2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Beijing weighs in
Chinese central government officials weighed in when Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiaoming met a delegation led by Executive Councillor Ronny Tong in Beijing on 15 May in which Zhang showed support of the extradition law. At the same time, a delegation led by former pro-democrat legislator Martin Lee met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who later released statement that he "expressed concern" that the bill could threaten the city's rule of law.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Beijing weighs in
On 17 May, Director of the Liaison Office Wang Zhimin met with more than 250 Beijing loyalists in Hong Kong in a two-hour closed-door meeting. He instructed them to fully support the Chief Executive and her administration's push to pass the bill. Vice Premier Han Zheng and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Yang also spoke in favour of the extradition bill—becoming the highest-ranking Chinese state officials to give their public endorsement.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Beijing weighs in
Chief Executive Carrie Lam defended Beijing's involvement, saying that mainland officials offered their views only after the bill controversy was "escalated" by foreign powers, which seized an opportunity to attack the mainland's legal system and human rights record. It was escalated to the level of "one country, two systems" and the constitutionality concerning the Basic Law.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
On 24 May, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung held a special meeting involving 100 officials including principal officials, permanent secretaries and their deputies ostensibly to "bring them up to speed on the justification for the extradition law". Meanwhile, 11 European Union representatives met with Carrie Lam and then issued a démarche to formally protest against the bill.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
Also on 24 May, eight commissioners from the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Steve Daines from the U.S. Senate, as well as James McGovern, Ben McAdams, Christopher Smith, Thomas Suozzi and Brian Mast from the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to Chief Executive Carrie Lam asking that the bill be "withdrawn from consideration", stating that "the proposed legislation would irreparably damage Hong Kong's cherished autonomy and protections for human rights by allowing the Chinese government to request extradition of business persons, journalists, rights advocates, and political activists residing in Hong Kong." The commissioners added that the bill could "negatively impact the unique relationship between the U.S. and Hong Kong"—referring to the longstanding U.S. policy of giving the city preferential treatment over mainland China based on the United States–Hong Kong Policy Act.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
The UK-based Hong Kong Watch also issued a petition on 29 May signed by 15 parliamentarians from various countries against the extradition bill. Signatories included Member of the House of Lords David Alton, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip of the House of Commons Alistair Carmichael, Leader of the Alliance 90/The Greens in the Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Deputy Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Canadian Parliament Garnett Genuis, Member of the Parliament of Malaysia and Chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights Charles Santiago, Member of the European Parliament from Austria Josef Weidenholzer, seven U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) issued a statement on 30 May, questioning the government's decision to push the bill through. AmCham also sent Matthew Cheung eight questions related to the bill following Cheung meeting with the foreign chambers of commerce on the previous day, pressing the government on how it planned to address concerns from foreign diplomats in Hong Kong, and how it would ensure that the requesting jurisdictions could guarantee a fair trial.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
On 30 May, a joint statement was issued by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland to urge Hong Kong to ensure the new law was in-keeping with the city's autonomy. "We are concerned about the potential effect of these proposals on the large number of UK and Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence and on Hong Kong's international reputation. Furthermore, we believe that there is a risk that the proposals could impact negatively on the rights and freedoms set down in the Sino-British Joint Declaration".


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, International escalation, Foreign pressure
On 13 August, Andrew James Scheer PC MP, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition since 2017, shared the statement  "As Beijing amasses troops at the Hong Kong border, now is the time for everyone committed to democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including the 300,000 ex-pat Canadians. Now, and in the coming days, we are all Hong Kongers:" on social media outlets.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Government amendments to the bill
On 30 May, Secretary for Security John Lee rolled out six new measures to limit the scope of extraditable crimes and raise the bar to those punishable by the sentence of three years to seven years or above—a key demand from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC). Only requests from top judicial bodies of a requesting jurisdiction, namely the Supreme People's Procuratorate and Supreme People's Court in Mainland China, may be considered. Lee's announcement came hours after a group of 39 pro-Beijing legislators called for the bill to be amended. Their two demands—raising the threshold on extraditable crimes and allowing only extradition requests from the mainland's top authority—were both accepted by the government.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Government amendments to the bill
The government promulgated on 30 May the provision of "additional safeguards" in the following three aspects:


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Government amendments to the bill
Hong Kong's five major business chambers—the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, and the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' and Exporters' Association quickly welcomed the concessions, but legal scholars and pro-democrats opposing the bill argued there was still no guarantee of human rights and fair treatment for fugitives sent across the border. John Lee dismissed calls to embed those safeguards in the proposed bill, claiming the current proposal would offer greater flexibility, adding he was confident mainland authorities would stay true to their promises, even without protection clauses in the bill.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Government amendments to the bill
The Law Society of Hong Kong urged the government not to rush the legislation but should stop to conduct extensive consultation before it goes any further. The Bar Association said in response to the concessions that the additional safeguards provided by the government was "riddled with uncertainties ...[and that it] offers scarcely any reliable assurances." On 6 June, some 3,000 Hong Kong lawyers, representing around one quarter of the city's lawyers, marched against the bill. Wearing black, they marched from the Court of Final Appeal to the Central Government Offices. While lawyers expressed grave reservations about the openness and fairness of the justice system in China, limited access to a lawyer, and the prevalence of torture, Secretary for Security John Lee said the legal sector did not really understand the bill.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Government amendments to the bill
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Monitor and more than 70 other non-governmental organisations wrote an open letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam on 7 June stating the "serious shortcomings in the proposed amendment", claiming that the additional safeguards would still be unlikely to provide genuine and effective protection as it did not resolve the real risk of torture or other ill-treatment, including detention in poor conditions for indefinite periods, or other serious human rights violations which are prohibited under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 31 March
The first protest happened on 31 March with an attendance of 12,000 pro-democracy protesters according to organisers, the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF); police put the peak figure at 5,200.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 28 April
On 28 April, the movement gained stronger momentum as an estimated 130,000 protesters joined the march against the bill; Police estimated 22,800 joined at its height. The claimed turnout was the largest since an estimated 510,000 joined the annual 1 July protest in 2014.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 28 April
A day after the protest, Chief Executive Carrie Lam was adamant that the bill would be enacted and said the Legislative Councillors had to pass new extradition laws before their summer break, even though the man at the heart of a case used to justify the urgency of new legislation Chan Tong-kai had been jailed for 29 months shortly before.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 9 June
While reports suggested it had been the largest ever, certainly the largest protest Hong Kong has seen since the 1997 handover, surpassing the turnout seen at mass rallies in support of the Tiananmen protests of 1989 and 1 July demonstration of 2003, CHRF convenor Jimmy Sham said that 1.03 million people attended the march, while the police put the crowd at 270,000 at its peak.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 9 June
Hundreds of protesters camped in front of the government headquarters well into the night, with more joining them in response to calls from Demosistō and pro-independence activists. Police formed a human chain to prevent protesters from entering Harcourt Road, the main road next to government headquarters, while Special Tactical Squad (STS) stood by for potential conflicts. Although the CHRF officially had called an end to the march at 10 pm, around 100 protesters remained at the Civic Square.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 9 June
At 11 pm, the government issued a press statement, saying it "acknowledge[s] and respect[s] that people have different views on a wide range of issues", but insisted the second reading debate on the bill would resume on 12 June. Around midnight, tensions escalated and clashes broke out between protesters and officers at the Legislative Council Complex. Protesters threw bottles and metal barricades at police and pushed barricades while officers responded with pepper spray. Riot police pushed back against the crowd and secured the area, while police on Harcourt Road also pushed protesters back onto the pavements. Clashes shifted to Lung Wo Road as many protesters gathered and barricaded themselves from the officers. Several hundred protesters were herded by officers towards Lung King Street in Wan Chai around 2 am and then moved onto Gloucester Road. By the end of the clearance, 19 protesters had been arrested.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 12 June
A general strike had been called for 12 June, the day of the planned resumption of the second reading of the extradition bill. The Police started stopping and searching on commuters at the exits of Admiralty Station the night before. Sits-in began at and around Tamar Park in the morning, and around 8 am, a crowd rushed onto Harcourt Road and the nearby streets, blocking traffic. Around 11 am, the Legislative Council Secretariat announced that the second reading debate on the extradition bill had been postponed indefinitely.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 12 June
In the afternoon, riot police and the Special Tactical Squad, who hid their identifying numbers, were deployed. They fired tear gas and shot rubber bullets and bean bag rounds at protesters on Harcourt Road. The crowd fled to Citic Tower, where the gathering had been approved by the police and was peaceful. As people trickled through the jammed central revolving door and a small side door, the police fired another two tear gas canisters into the trapped crowd fuelling panic. Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo declared the clashes a "riot" and condemned the protesters' behaviour.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 12 June
Many videos of aggressive police action appeared online, showing tear gas canisters being fired at peaceful and unarmed protesters, first-aid volunteers, and even reporters. Amnesty International published a report which concluded that the use of force by police against the largely peaceful protest was unnecessary and excessive and that police had "violated international human rights law and standards."


