February 19, 2020 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Hanau shootings
- Nine people are killed and five others injured in two mass shootings at shisha bars in Hanau, Hesse, Germany. The attacker also kills his mother and then himself in their apartment. He expressed far-right views in a letter of confession and video. (The Guardian)
- Twelve Somali soldiers are killed when a suicide bomber and gunmen storm a military base in Lower Shabelle. The militants briefly capture the base before it is reclaimed. Al-Shabaab claim responsibility. (Reuters)
- Syrian civil war, Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020), Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls a Turkish intervention in Syria's Idlib Governorate "imminent" after talks with Russia fail to reach what he describes as their "desired result". Erdoğan threatens to launch an operation in Idlib by the end of the month. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov calls Turkish involvement in the battle "the worst scenario". The countries support opposing sides in the war. (Al Jazeera)
- Second Libyan Civil War
- Ceasefire talks between the Tobruk-led government and the GNA are suspended as rocket attacks bombard Tripoli. (BBC News)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- A convoy carrying Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi in Ma'rib Governorate strikes a landmine, killing six people. The Defense Minister survives the blast. (Anadolu Agency)
Business and economy
- The assets of American fast fashion chain Forever 21 are purchased out of bankruptcy by real estate companies Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners, and brand management firm Authentic Brands Group. (Reuters)
- The American S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite stock-market indexes hit all-time closing highs. (CNBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says that high-ranking Malaysian officials believed pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the plane. (Fox News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
- Iran reports its first two cases of the virus. Hours later, it was announced both infected people have died. (Times of Israel) (Al Jazerra)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- The Tokyo Marathon reduces the number of runners from 38,000 to an elite group of 200 due to the rising coronavirus fear. (NOJ)
- Hundreds of passengers aboard the Diamond Princess are allowed to disembark the ship. The vessel has been quarantined since docking in Yokohama on 4 February. Criticism mounts against the Japanese government's handling of the quarantine. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
Law and crime
- Murder of Hannah Clarke
- A mother and her three children are killed in a car fire in Brisbane, Australia, in a targeted familicide carjacking by former New Zealand Warriors player Rowan Baxter. He was the ex-husband of the woman and father of the children, and he committed suicide at the scene. (News.com.au)
- China expels three journalists of The Wall Street Journal over an opinion piece called "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia" that was deemed racist. The government demanded the newspaper apologize, which it declined. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says the journalists have five days to leave the country and says the article "denigrated" China's efforts to combat the virus. (BBC News)
- Brazilian Senator Cid Gomes is shot during a clash with striking military police officers in Sobral, Ceará. (AP via Yahoo News)
- Corruption in Mexico, Operation Car Wash
- Mexican law enforcement launches a corruption inquiry into former President Enrique Peña Nieto, as part of a larger investigation into bribery and money laundering by former Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya Austin involving Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- The Dominican Republic government fires 139 Foreign Ministry officials. (Dominican Today)
- The United Kingdom's Home Secretary Priti Patel announces a reform of the UK's immigration system. The changes includes the end of freedom of movement, a minimum requirement of migrants to speak English, a minimum salary of between £20,480 and £25,600, while priority will be given to skilled workers over non-skilled migrants. The changes are effective from January 1, 2021. (BBC News)
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- A recanvass of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses show Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg at an effective tie, with a margin of 0.0004 percentage points of state delegate equivalents between the two candidates. The Sanders campaign has requested a recount, which may change the initial outcome of the caucus. (AP)