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Worldwide current events
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Cyclone Bulbul

Cyclone Bulbul (satellite image shown) hits the Indian and Bangladeshi coasts of the Bay of Bengal, killing at least 24 people.
After weeks of protests over electoral fraud, Bolivian president Evo Morales and other high-ranking politicians are forced to resign, and opposition senator Jeanine Áñez becomes interim president.
The Supreme Court of India delivers a unanimous verdict in favour of the construction of a Hindu temple at a disputed holy site in Ayodhya.
A border corridor is opened between Pakistan and India, allowing Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to Kartarpur Sahib for the first time since the partition.

November 15, 2019 (Friday)

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International relations

North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, Japan–North Korea relations
- Sakie Yokota, the mother of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korea 42 years ago at the age of 13, directly appeals to Kim Jong-un to release her and all Japanese abductees. She also regrets the lack of action of the Japanese government over the issue. (NHK)
Japan–South Korea relations, Japan–United States relations, South Korea–United States relations
- Japan, South Korea and United States agree to boost multilateral military cooperation and defense issues. (Yonhap Korean Agency)

Politics and elections

2019 Hong Kong protests
- A 70-year-old bystander dies after being caught in clashes between government supporters and protesters. (BBC)
- China accuses protesters of pushing pro-Beijing Hong Kong official Teresa Cheng in London. (Reuters)
2019 Chilean protests
- An agreement is signed by most of the political parties supporting a referendum on April 2020 regarding the draft of a new constitution through a constituent convention. This will be the first time the Constitution of Chile is written with popular participation. (Cooperativa)
Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019)
- A federal judge convicted Roger Stone of lying to the United States Congress and tampering with a witness about his efforts to learn about the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks release of hacked Democratic emails in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (The Washington Post)
- Roger Stone is convicted on all 7 counts brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Charged with lying to Congress, obstruction of Congress, witness tampering and other crimes. (Rawstory)

Economy and business

Petrol rationing and price hikes in Iran
- The Iranian government announced that, effective immediately, petrol would be rationed and prices would triple. (Al Jazeera)
- Authorities abruptly increased petrol prices and implemented strict rationing early Friday morning to help fund subsidies for 60 million Iranians and to combat against American sanctions. Due to the sudden change, Iranians are currently protesting against the move. (The New York Times)

November 14, 2019 (Thursday)

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Business and economy

Ford announces that its new electric SUV will be known as the Mustang Mach-E. The "Mustang" model name, previously employed by Ford's muscle cars, could be an important asset for the new venture. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A vehicle collision in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province kills at least 28 people, all Afghan nationals. (BBC)

Law and crime

Saugus High School shooting
- A school shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, United States, injures five students, two fatally. The 16-year-old gunman, identified as Nathaniel Berhow, shoots himself but survives. (New York Post)

Politics and elections

2019 Hong Kong protests
- Chief Superintendent of Police of Hong Kong Tse Chun-chung says protesters' acts are "another step closer to terrorism". (Reuters)
Japan–South Korea relations
- South Korean government officials announce that Japan and the United States are interested in renewing the GSOMIA pact between Japan and South Korea to maintain bilateral cooperation between the two nations in defense issues. (Yonhap Korean Agency)
2019 Bolivian protests, 2019 Bolivian political crisis
- Bolivian police used tear gas to break up a peaceful pro-Morales counter-protest in La Paz. Following this, it blocked about a dozen pro-Morales senators from entering the nation's legislature, upon which pro-Morales demonstrators responded with cries of "dictatorship" and by throwing stones at the riot policemen. (The New York Times)

