Events pertaining to world affairs in 2019, national politics, public policy, government, world economics, and international business, that took place in various nations, regions, organizations, around the world in 2019.
January 24 – Sultan Abdullah of Pahang is proclaimed Malaysia's new head of state (Yang di-Pertuan Agong), having succeeded his own father, Ahmad Shah, as Sultan of Pahang in the interim.[3]
January 29 – Sierra Leone prohibits female genital mutilation.[4]
February 13 – Spain's parliamentary opposition votes down the government's budget;[7] this results in prime minister Pedro Sánchez, calling a general election.
March 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.[15]
April 11 – Kim Jae-ryong is appointed premier of North Korea at the first session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, replacing Pak Pong-ju, who had been in post for six years. Choe Ryong-hae is appointed president of the presidium, replacing Kim Yong-nam after 21 years.[23]
Brexit talks in United Kingdom between Labour and the Conservatives end without agreement, following six weeks of cross-party debate, with Jeremy Corbyn saying negotiations have "gone as far as they can."[31]
June 20 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, hundreds of people are injured as police fire rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters. The protesters were attempting to storm the parliament building, in response to the action of Sergei Gavrilov, a visiting Russian politician, who gave a speech in Russian from the speaker's chair during an international Orthodox assembly.[38]
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.[46]
The United Kingdom government announces an extra £2.1bn of funding to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, doubling the amount of money it has set aside for 2019, and taking the total since June 2016 to £6.3bn.[47]
The Singapore Convention on Mediation, also known as the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, comes into effect with 46 countries ratifying it. States that have ratified the treaty will have to ensure that international commercial settlement agreements are enforced by their courts.[54]
August 9
Data shows that the UK economy shrank by 0.2% in the second quarter of 2019, its first contraction since 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics .[55][56]
A major power blackout hits parts of England and Wales, affecting nearly a million people and causing widespread travel disruption.[57]
NYSE drops more than 1%, due to concerns about possible trade war.[61]
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri loses a primary vote by a landslide, suggesting possible defeat in October's presidential election. Widespread public discontent is attributed to the country's economic situation, i.e. recession, austerity and inflation at more than 50%.[62]
Trump Administration announces it will delay its proposal for 10 percent tariffs slated to take effect Sep 1 on certain consumer goods from China while exempting other products — less than two weeks after Trump announced the new proposed tariffs.[64]
2019–2020 Japan–South Korea trade dispute: South Korea announces the removal of Japan from its list of most trusted trading partners, effective on September 18.[65][66][67]
August 14
Main yield curve for US Treasury bonds inverts, as the yield rate for 2-year bonds rises higher than the yield rate for 10-year bonds.[68]
Dow Jones plunges more than 500 points, due to concerns over the yield curve inversion.[69][70][71]
Germany's economy is announced to have contracted in 2nd quarter, April to June 2019.[72]
August 15
European Central Bank shuts down PNB Banka after ruling it had become insolvent; this bank was previously called Norvik Banka and was Latvia's sixth-largest lender, and was a critic of the Baltic country's financial authorities.[73]
August 22 – US manufacturer growth slows, according to US manufacturing purchasing managers’ index.[76]
August 24 –
The 45th G7 summit was held on August 24–26, 2019, in Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.[77][78] In March 2014, the G7 declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the G8. Since then, meetings have continued within the G7 process. However, according to a senior administration official, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron had agreed that Russia should be invited to the next G7 Summit to be held in 2020.[79] Five points were agreed at the issue of the summit, about:[80]
the World Trade Organization, "with regard to intellectual property protection, to settle disputes more swiftly and to eliminate unfair trade practices"[81]
the "G7 commits to reaching an agreement in 2020 to simplify regulatory barriers and modernize international taxation within the framework of the OECD"[81]