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 12 June
Lo's declaration and police behaviour gave rise to new demands in later protests: to retract the characterisation of the clashes as a "riot" and to establish an independent commission of inquiry into police brutality.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 16 June
On 15 June, Carrie Lam announced that it would suspend the second reading of the bill without a set a time frame on the seeking of public views. However, no apology nor resignation was forthcoming at this point. The pro-democracy camp demanded a full withdrawal of the bill and said they would go ahead with the 16 June rally as planned.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 16 June
On the day, the route from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to the government headquarters in Admiralty was totally taken over by the large crowd from 3 pm all the way to 11 pm. Although crowd control measures were in force, yet the large number of participants forced police to open all the six lanes of Hennessy Road, the main route; nevertheless, the masses then spilled over onto three parallel streets in Wan Chai. While the police said that there were 338,000 demonstrators at its peak on the original route, the Civil Human Rights Front claimed the participation of "almost 2 million plus 1 citizens", denoting the protester who committed suicide the day before.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pre-suspension protests, 16 June
The government issued a statement at 8:30 pm where Carrie Lam apologised to Hong Kong residents and promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public." A government source told to the South China Morning Post that the administration was making it clear that there was no timetable to relaunch the suspended bill, the legislation would die a "natural death" when the current term of the Legislative Council ended in July next year. On 18 June, Carrie Lam offered an apology for mishandling the extradition bill in person, but did not meet the protesters' demands of withdrawing the bill completely or resigning.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
After the intense clashes on 12 June, the Legislative Council called off the general meetings on 13 and 14 June, and also postponed the general meetings on 17 and 18 June. Pro -Beijing newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported that Lam went to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng in Shenzhen on 14 June evening. Lam then had a cabinet meeting with her top officials at 10:30 pm, lasting until midnight.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
Students unions, representing some protesters, issued four demands: total withdrawal of the extradition bill; retraction of all references to the 12 June protest being a riot; release all arrested protesters; and accountability of police officers who used excessive force. They warned of escalated protest action if the demands were not met. Hong Kong Catholic Apostolic Administrator Cardinal John Tong and Hong Kong Christian Council chairman Reverend Eric So Shing-yit also issued a joint statement calling for a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill and an independent inquiry into allegations of police brutality against protesters.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
As the city marked the 22nd anniversary of its 1997 handover, the annual pro-democracy protest march organised by civil rights groups claimed a record turnout of 550,000 while police placed the estimate around 190,000. Separately, hundreds of young protesters stormed the Legislative Council and defaced symbols associated with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and pro-Beijing elements inside the building.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
On 9 July, Carrie Lam said the controversial bill "is dead", but still refused to meet the protesters' demand to withdraw it. The protesters continued to demand full withdrawal of the bill, among other demands regarding alleged police misconducts and universal suffrage. The confrontations between the protesters and the police had since escalated. On 21 July, the police is accused of colluding with a gang who indiscriminately attacked passengers at Yuen Long station. A poll conducted in August showed that more than 90% of supporters of the protests expressed dissatisfaction with police misconduct, and, among their five core demands, the primary demand had shifted from the withdrawal of the bill to the establishment of independent commission of inquiry.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
On 4 September, Carrie Lam announced that the government would officially withdraw the bill in October. However, she dismissed the other four core demands from the protesters.


2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, From suspension to withdrawal
The bill was officially withdrawn on 23 October. Chan Tong-kai was released from prison on the same day.


2019 Hong Kong local elections
The 2019 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 24 November 2019 for all 18 District Councils of Hong Kong. 452 seats from all directly elected constituencies, out of the 479 seats in total, were contested. Nearly three million people voted, equivalent to 71 per cent of registered voters, an unprecedented turnout in the electoral history of Hong Kong. The election was widely viewed as a de facto referendum on the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.


2019 Hong Kong local elections
The pro-democracy camp in conjunction with the localist groups achieved its biggest landslide victory in the history of Hong Kong, gaining absolute majority in votes and electoral seats in all of the 18 District Councils and tripling their seats from around 124 to about 388. The pro-Beijing parties can only retain their control in one District Council due to their advantage in ex officio seats in such district council. The pro-democrats would also be able to capture 117 District Council subsector seats in the 1,200-member Election Committee, which is responsible for electing the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Pro -Beijing parties and independent candidates won only 62 seats, a loss of more than 242 seats.


2019 Hong Kong local elections
All pro-Beijing parties suffered major setbacks and losses, including the flagship pro-Beijing party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), which received its largest  defeat in history, losing 96 seats. Executive Councillor Regina Ip's New People's Party failed to obtain a single seat, and was ousted from all District Councils as a result.


2019 Hong Kong local elections
Dozens of prominent pro-Beijing heavyweights lost their campaigns for re-election, including Junius Ho, a controversial anti-protest figure who had expressed support for the triads behind the mob attack in Yuen Long on 21 July. In contrast, many pro-democracy candidates who actively participated in the protests were elected, including convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Boundary changes
In July 2017, following a review of the numbers of elected seats for each District Council having regard to local population forecasts, the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) proposed to create 21 new elected seats across 10 District Councils:


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Boundary changes
Accordingly, the total number of elected seats for the 2019 elections increased by 21 from 431 to 452.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Boundary changes, Gerrymandering concerns
Some pro-democracy District Councillors accused the EAC of gerrymandering, stating that the borders of their constituencies were altered "unreasonably" to adversely affect their parties' election prospects. EAC chairman Barnabas Fung responded that the changes were based purely on an objective calculation. "Factors with political implications would definitely not be taken into consideration," Fung said.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Project Storm
In April 2017, Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai proposed the "Project Storm" strategy to win the majority of the District Council seats for the pro-democrats in the coming election. He stated that by winning a majority of the some 400 District Council seats, the pro-democracy camp could gain an additional 117 seats of the District Council subsectors on the 1,200-member Election Committee which elects the Chief Executive. Tai believed that by making it harder for Beijing to manipulate the Chief Executive election, it would compel Beijing to restart the stalled political reform after its restrictive proposal was voted down in 2015 in the aftermath of the Occupy protests.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Project Storm
Power for Democracy, a group that coordinated different parties and groups in the pro-democracy camp, worked with pro-democrats to identify suitable candidates for all 452 constituencies. The group also held rounds of non-binding primaries to select a candidate if more than one pro-democrat was interested in running in the same constituency. However, the camp still risked doubling up in about 30 constituencies.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Anti-extradition bill protests
In mid 2019, the Carrie Lam administration pushed forward the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 to establish a mechanism that would allow the extradition of fugitives to any territory not covered by existing extradition treaties, including Taiwan, Mainland China and Macau. The proposal's purported purpose was to fill a legal loophole that allowed a Hong Kong suspect involved in a homicide case not to be extradited to Taiwan in 2018.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Anti-extradition bill protests
The proposed bill raised grave concerns from various sectors of society, including lawyers, journalists, businesses, as well as foreign governments, who feared the heightened risk that Hong Kong citizens, dissidents, and foreign nationals passing through the city could be sent for trial without safeguards of the local courts to Mainland Chinese courts under direct political control of the Communist Party.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Anti-extradition bill protests
Starting from June, rounds of demonstrations were attended by hundreds of thousands of people. The government first suspended the bill, and later proposed the withdrawal of the bill in September, which officially took place in October.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Anti-extradition bill protests
The pro-Beijing parties, who were among the strongest advocates of the bill, worried that their support of the controversial bill as well as the abrupt U-turn would cost them votes in the upcoming District Council elections and the next year's Legislative Council election, risking a repeat of their devastating defeat in the 2003 District Council elections following the highly controversial national security legislation, which sparked massive protests across the city in 2003.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Anti-extradition bill protests
There were also reports that the government was looking into the possibility of cancelling polls in areas where serious protests took place, or even postponing the elections altogether by invoking the Emergency Regulations Ordinance. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Lam's government and in particular an indication of the measure of support for the protesters.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Registration drive
Registration drives are uncommon in Hong Kong, but promotion from campaigners led tens of thousands of new voters to register during mass protests against the controversial extradition bill, pouncing on an opportunity to bolster the democratic opposition's prospects in the upcoming elections. Over 386,000 newly registered electors were counted, an election cycle record turnout since the handover of Hong Kong. The number of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 35 jumped by more than 12 per cent compared to 2018.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Registration drive
While the number of registered voters had been increasing steadily, large social movements and demonstrations have a tendency to galvanise registration. In 2004, 303,885 people had registered after half a million people took to the streets to protest against a government-proposed national security law criminalising "sedition", which was based on Article 23 of the Basic Law. In 2015, 262,633 people registered as voters after the 2014 Occupy protests.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Background, Registration drive
According to the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) under the EAC, the number of registered voters in the final registers for 2019 was 4,132,977, a record high since the handover of Hong Kong.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
An unprecedented 1,104 nomination forms were received by returning officers durinh the two-week nomination period from 4 to 17 October, although six nominees withdrew their candidatures before the end of the nomination period. It is the first time in Hong Kong's history that all 452 District Council seats were contested, compared to the previous elections in 2015 where 68 seats were left uncontested.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
At least four candidates, including Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, Mo Kai-hong, Liu Qing of the Democratic Party, and Billy Chan Shiu-yeung of the Community Sha Tin movement received letters from returning officers asking them to explain what they meant when they said "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times", a popular slogan that was frequently used in the anti-extradition protests. Two other hopefuls also received letters asking for their stance on Hong Kong independence, including Demosistō secretary-general Joshua Wong, who planned to run for the South Horizons West constituency. Wong was asked if he was running on behalf of his party Demosistō and if he supported the notion of "self-determination" for Hong Kong. Agnes Chow, a member of Demosistō, was barred from running in the March 2018 Legislative Council by-election on the grounds that Demosistō advocated "self-determination".


