach Maurizio Sarri attempted to substitute him. (The Guardian)
February 25, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American military intervention in Somalia (2007–present)
- United States Africa Command says a U.S. airstrike has killed 35 al-Shabaab militants in Somalia's central Hiran administrative region. (FRANCE 24)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Piper PA-46 Malibu crash
- The Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom issues an interim report revealing the pilot, David Ibbotson, held only a private pilots licence and could not transport paying passengers within the European Union. Ibbotson and Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala both died in the accident. Cardiff City FC announce "grave concerns" over Ibbotson's licence. (BBC News)
International relations
- Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations, rules that the United Kingdom should end its control of the Chagos Archipelago "as rapidly as possible". Mauritius claims the archipelago was unlawfully separated from the island nation in 1965. (BBC News)
- Brexit
- The Labour Party announces it will support a second referendum on the end of the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union unless Wednesday sees Labour's proposed Brexit deal supported by Parliament. (BBC News)
- Negotiations between the Taliban and the United States
- Peace talks begin in Qatar between the United States and the Taliban. (BBC News)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives in Vietnam, ahead of his two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in the capital Hanoi. (CNN)
Law and crime
- UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid announces plans to ban the political wing of the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah under counterterrorism legislation. (Herald Scotland)
- Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
Politics and elections
- 2019 Okinawan referendum
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe says the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, in the Okinawa Prefecture, will still go ahead despite 72% of Okinawan voters rejecting the construction of a new base in a non-binding referendum. (BBC News)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Jorge Ramos and five other Univision staff are detained at Miraflores Palace in Caracas shortly after interviewing Nicolás Maduro. (CNN) (Miami Herald)
- 2019 Cuban constitutional referendum
- Voters in Cuba approve a new constitution which recognizes private and cooperative businesses, sets term limits for the president, creates the post of prime minister, introduces the presumption of innocence and habeas corpus to the justice system, and affirms an "irrevocable" socialist government. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
Sports
- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is charged with two counts of first-degree solicitation in Florida. (ESPN) (NPR) (Fox News)
February 26, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Balakot airstrike
- Pakistan reports that Indian military aircraft violated their airspace near Muzaffarabad and were intercepted by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) military aircraft. Indian Air Force aircraft in a haste dropped their payload which fell near balakot. India claims that the incident was an airstrike on an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot in retaliation to the Pulwama attack days earlier. (Reuters), (New York Times)
- The attack is the first time since Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 that the Indian Air Force has crossed and attacked Pakistan beyond the line of control. As well as the first time since both countries have acquired nuclear weapons. (India Today)
Disasters and accidents
- Two Long Island Rail Road trains collide into a car in Westbury, New York, United States, killing all three occupants in the car. (The New York Times)
International relations
- Nuclear warfare, Russia–United States relations
- Following Vladimir Putin's warning that Russia would deploy nuclear missiles in Europe if the United States deploys intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, Putin's ally Dmitry Kiselyov lists what he claims are the targets in the United States, which includes The Pentagon, Camp David, Fort Ritchie, McClellan Air Force Base, and Jim Creek Naval Radio Station. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denies the existence of the target list. (Reuters), (TASS)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, United States–Venezuela relations
- Two United States military officials tell CNN that the U.S. military has flown reconnaissance flights in international airspace off the coast of Venezuela during the last several days to gather classified intelligence about President Nicolás Maduro. (CNN)
- The United States Department of the Treasury imposes sanctions on governors of four states of Venezuela, all of them members of the ruling United Socialist Party. (United States Department of the Treasury)
- Colombia's Immigration Agency says 274 military personnel from different branches of the Venezuela's Armed Forces, Venezuela's National Police, and Venezuela's National Guard have defected to Colombia. (CNN)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits his country's embassy in Hanoi on Tuesday in preparation for the summit. (Reuters)
- U.S. President Donald Trump lands in Vietnam's capital for the summit. (The Wall Street Journal)
Law and crime
- Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia, Pope Francis's response to sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
- Australian cardinal George Pell is convicted of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral. The verdict has been suppressed by a gag order until now. He is the Catholic Church's most senior official to be convicted of a sexual crime in history. (The Age) (The Age2)
- Terrorism in Israel
- A Jewish Israeli teen is convicted of membership of a terror organisation, arson, and racially aggravated assault. He is the second Jewish person convicted of terror group membership ever in Israel in connection to crimes against Palestinians. His conviction was announced today, but occurred last week in secrecy. (The Times of Israel)
- 2019 Morrisville killings