the G7 shares objectives on Iran: "to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons and to foster peace and stability in the region."[81]
onLibya: "We support a truce in Libya that will lead to a long-term ceasefire. We believe that only a political solution can ensure Libya’s stability. We call for a well-prepared international conference to bring together all the stakeholders and regional actors relevant to this conflict. We support in this regard the work of the United Nations and the African Union to set up an inter-Libyan conference."[82]
September 2 – In a speech outside 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson states his opposition to calling a general election, and urges MPs not to vote for "another pointless delay" to Brexit.[84]
September 3
Pound sterling falls below $1.20, its lowest level since October 2016, before recovering the day's losses.[85]
The Conservative Party government of the UK loses its majority in the House of Commons after Conservative MP Phillip Lee crosses the floor to join the Liberal Democrats.[86]
Boris Johnson loses a key Brexit vote, as MPs opposed to no deal take control of House of Commons business, by a majority of 328 to 301. Johnson responds by telling MPs he will now push for an October general election.[87]
September 4
Italy's incoming Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to present a new government of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and former centre-left foes after nearly a month of crisis.[88]
A bill intended to block the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal passes its first Commons vote by 329 to 300.[89]
UK MPs reject Boris Johnson's motion to call a snap general election for October, failing to achieve the two-thirds Commons majority needed under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, in a vote of 298 to 56. Labour MPs abstain from the vote.[90]
September 6
The bill designed to prevent a no deal Brexit is passed by the UK House of Lords.[91]
Opposition parties in the UK agree not to back any further government calls for a general election in mid-October.[91]
The UK High Court rejects a case brought by anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller over the suspension of parliament, ruling that it is lawful.[92]
The Benn bill, intended to stop Britain leaving the EU without a deal, is granted royal assent.[95]
September 10 – The UK Parliament is suspended amid unprecedented protests from opposition MPs, who hold up signs in the House of Commons and refuse to back the suspension.[96]
September 16
Top Democrats says they are waiting for President Trump to state what gun-control legislation he might be willing to approve.[97]
September 2019 climate strikes take place as series of international strikes and protests to demand action be taken to address climate change, centered around September 20, which is three days before the United Nations Climate Summit, and September 27.[98] The protests are taking place across 4,500 locations in 150 countries.[99][100] The event is a part of the school strike for climate movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.[101][102] On September 20, organisers reported that 1.4 million people took part in the German strikes, and an estimated 300,000 protesters took part in Australian strikes. A rally in London drew 100,000 participants, according to organisers.[103]
United Nations General Debate of the 74th session. The annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly is the occasion for world leaders to gather at UN Headquarters to discuss global issues.[107]
September 25
Speaker John Bercow of UK House of Commons opens the first sitting of Parliament with a statement from the chair: he welcomed MPs back to work and informed the House that consequent to the Supreme Court ruling, the Hansard record of the prorogation ceremony would be expunged and corrected to reflect the House as adjourned instead, and that the Royal Assent that had been signified to the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal Act) during the ceremony would be re-signified.[108]UK Attorney-General Cox defended the advice he gave to Johnson as being "in good faith", and distanced himself from comments from Conservative MPs which attacked the independence of the judiciary; specifically, Rees-Mogg's description of the ruling as a "constitutional coup".[109]
The 2019 Peruvian constitutional crisis began when President Martín Vizcarra dissolved the Congress of Peru on September 30, 2019.[110] Congress responded by declaring Vizcarra's presidency suspended and appointed Vice President Mercedes Aráoz as interim president, moves that were largely seen as null and void.[110] The next day, on October 1, 2019, interim president Aráoz announced her resignation while Vizcarra issued a decree for legislative snap elections to be held on January 26, 2020.