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
Henry Wong Pak-yu, who aimed for a seat in the Tin Heng constituency, was also questioned for his previous public pro-independence statements. Both Wongs denied they supported the Hong Kong independence movement. Political scientist Ma Ngok warned that any disqualification would only fuel the flames of the ongoing political crisis.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
In light of the risk of being disqualified, Joshua Wong and at least 12 other pro-democracy candidates, including former student leader Lester Shum and pro-democracy legislator Eddie Chu, arranged for a backup candidate to stand in the same constituency before the nomination period ended, as their candidacy had not yet been confirmed by the Returning Officers. Chu was previously disqualified from running in the January rural representative election by Returning Officer Enoch Yuen Ka-lok, citing his stance of supporting "self-determination".


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
More than ten days after the nomination period, acting Returning Officer Laura Liang Aron, who replaced Dorothy Ma Chau Pui-fun who took indefinite sick leave, barred Joshua Wong from running due to political reasons, making Wong the only pro-democrat to be disqualified due to his political stance in the election.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Nominations and disqualifications
Aron issued a six-page ruling noting that Wong dropped his advocacy of the option of independence as "a compromise, instead of a genuine intention" as Wong referred to Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's remarks on separatism as a "stern threat" and reason for him and Demosistō to give up the advocacy of independence. Wong said the Returning Officer's decision showed that the central government was rigging the election, which was expected to be a key test of public sentiment about the protest movement. Kelvin Lam Ho-por, who stood in the same constituency, was widely believed to be Joshua Wong's substitute in case Wong was barred from running.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, 2 November election rally
Over a hundred pro-democracy candidates launched an election rally at Victoria Park on 2 November, citing the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance which allowed for election meetings to be held in public, following the police rejection of the organisers' initial demonstration application.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, 2 November election rally
Soon after the assembly started, the police quickly declared the rally an unauthorised assembly and dispersed attendees using means such as tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. Three pro-democrat candidates, Osman Cheng Chung-hang, Richard Chan Chun-chit and Man Nim-chi, were seen being taken away by the police. During the operation, officers pepper-sprayed Chan to subdue him, prompting calls from rally-goers for his release.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, 2 November election rally
The protests continued with clashes emerging between the police and protesters, where protesters responded to the police crackdown by throwing petrol bombs, vandalising MTR stations and shops seen as sympathetic to the Beijing government, spraying graffiti on walls and building barricades on streets, and capping the 21st week of anti-government demonstrations.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, Physical attacks on candidates
Both pro-democrat and pro-Beijing candidates were physically attacked in the run-up to the election. In late September, Stanley Ho Wai-hong of the Labour Party, who was running in the Pak Sha Wan constituency, was attacked by four men dressed in white that were carrying metal rods. He suffered severe head injuries and several fractures to both of his hands.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, Physical attacks on candidates
On 16 October, Jimmy Sham, the convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) and the candidate for the Lek Yuen constituency, was hospitalised after being attacked on Arran Street in Mong Kok by at least four men wielding hammers and spanners. Pro -democracy candidates Jocelyn Chau Hui-yan and Jannelle Rosalynne Leung, who were running for the City Garden and Yuet Wah constituencies respectively, were also attacked by pro-Beijing men.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, Physical attacks on candidates
On 3 November, during a protest at Cityplaza, the Democratic Party's Andrew Chiu, defending his Tai Koo Shing West seat, was stabbed by a pro-Beijing Mandarin-speaking male with a knife when he tried to stop a fight after the attacker had already assaulted several people. His left ear was partially bitten off by the attacker, and he was forced to undergo ear re-attachment surgery in hospital, which was ultimately unsuccessful.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Pre-election events, Physical attacks on candidates
On the morning of 6 November, pro-Beijing Legislative Councillor Junius Ho was also stabbed by a man with a knife while campaigning for re-election to the Tuen Mun District Council in his Lok Tsui constituency. The attacker shouted abusive expletives at Ho, accusing him of being involved in the mob attacks in Yuen Long on 21 July. Ho received a stab injury to his chest and was later hospitalised. Ho's assistant and the attacker were also injured by the knife before the attacker was finally arrested.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Fraud allegations, Alleged false claims of allegiance
There were several self-proclaimed pro-democrat candidates who were later found to be members of pro-Beijing groups and organisations, who contested the elections in the hope of snatching votes from legitimate pro-democracy candidates that were endorsed by the pro-democracy camp. For example, in the Tai Pat Tin East constituency, there was a minor candidate named Lau Hin-ming, who was ahead of the Democratic Party and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) candidates. Lau used the "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times" slogan in his electoral messages, but was eventually found to be an member of an executive committee belonging to the Federation of The Youth Power of Kwai Tsing, a sub-group of the pro-Beijing Federation of New Territories Youth.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Fraud allegations, Alleged false claims of allegiance
Some voters were found to have no knowledge about the candidates that they have nominated. For example, in the Lei Cheng Uk constituency, candidate Lam Ho-nam was ahead of Kong Kwai-sang from the pro-democratic Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) and Chan Keng-chau from the pro-Beijing Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA). However, a voter who nominated Lam claimed that he had never actually intended to nominate him. Instead, he signed an endorsement for Chan Keng-chau because he was a member of the Lei Cheng Uk Resident Association, while Chan has been the chairman of the association. Pro -democracy media sources allege that Chan had transferred the nomination to Lam, in the hope of decreasing the votes of Kong Kwai-sang, though no substantial proof was supplemented to this claim.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Fraud allegations, Jinan University's alleged misuse of personal information
Apple Daily reported that they had received complaints from the students of Jinan University, who were requested by academic staff and counsellors to vote for pro-Beijing candidates, with them being promised free transportation if they do so. University staff members were able to locate the constituencies in which the students resided.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Fraud allegations, Alleged illegal transportation for voters
Apple Daily also reported that Wong Yiu-chung, a pro-Beijing candidate from the BPA who was contesting the election for the Wah Lai constituency, had offered free coach rides to voters as an incentive to vote for him. The coaches were adorned with posters of Wong, and potentially constitutes an illegal election-related expense.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Fraud allegations, Alleged illegal transportation for voters
Stand News reported that in the Fu Tai constituency, there were alleged voluntary coach services offered to elderly voters by pro-Beijing parties. Some voters reported the services were offered by Manwell Chan, a pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) candidate, and also stated that they were asked to vote for Chan in exchange for said ride, though no tangible proof could be found to support this claim .


