2019 - a year in pictures: A look back at the biggest news stories of 2019
NEW YEARS DAY is just around the corner and with it brings the start of a new year and a new decade. Here is a look back at the biggest news stories of 2019, with the most iconic pictures of this year.
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The end of 2019 is upon us, and soon we will enter a new decade. This year has seen the birth of a new royal family member, the election of a new prime minister and record-breaking weather.
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There have also been devastating natural disasters - volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, fires and hurricanes.
Protests have erupted around the world, the first all-female spacewalk took place and the very first picture of a black hole was taken.
One of the world’s most iconic structures caught fire, unprecedented flooding shook historic Venice and a new emperor was crowned in Japan.
With so much to have taken place this year, Express.co.uk has compiled a list of the biggest news stories of 2019.
Read More: Queen rewards her closest aide after ‘bumpy’ year for Royal Family
January
In January, the United States government saw its longest shutdown in history, with large swathes of Washington DC shut down for the first month of 2019.
The shutdown began just before Christmas 2018 and forced 800,000 federal workers to stay home without pay.
One study found the shutdown - which lifted on January 25 after Congress and the White House agreed on federal funding - affected 40 percent of all workers in the DC area.
On January 25, Dam I, a tailings dam at the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine in Brazil suffered a catastrophe.
During lunchtime, the dam released a mudflow which struck through the mine’s offices, including the cafeteria - impacting houses, farms, inns and roads downstream.
In total 272 people died as a result of the collapse.
Of these 256 are officially confirmed dead and 14 others are missing as their bodies have not been found.
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February
A shocking picture was captured on February 26, of six-year-old Hasna’a Qatran laid next to the body of her sister as she waited to be rescued.
She lay in the rubble of a bombed building in Khan Sheikhoun, Syria.
The attack killed her three-year-old sister, her one-year-old brother and her cousin according to Anas al-Dyab, 23, a White Helmets volunteer who took the photo of her and others at the scene.
Al-Dyab himself was killed in an airstrike in July.
March
In Christchurch, New Zealand, the worst mass shooting in the country’s history took place, killing 51 people and injuring 49 more.
Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, was charged with 51 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder.
The attacks took place on March 15, and began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1.40pm local time, continuing at the Linwood Islamic Centre at about 1.55pm.
The gunman live-streamed the first attack on Facebook.
Less than a month later, New Zealand’s parliament voted 119-1 in favour of a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons.
April
On April 10, the first-ever picture of a black hole was captured by the National Science Foundation.
The black hole in question lies at the heart of a distant galaxy called M87 in the Virgo galaxy cluster.
It measures 40 billion km across and is 3.3 million times the size of the Earth.
The Event Horizon Telescope used a network of eight telescopes across the world to get the image.
Later that month on April 15, a structure fire broke out in the roof of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral.
The fire caused extensive damage to the historic landmark, destroying most of its spire and roof, as well as inflicting severe damage to the upper walls.
Damage to the inside of the cathedral was prevented by its stone vaulted ceiling, and the works of art and historic artefacts were removed to safety early in the emergency.
President Emmanuel Macron said that the cathedral would be restored by 2024, launching a fundraising campaign which brought in pledges of over €1 billion as of 22 April 2019.
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May
A new addition to the Royal Family arrived in May, as Meghan and Harry’s son Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor was born on May 6.
The newest royal immediately captured the hearts of the world, with adorable pictures of him meeting his great-grandmother the Queen released two days after his birth.
On May 24, Theresa May announced her resignation from her position as Prime Minister, tearfully giving a speech in front of 10 Downing Street.
Her resignation came as she continued to lack support for the legislation she had agreed with Brussels on the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Mrs May’s voice broke and she was visibly upset as she said: “Our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about this country.
“So much to be proud of. So much to be optimistic about. I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold – the second female Prime Minister but certainly not the last.
“I do so with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.”
June
On June 13, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders stepped down from her position.
She hugged President Donald Trump after the surprise announcement and said: “I couldn't be prouder to have the opportunity to serve my country and particularly to work for this President.
"I've loved every minute — even the hard minutes.”
On June 16, protests in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill began, after fears were sparked the bill would allow citizens to be extradited to mainland China.
The widespread backlash, ongoing disruption and thousands of protesters triggered Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to withdraw the bill on September 4.
On June 18, US President Donald Trump announced his re-election campaign at a rally in Orlando.
The US Presidential Election will take place on Tuesday, November 3.
