World Events: 2019
North Korea
Jan. 1: Qatar withdraws from OPEC
Jan. 1: Austria legalizes same-sex marriage
Jan. 3: China accomplishes first landing on the
far side of moon
Jan. 25: Brazil dam disaster kills over 230
Jan. 28: US charges Chinese Tech Company
Huawei with fraud
Feb. 3: First papal, Pope Francis visit to Arabian
Peninsula
March 10: Ethiopian Airlines plane crash kills
157
March 15: Terror attack kills 50 in Christchurch
Mosque in New Zealand
April 10: First-ever image of black hole is
unveiled
April 11: Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder is
arrested
April 15: Fire breaks out at 850 years old Notre-
Dame Cathedral in Paris, France
April 21: on Easter, Serial bomb blasts rattle Sri
Lankan capital, more than 250 people killed
April 21: Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is
elected Ukraine president
April 26: Kim Jong Un meets with Vladimir Putin
April 30: First abdication by a Japanese
monarch in two centuries
June 7: Theresa May formally resigns
June 9: Over a million protest Hong Kong
extradition bill
June 30: Trump becomes first to cross over to
July 24: Boris Johnson becomes British PM
August 5: India revoked article 370
Oct. 18: First-ever all-woman spacewalk: NASA
astronauts Jessica Meir (L) and Christina Koch
created history by performing an all-woman
spacewalk, as they replaced a battery
charge/discharge unit on the International Space
Station.
Oct. 27: ISIS leader confirmed dead: U.S.
President Donald Trump announced in a press
briefing that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the fugitive
Islamic State leader, killed himself during a U.S.
military operation in northwest Syria.
Nov. 9: Verdict on Ayodhya dispute: in Dec. 6,
1992, the Babri Masjid mosque was destroyed,
On this day, the Supreme Court ordered the
disputed land to be handed over to a
government-created trust to build a temple for
Lord Rama. The court also ordered that five
acres of separate land would be provided to the
Sunni Waqf Board to build a mosque.
Dec. 9: Volcanic eruption in New Zealand
An eruption rocked New Zealand’s White Island,
leaving at least 16 dead and two Australian
tourists unaccounted for.
Dec. 10: Finland gets youngest prime minister:
Thirty four-year old Sanna Marin narrowly won
the vote to replace Antti Rinne to become the
leader of the Social Democrats party.
Dec. 18: Donald Trump is impeached by House
of Representatives on Two charges, Abuse of
power and Obstruction of congress
Source: MSN News powered by Microsoft
World News: 2019
Yellow Vests protests in France: On January
5, authorities asked for peace after violence
erupted as the yellow vests protests continued in
France. Nearly 50,000 people have taken part in
the demonstrations throughout the country.
(CNN).
China landed on the dark side of the moon:
In January, China’s fast-growing space program,
founded in 2003, achieved its first historic
milestone in January, when the robotic space
probe Chang’e 4 became the first spacecraft in
history to touch down in the South Pole-Aitken
Basin region, known as the “far side” or “dark
side” of the moon.
Whatsapp. Facebook, and Instagram
merged: On January 25, Zuckerberg
announced plans to merge Whatsapp.
Facebook, and Instagram. Despite this, the
three services will remain their own individual
apps. (Reuters)
Iran’s foreign minister resigned: On February
25, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign
minister, resigned via an Instagram post. It is still
unknown if the president accepts this
resignation. (CNN)
Abhi Nandan, Indian pilot: On February 28,
Pakistan returned a captured pilot to India.
However, India has stated that this may not be
enough to de-escalate the tension between
these two countries. (Reuters)
Ethiopian Airline flight crashed: On March 10,
an Ethiopian Airline flight crashed shortly after
takeoff, killing 157 people. The flight was
especially full because it was carrying UN
officials headed to the UN environmental summit
in Kenya. (CNN)
Russian involvement in USA’s presidential
election: Robert Mueller submitted his report: In
March, U.S. Attorney General William Barr
published a summary of Special Counsel Robert
Mueller’s two-year-long investigation, which
found that President Donald Trump’s campaign
did not collude or conspire with Russia during
the 2016 presidential election.
