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Worldwide current events
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Joko Widodo

Joko Widodo (pictured) is re-elected President of Indonesia, and his party, PDI-P, wins the largest share of legislative votes.
The Netherlands, represented by Duncan Laurence with the song "Arcade", wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Ibiza affair, a political scandal, causes the collapse of the Austrian government and triggers a snap election.
The Liberal–National Coalition, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, wins the most seats in the Australian federal election.
Taiwan becomes the first state in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

May 22, 2019 (Wednesday)

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International relations

Marshall Islands' President Hilda Heine says the country is facing "economic pressure from China" in a series of protestations of Beijing's sway by Micronesian leaders, threatening to disrupt efforts by United States officials keen to downplay China's rise. "We deal with illegal ship entries, supposedly for fishing", concluded Ms. Heine. (Radio New Zealand)

Business and economy

British Steel Limited goes into compulsory liquidation after rescue talks between the British government and the companies owners, Greybull Capital, fail. Around 5000 workers are employed by the company, 3,800 of which are based in the UK. (BBC)

May 21, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Business and economy

Pharmaceutical giant Merck Group announces that it will purchase Peloton Therapeutics Inc. for $1.05 billion in cash. The catalyst for the deal is Peloton's recent progress in the development of a kidney cancer treatment. (Reuters)
The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, owned by British restaurateur Jamie Oliver, collapses into administration, resulting in 1,000 job losses. (BBC)

International relations

2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Italy–Venezuela relations
- Venezuela's Ambassador to Italy, Isaías Rodríguez, resigns, citing the government's lack of finances amid international sanctions on the Nicolás Maduro regime. Rodríguez says, due to the sanctions, he has been unable to pay his staff or the rent for his office in Rome. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings
- Brenton Tarrant, accused of killing 51 people and wounding 49 others in two New Zealand mosques, is also charged with committing terrorist acts. (New York Post) (Mid Day)
Washington becomes the first U.S. state to legalize human composting, the right to allow people to have their body turned into soil after death. The process is seen as an alternative to traditional cremations and burials. (BBC)
The California High-Speed Rail Authority sues the U.S. Transportation Department to block the cancelling of $929 million federal grant for the California High-Speed Rail project. The suit comes after the Trump administration canceled the federal grant for California's bullet train on May 16, 2019. (Los Angeles Times)

Politics and elections

2019 Indonesian general election
- Indonesia's General Elections Commission announces that incumbent President Joko Widodo has won last month's presidential election, with 55.5% of the vote. His rival Prabowo Subianto's team, however, refuses to sign and validate the results. (The Guardian)
2019 Malawian general election
- Voters head to the polls to elect the next President of Malawi, Parliament and local government councillors. (BBC) (France 24)
2019 Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election
- Voters head to the polls in a special election to elect a new U.S. House Representative to finish the term for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district after Republican Tom Marino resigned on January 23, 2019. (Fox Philadelphia)
- Republican Fred Keller wins the special election against his Democratic opponent Marc Friedenberg. (The Hill) (The New York Times)
Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The Catalan leaders who are imprisoned accused of rebellion, Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Jordi Sànchez and Josep Rull, are sworn in as members of the Congress of Deputies after being elected in the 28th April general election by an authorization of the Supreme Court. (Fox News)
- Catalan leader Raül Romeva is sworn in as Senator. (The Washington Post)
2019 Kentucky elections
- Voters head to the polls in a primary election that will set the table for the gubernatorial election. (USA Today) (WKYT)
- Matt Bevin wins the Republican nomination; Andy Beshear wins the Democratic nomination. (New York Times) (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Aftermath of the Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019)
- The United States House Committee on the Judiciary subpoenas former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks and former Deputy White House Counsel Annie Donaldson in regards to their actions during the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. (The Washington Post)

Sports

2019 NBA playoffs
- The Golden State Warriors qualify for the NBA Finals for the fifth year in a row by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 119–117 in overtime in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. (USA Today)

