2019: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

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JANUARY:

1:  Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Austria following a 2017 Austrian Supreme Court decision that a law to the contrary violated the principle of non-discrimination.

3:  Chinese probe Chang'e 4 becomes the first human-made object to land on the far side of the Moon.  Chang'e No. 4  is part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program and is named after the Chinese Moon goddess.

6:  King Muhammad V of Kelantan abdicates the throne of Malaysia, the first Malaysian monarch to do so.  Np reason given although he went on medical leave in November and, later that month, photographs emerged that appeared to show him marrying a former Miss Moscow.

18:  Fuel thieves rupture a pipeline in Tlahuelilpan, Mexico, and a subsequent explosion kills at least 137 people and injures dozens more.

19:  An aircraft carrying new Cardiff City F.C. footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson en route from Nantes, France, to Cardiff, Wales, goes missing over the English Channel. Sala's body is recovered on February 7.

25:  A mine tailings dam breaks in the Brazilian city of Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais. At least 248 people are killed, with 22 missing.

28:  The U.S. Justice Department charges Chinese tech firm Huawei with multiple counts of fraud, raising U.S.–China tensions.

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FEBRUARY:

1:  U.S. President Donald Trump confirms that the U.S. will leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987, citing Russian non-compliance. The next day, Russia follows suit with suspension of its obligations to the treaty.

3:  Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula.

27–28:  The 2019 North Korea–United States summit is held in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is the second summit between United States President Donald Trump and the North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.

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MARCH:

13:  A winter storm completes its explosive intensification over the Southern Rocky Mountains region, which began the day before, becoming a powerful "bomb cyclone" and triggering severe blizzard conditions across much of the Southwestern and Central United States.

13:  Australian Cardinal George Pell is sentenced to six years in prison for sexually abusing two choirboys in 1996.

15:  51 people are killed and 50 others injured in terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand: Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, both of which were the target of shootings by Australia-born Brenton Harrison Tarrant. It is the deadliest mass shooting and terrorist attack in New Zealand's history and described by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as "one of New Zealand's darkest days".  Subsequently, Facebook announced they had disabled 1.5 million videos of the gunman's rampage.

20:  Europe's antitrust regulators fine Google 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for freezing out rivals in the online advertising business. The ruling brings to nearly $10 billion the fines imposed against Google by the European Union.

20:  Disney acquires the rights to 21st Century Fox leaving out a few assets to be spun-off to the newly formed Fox Corporation.

23:  An estimated 400,000 people march in central London in protest against Brexit.

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APRIL:

11:  WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is arrested after seven years in Ecuador's embassy in London.

15:  During Holy Week, a major fire engulfs Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, resulting in the roof and main spire collapsing.

18:  The full 448-page report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States Presidential Election (the Mueller Report) is released in redacted form.

21:  A series of bomb attacks occur at eight locations in Sri Lanka, including three churches, four hotels and one housing complex in Colombo, on Easter Sunday, leaving 259 people dead and over 500 injured.

25:  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Russia to hold a series of summits with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.

30:  Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates from his throne, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in almost two centuries. The abdication ends the Heisei era of Japan and ushers in the Reiwa era with new emperor Naruhito ascending the throne on 1 May.

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MAY:

1:  King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand marries his personal bodyguard Suthida Tidjai – a commoner – in a surprise ceremony, making her queen consort of Thailand.

1:  Russian President Vladimir Putin signs into law a controversial "sovereign internet" bill that allows Russian authorities to better monitor internet routing and to steer Russian internet traffic away from foreign servers. Proponents of the bill say it ensures Russian internet security and decreases dependence on foreign servers while critics argue it gives new censorship powers to the government and is a part of a global trend of cyber-balkanization.

3:  The number of deaths from the Kivu Ebola outbreak exceeds 1,000. It is the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, only surpassed by the West African Ebola virus epidemic of 2013–2016.

6:  Birth of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and seventh in the line of succession to the British throne.

10:  Amid ongoing negotiations, the United States' 25 percent tariff hike on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports takes effect, escalating tensions between the two nations in the ongoing China–United States trade war.

13:  Prosecutors in Sweden reopen the rape allegation investigation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Swedish prosecutors mention their intent to seek extradition of Assange from the United Kingdom after he has served his 50-week prison sentence for skipping bail.

17:  Taiwan's parliament becomes the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.

18:  Australian federal election: Scott Morrison's Liberal/National Coalition Government is narrowly re-elected, defeating the Labor Party led by Bill Shorten.

24:  British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Conservative leader, effective June 7, 2019.

