As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look back on the biggest moments of each month that caught the world’s attention.
Natural disasters, the war in Ukraine, and a new King of the United Kingdom. These are the highs and lows, and the images that captured them, of 2023.
January
• January 5 — ‘Final Farewell’ for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
The former pontiff was laid to rest on January 5, after lying in state for several days following his death on December 31 at age 95. Tens of thousands of mourners filled St. Peter’s Square for the funeral led by Pope Francis, the first time ever that a sitting pope presided over the funeral of an ex-pontiff.
Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1927, he was elected pope in 2005, and made the nearly-unprecedented decision to resign from the role in 2013.
Read more: Catholics in Jerusalem mourn “great” former Pope >>
• January 8 — Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil’s National Congress
In scenes reminiscent of the Capitol Hill insurrection two years prior, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro forcefully entered federal buildings in Brasilia.
Breaking through police barricades, hundreds of supporters of Brazil’s far-right ex-president infiltrated Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court in a bold protest against newly-inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Read more: Social media videos show protesters breaking into federal buildings >>
• January 30 — Suicide bombing attack in Pakistan mosque
100 people were killed and over 225 more wounded in a suicide blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive police headquarters in Peshawar. It was the deadliest attack in a decade, with many of the victims identified as police, and came amid a wave of attacks against security forces. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the terror organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Read more: Pakistan blames Taliban for dramatic increase in militant attacks >>
February
• February 6 — Thousands killed in 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria
In the early morning hours of February 6, Gaziantep, Turkey was hit by a massive earthquake, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday. The seismic events devastated the region of southern Turkey and northern Syria, claiming the lives of over 50,000 people. Rescue efforts were hampered by aftershocks and frigid winter weather, with the cold claiming the lives of many who were trapped under rubble who were not able to be rescued in time.
In neighboring Syria, which was still facing regional isolation and sanctions, rescue teams and aid had a harder time entering the war-torn country, with many countries fearing that the Assad government would not allow the aid to be delivered to the rebel-held area.
See more: Photos from the earthquake devastation >>
• February 20 — U.S. President Biden makes first visit to Ukraine since start of war
President Joe Biden visited Ukraine just days before the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion that triggered the war. During the visit, Biden announced $500 million in additional assistance to the country.
Read more: “Kyiv stands,” says Biden on surprise visit to Ukraine >>
March
• March 10 — Saudi Arabia and Iran seal surprise reconciliation deal
In a surprise to Israel and the United States, China helped broker a rapprochement between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, which saw the reopening of embassies and a meeting between the countries’ foreign ministers. The deal was seen as cementing China’s growing role in the region amid a waning U.S. presence, and at the time raised questions over the validity of advancing normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Read more: How the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation deal came about >>
• March 17 — ICC issues international arrest warrant for Russian President Putin
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the strongman leader bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes including unlawful population transfer, including children.
The outstanding arrest warrant, which Russia dismissed as “meaningless,” has hampered Putin’s ability to travel outside the country.
Read more: ICC issues shocking warrant for Russia’s Putin >>
• March 23 — Millions in France protest against President Macron’s pension reform
The French government pushed an unpopular pension reform legislation through parliament, which spurred over one million protesters to take to the streets in country-wide demonstrations. Garbage collectors, among other civil workers, went on strike, resulting in mountains of uncollected trash.
Read more: France wracked by riots and demonstrations >>
April
• April 4 — Finland officially becomes 31st member of NATO
Finland became the 31st nation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), doubling the U.S.-led alliance’s border with Russia. The Kremlin responded by calling it an “assault on our security” and vowed to take countermeasures.
The Scandinavian country applied for membership alongside Sweden, and was seen as a milestone in the West’s stance against Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
Read more: Why Finland went from favoring non-alignment to joining NATO >>
• April 7 — ‘Discord’ leak of Pentagon files
Dubbed the ‘Discord’ leak, the FBI arrested a young Air Force national guardsman who apparently acted alone in revealing classified documents. The trove of pictures of classified documents appeared in early March on the Discord social media platform, detailing U.S. government secrets, including about the Ukraine war.
Read more: Who is Jack Teixera, the young airman behind the Discord leak? >>
May
• May 6 — Coronation of King Charles III
In a historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Charles III was crowned King of the United Kingdom, following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. It was Britain’s first coronation in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised.
King Charles III became the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, and he also became king of 14 other Commonwealth countries.
See more: Relive the highlights of the coronation ceremony >>
• May 7 — Syria readmitted to the Arab Leage
After over a decade of isolation, the Arab League voted to readmit Syria. Damascus was suspended following President Basher al-Assad’s conduct in the country’s civil war, and the conditional return was marked as a symbolic first step in a long process to rehabilitate the country, including the return of refugees, a crackdown on drug smuggling, and presence of pro-Iranian militias.
Read more: How the ostracized Syrian regime was readmitted to Arab fold >>
May 20 — Ukraine and Russia make rival claims over Bakhmut
Bakhmut became the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Kremlin and Wagner mercenary claiming Russia had gained control over the strategic city, and Ukraine’s president denying that the town had fallen completely.
Read more: Competing claims over strategic frontline town
June
• June 11 — Ongoing fighting in Sudan intensifies after ceasefire fails
After fighting renewed in April, violence between the warring army and paramilitary RSF forces gripped Khartoum and the flashpoint region of Darfur. After multiple failed truces at the beginning of June, hopes for a diplomatic solution appeared to fade.
Read more: Sudan spirals into humanitarian crisis >>
• June 22 — Submarine exploring the Titanic sinks, killing all aboard
A 21-foot submersible carrying five people aboard mysteriously disappeared during its dive to explore the remains of the Titanic. After a five-day search, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the vessel had suffered a “catastrophic implosion.”