November 13, 2019 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- November 2019 Kabul bombing
  - A suicide car bomb kills 12 people and injures 20 others near the Interior Ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera) (Yahoo News)
Terrorism in Indonesia
- A suicide bomber kills himself and injures six other people when he detonates near police headquarters in Medan, Indonesia. (DW)
Gaza–Israel conflict; Gaza–Israel clashes (November 2019)
- Israeli airstrikes leave 22 Palestinians (20 militants and 2 civilians) dead and dozens injured. (Haaretz)
- More than 200 rockets are fired into Israel from Gaza. (New York Post)
- An Islamic Jihad rocket commander and five relatives are killed in an Israeli airstrike. (The Times of Israel)
Islamist insurgency in Mozambique, Mozambique–Tanzania relations
- Jihadists kill six civilians and injure seven in a village near the Mozambique–Tanzania border. All the victims are Tanzanian nationals, while the terrorists are identified as Mozambicans. (News24)
Terrorism in Poland
- Two people are arrested in Poland for planning to kill Muslims in an attack inspired by the 2011 Utoya/Oslo attacks by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, and the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A bus collision with a truck near Nitra kills 13 people and leaves at least 17 wounded. The disaster is the deadliest in Slovakia in a decade. (Reuters)

International relations

Japan–North Korea relations, Japan–South Korea relations
- South Korean media reports that between May and September, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe sent personal letters to North Korea's Kim Jong-un to hold bilateral meetings to ease tensions between the two countries. A Japanese government spokesman denies the report. (The Japan Times)

Law and crime

Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
- The Australian High Court agrees to hear a final appeal from ex-Vatican treasurer and convicted child sex offender George Pell, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting three teenage choirboys. (Reuters)
After the South Korean government launches an investigation into comfort women, a survivor tells the press that Japan "lacked honor" for failing to attend the South Korean court's proceedings. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2019 Hong Kong protests
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows not to give in to protesters as chaos continues into Wednesday morning. (The Straits Times)
- Schools, transport links and businesses close amid rising clashes in the city. (Reuters)
2019 Bolivian protests, Evo Morales government resignation
- Bolivia's exiled former president Evo Morales rejects the presidency of opposition senator Jeanine Áñez, but police bar lawmakers from his party from entering the legislature to undo it. (The Washington Post)
- Two people were killed on in clashes between Bolivian police and supporters of former president Evo Morales. In total, 10 people have been killed so far since political turmoil broke out in Bolivia. (Al-Jazeera)
Rached Ghannouchi is elected Speaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia. (Arabic Euronews)

November 12, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israel conducts airstrikes on Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ) targets in Gaza Strip. (NPR)

Disasters and accidents

Mondobhag train collision
- Two passenger trains collide head-on in Kasba, Bangladesh, killing at least 16 people and injuring over 100. (Reuters)
Sea level rise driven by effects of global warming on oceans, Acqua alta
- An exceptional high tide of 187 centimetres (6.14 ft) hits flooded Venice, Italy. It is the second highest acqua alta in Venetian history, after the 1966 Venice flood. Two deaths are reported. (NDTV) (BBC) (The Guardian)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in Uganda
- Police in Uganda raid a gay-friendly bar in Kampala and charge 67 people with "common nuisance" in what is described as the "latest attack on Uganda's LGBT community". (The New York Times)
Crime in China
- A man attacks a kindergarten class in Kaiyuan, China, with chemical spray, injuring 51 children and three teachers. (CNN)
Crime in Thailand
- In Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, an ex-policeman shoots and kills two people, including a former prime minister's lawyer and a plaintiff, before being killed by return fire. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Hong Kong protests
- As the situation worsens with clashes in the central financial district, police say violence is bringing the city to the "brink of total breakdown". Large-scale protests continue near the City University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and other districts including Central and Tai Po. (Reuters)
- After police shoot a protester with live ammunition, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam speaks out and labels the protesters as "selfish" for "paralyzing" the city and urges all students not to take part in protests. (Reuters)
- Police investigate protesters for attempted murder after they are filmed setting a 57-year-old man on fire during an argument. (CNA)
November 2019 Spanish general election
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from the PSOE and Pablo Iglesias, leader of the left-wing Podemos, announce a first government agreement that will constitute the first coalition government in Spain's democratic history. This follows the failure to reach an agreement last summer and the rise of the far-right party Vox. (El País) (The New York Times)
2019 Catalan protests, Catalan independence movement
- Protesters block the two main passages between Spain and France. In La Jonquera, on the border between Catalonia and France, French National Police try to expel rioters. (The Guardian) (BBC)
- The Parliament of Catalonia approves a resolution expressing willingness to exercise the right to self-determination concretely, mocking the warnings of the Constitutional Court, which suspends its effects shortly thereafter. (El País) (The New York Times)
- During the night, some major throughways of Barcelona and Tarragona and national roads in Basque Country are blocked for a few minutes. (La Vanguardia)
2019 Bolivian protests, Evo Morales government resignation
- Despite lacking a quorum in a session of the National Congress, Senator Jeanine Áñez immediately declares herself President of Bolivia due to the vacancy arising from the resignation and exile of Evo Morales. (The New York Times)
2019 United Kingdom general election
- Nigel Farage announces that his Brexit Party will withdraw its candidates in the 317 seats that the ruling Conservative Party won in the last general election. The move is expected to increase the chances of a Conservative majority in parliament. (The Washington Times)