- Five were killed by a mother and daughter duo believed to have strangled them including three children. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Trump administration family separation policy
- An oversight committee is expected to vote on whether to subpoena Trump administration officials over family separations at the southern border. (AP News)
- 2019 Nigerian general election
- Nigeria reelects President Muhammadu Buhari. (Africa News)
February 27, 2019 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 India–Pakistan standoff
- The Pakistani Air Force claims it has carried out six airstrikes in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, shooting down one Indian aircraft and capturing one pilot following a dogfight. Pakistani officials claimed that they have shot down two Indian Air Force (IAF) jets. Wreckage of one aircraft fell in Azad Kashmir while the other fell in Indian-administered Kashmir. Indian officials initially rejected that any of their aircraft was shot down and claimed that all of IAF pilots were accounted for. However, later on they acknowledge that one IAF Mig-21 has been shot down and its pilot was captured by the Pakistan Army. India officials also claimed to have shot down one Pakistani Air Force (PAF) jet that violated its airspace. However, Indian officials claim were rejected by Pakistani officials. (The Week (India)) (NDTV)(The Hindu Business Line)(Dawn News)
- An Indian Air Force Mi-17 transport helicopter crashes in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing all six IAF personnel onboard and a civilian on the ground. (Hindustan Times)
- Israeli involvement in the Syrian Civil War, Israel–Russia relations
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel will "continue to take action against Iran in Syria". (The Times of Israel)
Arts and culture
- Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019
- Ukraine withdraws from this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, after Ukrainian entrant Maruv said she refused to be used as a "political tool" after being asked to sign a contract saying she wouldn't hold any concerts in Russia in the lead up to the event. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- Ramses Station train collision
- A train crash and subsequent fire kills at least 25 people at Ramses Station in Cairo, Egypt. (BBC News)
- Egyptian Transport Minister Hisham Arafat consequently resigns. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly accepts the resignation. (Africa News)
- 2019 Taplejung helicopter crash
- A helicopter crashes in Taplejung, Nepal, killing 7 people, including Nepal's culture and tourism minister Rabindra Prasad Adhikari. (The New York Times)
- A suspected gas explosion in Taraz, Kazakhstan, kills three people in an apartment block. (RFERL)
- Disasters in Indonesia
- A landslide hits an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi, Sulawesi, Indonesia. An estimated 60 people are trapped underground as shafts give way, while three others are found dead. (Sky News)
International relations
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet face-to-face for the first time since their summit last year. (CNBC)
- Brexit negotiations
- MPs in the House of Commons meet to discuss UK Prime Minister Theresa May's latest proposed deal for the state's departure from the European Union. May says if this proposal and a 'no deal' scenario are both rejected by MPs they will be granted a vote on extending the departure deadline beyond the current one of March 29. (BBC News)
- Conservative MP Alberto Costa tables an amendment to secure the rights of EU citizens within the UK and UK citizens abroad. Theresa May tells Commons she opposes the amendment; Home Secretary Sajid Javid subsequently supports it, apparently unaware of May's opposition. Costa resigns as parliamentary private secretary to Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who supports the amendment. The government subsequently announces it will support the amendment. (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2019)
- U.S. President Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, is prepared to testify that Trump was aware of longtime adviser Roger Stone's efforts to make contact with WikiLeaks in advance of its release of damaging information about Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, according to a copy of his public testimony submitted to Congress and obtained by CNN. (CNN)
- Child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom
- Nine men receive prison terms for raping two vulnerable teenage girls in Bradford over a period of years. A tenth is cleared. The abuse began when the victims were fourteen. The girls were from a children's home. (BBC News)
- Human rights in Israel, Terrorism in Israel
- Shin Bet arrest lawyer Tarek Barghout, an attorney who has represented "terror" suspects, and a Palestinian man named Zakaria Zubeidi for what it calls "their involvement in serious and current terrorist activities." (The Times of Israel)
- Steven Avery, a high-profile miscarriage of justice victim subsequently convicted of murder after his release in 2003, is granted a fresh appeal in Wisconsin. Avery, who was suing Manitowoc County officials over his original wrongful conviction when he was arrested for murder, gained international attention as the subject of the documentary Making a Murderer. (Sky News)
- The family of Pat Finucane, murdered during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, win a declaration from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that the investigation into his killing was sufficiently ineffective to amount to a failure of the state's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Supreme Court stops short of mandating a public inquiry as requested by the family. Members of the security services are accepted to have colluded with Finucane's murderers, but the scale and nature of collusion is unclear. (Sky News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Juan Guaidó announces that he will exercise his "duties as president" when he returns to Venezuela from Colombia. Guaidó also stated that he did not see any signs of "broad support" from Russia towards Nicolás Maduro. (CNN), (Forbes)
- Colombia asks for intervention from the United Nations to help end the crisis. (Reuters)
- Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party