May 20, 2019 (Monday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Thirty-two people are killed when Islamic State members started a prison riot and a fire in a prison located in Vahdat, Tajikistan. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (RT)

Arts and culture

Whole Foods Market announces it will eliminate disposable plastic straws in July from its stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. (USA Today)

Business and finance

Ascena Retail Group announces it will close all 650 Dressbarn stores by the end of the year. (USA Today)

Disasters and accidents

Two people are killed, the pilot and the passenger, when a floatplane crashes into Metlakatla harbor near Ketchikan, Alaska. The pilot and passenger were the only people on board. (CBS News) (NBC News)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations, Droughts in Korea
- South Korea vows to send humanitarian aid to North Korea through international organizations as it suffers droughts. (Star Tribune) (The New York Times)

Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Iran–United States relations
- Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif states that the "genocidal taunts" of U.S. President Donald Trump "won't end Iran", in response to President Trump's comments that if Iran attacked U.S. interests, "that will be the official end of Iran." He also blasted Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir for his previous May 19 remarks regarding Iran. (Brecorder)
Russia–United States relations
- U.S. F-22 stealth jets intercept four Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers and two Russian Su-35 jets entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone off the coast of Alaska. The Russian jets and bombers did not enter the U.S. nor Canadian airspace according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. (CBS News) (CNN)

Law and crime

The Swedish prosecutor files an arrest warrant against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a rape allegation. Assange is serving a 50-week prison sentence in the United Kingdom for skipping bail. (Reuters)
The U.S. Supreme Court in Herrera v. Wyoming rules in favor of a Native American elk hunter from Montana who was convicted for hunting off-season in Bighorn National Forest, deciding that the 1868 federal treaty between the Crow Nation and the U.S. Government is still in force even after Wyoming became a state in 1890. The treaty gave tribe members hunting rights on "unoccupied" lands. (Reuters) (SCOTUS Blog)

Politics and elections

Ukrainian presidential inauguration
- Former comedian and reality television actor Volodymyr Zelensky is sworn in as the 6th President of Ukraine by the Verkhovna Rada. Zelensky announces the dissolution of parliament and calls a snap parliamentary election. (Deutsche Welle)
- Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announces he will resign Wednesday in response to the new president's disbanding of parliament. (Al Jazeera)
Tax returns of Donald Trump
- Judge Amit Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia rules that accounting firm Mazars must comply with a subpoena issued by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform to turn over U.S. President Donald Trump's financial records. (The New York Times)
Ibiza affair
- All ministers from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, who make up close to half of Austria's cabinet, are resigning in response to their party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache being forced to resign as Vice-Chancellor after a video was published Friday showing Strache's participation in a compromising video. (BBC)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Embattled incumbent President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro proposes early elections for Venezuela's National Assembly. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó has stated a rejection of the proposal. (BBC)
After several months of negotiations, President Félix Tshisekedi names Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba as the new Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an agreement with former president Joseph Kabila. He had not appointed a prime minister since being elected in December 2018. (Yahoo News))

Science and technology

The redefinition of the SI system of measurement adopted by the majority of countries in the world takes effect. (BIPM)

May 19, 2019 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

An explosion hits a tourist bus carrying South African nationals near the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, injuring at least 14 people. (CNN)
Iraq–United States relations, Iran–United States relations
- A rocket explodes inside the heavily fortified Green Zone sector of Iraq's capital, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad amid heightened tensions in the region between the United States and Iran. (Associated Press) (Los Angeles Times)

Business and economy

China–United States trade war
- Google pulls Android update support for Huawei phones, as well as the Google Play Store and Gmail apps, after the Chinese technology company was blacklisted by the United States Commerce Department. (The Guardian)
Martin Tower, the tallest building in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is destroyed in a controlled demolition by the Controlled Demolition, Inc. firm. The 21-story building, which was listed on National Register of Historic Places, had been vacant since 2007. (BBC)