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Results
The elections to the District Councils of Hong Kong were held during the weekend, in which for the first time since the protests begun, no outbreaks of violence were reported. As the District Councils are the only governmental body chosen by full universal suffrage, the election was widely described as a proxy referendum over the protest movement's demands. 2.94 million out of 4.13 million registered voters have turned out to vote, including many first-time voters, representing a record turnout of over 71 per cent. The turnout was significant and some voters waited in line for more than an hour to cast their votes.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Results
More than 250 seats were flipped as the pro-democrats achieved their biggest landslide victory in Hong Kong's history, gaining absolute majority in votes and electoral seats in all of the 18 District Councils of Hong Kong, tripling their number of seats from about 124 to around 388, and have also gained the majority to capture 117 seats in the District Council subsectors of the next Election Committee, which is vested with the power to elect the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The pro-democracy camp's upset victory led to speculation of the validity regarding support of a silent majority of voters.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Results
Parties belonging to the pro-Beijing camp and independents won 62 seats in the District Councils, with a loss of 242 seats. The main pro-Beijing party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) received its largest  defeat in history, losing nearly a hundred seats, while Regina Ip's New People's Party was completely removed from power, losing all of their representation in the District Councils. While DAB chairwoman Starry Lee narrowly managed to fend off her main pro-democracy challenger Leung Kwok-hung, her nine fellow pro-Beijing legislators, Junius Ho, Horace Cheung, Michael Tien, Holden Chow, Lau Kwok-fan, Luk Chung-hung and Alice Mak were ousted by relatively unknown new faces.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Results
Many pro-democrats who actively participated in the protests also scored victories. Jimmy Sham, the convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised June's million-strong peaceful marches, won a seat in Lek Yuen. Andrew Chiu of the Democratic Party, was re-elected in Tai Koo Shing West, while Jocelyn Chau, aged 23, who was also arrested on the campaign trail, defeated long-time pro-Beijing incumbent Hui Ching-on in City Garden. Richard Chan, dubbed as "airport uncle" by the press, who was pepper-sprayed in the face by riot police during the election rally held on 2 November and later arrested while campaigning, won his seat in the Lam Tsuen Valley constituency in Tai Po.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Results
Other prominent pro-democratic activists, including Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, a former student leader who was among the nine Occupy activists convicted for public nuisance earlier this year for his part in the 2014 Umbrella Revolution, defeated incumbent Wilson Wong Wai-shun, who was seen with the attackers in Yuen Lung during the mob attack on 21 July. Another former student leader Lester Shum, known for his involvements in the Umbrella Revolution, won in the Hoi Bun constituency in Tsuen Wan. Kelvin Lam, Joshua Wong's last-minute substitute after he was barred from running, won a seat in South Horizons West.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Aftermath
Following the publication of the election results, DAB chairwoman Starry Lee submitted her resignation in light of the election results, but her resignation offer was rejected by the DAB's Central Committee, which stated they wanted Lee to stay and lead the party forward to face the coming challenges ahead of them. HKFTU legislator Alice Mak, who was unseated in her Wai Ying constituency, insisted that their electoral hammering was not their fault, instead blaming the "overall political environment". FTU president Ng Chau-pei addressed the results by insisting the election was not a referendum on the government's strategy of "stopping violence".


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Aftermath
Chinese state media outlets tried to downplay the outcome of district elections in Hong Kong, which saw a landslide victory of the pro-democracy camp. According to BBC, the state media's reaction ranged from making no reference whatsoever to the election results to overt claims that "electoral tampering" had occurred. The daily news program of state broadcaster CCTV, Xinwen Lianbo, remained silent on the results, accusing the US of electoral interference. The English-language version of the China Daily newspaper announced that the elections were over, but did not reference the victory of the pro-democracy camp.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Aftermath
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that her government would "listen humbly" and "seriously reflect" on views expressed at the election and would set up an independent review committee to look at cause of social unrest, modelling on Britain's response to the 2011 Tottenham riots. To some, this fell short of the protesters' demand on an independent commission of inquiry. Shortly after the election, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act which was previously passed overwhelmingly in the United States Congress into law.


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Aftermath
In a joint statement by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the co-sponsor of the bill, Jim Risch, Ben Cardin and Bob Menendez, it states that "following last weekend's historic elections in Hong Kong that included record turnout, this new law could not be more timely in showing strong US support for Hong Kongers' long-cherished freedoms."


2019 Hong Kong local elections, Aftermath
The State Council's removal, on 4 January 2020, of Wang Zhimin from his post as Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong was widely seen as a response to his failure to advise the central government accurately about the vulnerability of pro-Beijing candidates at the election.


2019 Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup XXXI was the 31st and final edition of the Hopman Cup tournament between nations in men's and women's tennis that took place at the Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia.


2019 Hopman Cup
On 26 June 2018, the defending Swiss team of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic and 2018 finalist German team of Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber were announced as the first teams for the 2019 tournament. On 15 August 2018, the teams of Greece and Spain were announced.


2019 Hopman Cup
For the first time in history, Roger Federer and Serena Williams faced each other in a competitive event. Federer came out victorious alongside Bencic in the mixed doubles rubber. This match also attracted a Perth Arena record tennis crowd of 14,064, which was the highest attendance for a tennis match in Western Australian history.


2019 Hopman Cup
Switzerland successfully defended their title, beating Germany in a repeat of the previous year's final. This was Federer's 3rd Hopman Cup title, the most by any player, male or female.


2019 Hopman Cup, Entrants, Seeds
The draw took place on 3 October 2018 and it placed the 8 teams into two groups, according to the following ranking-based seedings:


2019 Hopman Cup, Group stage, Group A, Spain vs. France
American Whitney Osuigwe played instead of Garbiñe Muguruza due to her withdrawal due to injury. Scores counted as a 4–0, 4–0 win for the French mixed pair.


2019 Horizon League Baseball Tournament
The 2019 Horizon League Baseball Tournament was held from May 22–25. All six of the league's teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at the home field of the regular season champion. The winner of the tournament, UIC, earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2019 Horizon League Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The league's teams were seeded one through six based on winning percentage, using conference games only. The bottom four seeds participated in a play-in round, with winners advancing to a double-elimination tournament also including the top two seeds.


2019 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2019 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament (also known as Motor City Madness) was the final event of the 2018–19 men's basketball season of the Horizon League. It began on March 5, 2019 and ended on March 12; first-round games were played at the home courts of the top four teams in regular-season league play, with all remaining games at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.


2019 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
Northern Kentucky, which shared the regular-season conference title with Wright State, won the tournament and thus received the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.


2019 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top 8 teams participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded by record within the conference, with the following tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records:


2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament was the 32nd edition of the tournament. The tournament decided the Horizon League champion and guaranteed representative into the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. The tournament began on November 11 and concluded on November 16, 2019.


2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament
Wright State won their first Horizon League championship, defeating Milwaukee 4–3 in penalty kicks after a 1–1 draw in regulation time and extra time. It was Wright State's first ever Horizon League tournament championship. Three-time defending champions, UIC, were eliminated in the semifinals by Milwaukee. Wright State second year head coach, Jake Slemker, won his first title with the Raiders.


2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament
Joel Sundell of Wright State won the Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player.


2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament
With the victory, Wright State earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which marked Wright State's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. In the opening round, Wright State upset Notre Dame 3–2 in the first round, before losing on penalty kicks to Michigan in the second round.


2019 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament, All-Tournament Team
Following the championship game, the Horizon League All-Tournament Team was announced.


2019 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2019 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament (also known as Motor City Madness) was the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Horizon League. It was held March 5 through March 12, 2019. Wright State defeated Green Bay in the finals to earn the conference's automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA Women's Tournament.


2019 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top 8 teams participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.


2019 Horizon League Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2019 Horizon League Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Horizon League. It was held from November 4 through November 9, 2018. The quarterfinals of the tournament were held at campus sites, while semifinals and final took place at Engelmann Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The six team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Milwaukee Panthers were the defending champions, and they successfully defended their title by beating the UIC Flames 2–0 in the final. This was the twelfth overall title for Milwaukee and second for head coach Troy Fabiano.


2019 Horizon League Women's Soccer Tournament, Bracket
Semifinal matchups were determined by the results of the quarterfinals. The #1 seed would play the lowest-remaining seed, while the #2 seed would play the other quarterfinal winner.


2019 Horsham District Council election
The 2019 Horsham District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Horsham District Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections. Every seat was contested and the Conservatives retained control of the council with a majority of 8.


2019 Horsham District Council election, Council Composition
Prior to the election, the composition of the council was:


2019 Horsham District Council election, By-election results 2019 - 2023
A by-election was called in Trafalgar ward due to the retirement of Leonard Crosbie on September 3, 2020. The Horsham & Crawley Liberal Democrats confirmed his death on 11 September 2020.


2019 Horsham District Council election, By-election results 2019 - 2023
A by-election was called in Forest ward due to the retirement of Godfrey Newman on August 11, 2021. The by-election is due to be held on Thursday 21 October


2019 Hougang United FC season
The 2019 season is Hougang United's 22nd consecutive season in the top flight of Singapore football and in the S.League. Along with the S.League, the club will also compete in the Singapore Cup.


2019 Hougang United FC season, Transfers, Pre-season transfers, ln
Note 1: Fazrul Nawaz returned to the team after the loan and subsequently complete the transfer.


2019 Hougang United FC season, Transfers, Pre-season transfers, ln
Note 2: Ariyan Shamsuddin returned to the team after being loaned to Garena Young Lions in 2018. However, he was released for the season.


2019 Hougang United FC season, Transfers, Pre-season transfers, ln
Note 3: Rafael Ramazotti was initially signed but left the club without paying off compensation to sign for Mexican club.


2019 Hougang United FC season, Transfers, Pre-season transfers, Promoted
Note 1: Idraki Adnan was signed to the 2019 season but subsequently released.


2019 Hougang United FC season, Team statistics, Appearances and goals
Note 1: Zulfahmi Arifin scored an own goal against Tampines Rovers on 3/3/2019.


2019 Houston Astros season
The 2019 Houston Astros season was the 58th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 55th as the Astros, seventh in both the American League (AL) and AL West division, and 20th at Minute Maid Park.


2019 Houston Astros season
The Houston Astros announced after last season that their weekly night games will air on KTRH 740.