The first cannabiscafe in the United States opens in Los Angeles, California.[111]
Torrential rain brings flooding to many parts of Great Britain with dozens of warnings issued by the Environment Agency. Some areas in the Midlands, Wales and southern England are hit by a week's rain in just one hour.[114]
California becomes the second state, after North Dakota, to allow the establishment of public banks as an alternative to commercial banks. The idea is to provide low-interest loans for businesses, affordable housing, and municipal infrastructure.[118]
UK Prime Minister Johnson publishes his Brexit plan, which includes proposals to replace the Irish backstop. It would create an "all-island regulatory zone", meaning that Northern Ireland essentially stays in the European Single Market for agricultural and industrial goods.[120]
The government announces fresh plans to prorogue parliament, from October 8–14 to allow them to bring the current parliamentary session to an end and introduce a new Queen's Speech.[121]
European Commission spokesperson Daniel Rosario threatens retaliatory measures if the United States imposes a US$7.5 billion (€6.823 billion) tariff on products such as olives, whiskey, wine, cheese, yogurt, and airplanes. The tariffs are scheduled to take place on October 18.[127]
October 4
Microsoft says a group called Phosphorus, which is linked to the Iranian government, has attempted to hack accounts belonging to American journalists, former government officials, and a 2020 United States presidential election, as well as prominent Iranians living outside Iran.[128]
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the United States has picked up its attacks in Afghanistan since peace talks with the Taliban fell apart last month. In August, Politico reported that the U.S. troop strength is about 13,000, fewer than the authorized 14,000.[130]
The UK government assures the highest civil court in Scotland that Boris Johnson will send a letter to the EU seeking an extension to Article 50 as required by the Benn Act.[131]
A Downing Street source says that a Brexit deal is now "essentially impossible" after a phone call between the Prime Minister and German chancellor Angela Merkel.[136] The Brexit spokesman for Angela Merkel's CDU parliamentary group says the unattributable remark "does not ring true".[137]
October 10 – Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart, TaoiseachLeo Varadkar hold talks at Thornton Manor in north west England aimed at reaching an agreement over Northern Ireland's status after Brexit.[143]
Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno signs an agreement to restore fuel subsidies,[147] ending a protest that began on October 2, leaving seven dead and 2,100 people arrested while the government was forced to move from QuitotoGuayaquil.[148]
October 14 – 700 scientists endorse massive civil disobedience as a way to protest climate change.[150] In London, Extinction Rebellion protesters block the financial district and 1,200 are arrested.[151]
October 17 – Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney announces the 46th G7 summit will be held at Trump National Doral in Miami.[152] On October 20 President Trump announced it will no longer be held at Doral.[153]
October 18
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announces a state of emergency after a hike in subway fares sparks mass protests and vandalism by high school students.[154]
Cities in Lebanon undergo a second day of massive protests against corruption and dysfunction. The protests, sparked by an announcement of new taxes on Internet messaging services such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and FaceTime. The protests have been largely peaceful, although two store workers were killed on October 17 when a politician's bodyguard opened fire on protesters.[155]
525,000 protesters paralyze Barcelona's transportation system in support of the Catalan independence movement. About half of government employees stayed away from work, as some major labor unions refused to join a general strike based on political ideology rather than justifiable economic complaints relating to labor conditions.[156]
As protests against transportation rate hikes in Chile extend to five different cities, eight people are burned to death and two are shot; a curfew is ordered for the second day in a row.[159]
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold talks in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia to discuss "normalizing" the situation in Syria.[165] They agree to a 32-kilometer "safe zone" for the Kurds along the Syria-Turkey border and territorial integrity for both countries.[166]
October 25 – Crowds estimated between 1,200,000 and 2,000,000 march peacefully in Plaza Italia, Santiago, Chile, protesting against President Sebastián Piñera and demanding his resignation.[169]
Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez sends 2,500 troops to the Cauca Department after five indigenous leaders, including Cristina Bautista, chief of the semi-autonomous indigenous reservation of Nasa Tacueyó. President Duque Márquez blames dissident members of FARC, but no arrests have been made.[177]
Heavy fighting is reported on the Syria–Turkey border, with four Syrian soldiers reported killed. Last week, Turkish forces captured 18 Syrian government soldiers in the area and set them free hours later following mediation by Russia.[192]
November 11 – Tensions rise in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests as police kill one protester and 60 others are injured, including a counter-protester who was doused with gasoline and set on fire.[197]
November 12 – Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro declares that historic flooding of his city is a result of the climate crisis.[198]
Pope Francis decries the rise of fascist forces, corporate crimes, and ecological degradation in a speech before the "20th World Congress of the International Association of Penal Law."[202] In October, he gave a shout-out to Greta Thunberg and thanked journalists for doing their jobs, rather than calling them enemies of the people.[203]
250,000 demonstrators march in Prague, Czech Republic, one day before the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, to protest against Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who has been shown to have collaborated with the StB, the Communist-era secret police.[205]