November 11, 2019 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Bolivian protests, Evo Morales government resignation
- Buildings are set alight in La Paz overnight in apparent retaliatory attacks after Evo Morales resigned under pressure from anger over his disputed re-election. (Reuters)
- Armed gangs attack people in Cochabamba who appear to be celebrating Evo Morales's resignation. (The New York Times)
- Drinking water supplies to La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia's top two largest cities, are cut off. (The New York Times)
- Former Bolivian President Evo Morales says he has accepted an offer of political asylum in Mexico and boards a Mexican government plane as Bolivian Army troops are deployed in the capital. (BBC)
Gaza–Israel conflict
- The Israel Defense Forces say they've killed Baha Abu al-Ata, leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine's armed wing known as the Al-Quds Brigades, in an airstrike on a building in the Gaza Strip. PIJ confirms the death of Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife, vowing to "shake the Zionist entity to its core" in response. (Haaretz) (The Jerusalem Post)
Syrian Civil War, Israeli involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Israeli Air Force jets target a downtown Damascus house belonging to Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine. The strike killed one of the militant's son. (Haaretz)
- Three blasts targeting the town of Qamishli in Syria kill 6 and wound dozens of others. All the blasts were claimed by ISIL. (Al-Jazeera)
- ISIL also claims responsibility for the killing of an Armenian priest and his father. (Vatican News)
Gunmen kill nine in twin attacks in Punjab a Pakistan province. The ambushes killed two police officers, two intelligence officers and an informant in the first attack. The second attack happened at a checkpoint when unknown gunmen killed an officer and three others. (TOLONEWS) (RadioFreeEurope)

Arts and culture

The wreckage of United States Navy submarine USS Grayback (SS-208), which disappeared with its 80 crew members in the East China Sea on February 27, 1944 during World War II, is discovered on the sea floor using new drone technology. (BBC) (CNN)

Law and crime

James Le Mesurier, the British co-founder of the White Helmets, a volunteer civil defence organisation in Syria, is found dead near his home in Istanbul, Turkey. The cause of death is not known. (BBC)
Cristian Sabou pleads guilty to the murder of Valerie Graves. He is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 23 years 272 days. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2019 Hong Kong protests
- Protesters in Hong Kong call for a city-wide strike amidst an escalation in violence. Police shot a man with a live round at point-blank range in Sai Wan Ho district, besieged the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and fired tear gas inside the campuses. (Reuters)
- Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says on Monday that violence has exceeded protesters' demands for democracy and labels the demonstrators as the "people's enemy". (Reuters)
The Kiribati High Court clears the way for the opposition to file a motion of no confidence against President Taneti Mamau amid reported discontent with the government's decision to switch its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan to recognition of the People's Republic of China. (RNZ)
International reactions to the persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar
- Fifty-seven countries file a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against Myanmar, formally accusing their government of committing a genocide against the country's Rohingya population. (ABC News)
2019 United Kingdom general election
- Major parties put forward veterans' platforms for Remembrance Day, the first in a campaign season since the 1923 election, with the Conservatives proposing an amendment to the Human Rights Act so that it will no longer apply to The Troubles or other 20th-century actions and the Labour Party promising extra childcare for military families and a new railcard for veterans. This is the 100th anniversary of the two-minute silence and other Armistice Day commemorations worldwide. (BBC) (Wikispore)