Read more: The mystery of the missing Titanic tourist sub >>
• June 24 — Wagner mercenary group marches on Moscow
In an unexpected insurgency, the Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group launched an unprecedented insurgency against the Kremlin. Divisions over funding the private corps versus the defense ministry had caused the military failures in Ukraine, according to the group’s leader. Putin managed to put down the “armed mutiny” and declared that the mercenary company would be disbanded.
Read more: Play-by-play of Wagner group’s insurrection >>
July
• July 20 — Iraq severs ties with Sweden after Quran burnings spark protests
Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador and recalled its diplomats from Stockholm after a series of Quran burnings in the Scandinavian country sparked protests in Baghdad. Protesters scaled the Swedish embassy building after Sweden said it would allow acts of desecration of the Muslim holy book. Protests also spread to Lebanon and Iran.
Read more: Sweden seeks to curb Quran burnings after rise in terror threats >>
• July 21 — Highly-anticipated ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ films released
The summer blockbuster season saw two huge hits open simultaneously, with hundreds of thousands of moviegoers in North America flocking to theaters for what came to be dubbed “Barbenheimer.” The eagerly anticipated Greta Gerwig-directed movie centered on the iconic Barbie doll went on to gross a record billion dollars at the box office, and is shortlisted along with the World War II-era biopic for nominations in the 2024 Academy Awards.
Read more: Despite bans in neighboring countries, Saudis catch Barbie fever >>
• July 26 — Military coup overthrows Nigerien president
A military junta deposed Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum, arresting him for apparent treason. The junta warned against foreign powers from intervening, and demanded that the French ambassador evacuate the country, after French President Macron backed the ousted leader.
Read more: Nigerien President taken prisoner, threatened with execution >>
August
• August 9 — Out-of-control wildfire kills over 100 in Hawaii
Hawaii suffered the worst natural disaster in its history, when a wildfire ravaged the town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui. Locals blamed authorities for failing to trigger the early warning system in the face of the advancing fire, which killed over 100 people, left thousands homeless, and caused about $5.5 billion in damage.
Read more: Anger and devastation in Lahaina >>
• August 23 — Wagner chief killed in suspicious plane crash
Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin died when the private plane he was aboard crashed in the Tver region of Russia. The circumstances of his death immediately raised questions of foul play, with even Ukraine’s President Zelensky pointing a finger at Russian President Putin.
Prigozhin’s whereabouts had been under question ever since the aborted rebellion earlier in the summer, with the mercenary chief apparently jetting between Russia, Belarus, and even Africa. The Kremlin denied any involvement in the crash.
Read more: From Putin ally to ‘traitor’ — Yevgeny Prigozhin’s downfall >>
• August 24 — Former U.S. president Donald Trump arrested in Georgia
Former U.S. president Donald Trump was arrested and booked on racketeering charges at a local Georgia jail, and released after posting $200,000 in bail. Trump maintains he did nothing wrong, as he and nineteen co-defendants are stand trial in the RICO case. Despite his legal troubles, Trump’s presidential campaign received a record number of donations following the publication of his mugshot.
Read more: Trump sees bump in polls despite legal woes >>
September
• September 8 — 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Morocco
A powerful earthquake killed more than 2,900 people, destroying Marrakesh and remote villages in the Atlas mountains which rescue teams had a hard time reaching. Spain, Qatar, UAE and UK sent aid teams, with Israel also offering to send a delegation.
In pictures: The devastating images from the Morocco earthquake disaster >>
• September 12 — Thousands dead and missing after flash flood in Libya’s Derna
The torrential rains from Mediterranean storm Daniel turned disastrous when two dams failed, causing widespread flooding that washed away entire neighborhoods and swept bodies out to sea.
Read more: Storm Daniel devastates Libya, unable to cope with disaster >>
• September 21 — Lightening Azerbaijani operation in breakaway region
Azerbaijan launched a whirlwind operation in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in the separatist leaders of the self-proclaimed republic declaring its dissolution after he was arrested. Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the area in the wake of the military maneuver, with Armenia condemning Azerbaijan for carrying out ethnic cleansing of the area.
Read more: Azerbaijan retakes restive region in “anti-terrorist operation” >>
October
• October 7 — Hamas terrorists invade southern Israel, massacre 1,300
Thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel on the morning of October 7, launching a combined attack that involved launching rockets and infiltrating by air, land, and attempts by sea. They attacked residential communities on the border, army bases, and a music festival, killing approximately 1,300 people in one day and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza.
That same day, Israel declared war on Hamas. Hezbollah joined in the fighting, launching aerial attacks on northern Israel on a daily basis. The Yemen-based Houthi terror group has also launched cruise missiles and UAVs aimed at Israel’s southern port city of Eilat, as well as attacked ships sailing through the Red Sea.
Read more: All the latest on the Israel-Hamas war
November
• November 28 — Indian rescuers pull out workers trapped in a tunnel for 17 days
41 workers became trapped on November 12 after a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer tunnel they were building in Uttarakhand state to collapse about 200 meters from the entrance.
• November 30 — Russia’s Supreme Court bans LGBTQ+ activism
Russia’s Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling effectively outlawing LGBTQ+ activism in the country. The decision, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry, designates the LGBTQ+ “movement” in Russia as an extremist organization and imposes a comprehensive ban.
December
• December 17 — Kuwait’s ruling emir dies at age 86
Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah was sworn in as emir in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, and previously served as Kuwait’s interior and defense minister. The emir’s half-brother, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, who is 83, was named the new ruler of the oil-rich country.
• December 19 — Colorado Supreme Court blocks Trump from appearing on ballot
The Colorado state supreme court made a landmark decision to rule Donald Trump ineligible to run for office, thereby preventing his name from appearing on the state’s primary ballot. The decision cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, making it the first time it has ever been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
