Portal:Current events/2009 March 19
March 19, 2009 (Thursday)
- A 7.9-magnitude earthquake occurs and the Hunga Tonga submarine volcano erupts in the Pacific Ocean near Tongatapu, Tonga. (MSNBC) (Sky News)
- North Korea detains two American Current TV journalists near its border with China. (Guardian) (BBC)
- The United States House of Representatives votes to levy a 90% tax on executive compensation from companies aided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (New York Times)
- Josef Fritzl of Austria is sentenced to life imprisonment on all charges. (CNN)
- Malagasy political crisis:
- President Andry Rajoelina dissolves Parliament. (AFP)
- The Southern African Development Community meets in Mbabane, Swaziland, to discuss suspending the country's government. (VOA)
- Pope Benedict XVI leads a Roman Catholic Mass in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (BBC)
- Namibia declares a state of emergency after floods kill 92 people and render 25,000 homeless. (BBC)
- The Civil and Public Services Union protests against Ireland's government. (RTÉ)