2019 Houston Astros season
On September 18, the Astros clinched a postseason berth against the Texas Rangers and became the first team since the 2002–2004 New York Yankees to have three consecutive 100-win seasons, having done so in 2017 and 2018 as well. On September 22, the Astros clinched their third straight AL West title. For the first time in franchise history, the Astros finished the season with the best record in baseball and defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series by a margin of three games to two.


2019 Houston Astros season
They then defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) by a margin of four games to two, winning the pennant and a trip to the World Series for the second time in three years. However, they were defeated by the Washington Nationals in seven games in the World Series.


2019 Houston Astros season
Despite the World Series upset, this Astros team is still considered to have put together one of the best regular seasons, and most talented rosters, in the history of baseball, owing largely to its historic 107-win campaign, lion's share of season-end accolades, and record-breaking individual stats.


2019 Houston Astros season
Following the season, the Astros led the league with a record six players selected to 2019's inaugural All-MLB Team. Earlier in the year, they also once again sent six players (a franchise record four of whom were starters) to the 2019 All-Star Game, the most from any team in baseball. When including All-Star ace Zack Greinke, who was traded from Arizona to Houston at the July trade deadline, this iteration of the Astros had an eye-popping total of seven 2019 All-Stars on its postseason squad, among the most in baseball history.


2019 Houston Astros season
Justin Verlander, having lead the MLB in wins, went on to clinch his second American League Cy Young Award after an all-time historically dominant season alongside strikeout and ERA leader Gerrit Cole. Yordan Alvarez also won Rookie of the Year after a history-making season, while Alex Bregman finished as a runner-up for the AL MVP.


2019 Houston Astros season
This was the Astros' final season with A. J. Hinch as manager and Jeff Luhnow as general manager; both were fired in January 2020 after MLB investigators confirmed that the team had used electronics to steal opponents’ signs back in the 2017 regular season.


2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team
The 2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represents Houston Baptist University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Huskies are led by seventh-year head coach Vic Shealy. They play their home games at Husky Stadium and are members of the Southland Conference.


2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team, Previous season
The Huskies finished the 2018 season 1–10, 0–9 in Southland play to finish in last place.


2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team, Preseason, Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 18, 2019. The Huskies were picked to finish in eleventh place.


2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team, Preseason, Preseason All–Southland Teams
The Huskies placed three players on the preseason all–Southland teams.


2019 Houston Cougars football team
The 2019 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth-place in the West Division.


2019 Houston Cougars football team, Previous season
The Cougars finished the 2018 season 8–5, 5–3 in AAC play to finish in a three-way tie for the West Division championship. After tiebreakers, they did not represent the West Division in the AAC Championship Game. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they lost to Army by a score of 14–70, in the process tying records for the most points given up (70) and the largest margin-of-loss (56) in NCAA bowl game history. On December 30, Houston fired Major Applewhite after two seasons.


2019 Houston Cougars football team, Preseason, AAC media poll
The AAC media poll was released on July 16, 2019, with the Cougars predicted to finish second in the AAC West Division.


2019 Houston Cougars football team, Preseason, Preseason All-AAC teams
Houston placed six players to the All-AAC team, sanctioned by Athlon Sports.


2019 Houston Cougars football team, Game summaries, at Tulsa
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium, Tulsa, OK


2019 Houston Dash season
The 2019 Houston Dash season is the team's sixth season as an American professional women's soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League. James Clarkson was appointed head coach on December 11, 2018 after Vera Pauw departed the team after only one season.


2019 Houston Dash season, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2019 Houston Dynamo season
The 2019 Houston Dynamo season is the club's 14th season of existence since joining Major League Soccer in the 2006 season. The Dynamo missed the playoffs in 2018, but they did win the 2018 US Open Cup, the first in club history. The Open Cup victory also qualified the Dynamo for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. It is the Dynamo's third year with Wilmer Cabrera as Head coach and fifth season under General Manager Matt Jordan. On the front office end, it is Gabriel Brener's fourth season as majority owner. On November 1, 2018, John Walker was announced as the new President of Business Operations, replacing Chris Canetti who stepped down on October 26. On July 18, NBA and Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden became a minority owner in the Dynamo


2019 Houston Dynamo season
The Dynamo got off to their best start in club history, winning 6 and drawing 1 in their first 8 league matches. However, Houston would lose form as the season progressed.


2019 Houston Dynamo season
The Dynamo were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter finals to Tigres and fell to Minnesota United at home in the Round of 16 for the US Open Cup, After a 14 game stretch that saw the Dynamo only get 2 wins and 1 draw that included 4-0 and 5-0 defeats to the Portland Timbers and Atlanta United respectively, the Dynamo had fallen down to 9th place in the Western Conference. On August 13th, Cabrera was fired as head coach. Assistant coach Davy Arnaud was promoted to interim head coach.


2019 Houston Dynamo season
Arnaud and the newly acquired Christian Ramirez were able to improve the Dynamo's performances at the end of the season, but not enough to lead them into the playoffs. Houston missed the playoffs for the 5th time in 6 years and team captain DaMarcus Beasley retired at the end of the season.


2019 Houston Dynamo season, Current squad
Appearances and goals are totals for MLS regular season only. Age and stats are up to the end of the season.


2019 Houston Dynamo season, Player movement, In
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.


2019 Houston Dynamo season, Competitive, U.S. Open Cup
As a member of MLS, the Dynamo will enter the competition at the fourth round, scheduled to be played on June 11, 2019.


2019 Houston Outlaws season
The 2019 Houston Outlaws season was the second season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL) and their second under head coach Tae-yeong Kim. After finishing 22–18 the previous season, the Outlaws were looking to improve on their record and qualify for the season playoffs for the first time.