Science and technology

Transit of Mercury
- In a rare celestial event, Mercury passes directly between Earth and the Sun for five and a half hours. Mercury's next transit will be in 2032. (CBS News)

November 10, 2019 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Five Italian soldiers are wounded by a bombing in Kirkuk, Iraq. Three of the soldiers are seriously injured, two of whom suffer an amputated leg, while another an amputated foot. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. (Il Messaggero)
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announces it has "neutralized" the leader of an offshoot of a Hutu militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, in another blow to a "weakened group". (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War, 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria
- Turkey says a car bomb near the Syrian city of Tell Abyad killed at least eight civilians and injured twenty others. (The Washington Post)
2019 Hong Kong protests
- Protesters vandalize a subway station as violence breaks out across the New Territories amid anger over a demonstrator's death and the arrest of pro-democracy politicians. (ABC News Australia)

Arts and culture

2019 Japanese imperial transition
- The new Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako take part in a parade in central Tokyo as tens of thousands of onlookers line the streets in celebration of the emperor's enthronement. (Mainichi Shinbun) (Kyodo News) (Associated Press)

Politics and elections

2019 Bolivian protests, Evo Morales government resignation
- Bolivian President Evo Morales announces new general elections after accusations of fraud. (El País) (DW) (The New York Times)
- Hours after the announcement, Morales resigns from the presidency amid pressure from the military and the police in what he deemed a 'coup'. (BBC) (The Guardian)
- The constitutional successors of Morales, Vice President Álvaro García Linera, President of the Senate Adriana Salvatierra and President of the Chamber of Deputies Víctor Borda also resign. Mining Minister César Navarro also announces his resignation. (Reuters) (Reuters₂)
- Vice President of the Senate Jeanine Áñez becomes the acting president of Bolivia, the first woman to ascend to that office. (BBC Mundo)
2019 Romanian presidential election
- People in Romania cast their votes in the country's latest presidential election. (DW)
Israel–Jordan peace treaty
- Israel returns the territory of the "Island of Peace" to Jordan. (The Times of Israel)
November 2019 Spanish general election
- Citizens of Spain head to the polls for the second general election within a year. (DW)
- The PSOE, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, wins the election but loses 3 seats and its absolute majority in the Senate. Political deadlock remains. (The Guardian)
- Far-right Vox gains 28 seats and raises from fifth to the third national force. (BBC)
- The center-right Citizens, the third national force going into the elections, goes from 57 seats in Congress to just 10, the biggest seat loss in the election. Albert Rivera quits as Citizens' leader as a result. (El País) (The New York Times)
2019 Chilean protests
- An American white supremacist shoots a protester in Reñaca. Before being detained by the police, he uploads a video to YouTube confessing the attack, claiming to have fired in self-defense. (El Mostrador)
- Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel [es] announces the government will propose the creation of a new constitution through the existing Congress instead of a constituent assembly as requested by the protesters. (Cooperativa)

Sports

2019 MLS Cup Playoffs
- The Seattle Sounders FC defeat Toronto FC 3–1 at CenturyLink Field to win their second MLS Cup. (MLS Soccer)

November 9, 2019 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Chilean protests
- Overnight, protesters forcibly storm the Argentine embassy in Santiago and set it on fire because of the Argentine government's support for President Sebastián Piñera. Ambassador José Octavio Bordón is unharmed and now considering moving the embassy. (MDZol in Spanish)
2019 Bolivian protests
- Police guards outside Bolivia's presidential palace abandoned their posts and join the protest against Evo Morales. (Associated Press) (Fox News)

Disasters and accidents

Bushfires in Australia
- The bodies of three people killed by bushfires in Australia are found – two near Glen Innes, and one at Johns River – as fires that have destroyed at least 150 houses continue to burn in eastern New South Wales and Queensland. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Half a million people are evacuated from the Bangladesh coastal area in preparation for the landfall of Cyclone Bulbul. (CNN)

Law and crime

Ayodhya dispute
- The Supreme Court of India rules in favor of Hindus over a place of worship that has been the center of disputes between them and the Muslim community in the country. (Reuters)

Politics and elections