February 22, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Venezuelan National Guard (GNB) troops open fire on a group of indigenous Pemon protesters that attempted to block a military convoy heading to the Brazil–Venezuela border, killing at least two people and wounding 14 others, several seriously. (The Washington Post) (Miami Herald)
- American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- U.S. President Donald Trump agrees to keep about 400 U.S. troops in Syria. (CNN)
Arts and culture
- Crisis in Venezuela
- The Venezuela Aid Live benefit concert takes place on the Colombia–Venezuela border. The all-day event on the Colombian side of the Tienditas Bridge is expected to attract up to 250,000 people. (The Journal)
- In response to the concert, Nicolás Maduro announces a rival concert on the Venezuelan side of the border, and state-owned Venezolana de Televisión reports 150 artists will participate, but no artists are signed. (Billboard)
- Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaidó arrives at the Venezuela Aid Live concert in Cúcuta, Colombia, defying a travel ban placed on him by the Maduro regime. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- List of earthquakes in 2019
- Flooding is reported throughout Tennessee amid heavy rain. Rain is expected to continue, possibly making the flooding worse. (WSMV)
Law and crime
- R. Kelly sexual abuse case
- American musician R. Kelly is indicted for raping a minor. A judge in Cook County, Illinois, issues an arrest warrant for Kelly in regard to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. (CNN) (NBC News)
- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is charged in a prostitution sting in the U.S. state of Florida. (The New York Times) (USA Today)
Politics and elections
- History of the UK Labour Party, Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party
- British MP Ian Austin quits Labour over a "culture of extremism, anti-semitism and intolerance" within the party under Jeremy Corbyn, becoming the ninth Labour MP to quit this week. However, unlike the others, he will not be joining The Independent Group. (The Guardian)
- 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
- The Trump administration weighs softening demands ahead of the second summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi. (CNN)
- Sudanese protests (2018–19)
- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declares a year-long state of emergency, dissolves his Cabinet and sacks all state governors amid ongoing anti-government protests. (BBC News)
- Political appointments by Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump nominates U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft to be the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. (CNN)