2019 Houston Outlaws season
The Outlaws began the season winning three of their matches in Stage 1. The stage was capped off by a 1–3 loss to the Atlanta Reign that prevented Houston from qualifying for the Stage 1 Playoffs. Houston performed poorly in Stage 2, as the team did not claim a single victory in their seven matches of the stage. After the All-Star break, the Outlaws hit their stride, posting a 5–2 record in Stage 3 and qualifying for the Stage 3 Playoffs. However, lost to the Vancouver Titans 0–3 in the quarterfinals. A 1–3 loss to the London Spitfire in Week 3 of Stage 4 officially eliminated the Outlaws from season playoff contention. Houston ended the season on a 5-game losing streak to finish the season with a disappointing 9–19 record.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Preceding offseason, Player re-signings
From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the 2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Outlaws elected to release three of its players, Russell "FCTFCTN" Campbell, Lucas "Mendokusaii" Håkansson, and Matthew "Clockwork" Dias; Mendokusaii and Clockwork were moved to non-player roles with the team.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Preceding offseason, Free agency
All non-expansion teams could not enter the free agency period until October 8; they were able to sign members from their respective academy team and make trades until then. On September 18, Outlaws traded GG Esports Academy player Yoo "Smurf" Myeong-hwan to San Francisco Shock in exchange for Dante "Danteh" Cruz.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 1
The Outlaws opened their 2019 season with a match against the new expansion franchise Toronto Defiant on February 15. Despite taking the first two maps, Toronto was able to grab the second two to force a fifth tiebreaker map on Busan; the Defiant won that map as well – completing a reverse sweep – as the Outlaws lost 2–3. Two days later, Houston faced the Boston Uprising. Similarly to their previous match, the series was tied up after four maps and went to a fifth tiebreaker map on Ilios.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 1
Houston was, again, unable to pull out a win, as they went on to lose by a 2–3 scoreline for the second game in a row. For their second week of play, Houston first faced the Hangzhou Spark on February 23. Although the Outlaws were favored to lose the match, they took the first three maps of the match en route to a 3–1 victory, marking their first win of the 2019 season. The following day, the Outlaws took on the 2018 regular season juggernauts New York Excelsior. Through the first three maps, Houston failed to claim a single point on any of the maps and only grabbed a single tick on the fourth, as the team was swept 0–4.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 1
In their only match of week three, Houston faced the Florida Mayhem. Supported by strong performances by Jake "Jake" Lyon and Dante "Danteh" Cruz, the Outlaws took the first three maps and dropped the fourth to claim a 3–1 victory. The team only had one match in week four, as well, in a match against the winless Los Angeles Valiant. With the match tied up 1–1 after three maps, Houston was able to full-hold the Valiant on map four Route 66 to win the match 2–1.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 1
Houston's last match of the stage was a must-win game against the Atlanta Reign to keep their Stage 1 Playoff hopes alive. After dropping map one Ilios and taking map two King's Row, the Outlaws were full-held on the third map Horizon Lunar Colony. Needing to win the fourth map Rialto to bring the match into a tiebreaker map, Houston failed to stop Atlanta's push from completing the map and were unable to complete it themselves, as Houston lost 1–3, eliminating them from playoff contention and ending the stage with a 3–4 record.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 2
Houston's first match of Stage 2 was in week two against the Stage 1 champions Vancouver Titans on April 13. The Outlaws took the first map without letting the Titans take a single round, highlighted by a strong performance from Jiri "LiNkzr" Masalin on Soldier: 76. However, they were only able to take a single point in the next three maps combined, causing Houston to lose the match by a 1–3 scoreline. The team next faced the Philadelphia Fusion on April 19.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 2
Despite solid individual performances from the Outlaws' players, the team play was not as coordinated as that of the Fusion. Unable to claim a single map, Houston was swept 0–4 in the match. Two days later, Houston took on the Shanghai Dragons. LiNkzr, again, performed well in the match, along with his teammate Austin "Muma" Wilmot, but the Outlaws were unable to win a single point in any map until the fourth map, which they still lost. With a 0–3 loss against the Dragons, Houston did not win a single map in week three.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 2
For week four, Houston traveled to the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas for the Dallas Fuel Homestand Weekend. Their first match of the weekend was against the Seoul Dynasty on April 27. Houston showed an overall better ultimate economy than in their previous few weeks of play but was unable to convert that into a map win, as they were swept 0–4. Their next match, a day later, was against their in-state rivals Dallas Fuel. Houston, who had never lost to Dallas, split the first two maps 1–1 going into halftime.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 2
The Outlaws were unable to win the following two maps, however, and lost the match 1–3. Looking for a win going into their final week of Stage 2, Houston first took on the Guangzhou Charge on May 2. The Outlaws dropped the first two maps to quickly go down 0–2 in the match, but after halftime, they were able to pick up wins on King's Row and Rialto to tie the match 2–2.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 2
Houston had not won a 5-map match in the 2019 season, and that trend would continue against the Charge, as they were not able to secure a win on Busan to lose the match 2–3. The Outlaws' final match of Stage 2 was against the London Spitfire two days later. Houston was swept 0–4 by London, and ended the stage with a winless 0–7 record.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 3
The Outlaws faced the New York Excelsior in their first match of Stage 3. Houston was able to take the first map off New York, but the Excelsior managed to grab the second, tying the match up 1–1 going into halftime. Coming out of halftime, the third map was won by the Outlaws, while the Excelsior won the fourth, bringing the match went to a fifth tiebreaker map. Houston ultimately lost the fifth map, losing the match 2–3. A week later, the team faced the Stage 2 champions San Francisco Shock in a match Houston was heavily favored to lose.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 3
Like their match against New York a week prior, the game went to a fifth tiebreaker map; however, unlike their last game, Houston took down San Francisco and won the match 3–2. The win snapped both Houston's eight-game losing streak San Francisco's eleven-game winning streak. The team carried that success over into their next match, as they were able to sweep the Boston Uprising 4–0.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 3
For their first match of week three, Houston took on the Paris Eternal. After going up 2–0 in the first half of the match, Houston was run over by Paris in map three. However, the Outlaws took map four to win the match by a 3–1 score, giving the team their first three-game winning streak of the season. Houston's next match was three days later against the struggling Florida Mayhem, who were on a 15-game losing streak.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 3
After taking the first map, the Outlaws were edged out by the Mayhem in the next three consecutive maps, going on to lose the match 1–3. The team looked to bounce back from their loss in their final two matches of the stage. The Outlaws first took on the Washington Justice on June 28. After winning the first map and tying on the second, the Outlaws won the final two to take the match by a 3–0 scoreline. Two days later, they faced the Toronto Defiant in their final match of the stage; the Outlaws took the match by a score of 3–1. The Outlaws, who had a winless Stage 2, finished Stage 3 with a 5–2 record and secured a spot in the Stage 3 Playoffs.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 3
The Outlaws faced the second-seeded Vancouver Titans in the Stage 3 Quarterfinals on July 11. The series opened on Ilios; the Outlaws consistently lost team fights, even when they had a player advantage, as they lost the map to go down 0–1. The second and third maps, Eichenwalde and Volskaya Industries, saw similar results. The Titans created solid defenses, and despite solid Widowmaker play from LiNkzr, Houston was unable to win either two, losing the match 0–3.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 4
The Outlaws' first match of Stage 4, along with the first match with an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the League, was against the Paris Eternal on July 25. Although Houston took the first map Busan convincingly, they were unable to take the following three and lost the match 1–3. Two days later, the team took on the Los Angeles Gladiators. Behind stellar performances from Dante "Danteh" Cruz and Alexandre "SPREE" Vanhomwegen, the Outlaws took down the Gladiators by a 3–1 score.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 4
Houston took on the Philadelphia Fusion in their first match of week two on August 2. Going into map four Havana, Houston was down 1–2. Both teams finished the map in overtime but Philadelphia was able to complete the map in their overtime round, leading to a 1–3 loss for the Outlaws. Two days later, Houston faced the Atlanta Reign. The Outlaws were unable to contain Atlanda DPS Jun "Erster" Jeong throughout the match, as the Outlaws did not win a point on Lijiang Tower and were full-held on Blizzard World. Despite losing most of the match, Houston did not play Matt "coolmatt" Iorio or Jacob "JAKE" Lyon, as the team went on to a 1–3 loss.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Regular season, Stage 4
The team next faced the London Spitfire on August 10. Houston was dominated on the first map Lijiang Tower and narrowly lost the second map Volskaya Industries. Down 0–2, Houston needed a win on King's Row, the third map, but ultimately lost; after taking map four, Houston lost the match 1–3. The loss eliminated the Outlaws from season playoff contention. Now playing for pride, the Outlaws took on the red-hot Washington Justice the following day. Houston was still playing without JAKE, but managed to take the match to a fifth tiebreaker map. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, they were unable to take map five and lost the match 2–3. The team's final match of the season was against the Chengdu Hunters on August 17. The Outlaws could not pull out a win after the match went to a fifth tiebreaker map, falling 2–3.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Sale of the franchise
On June 12, Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), the parent company of Immortals and Los Angeles Valiant, acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming, marking the first major sale of any Overwatch League franchise. By OWL rules, one company may not own more than one OWL franchise. Both Riot Games and Activision Blizzard approved the sale, but IGC must operate Valiant and Outlaws as entirely separate entities, with oversight by OWL representatives, until IGC sell the Outlaws.


2019 Houston Outlaws season, Awards
On May 8, Dante "Danteh" Cruz was named as a reserve for the 2019 Overwatch League All-Star Game.


2019 Houston Texans season
The 2019 season was the Houston Texans' 18th in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth under head coach Bill O'Brien. It also marked the first full season without the ownership of Bob McNair, who died during the 2018 season. It was, however, the first season of full ownership of both Janice McNair and D. Cal McNair. For the first time in franchise history, the team played in London, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On June 7, 2019, the Texans fired general manager Brian Gaine after only one season.


2019 Houston Texans season
The Texans attempted to match their 11–5 record from 2018 despite trading defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks for a 3rd round pick and two players. However, they lost their third straight season opener to the New Orleans Saints. Their first win came in Week 2 against the Jaguars. With a Week 16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Texans clinched the AFC South for the fourth time in five seasons and their sixth overall division title. With the victory, the Texans also clinched their second 10-win season under O'Brien even though they failed to match their 11–5 record from last year.


2019 Houston Texans season
They defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round 22–19 in overtime despite falling behind 16–0. However, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round 51–31 after giving up an early 24–0 lead.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason
The Texans' preseason schedule was announced on April 9. Exact dates and times were finalized on April 23.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason, Game summaries, Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
In the first preseason game of the 2019 season, the Texans had trouble holding on to the ball and committed four turnovers. Keke Coutee fumbled the ball on a muffed punt that was recovered in the end zone by Equanimeous St. Brown for a Packers' touchdown. Taiwan Jones also fumbled and lost the ball while Joe Webb threw two interceptions. Despite the turnovers, Houston out-gained Green Bay in total yards 412 vs. 237. After being down 18 points, the Texans rallied in the 4th quarter but the comeback fell short, losing to the Packers by 2.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions
The Texans received the opening kickoff, with their first team offense marching down the field with the drive ending with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to DeAndre Hopkins. Watson finished the game 5/7 for 60 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Ta'amu also saw some play at quarterback, finishing 1/1 for 3 yards. Joe Webb was in as Houston's quarterback for most of the game, looking improved from the previous pre-season game. The Texans' offense committed less turnovers, with the only turnovers being a Webb interception and a fumble by wide receiver Steven Mitchell.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
Running back Lamar Miller was injured on the second play of the game, tearing both his ACL and MCL. The Texans' offensive line struggled all game, giving up 8 sacks for a loss of 38 yards. Deshaun Watson only saw brief playing time, fumbling the ball after being sacked by Taco Charlton; Watson would not re-enter the game after the fumble and did not attempt any passes. Joe Webb saw most of the quarterback play for Houston, throwing two interceptions and being sacked 4 times for a loss of 18 yards.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
Rookie free agent quarterback Jordan Ta'amu also saw play, completing 2 passes out of 5 attempts for 26 yards with no turnovers. Ta'amu was also sacked 3 times for a loss of 14 yards. The Texans only had 135 total yards with 4 turnovers while the Cowboys had 362 yards with no turnovers.