Trump’s impeachment: In August, an
anonymous whistleblower in the Trump
administration first revealed a July phone
conversation in which President Trump urged
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, to
investigate alleged corruption on the part of
former Vice President Joe Biden and his son
Hunter, who sat on the board of the Ukrainian
energy company Burisma. In September, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of a
formal impeachment inquiry, and the first public
hearings began in the House of Representatives
in mid-November. Trump was only the fourth
U.S. president in history—after Andrew
Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton—to face
formal impeachment hearings, the first stage in
the two-stage process necessary for Congress
to remove a president from office. In early
December, Democratic leaders announced they
were drafting two articles of impeachment
against Trump, charging him with abuse of
power and obstruction of Congress. On
December 18, the House of Representatives
voted to pass both articles and Trump became
the third president in U.S. history to be
impeached. (After a Senate trial in January
2020, Trump was acquitted of both charges on
February 5, 2020.)
US Warns Turkey Over Missile Deal With
Russia: On April 4, Vice President Mike Pence
warned Turkey to think before buying a Russian
S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. Pence stated
that the decision could impact whether or not
Turkey remains a Nato member. Turkey
responded, saying the deal was set in stone.
(BBC)
Julian Assange arrested (Wikileaks): On April
11, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks,
was arrested in London. It is still undetermined
whether or not Assange will be extradited to the
United States. (Reuters)
Fifty-nine Ethiopian officials were arrested
over corruption charges: On April 11, fifty-nine
Ethiopian officials were arrested for corruption
and economic sabotage. These arrests come
after the newly-appointed Prime Minister
promised to clean up the politics. (Reuters)
850 years old Notre Dame Cathedral caught
fire in Paris: On April 15, the famed Notre
Dame Cathedral caught fire in Paris. The fire
took a long time to put out, and it will likely take
months to assess the damage. The blaze is
suspected to be accidental. Macron hopes to
rebuild it within five years. (CNN)
Alan Garcia died, Former Peru president: On
April 17. Peru’s former president Alan Garcia
died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police
were preparing to arrest Garcia later that day for
money laundering and bribery. In his alleged
suicide notes, Garcia said he killed himself to
avoid embarrassment by his political enemies.
(CNN)
Explosion at churches in Sri Lanka: On April
21, Easter Sunday, about 290 people died and
hundreds more were injured in an explosion at
churches in Sri Lanka. The bombings were
coordinated and are believed to be terrorist
related. (CNN)
Volodymyr Zelenskiy won the Ukrainian
election: On April 22, final results revealed that
comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy won the
Ukrainian election. Zelenksiy has not political
experience aside from playing a parody
president on television. (Reuters)
Japan’s Emperor Abdicated: On April 30, in
the first time in over 200 years, Japan Emperor
Akihito has announced he is stepping down. His
son is expected to be his successor. (BBC)
North Korea has been testing short-range
missiles: On May 3, South Korea reported that
North Korea has been testing short-range
missiles. The US still needs to confirm the
report. (BBC)
New King Crowned in Thailand: On May 4, the
first day of the ceremony to crown King
Vajiralongkorn in Thailand began. Vajiralongkorn
took the throne after his father’s death in 2016.
He also married his now wife in a surprise
announcement days ago. (BBC)
President Joko Widedo, of Indonesia: On
May 21, President Joko Widedo, of Indonesia,
was reelected for his second term. Joko won
nearly 56% of the votes, a ten percent difference
from his top competitor. (CNN)
South Africa Makes History: On May 30,
South Africa made history after it was revealed
that more than half its cabinet members are
women. (CNN)
Hong Kong protests: Months of anti-
government protests in Hong Kong began in
June, when more than 1 million people marched
to protest a bill that would allow the extradition of
people to mainland China to stand trial. Hong
Kong, a British colony until 1997, allows more
autonomy to its citizens than mainland China,
and protesters feared the bill could undermine
this independence and endanger journalists and
political activists. Though the bill was withdrawn
in September, the unrest continued, including
increasingly violent clashes between protesters
and police.
