Portal:Current events/2019 October 19

October 19, 2019 (Saturday)

Disasters and accidents

SIEV X
- An Iraqi man is arrested at Brisbane Airport for his membership in a human trafficking syndicate responsible for chartering a boat carrying 421 Afghan and Iraqi refugees to Australia. More than 350 of those aboard perished when the boat sank off the coast of Indonesia in October 2001. (The Guardian)
A dam on the Seiba river in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, collapses, flooding a nearby gold mine and cabins used to house miners. At least 15 people have been killed, with 13 more missing and 14 hospitalised. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Santiago protests
- The Chilean government declares a state of emergency in the capital Santiago, following riots in response to a price hike in Santiago Metro fares. Overnight, the high-rise headquarters of Enel Generación Chile is set on fire by rioters. (BBC News)
- 19 stations of the Santiago Metro are set on fire during the night. (La Tercera)
- Police and military officers clash with protestors in Plaza Baquedano, Maipú Main Square and other places, while several cacerolazos are heard in the city. (ADN Radio)
- Curfew is announced for the Greater Santiago area, the first time it is used since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. (El Desconcierto)
Brexit
- The British Parliament votes 322 to 306 to pass the so-called "Letwin amendment" to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which states it will not approve any withdrawal agreement unless all relevant formal legislation is passed. In effect any subsequent vote on a deal is not considered final, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be forced to ask for an extension. (Reuters) (CNN)
2019–20 Lebanese protests
- Four ministers resign from the current cabinet, stating that the government is incapable of addressing any of the issues under current circumstances. Conversely, Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah announces that his group will continue to support the government, saying, "All of us have to shoulder the responsibility of the current situation that we arrived at." (Al Jazeera)