2019 Houston Texans season, Preseason, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Two days after the game it was announced that the Texans had traded star defensive player Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks. The Texans received defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin along with a 2020 third-round draft pick. Clowney was franchise tagged in March as a linebacker, but refused to sign the tag as he thought he should tagged a defensive end. Houston tried trading Clowney to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the week, but since Clowney had not signed his tag he had final say on where he would be traded to.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at New Orleans Saints
The Texans' offense started off slow, only gaining 15 total yards on their first two drives. On the Saints' second drive, Drew Brees was intercepted in the red zone by Whitney Mercilus at the Houston 4-yard line, returning it for 2 yards. On the first play following the turnover, Deshaun Watson threw a 54-yard pass to Will Fuller; the drive ended with a 21-yard touchdown run from Watson. The Texans took a one-point lead with 37 seconds left in the game, only for the Saints to drive downfield and kick a 58-yard field goal to win the game.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at New Orleans Saints
The Texans started 0–1, losing their third straight season opener. It was also the second straight road game that they had lost on a last-second field goal, after their Week 16 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Texans were leading 13–6 in the second half before the Jags scored a touchdown. However, the Jags failed on their two-point conversion attempt, which led the Texans to their first win of the season.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Los Angeles Chargers
During the third quarter, quarterback Deshaun Watson made the 50th touchdown pass of his career on a 15-yarder to tight end Jordan Akins.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta's defense struggled to contain Houston's offense, giving up 592 yards. Deshaun Watson passed for 426 yards with five touchdowns, only five incompletions, and no interceptions for a perfect passer rating.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Kansas City Chiefs
This was assistant head coach Romeo Crennel's first visit to Kansas City in 7 years, where he served as their interim head coach for the final 3 Weeks of the 2011 season, most notably ending the Green Bay Packers' hopes of a perfect season that year, and was the Chiefs' head coach during the 2012 season.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. New England Patriots
This was the Texans' first win over New England in a decade.


2019 Houston Texans season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans
With the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the afternoon, the Texans were locked in at the 4th seed for the playoffs. Houston rested several offensive and defensive starters with A. J. McCarron starting at quarterback, his first start since 2015 when he played for the Cincinnati Bengals.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
Houston rallied back from a 16–0 3rd quarter deficit – having been held to 62 total yards in the first half – to win with 3:20 remaining in overtime on Ka'imi Fairbairn's 28-yard field goal, for Buffalo's 6th consecutive playoff loss since their last win in December 1995.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
On the opening drive of the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen rushed for 42 yards – the Bills' longest rush of the season – and then caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from receiver John Brown on a trick play to put Buffalo up 7–0. In the second quarter, Devin Singletary rushed for an 18-yard gain and Allen completed a 28-yard pass to Brown as the team drove 69 yards in 11 plays to go up 10–0 on Stephen Hauschka's 40-yard field goal. Then after a punt, Buffalo drove 74 yards in 15 plays to score on a second 40-yard field goal from Hauschka, giving them a 13–0 lead at half-time.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
Five minutes into the third quarter, Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins fumbled the ball while being tackled by Tre'Davious White, and Tremaine Edmunds recovered it on the Texans' 38-yard line. Buffalo then drove to the 12-yard line, but ended up settling for Hauschka's third field goal after Allen was sacked on third down by J. J. Watt, giving them a 16–0 lead. This time, Houston managed to respond, moving the ball 75 yards in 9 plays and scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run from quarterback Deshaun Watson; Watson also scored the ensuing 2-point conversion to make the score 16–8. On the Bills' ensuing drive, linebacker Whitney Mercilus forced a fumble while sacking Allen, which Jacob Martin recovered for the Texans at midfield with 14:18 remaining. Watson then completed a 20-yard pass to Kenny Stills that set up Fairbairn's 41-yard field goal, cutting the score to 16–11.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
After Buffalo punted on their next drive, Watson completed a 41-yard pass – on the drive's second play – to Hopkins on the Buffalo 28-yard line, and later connected with tight end Darren Fells for 14 yards to bring up first and goal from the 1-yard line. Running back Carlos Hyde fumbled a pitch from Watson and was forced out of bounds for a 4-yard loss, before catching a 5-yard touchdown pass from Watson on the next play. Hopkins caught Watson's pass for a 2-point conversion, giving Houston their first lead at 19–16 with 4:42 remaining.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
Buffalo started out their next drive with a 38-yard completion from Allen to Singletary, and soon found themselves with a first down on the Texans' 25-yard line. After an incompletion, Frank Gore was dropped by Mike Adams for a 3-yard loss and then Allen was flagged for intentional grounding, pushing the team all the way back to the 42-yard line. Allen was sacked for a 19-yard loss by Martin on 4th-and-27, with a turnover on downs putting the Texans at Buffalo's 39-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
The Bills' defense managed to pin the Texans down, with Watson being stopped short by Star Lotulelei on 4th-and-1. Gaining the ball with 1:16 left, Allen led Buffalo 41 yards in 11 plays, including a 20-yard run by Allen, to score on Hauschka's 47-yard field goal, sending the game to overtime at 19–19.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
After both teams punted on their first drive of overtime – Buffalo having punted after a penalty pushed the team out of field goal range – Houston drove 73 yards in 9 plays for the game-winning score; the key play of the drive was an 18-yard completion from Watson to running back Duke Johnson on 3rd-and-18 from the Texans' 19-yard line. Then Watson rushed for 5 yards, Stills caught a pass for 10 yards, and Hyde rushed 4 yards to the Bills' 44-yard line. On the next play, Watson evaded a sack attempt by two Buffalo defenders and fired a short pass to reserve running back Taiwan Jones, who took off for a 34-yard gain to Buffalo's 10-yard line. Fairbairn then kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Houston the victory.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Buffalo Bills
The Texans were the only home team to win during the Wild Card round.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
After falling behind 24–0, Kansas City suddenly buried the Texans with an NFL playoff record 7 consecutive touchdowns and a field goal over their next eight drives, starting with a shocking 28-point second quarter.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
On the opening possession, Houston mounted a six-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in Deshaun Watson’s 54-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills on 3rd-and-1, giving the Texans an early 7–0 lead. The Chiefs then went three-and-out on their first drive, with tight end Travis Kelce dropping a potential first down pass on third down. Dustin Colquitt’s ensuing punt was blocked by Barkevious Mingo and recovered by Lonnie Johnson Jr., who returned it 10 yards for a touchdown that put the Texans up 14–0 less than five minutes into the game.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
After both teams punted on their next drives, Chiefs returner Tyreek Hill muffed the ball inside his own 10-yard line which was recovered by Keion Crossen for Houston. Two plays later, Watson found tight end Darren Fells in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown and a 21–0 lead late in the first quarter.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
The next time Houston got the ball, they drove 48 yards in 9 plays to a 4th and inches on the Chiefs 13-yard line. Rather than risk a conversion, the Texans settled for Ka'imi Fairbairn's 31-yard field goal to go up by 24 four minutes into the second quarter. However, this would be the extent of their success, as they went on to be outscored 51-7 for the rest of the game. First, Mecole Hardman returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to Houston's 42-yard line.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes then threw a 25-yard pass to Kelce to get in the red zone before hitting running back Damien Williams for a 17-yard touchdown. After Houston went three-and-out on their next drive, they attempted a fake punt on 4th and 4 with a direct snap to Justin Reid who was tackled by Daniel Sorensen two yards short, giving Kansas City the ball at the Texans 33. Johnson was then called for pass interference to put the ball at the five before Mahomes hit Kelce in the end zone to cut the deficit to 10.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
On the ensuing kickoff, DeAndre Carter fumbled the ball due to a hit by Sorenson, and it went right into the arms of Kansas City's Darwin Thompson, who returned it to the Houston 6. Mahomes then threw his third touchdown pass in less than four minutes, and his second to Kelce, to make the score 24–21.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Taking possession at their own 10 with 2:47 left in the quarter, the Chiefs went on a 90-yard drive that included another pass interference on Johnson, while Mahomes rushed twice for 35 yards and completed a pair of 20-yard passes to Hill and Kelce. Finally, with 44 seconds left in the half, Mahomes threw another five-yard touchdown to Kelce to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 28–24. Mahomes’ four touchdown passes in the second quarter tied an NFL postseason record set by Doug Williams in Super Bowl XXII. Fairbairn missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired in the half as the Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to fall behind by as many as 20 points in the first half but still lead at halftime.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs would extend their lead on the opening possession of the third quarter, going 85 yards in 7 plays, the longest a 48-yard catch by Sammy Watkins. Williams ran the ball in from the goal-line, increasing their lead to 34-24 after Harrison Butker missed the extra point. After forcing another Texans punt, the Chiefs took advantage of another pass interference penalty against Houston and a 28-yard completion from Mahomes to Kelce, scoring on their sixth straight possession with another Williams touchdown run to give them a 41–24 lead with 4:39 left in the quarter. Houston finally snapped Kansas City's 41-point run when Watson completed 4 passes for 80 yards and finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, making the score 41–31 with 24 seconds left in the third quarter.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City would make it seven touchdowns in a row, setting a new postseason record, on a drive that included a 23-yard pass to Kelce and a 28-yard completion to Watkins, putting the ball at the Houston 8. Mahomes then found Blake Bell in the end zone, making the score 48–31. On Houston's next drive, they turned the ball over on downs at the Chiefs 42. A pair runs by Williams for gains of 11 and 26 yard to set up Butker's 24-yard field goal with 8:06 left to put Kansas City up by 20. Houston then turned the ball over on downs on their final two possessions, the last coming when Frank Clark sacked Watson for a 17-yard loss on 4th-and-8 from the Kansas City 8-yard line.