- Chris Williamson, a Labour MP, is suspended by his party over comments that Labour had "given too much ground" when responding to criticism over its handling of antisemitism within its ranks. (BBC News)
February 28, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- 28 February 2019 Mogadishu bombings
- 29 people were killed in three bomb attacks and a siege that lasted into March 1. (BBC News) (CNN)
Arts and culture
- Pope Francis pays tribute to Cardinal Augustin Bea (1881-1968) as a pioneer of Jewish-Catholic dialogue. The papal audience commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of Cardinal Bea. "He remains a model and a source of inspiration for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue". He served as the first president of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity. (Holy See Press Office)
Business and economy
International relations
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit, North Korea–United States relations
- The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi abruptly ends earlier than scheduled, with the White House saying no deal has been reached in regards to relations between the two countries and North Korea's nuclear weapons policies and sanctions due to them. (NBC News)
- 2019 India–Pakistan standoff, 2019 Balakot airstrike
- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says that captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman will be released tomorrow as a gesture of peace. (Economic Times) (Reuters)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The United Nations Security Council rejected rival resolutions on Venezuela by the United States and Russia Thursday. Russia and China vetoed the U.S. call for new elections and the unhindered distribution of humanitarian aid, while Moscow's proposal for a political solution and reaffirmation of the government's role in soliciting assistance failed to gain sufficient support. (The Washington Post)
- Venezuelan opposition leader and interim president Juan Guaidó said Thursday he will return to his country by Monday, and that a dialogue with President Nicolás Maduro won't be possible without discussing elections. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Corruption in Israel
- The Attorney General of Israel Avichai Mandelblit says that after more than two years of investigations he has decided to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. (Sky News)
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Ongoing events
Business
Disasters
Politics
- Afghan peace talks
- Brexit negotiations
- European migrant crisis (timeline)
- Haitian protests
- Iranian protests
- Iraqi protests
- Nicaraguan protests
- Qatar diplomatic crisis
- Rohingya persecution in Myanmar
- School strike for climate
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- Turkish purges
- U.S. Special Counsel investigation (timeline)
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Religion
Sports
More details – ongoing conflicts
Elections and referendums
Recent
- February
- 3: El Salvador, President
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- 24: Moldova, Parliament
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Upcoming
- March
- 3: Estonia, Riigikogu
- 5: Micronesia, Congress
- 10: North Korea, Supreme People's Assembly
- 10: Guinea-Bissau, National People's Assembly
- 16: Slovakia, President
- 24: Thailand, House of Representatives
- 24: Comoros, President
- 24: Burkina Faso, Constitutional referendum
Recently concluded
- Australia: George Pell
- India: Sajjan Kumar
- United States: Patrick Ho, Joaquín Guzmán
- International
Ongoing
- Guatemala: Otto Pérez Molina, Roxana Baldetti, Juan Carlos Monzón and others
- Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
- Malaysia: Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương
- Philippines: Leila de Lima
- Spain: Bárcenas affair, Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- United Kingdom: David Duckenfield, Graham Mackrell
- United States: Fat Leonard scandal
- International
Upcoming
- Egypt: Mohamed Morsi
- Guatemala: Alvaro Colom, Manuel Baldizón, Juan Alberto Fuentes
- Iran: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
- Japan: Carlos Ghosn
- Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr.
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- Spain: Jordi Pujol
- Ukraine: Roman Nasirov
- United Kingdom: Football sex abuse scandal
- United States: 6ix9ine, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, NXIVM, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, Chris Collins, Duncan D. Hunter, Roger Stone
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
- Association football
- Women's association football
- American football
- Basketball
- Golf
- Ice hockey
- Motorsport
- Rugby league
- Rugby sevens
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Other sports seasons
More details – current sports events
February 2019
- 28: André Previn
- 25: Mark Hollis
- 24: Antoine Gizenga
- 23: Stanley Donen
- 22: Brody Stevens
- 21: Peter Tork
- 20: Dominick Argento
- 19: Karl Lagerfeld
- 19: Don Newcombe
- 18: Wallace Smith Broecker
- 17: Saban Saulic
- 16: Patrick Caddell
- 16: Bruno Ganz
- 16: Li Rui
- 15: Gene Littler
- 15: Lee Radziwill
- 15: John Stalker
- 14: David Horowitz
- 13: Jack Coghill
- 12: Gordon Banks
- 12: W.E.B. Griffin
- 12: Lyndon LaRouche
- 12: Pedro Morales
- 9: Ricardo Boechat
- 9: Ron W. Miller
- 8: Robert Ryman
- 7: John Dingell
- 7: Albert Finney
- 7: Rocky Lockridge
- 7: Jan Olszewski
- 7: Frank Robinson
- 6: Marcia Falkender
- 6: Rosamunde Pilcher
- 4: John Otho Marsh Jr.
- 4: Matti Nykänen
- 3: Carmen Duncan
- 2: Michael Ferguson
- 1: Jeremy Hardy
- 1: Andrew McGahan
- 1: Clive Swift
January 2019
Africa
- Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
- Cameroon
- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Central African Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ethiopia
- Libya
- Mali
- Nigeria
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
Americas
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Peru
Asia
- Afghanistan
- China
- India
- India and Pakistan
- Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Thailand
Europe
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Russia
- Ukraine
Middle East
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