30:  South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reports that North Korea executed nuclear envoy Kim Hyok-chol and four other diplomats in March after the failed February Hanoi summit with the United States. The newspaper also reports that Kim Yong-chol, a top aide to Kim Jong-un, was sentenced to hard labor during the purge.

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JUNE:

3-5:  U.S. President Donald Trump makes a state visit to the United Kingdom, meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. It is the first official state visit to the U.K. by a sitting U.S. president since 2011. Trump also attends D-Day commemorative ceremonies.

7:  British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns as leader of the Conservative Party.

9:  Over 1 million people in Hong Kong protest against proposed legislation regarding extradition to China. It is the largest protest in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover.

15:  Hong Kong announces it will indefinitely suspend the controversial extradition bill, but protests continue, this time calling for the total withdrawal of the bill and the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

19:  Four men are charged with murdering the 298 passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the airliner shot down while flying over Ukraine in July 2014.

30:  During a trilateral gathering at the Panmunjom Truce Village between South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump, Trump becomes the first sitting U.S. president to cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone and enter North Korea. Trump and Kim also agree to restart stalled denuclearization negotiations.

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JULY:

1:  Japan resumes commercial whaling after a 30-year moratorium, following its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission.

17:  Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, former head of the Sinaloa Cartel, which became the biggest supplier of drugs to the U.S., is sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

24:  Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after defeating Jeremy Hunt in a leadership contest, succeeding Theresa May.[176]

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AUGUST:

1:  Danish polar research institution Polar Portal reports a large spike in Greenland ice loss, with 11 billion tons melted in one day and 197 gigatonnes during the month of July.

15:  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that July 2019 was the hottest month on record globally, at 0.95 °C (1.71 °F) above the 20th-century average.

21:  Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reports fires burning in the Amazon rainforest at a record rate, with more than 36,000 in the year to date, while smoke reaches São Paulo more than 1,700 miles (2,700 km) away.

23L  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron describe the widespread Amazon fires as an international emergency, urging the matter to be discussed at the weekend's G7 summit.

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SEPTEMBER:

7:   US  President Donald Trump announces he "called off" planned peace talks with the Taliban at Camp David after they claimed responsibility for the September 2 and 5 bombings in Kabul which killed a U.S. soldier, among others.

10:  The Parliament of the United Kingdom is prorogued amid unprecedented protests from opposition MPs, who hold up signs in the House of Commons and refuse to back the shutdown.

23:  One of the largest and oldest travel firms, Thomas Cook, goes bankrupt as last-minute rescue negotiations fail, stranding 600,000 tourists worldwide

24:  The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom unanimously rules that the September 2019 prorogation of Parliament was unlawful and void.

27:  500,000 people march in a climate change protest led by activist Greta Thunberg and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, Canada. 4,000,000 go on strike around the world.

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OCTOBER:

1:  In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the largest-ever military parade and mass pageant in the history of China takes place in Beijing.

4:  Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the Chief Executive in Council invokes the Emergency Regulations Ordinance and banning the face mask in public gatherings with immediate effect.

19:  An estimated one million people march through London in a protest organised by People's Vote, to demand a second referendum on Brexit.

21:  The 2019 Canadian federal election takes place, for all 338 seats in the House of Commons of Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party win a narrow victory to form a minority government.

23:  The bodies of 39 people are found in a truck container in Essex, England. A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland is arrested on suspicion of murder.

25:  Tourists visit the summit of Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) for the last time, as a ban on climbing the famous rock in Australia's Northern Territory comes into effect.

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NOVEMBER:

13:  Public impeachment hearings against U.S. President Donald Trump begin in the House of Representatives.

17:  Police use tear gas and water cannons against protesters who try to break through cordons and reach The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which is at the center of a week-long standoff between demonstrators and law enforcement. Protesters fight back with Molotov cocktails, arrows, and bricks.

21:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

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DECEMBER:

9:  The World Anti-Doping Agency votes unanimously to ban Russia from international sport for four years for doping offences, meaning it will be excluded from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

9:  A volcano erupts on White Island in New Zealand, killing 19 people and injuring 28.

12:  The 2019 United Kingdom general election takes place, for all 650 seats in the House of Commons.  The election resulted in a Conservative win with a landslide majority of 80 seats[n 5] (their largest majority since 1987).

12:  It is announced that Israel will hold an unprecedented third general election in less than a year, due to the apparent inability of any of the major parties to be able to form a decisive governing coalition. The election will take place on March 2, 2020.

18:  The U.S. House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Trump, making him the third president to be impeached in the nation's history.

23:  Five men are sentenced to death and another three face 24 years in prison for their roles in the murder of dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.