2019 Houston Texans season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes finished the game 23/35 for 321 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. He was also the leading rusher with 53 yards on seven carries. Kelce had 10 catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns, tying a Super Bowl-era postseason record. Hardman had 6 kickoff returns for 142 yards. Williams rushed for 47 yards, caught 2 passes for 21 yards, and scored 3 touchdowns. Watson threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns, while DeAndre Hopkins had 118 yards on nine catches. Kansas City's 24-point comeback was the fourth largest in postseason history, and they would go on to win Super Bowl LIV. The Texans became the first team in NFL postseason history to lose by 20 or more points after leading by 20 or more points.


2019 Houston mayoral election
The 2019 Houston mayoral election was decided by a runoff that took place on December 14, 2019 to elect the Mayor of Houston. Incumbent mayor Sylvester Turner defeated attorney Tony Buzbee in the runoff by 56.04% to 43.96%. No candidate won a majority of the vote during the general election on November 5, 2019 where Turner received 46% of the vote and Buzbee received 29%.


2019 Houston mayoral election, Declared candidates
The following candidates have announced their candidacies for the 2019 Houston mayoral election:


2019 Houston mayoral election, Declared candidates, Candidates, Challengers
In September 2019, it was announced that 11 other names will appear on the ballot.


2019 Houston mayoral election, Election results
Held November 5, 2019 -- 50% needed to avoid runoff


2019 Howard Bison football team
The 2019 Howard Bison football team represented Howard University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bison played their home games at William H. Greene Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Bison were led by first-year head coach Ron Prince until he was placed on administrative leave prior to the team's November 9 game, with director of football operations Aaron Kelton named as interim head coach. They finished the season 2–10, 2–6 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for seventh place.


2019 Howard Bison football team, Preseason, MEAC poll
In the MEAC preseason poll released on July 26, 2019, the Bison were predicted to finish in fourth place.


2019 Howard Bison football team, Preseason, Preseason All–MEAC teams
The Bison had nine different players selected to the preseason all-MEAC teams.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse
On 22 April 2019, a landslide triggered the collapse of a jade mine near Maw Wun Kalay, Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar, trapping at least 54 miners. The deaths of four miners were confirmed, along with the later deaths of two rescue workers. The remaining miners are presumed to be dead.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Collapse
At 23:30 MMT, a mud-filled pond at a jade mine in Hpakant collapsed. The mud and tailings in the pond buried miners below it in up to 30.5 metres of mud. At the time, the miners were asleep in their residences, which were located below the mine.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Collapse
The miners belonged to two different companies: Myanmar Thura and Shwe Nagar Koe Kaung, while the mine was operated by Unity Co.  A photo taken some time before the mine collapse and posted to Facebook showed a large pool of water being formed above the miners, while the Myanmar Thura company mined against the earth under the water.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Rescue efforts
Rescue efforts were started on 23 April, the morning after the collapse. The efforts were coordinated by the local government and welfare organizations. According to Tin Soe, a politician representing the area, removing the mud "could cost millions of dollars." He also said that "they won’t survive. It is not possible because they are buried under mud." Four bodies were recovered. The search for more miners was cancelled on 26 April, after another landslide killed two of the rescue workers.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Reactions
In response to the collapse, the acting UN Resident Coordinator to Myanmar called on the country to implement new safety legislation to protect mine workers. The natural resource minister of Kachin said that he would take action against mining companies involved in the incident, and said that he wanted mining companies to work to improve the safety of their mines. Following the collapse, the Lonekhin Jade Office carried out a survey on the safety of other jade mines in the region, reporting to the Myanmar government that other mining blocks in the area were also dangerous.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Reactions
In response, the Myanmar central government suspended operations in seventeen mine blocks in Hapakant, affecting eleven companies. None of the companies the miners worked for or who operated the mine were shut down or found at fault by the Myanmar government. The Myanmar Gems Enterprise instead blamed the collapse on "the instability of the earth." Some of the families of the miners were compensated, with one family receiving approximately $30,000USD, more than the average compensation for the victims of other industrial accidents in Hpakant.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Reactions
Reporters from Frontier Myanmar said that their investigation found that the collapse was preventable, and blamed it on policy failures under the current National League for Democracy and previous governments. All three of Myanmar Thura's mining licenses had expired in 2017, and the company had never been licensed to work in this mine.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse, Reactions
In May, 2019, the government issued a three month ban on mining in Hpakant, to prevent a collapse during the monsoon season.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July)
In the early morning of July 28, 2019, a landslide in a Hpakant jade mine killed at least 17 people, leaving others missing and two injured. The people killed were workers from Yarzahtarni Jade Mining Company, local police, and others unaffiliated with the mine.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July), Landslide
Because of Myanmar's monsoon season, the government had previously ordered all mines in Hpakant to cease operation. However, several of the workers from Yarzahtarni Jade company were still sleeping in tents below the mine. According to local residents, there were also still people looking through the tailings of the mine, trying to find jade discarded by the miners. To prevent illegal mine activity, the government had stationed police officers at the mine. The policemen were also sleeping in tents below the mine, near the workers.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July), Landslide
According to the local police, the area had experienced a lot of heavy rain in the week leading up to the collapse. Shortly after midnight on July 28th, a landslide occurred, and at approximately 2:20 am MMT, the mine collapsed onto the workers and police sleeping below.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July), Rescue and recovery
Two policemen were injured and required hospital attention. Initially, the bodies of 14 miners were recovered after the collapse, including the body of one police officer. Later in the day, the total dead was updated to 17, with the death and missing tolls still expected to rise.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July), Rescue and recovery
Rescue efforts were organized by Myanmar police, who were assisted by the Thinkhar Philanthropic Society, a charity organization.


2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse (July), Response
State Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U La Sai ordered signs to be placed by the mining companies, warning that landslides could occur, and for local government to inspect the mines and make sure that they followed all safety precautions. According to Hpakant Director Kyaw Swa Aung, the workers had been in the mine to protect it at the instruction of the mine owners.


2019 Hualien earthquake
The 2019 Hualien earthquake (Chinese: 418花蓮地震) struck Hualien County, Taiwan with a moment magnitude of 6.1 on 18 April at 13:01 local time (05:01 UTC).


2019 Hualien earthquake, Geography
A 6.1 earthquake hit Taiwan which caused damage to weak buildings and roads in Taipei and other districts. Two people were injured while hiking and 15 other people were injured in Taipei. This was a moment magnitude earthquake 9 kilometres off of Hualien County, Taiwan. One of the two injured hikers which is identified as from Malaysia later died in local hospital on 28 April as the only fatality in the earthquake, which is the worst since 2018.


2019 Hualien earthquake, Aftermath
Several buildings were damaged after the earthquake with many buildings having to be evacuated. Outside walls of buildings damaged and furniture knocked off the wall was not unprecedented. Train services on Taipei's subway were suspended as were the airport subway to Taoyuan International Airport and most other metro and train systems in various parts of Taiwan, especially those around eastern and northern Taiwan, for safety inspections. A building was also leaning on its side in Hualien City.


2019 Hub accident
2019 Hub accident refers to a road accident on 21 January 2019 in which a passenger bus collided with a tank truck in Hub, Balochistan, Pakistan. At least 26 people were killed and 16 others suffered burn injuries as a result of the accident. The bus was travelling from Karachi to Panjgur with more than 40 people on board. The dead bodies were moved to Edhi Foundation's morgue in Sohrab Goth, Karachi.


2019 Hub accident
A joint investigation team was established to investigate the crash.


2019 Hull City Council election
The 2019 Hull City Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Hull City Council in England. This was on the same day as other nationwide local elections. Following a review of Ward boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) the whole council was elected in 2018, the 3rd placed winning candidate at that election is up for re-election in 2019. The Labour Party are defending overall control of the council.


2019 Hull City Council election
There were no elections in Bricknell or University wards, being two member wards and not being on this round of the three-year cycle.


2019 Hull City Council election
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:


2019 Hull City Council election, Ward results
An asterisk * indicates an incumbent who stood for re-election.


2019 Hull City Council election, Ward results
Turnout figures where stated are the number of ballot papers handed out in a ward including any rejected ballot papers.