Mali village was burned: On June 10, a Mali
village was burned, killing at least 100 people.
Police and rescuers are still investigating and
searching the scene. No group has claimed
responsibility. (BBC)
North Korea and US Meet Again: On June 30,
President Trump landed in North Korea, marking
the first time a US sitting president has done so.
Trump and Kim Jong-un are meeting to discuss
the nuclear and trade talks started earlier in
Trump’s presidency. (BBC)
U.S. women’s soccer triumph: In July, the
U.S. women’s national soccer team won its
second consecutive championship—and fourth
overall—in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup,
held in France.
Drone attack on a Saudi Arabia airport: On
July 2, rebels launched a drone attack on a
Saudi Arabia airport, injuring nine people. Houthi
rebels claimed responsibility that afternoon.
(CNN)
Russian-made S400 air defense missile
system: On July 12, Turkey received a
shipment of Russian-made S400 air defense
missile system. This shipment poses a threat to
the relationship between the US and Turkey.
(CNN)
Iran Seizes British Tanker: On July 19, a
british-flagged oil tanker went AWOL and was
seen heading towards Iran. Officials believe the
vessel has been captured by Iranians. (BBC)
Boko Haram Attacks Funeral: On July 28, an
attack on people attending a funeral in Nigeria
left 65 dead. Of those dead, 20 died on the
scene and 44 died trying to chase the
assailants. Officials believe Boko Haram is
responsible. (CNN)
Wildfires destroyed much of Brazil’s Amazon
rainforest: Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon
rainforest reached the highest rate in more than
a decade, thanks largely to the record number of
fires that raged there in August
Toni Morrison died: In August, The author of
11 novels that explored black identity in America
and put the lives of black women in the spotlight,
Morrison died in August at the age of 88.
Article 370 revoked by India: On 5 August
2019, the Government of India revoked the
special status, or limited autonomy, granted
under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to
Jammu and Kashmir,
Wedding Massacre in Kabul: On August 18, a
suicide bomber entered a wedding in Kabul and
blew himself up during the festivities. So far, the
death toll is at 63. ISIS has claimed
responsibility for the attack. (CNN)
40 Die at Afghan Wedding: On September 22,
Afghan military forces attacked a Taliban
hideout, accidentally killing 40 people who were
attending a wedding next door. The government
plans to investigate the incident. (CNN)
North Korea Launches Missile: On October 3,
North Korea said it tested a new submarine
ballistic missile just a day after agreeing with
Washington to resume nuclear talks. The US
and North Korea are set to continue talks on
October 4. (CNN)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize: On October 11, Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize. Ahmed has helped end his
country’s 20 year war with Eritrea. (CNN)
ISIS leader Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi killed: On
October 26, it was announced that ISIS leader
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US
troops. (CNN)
World’s Youngest Prime Minister Elected in
Finland: On December 9, Finland elected
Sanna Marin as Prime Minister, making her the
world’s youngest. Marin will be sworn in on
December 10. (CNN)
Controversial Citizenship Bill in India: On
December 11, India became one step closer to
passing a bill that gives citizenship to immigrants
from three neighboring countries, but not if they
are Muslim. Opposition parties claim the bill is
unconstitutional because it is biased towards
religion. The bill has sparked protests. (CNN)
India Protests Escalate: On December 21, the
death toll in the India protests rose to 18 after 10
people were killed, 9 of whom were by gunshot
and one was a child hit with a stone. The
protests are due to the controversial citizen law
passed earlier. (CNN)
US Embassy Attacked in Iraq: On December
31, the US Embassy in Baghdad was attacked
by pro-Iranian protesters. The attack came after
the US launched airstrikes in Syria and Iraq a
few days prior, hitting some Iran militia. The
protest has created more tension between the
US and Iran. (CNN)
Source: Infoplease & The Guardian