Memorable News Events of 2023

Jan. 7: Protests in Israel against Prime Minister Netanyahu's judicial control plans led to tensions with Hamas. Jan. 8: Far-right protests in Brazil against President Lula escalated into riots. Jan. 19: In France, protests against pension reforms significantly lowered President Macron's approval rating. Feb. 4: U.S. downed a Chinese balloon, aggravating U.S.-China relations. Feb. 6: A devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria resulted in massive casualties and damage. Feb. 21: Russian President Putin suspended the New START treaty, stirring nuclear race fears. Feb. 23: Harvey Weinstein received an additional 16-year sentence for rape. Mar. 10: Iran and Saudi Arabia declared a normalization of relations. Mar. 17: Taylor Swift's 'The Eras' tour made record-breaking box office history. Mar. 31: Former U.S. President Trump was indicted over a sex scandal cover-up. Apr. 4: Finland joined NATO, breaking its long-standing neutrality. Apr. 15: A failed coup in Sudan led to an ongoing brutal civil war. Apr. 20: SpaceX's Starship rocket test ended in failure. Apr. 24: India became the world's most populous country, surpassing China. May 2: The Writers Guild of America's strike ended successfully after negotiations. May 3: Sectarian violence erupted in Manipur, India. May 6: King Charles III was crowned in the United Kingdom. May 14: Thailand's election saw a pro-democracy victory against the military. May 17: WHO declared the end of the coronavirus pandemic. May 28: Erdogan re-elected in Turkey amidst economic crisis and earthquake. June 4: Ukrainian counter-offensive failed against strong Russian defenses. June 15: A refugee boat capsized in Libya, resulting in hundreds of deaths. June 18: The Titanic tourism submersible, the Titan, went missing. June 24-25: Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a coup; a Muslim boy's death in France led to protests. June 29: U.S. Supreme Court ruled affirmative action unconstitutional. July 17: Russia suspended the Black Sea Grain Agreement. July 24: Twitter, acquired by Musk, rebranded to X. July 26: A military coup occurred in Niger. Aug. 8: A massive wildfire in Hawaii caused extensive damage and casualties. Aug. 23: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Group chairman, died in a plane crash. Aug. 30: A palace coup in Gabon led to a new president. Sep. 8: A major earthquake in Morocco caused thousands of deaths. Sep. 11: A flood in Libya resulted in over 30,000 deaths. Sep. 18: An Indian Sikh activist's assassination in Canada strained India-Canada relations. Sep. 19: Azerbaijan annexed the Armenian republic of Artsakh. Oct. 3: U.S. House Speaker McCarthy was dismissed, replaced by Mike Johnson. Oct. 7: A Hamas attack initiated a devastating war with Israel. Oct. 15: A political shift in Poland with the election of a center-right/left coalition. Oct. 19: Yemen's Houthi militia declared involvement in the Israel-Hamas war. Oct. 27: Ethnic minority rebels in Myanmar launched an offensive against the military. Nov. 1: The Texas Rangers won their first baseball championship. Nov. 15: Biden-Xi meeting at APEC led to conflict prevention agreement. Nov. 19: Javier Millay's victory in Argentina's presidential election. Nov. 22: Far-right Freedom Party's unexpected win in Dutch elections. Nov. 29: Henry Kissinger, former U.S. diplomat, passed away at 100. Dec. 3: Venezuela's controversial referendum on Guayana Essequibar region. Dec. 14: EU voted to start Ukraine's accession negotiations. Dec. 18: Pope Francis granted limited blessings to same-sex couples. Dec. 29: Russia conducted a large-scale drone and missile strike on Ukraine.