International relations

The White House is expected to announce the first part of their Middle East peace proposal in what officials are calling an economic "workshop" to encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region. The workshop is expected to happen on June 25 and 26 in Manama, Bahrain. (CNN)
Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
- Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir says his country "seeks to avert war, ready to respond with force and determination" to a would-be attack by Iran. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Several gunmen open fire inside a bar in Belém, Brazil, killing at least eleven people. (Bloomberg)

May 18, 2019 (Saturday)

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Arts and culture

Eurovision Song Contest 2019
- Duncan Laurence, representing the Netherlands, wins the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Arcade". It is the country's first win since 1975. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Five foreign tourists, four of whom were Americans, are killed when their Piper PA-32 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Honduras shortly after taking off from Roatán island. (ABC News)

Health and environment

2019 Cook Islands dengue fever outbreak
- The Cook Islands secretary of health, Josephine Herman, says that the country is holding and containing the latest outbreak of Dengue, which has killed 22 people and infected another 28. (Radio New Zealand)

Law and crime

Crime in Alabama
- One person was killed and eight injured in a shooting after a dispute between two women at a large high school graduation party. The suspect is still at large. (Associated Press)

Politics and elections

2019 Argentine general election
- Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces that she will run for Vice President in the 2019 Argentine general election, with former Chief of Staff Alberto Fernández as her running mate for President. (Télam), (La Nación)
2019 Australian federal election
- Voters in Australia go to the polls to elect new members of the House of Representatives and half of the Senate. (SBS)
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison declares victory. It remains unclear whether his Liberal-National Coalition has won a majority of seats, or whether it will form a minority government. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Despite opinion polls predicting a Labor victory, the Labor Party loses several seats, with support in the key state of Queensland far lower than expected. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten concedes defeat and steps down as party leader. (Canberra Times)
- Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott loses his seat to independent candidate and former Olympian Zali Steggall. (The Guardian)
Efforts to impeach Donald Trump
- Justin Amash from Michigan's 3rd congressional district becomes the first Republican U.S. Representative to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. (Fox News)
Ibiza affair
- Vice-Chancellor of Austria, Heinz-Christian Strache, steps down both as Vice-Chancellor and chairman of the Freedom Party of Austria due to an alleged corruption scandal. (DW)
- Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria, announces the dissolution of his government and calls for a snap election. (Independent)

Sports

2019 FA Cup Final, 2018–19 Manchester City F.C. season
- Manchester City F.C. win England's 2018–19 FA Cup by defeating Watford F.C. 6-0 in the final, marking the first time that an English club has won all three domestic titles in one season. (England's Football Association)

May 17, 2019 (Friday)

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International relations

Canada–United States relations, Mexico–United States relations
- The United States lifts tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico. (NPR)

Law and crime

China–United States relations
- A former CIA officer, Kevin Patrick Mallory, is sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in Virginia for spying for China. (The New York Times) (BBC)
LGBT rights in Taiwan
- Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passes legislation legalizing same-sex marriage and limited joint-custody rights, making Taiwan the first country in Asia to do so. President Tsai Ing-wen and her cabinet helped draft the bill, and she will sign it into law on or before May 24. (Taiwan News) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
LGBT rights in the United States
- The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (Business Insider)

May 16, 2019 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai insurgency
- Forty-seven insurgents and five Egyptian soldiers are killed in a gunfight in the Sinai Peninsula. (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Multiple people are killed, including five terrorists, two civilians and two Indian soldiers, in Kashmir after a shootout. (Reuters)

Business and economy

The U.S. Government under the Trump administration cancels $929 million federal grant for California High-Speed Rail project. (Los Angeles Times)

Disasters and accidents

Three Britons and a South African die when their light aircraft crashes on approach to Dubai International Airport, closing the world's busiest airport for 45 minutes. (Sky News)

International relations