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July
A total solar eclipse crossed the skies on July 2 but was only visible from Chile and Argentina just before sunset.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.
The next total solar eclipse will not take place until Monday, December 14, 2020.
On July 23, Boris Johnson was announced as Mrs May’s successor, becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Following five rounds of ballots, Mr Johnson faced Jeremy Hunt but ultimately won the member’s vote with 92,153 votes (66 percent) to Mr Hunt's 46,656 votes (34 percent).
The next day, on July 24, Queen Elizabeth II formally accepted Mrs May’s resignation and asked Mr Johnson to form a government.
August
In August, the devastating Amazon fires were brought to the world’s attention when celebrities and social media users campaigned for Brazil’s government to intervene.
Forest fires do take place in the Amazon each year, but it reached its peak in August, with thousands of individual fires.
There were almost three times as many that month - 30,901 - compared with the same period last year.
Fury was expressed around the world, with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's environmental policies condemned.
In late August, Mr Bolsonaro sent the army to the Amazon to tackle the blazes and enforced a 60-day ban on fire-setting to clear land.
This had a positive effect, with the number of fires in the Amazon dropping by a third between August and September.
September
Beginning in late August but peaking in early September, Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc when it impacted the Bahamas - now regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country's history.
Dorian was also one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever be recorded in the Atlantic Ocean in terms of 1-minute sustained winds, with these winds peaking at 185 mph.
The deadly category five hurricane impacted the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas (especially the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama), Eastern United States, Eastern Canada, southern Greenland and Iceland.
Dorian caused the direct deaths of 73 people and indirectly killed seven others, however, there are conflicting reports of the true death toll being higher.
As of December 7, 2019, more than 282 people are still reported as missing.
On September 3, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis stated, "Our urgent task will be to provide food, water, shelter, safety and security.
“Additional food will be delivered by NEMA tomorrow."
He went on to say that Dorian was "the greatest national crisis in our country's history.”
In total approximately £3.57 billion ($4.68 billion) worth of damage was caused.
October
On October 11, NASA’s Curiosity Rover took a new selfie on Mars, where it has been since landing in 2012.
It is not a conventional selfie, in fact consisting of 57 images put together from its location in the Glen Etive region.
In other space-related news, the first all-female spacewalk took place on October 18.
A photo showing Jessica Meir waving at a camera outside the International Space Station showed her in full astronaut gear.
She was joined by fellow astronaut Christina Koch for the landmark first all-female spacewalk.
On October 27, President Donald Trump announced the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi following a US raid in Syria.
Mr Trump announced US special forces descended on al-Baghdadi’s safe house in Syria after a manhunt which spanned years.
The president said the Isis leader died “running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way”.
He detailed how the terrorist detonated a suicide vest and killed himself as well as three of his children.
Mr Trump said: “He died like a dog, he died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.”
November
In November, Venice’s annual foods - known as “acqua alta,” - reached unprecedented levels peaking at 6.13 feet on November 12.
The cities streets and canals became one huge mass of water, at one stage closing the iconic St Mark’s Square.
St Mark’s Basilica has suffered at least £4.27 million ($5.5 million) in damage during last month's devastating great tides.
Later in November, Prince Andrew was interviewed on a BBC Newsnight special by Emily Maitlis on his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York’s interview was dubbed a ‘car crash’ and accused of giving more questions than answers.
Charities, businesses and groups associated with Prince Andrew announced a separation from the Duke in response.
The Duke then announced he would be stepping down from royal duties for the foreseeable future in a statement.
He said: “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein.
"His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.
"I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives."
He added that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required".
December
On December 9, a volcano on New Zealand’s White Island erupted, spewing white ash and smoke across the island.
At least 17 people have died as a result of the deadly eruption, according to the latest update from New Zealand Police.
Around 47 people were on the popular island at the time of the eruption, with several transported to hospital for severe burns.
It has raised questions over the safety of the island for visitors, and whether more could have been done to prevent the deaths of so many.
On December 12, the UK took to the polls in the first winter election since 1923.
The results came in the early hours of December 13, with Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party winning by a landslide 43.6 percent or 365 seats.
Labour achieved just 32.2 percent of the vote (203 seats), the Liberal Democrats 11.5 percent (11 seats) and Scottish National Party (SNP) 3.9 percent (48 seats).
Bringing up the rear were the Green Party with 2.7 percent (one seat) and the Brexit party with two percent (0 seats).