November 18 – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces a reversal of American policy, declaring that Israeli settlement in the West Bank are not illegal.[208]
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro blames actor and environmentalists Leonardo DiCaprio for the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires, alleging NGOs set the fires in return for donations. DiCaprio, Global Wildlife Conservation, and IUCN Species Survival Commission condemn Bolsonaro's accusations.[213]
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announces his resignation as Prime Minister, pending a leadership election within the Partit Laburista, following the resignation of his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi, as well as the self-suspension of Economy Minister Chris Cardona over political links to the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, largely incited by the 2019-2020 Maltese protests. [214]
December 8 – Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34, forms a coalition government composed of five parties all led by women. She is also the world's youngest sitting prime minister.[217]
December 10 – Democrats in the House of Representatives announce formal charges against President Donald Trump that accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress, making him only the fourth U.S. president in history to face impeachment.[218]
December 11 – The World Trade Organization (WTO) is left unable to intervene in trade disputes after the U.S. blocks the appointment of new panel members.[219][220][221]
Thousands demonstrate in Minsk, Belarus, fearful that talks between President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead not only to closer economic ties between the two nations but also a political takeover a laCrimea.[227]
France kills 33 presumed jihadists in Mali, a month after a helicopter crash killed 13 French soldiers.[228]
The New Zealand government says it has collected over 51,000 guns from 33,000 owners at a cost of NZD $100 million (US$66 million) since the implementation of a gun-buyback program that began in March and ended on December 19. A spokesperson for the pro-gun Council of Licensed Firearms Owners says that two-thirds of the banned guns are still in private hands.[230]
Satellite photos show that North Korea is working on long-range missiles.[231]
In December 2019, the World Meteorological Organization released its annual climate report revealing that climate impacts are worsening.[244] They found the global sea temperatures are rising as well as land temperatures worldwide. 2019 is the last year in a decade that is the warmest on record.[245]
Global carbon emissions hit a record high in 2019, even though the rate of increase slowed somewhat, according to a report from Global Carbon Project.[246]
In the first half of 2019, global debt levels reached a record high of $250 trillion, led by the US and China.[247] The IMF warned about corporate debt.[247] The European Central Bank raised concerns as well.[248]
Concerns increased about the European Debt Crisis as both Greece and Italy continued to have high levels of public debt. This caused concerned about stability of the Euro. In December 2019, the EU announced that banking ministers from EU member nations had failed to reach agreement over proposed banking reforms and systemic change.[249][250] The EU was concerned about high rates of debt in France, Italy and Spain.[251] Italy objected to proposed new debt bailout rules that were proposed to be added to the European Stability Mechanism.[252]
In April 2019, Trump vetoed a bipartisan bill which would have ended US support for the Saudi-led military intervention.[253] With 53 votes instead of the 67 needed, the United States Senate failed to override the veto.[254] The legal arguments and policies of the Obama administration were cited as justification for the veto.[255] The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Mulroy stated that US support was limited to side-by-side coaching to mitigate civilian casualties and if the measure had passed it would do nothing to help the people of Yemen and may only increase civilian deaths.[256] Mulroy supported the United Nation's peace talks and he pushed the international community to come together and chart a comprehensive way ahead for Yemen.[257][258][259] Writing in The Nation, Mohamad Bazzi argued that Mulroy's defence of US support as necessary to limit civilian casualties was false, and that "Saudi leaders and their allies have ignored American entreaties to minimize civilian casualties since the war’s early days".[260]
A trade dispute between the US and China caused economic concerns worldwide. In December 2019, various US officials said a trade deal was likely before a proposed round of new tariffs took effect on December 15, 2019.[261] US tariffs had a negative effect on China's economy, which slowed to growth of 6%.[261]
The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement[262] is a signed but not ratified free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Agreement is the result of a 2017–2018 renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by its member states.[263] Negotiations "focused largely on auto exports, steel and aluminum tariffs, and the dairy, egg, and poultry markets." One provision "prevents any party from passing laws that restrict the cross-border flow of data".[264] Compared to NAFTA, USMCA increases environmental and labour regulations, and incentivizes more domestic production of cars and trucks.[265] The agreement also provides updated intellectual property protections, gives the United States more access to Canada's dairy market, imposes a quota for Canadian and Mexican automotive production, and increases the duty free limit for Canadians who buy U.S. goods online from $20 to $150.[266]
^R (Miller) (Appellant) v The Prime Minister (Respondent) and Cherry & Ors (Respondents) v Advocate General for Scotland (Appellant) (Scotland), [2019] UKSC 41 (September 24, 2019).
^"The Nobel Peace Prize 2019". Nobel Prize. Nobel Prize Outreach. October 11, 2019. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
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