February 19, 2014 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Euromaidan
- After protesters had resisted the police, opposition and President Viktor Yanukovych hold talks and reach a truce. The toll of riots over the past couple of days is at least 25 dead and 241 injured. (BBC News) (Yahoo! News) (Wires via Chicago Tribune)
- The President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych sacks Volodymyr Zamana as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; replacing him with Yuriy Ilyin. (AAP via SBS)
- In a few cities in Western Ukraine anti-government protesters seize government buildings. (Yahoo! News)
- Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon
- Two people are killed and 38 injured in a bombing of a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. (Bloomberg via Business Week)
Arts and culture
- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, former members of Pussy Riot, are arrested and subsequently released after protesting during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. (USA Today)
- The Parliament of India passes a bill that would make the historic region of Telangana into a state. (The Guardian)
- 2014 BRIT Awards
- The BRIT awards are held at The O2 Arena in London with David Bowie winning Best Solo British Male Artist, Ellie Goulding winning Best Female British Solo Artist and the Arctic Monkeys winning best British Group. (Spin)
Business and economy
- Dongfeng Motor, a Chinese auto company, is buying a $1.1 billion equity stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen for 800 million euros, part of a broader effort to bail out the struggling French concern. (Reuters)
- Facebook announced it is acquiring WhatsApp for US$19 billion in cash and stock. (Reuters)
International relations
- Botswana ends diplomatic relations with North Korea following a UN report on the latter's human rights record. (Global Post)
Law and crime
- The government of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu decides to free three men and a woman found guilty of assassinating former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. (BBC News)