Events that shaped the world in 2019

A timeline of international events that caught our attention in 2019.

JANUARY

3 - A Chinese spacecraft with a lunar rover aboard makes the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon.

23 - Photographers flock to Niagara Falls in Canada after a cold snap freezes the iconic waterfall. The falls have only ever frozen over once before - in 1948.

25 - A dam collapse at a Vale mine in Brazil kills more than 300 people as mining waste spills into a nearby town.

FEBRUARY

14 - An Islamist militant suicide bomber kills 44 paramilitary policemen in Indian-controlled Kashmir, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

24 - Rami Malek takes out the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, while Olivia Coleman is awarded a Best Actress gong for The Favourite. Green Book wins Best Picture.

Rami Malek won best actor his portrayal of Queen's Freddie Mercury. Photo: NBC Universal via...
Rami Malek also won best actor at the Golden Globes for his portrayal of Queen's Freddie Mercury. Photo: NBC Universal via Reuters

MARCH

10 - An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashes at Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board, prompting the grounding of MAX 8 and 9 Boeings worldwide.

14 - British MPs vote to delay leaving the EU beyond March 29 after rejecting Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

15 - Cyclone Idai kills more than 1000 people as it lashes Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

15 - A gunman opens fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 50 people, with Australian white supremacist Brent Tarrant charged with murder.

24 - US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election finds no evidence Donald Trump committed a crime but doesn't exonerate him.

Flowers at the gate of the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch. Photo: NZME
Flowers at the gate of the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch after the shootings. Photo: NZME

APRIL

11 - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his South American hosts abruptly revoke his seven-year asylum.

15 - France's famed Notre-Dame Cathedral is engulfed by fire, which destroys large parts of the 850-year-old Parisian landmark.

21 - Bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday kill nearly 300 people.

30 - Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor is found guilty of murder for shooting dead Australian life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo: Reuters
Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo: Reuters

MAY

6 - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome a healthy baby boy in London.

14 - American explorer Victor Vescovo dives almost 11km down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, where he finds a plastic bag and lolly wrappers and at least three new sea animals.

JUNE

9 - Hundreds of thousands of people protest in Hong Kong to oppose a proposed extradition law allowing suspects to be sent to mainland China to face trial.

Protesters march toward Hong Kong's business district in demonstrations organised by the Civil...
Protesters march toward Hong Kong's business district in demonstrations organised by the Civil Human Right Front. Photo: Reuters

30 - Donald Trump becomes the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea as he meets Kim Jong-un for denuclearisation talks.

JULY

20 - The world marks 50 years since the first man walked on the moon.

23 - Brexiteer Boris Johnson wins the leadership of the Conservative Party to replace Theresa May as prime minister.

AUGUST

7 - Canadian police find the bodies of two 19-year-old fugitives suspected of killing Australian tourist Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese.

10 - US financier Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York.

16 - US President Donald Trump expresses an interest in acquiring Greenland, but Greenlanders point out their home is not for sale.

20 - Wildfires ravaging the world's largest tropical rainforest cause the skies to darken in Sao Paulo, almost 2800km from the Amazon basin.

SEPTEMBER

1 - Hurricane Dorian hammers the Bahamas, eventually killing over 50 people.

Greta Thunberg addresses the Summit. Photo: Getty Images
Greta Thunberg addresses the Summit. Photo: Getty Images
15 - Drone attacks claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels knock out half of Saudi Arabia's oil production, with the US blaming Iran.

23 - Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg tells world leaders at a UN summit "how dare you" for failing to strongly combat climate change.

OCTOBER

9 - Turkey launches an offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria after US troops pull back on Donald Trump's orders.

24 - The bodies of 39 Vietnamese migrants are found inside a truck near London.

27 - Fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dies during a raid by US special forces in Syria.

The bodies were found in a refrigerated truck on an industrial estate near London. Photo: Reuters
The bodies were found in a refrigerated truck on an industrial estate near London. Photo: Reuters

NOVEMBER

10 - Bolivian President Evo Morales blames a "civic coup" as he resigns following weeks of protests over a disputed election.

17 - Prince Andrew's attempt in a BBC interview to defend his reputation following the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal is branded "disastrous" after he expresses no regrets for befriending the convicted pedophile.

21 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on corruption charges, heightening uncertainty over who will lead a country in political disarray after two inconclusive elections.

25 - Hong Kong's democrats romp to a landslide majority in district council elections following months of anti-government protests.

A bulldozer works at a collapsed building in Durres following the earthquake. Photo: Reuters
A bulldozer works at a collapsed building in Durres following the earthquake in Albania. Photo: Reuters

26 - A Malaysian court overturns the drug trafficking conviction of Sydney grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, who faced the death penalty.

26 - A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Albania, killing more than 50 people.

29 - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announces his resignation following weeks of anti-corruption protests in which more than 400 people are killed by security forces.

29 - A man previously jailed for terrorism offences dons a fake suicide vest and fatally stabs two people in London before being shot dead by police.

The scene on London Bridge in the aftermath of the attack in London. Photo: Luke Poulton via Reuters
The scene on London Bridge in the aftermath of the attack in London. Photo: Luke Poulton via Reuters

DECEMBER

9 - New Zealand's White Island volcano erupts as tour groups are visiting, leading to the deaths of more than a dozen people, with others suffering severe burns.

10 - US House Democrats announce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, declaring he "betrayed the nation" by seeking Ukraine's help to smear political rival Joe Biden.

11 - In a non-binding referendum the people of Bougainville vote overwhelmingly to become the world's newest nation by seceding from Papua New Guinea.

White Island during its eruption this month. Photo: Reuters
White Island during its eruption this month. Photo: Reuters

12 - Britain's Conservatives win a resounding majority in the general election, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to claim a powerful mandate to forge ahead with Brexit.

13 - The US and China announce a "Phase one" trade agreement that reduces some US tariffs in exchange for a jump in Chinese purchases of American farm products.

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