2023 in review – Barbenheimer sweeps the world, Women’s World Cup breaks records, David Cameron returns & war in the Middle East
The second half of the year has been as busy as the first, as the sixth month passed, a global cultural phenomenon swept the world, as millions went to the cinema – a major boost for the industry after tough times following the pandemic and amid a massive Hollywood strikes.
India joined an exclusive club when it landed a spacecraft on the Moon – only the fourth country in the world to achieve such a feat.
Women’s football saw massive growth on a global scale with the Women’s World Cup becoming the most popular edition of the tournaments so far. England lost 1-0 to Spain in the final, but Spain’s success was largely overshadowed by the much-condemned behaviour of the Spanish FA boss.
Extreme weather events continued globally throughout the summer, Russell Brand faced serious accusations of sexual assault, and Hamas attacked Israel, leading to an ongoing war in which thousands of innocent people have been killed.
In politics, Britain faced the return of David Cameron and Joe Biden trails in the opinion polls against Donald Trump.
Taylor Swift’s relationship became one of the biggest talking points in entertainment media.
July 2023 – Barbenheimer sweeps the world
July can be summed up with one word: Barbenheimer. Two films – Barbie and Oppenheimer, hit the cinemas on the same day, becoming a global cultural phenomenon as people flocked to the cinema to watch both movies back-to-back.
Barbenheimer helped boost box-office revenue, which was still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and a slow seasonal film season.
- Dutch King Willem-Alexander makes formal apology for the country’s role in the slave trade.
- Hottest global temperature ever recorded – as average global temperature tops 17.18 degrees Celsius.
- A wave of shootings across America, dozens dead and more than 60 injured.
- Meta launches Threads – a day later it becomes the most rapidly downloaded app ever with 30 million downloads.
- Sir Elton John completes his final tour at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Dutch government collapses over disagreements between coalition partners over asylum policies.
- Torrential rains across New England and New York cause historic flooding.
- Heavy rains in northern India resulted in 20 deaths with several states experiencing landslides and flash floods.
- Torrential rain totalling across South Korea leads to at least 37 deaths and floods a tunnel trapping 15 vehicles.
- Highest temperature ever recorded in China of 52.2 C (126 F) at Sanbao township in Xinjiang’s Turpan Depression.
- British Columbia’s wildfire season most destructive on record burning 14,100 square kilometres.
- Arizona breaks a five decade heat record recording 19 consecutive days of temperature at or above 110°F (43.3°C).
- Massive landslide after heavy monsoon rains in India leaves at least 27 dead, 78 still missing.
- The Women’s World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.
- Greece evacuates 19,000 tourists and residents out of the path of wildfires on the island of Rhodes amid the country’s hottest July in 50 years.
- Wildfires across Algeria kill at least 34 people amid temperatures of 48C.
August 2023 – Spain win women’s world Cup
August was hot on political drama as Donald Trump became the first former US President to have his mugshot taken and former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is convicted and sentenced to three years.
It was heartbreak for the Lionesses who lost 1-0 in the final to Spain of the Women’s World Cup. Wildfires and heavy rainfall hit Europe, Asia and North America.
- Donald Trump is indicted on charges of conspiring to defraud the country and prevent the peaceful transfer of power
- South America experiences a winter heatwave, with Vicuña in Chilean Andres reaching 100 degrees F.
- Beijing records its heaviest rainfall in 140 years.
- Singer Lizzo denies allegations made in a lawsuit by three of her former dancers of creating a hostile work environment.
- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is convicted of illegally selling state gifts and sentenced to three years.
- Joe Biden bans American investments in key technology industries, that could be used to enhance Chinese military capabilities.
- Wildfires on Hawaiian Island of Maui kill at least 97 and destroy historic town of Lahaina.
- Rohingya refugees drown and 30 remain missing after a boat capsizes in the Bay of Bengal, bound for Malaysia.
- Wildfires sweep Canada causing mass evacuations of tens of thousands.
- Lucy Letby found guilty of the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of six more, in Manchester, UK.
- FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Sydney: Spain beats England 1-0.
- Greek wildfires claim 20 lives, including 18 migrants try to cross the border from Turkey.
- India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission is the first to land at the Moon’s southern pole successfully, and the fourth country to ever land on the Moon.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group killed along with 9 others in a plane crash near Moscow.
- FIFA opens disciplinary case against Luis Rubiales, head of Spanish football, for kissing a player on the lips during celebrations for the Spanish women’s World Cup win.
September 2023 – EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS CONTINUE
The Writers Guild of America strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended. The strike was the second-longest strike in the Writers Guild’s history, lasting 148 days. Writers took to picket lines to demand better pay and benefits as well as assurances that AI technology such as ChatGPT wouldn’t replace their jobs.
- India successfully launches its first spacecraft, Aditya-L1, to study the sun.
- Storm Daniel begins across Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria; killing more than a dozen people.
- Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, effectively declares itself bankrupt.
- Africa’s first climate summit opens in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalises abortion nationwide.
- Intense flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall in 140 years in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and southern Chinese cities turns streets into rivers.
- Collapse of two dams after heavy rain from Storm Daniel sends torrent of flooding through city of Derna, Libya, cutting it off completely, leaving over 4,000 dead and 8,000 missing.
- Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia on board his armoured train to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
- Rise in overdose deaths from fentanyl laced stimulants mark the “fourth wave” of the overdose crisis in the US, according to UCLA research.
- Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse by four women in an investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4.
- Chioma Nnadi named new head of British Vogue – first black woman to head a major fashion magazine.
- Writer’s Guild of America ends their 148-day strike after agreeing deal with industry bosses.
- Historic levels of rain in New York City create flash floods, shutting down half of the subway system.
October 2023 – ISRAEL-GAZA WAR BEGINS
October was dominated by the Hamas attack on Israel that killed over 1,200 people and saw more than 200 people taken hostage. Israel responded by declaring war on the Strip, almost 19,000 people in Gaza have been killed at the time of writing.
Britney Spears released her hotly-anticipated memoir, the United States experienced another mass shooting and New Zealand went to the polls.
- WHO approves second vaccine for Malaria, one that can be manufactured on a massive scale – R21 made by the University of Oxford.
- Kevin McCarthy becomes first speaker of the US House of Representatives to be voted out.
- Hamas launches a major air and ground attack on Israel from Gaza, killing over a thousand people and taking hundreds of hostages. Israel then declares war on Hamas.
- Microsoft completes biggest buyout in gaming history, purchasing Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for $69bn.
- Australia votes against altering its constitution to give indigenous communities more rights in a referendum.
- New Zealand general election won by a right-wing coalition headed by Christopher Luxon.
- India’s Supreme Court rules against legalising same-sex marriage and adoption for queer couples.
- Storm Babet causes widespread flooding across the United Kingdom.
- Britney Spears releases her memoir “The Woman in Me”.
- Women in Iceland go on strike to protest at gender inequalities, including its Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
- US mass shooting: Robert Card,40, killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine. He was found dead two days later.
- Lionel Messi wins his record 8th FIFA Ballon d’Or and Spain’s Aitana Bonmati took out the women’s award.
- At a state banquet in Nairobi, held by the Kenyan President, King Charles III acknowledges “the wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret.”
November 2023 – DAVID CAMERON SHOCK RETURN
In November former Prime Minister David Cameron returned to politics in a shock move by the struggling UK goverment. Cameron, not an elected MP, was made a Lord and bought into Cabinet as foriegn secretary.
- 120 fires confirmed still burning across Australia’s eastern states, burning through 111,000 hectares, with 58 homes lost around Tara, Queensland.
- Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy involving his companies FTX and Alameda Research in a New York court.
- 5.6 magnitude earthquake centered around Jajarkot, northwest Nepal, kills 157 people and leaves thousands homeless.
- Ohio votes in two referendums to protect abortion rights under its constitution, and legalise the use of marijuana.
- SAG-AFTRA Union representing US actors ends its 118-day strike.
- Over 300,000 attend pro-Palestinian march in London, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
- Unprecedented heatwave in Brazil affects more than 3,000 towns with Rio de Janeiro reaching 42.5C.
- David Cameron makes shock return to government.
- Kenya holds its first national tree planting holiday, aiming to plant 100 million trees. Part of a climate change initiative to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.
- Sam Altman sacked from the company he co-founded – OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT, after the company board “lost confidence” in him. He was reinstated after colleagues protested.
- Far-right politician Javier Milei elected President of Argentina.
- Four-day ceasefire begins in Gaza with Hamas releasing 24 hostages and Israel 39 Palestinian prisoners, aid was taken into Gaza during the ceasefire. The ceasefire would be extended for a further two days and even more hostages released.
december 2023 – taylor swift named person of the year
And here we are, the final month of a very long 2023, dominated heavily by extreme weather events and political madness. As December comes to a close, we look ahead to 2024 – with plenty of big elections on the horizon, we expect it to be another busy year ahead.
- Taylor Swift is named Time’s Person of the Year.
- European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine at a summit on Brussels.
- 61 people drowned after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast Libya.
- Donald Trump says immigrants coming to the US are “poisoning the blood of our country,” at a campaign rally.
- State memorial held for Barry Humphries (Dame Edna) at Sydney Opera House.
- 6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Jishishan county in Gansu Province killing at least 127 people – China’s worst earthquake in 13 years.
- Extreme rainfall and flooding after Cyclone Jasper breaks 100-year old weather records around Cairns and Daintree in northern Queensland, Australia.
- Pope Francis will allow priests to bless same-sex couples, though not when connected to a civil or same-sex union.
- Colorado’s Supreme Court rules Donald Trump is ineligible to run for President after participating in an insurrection.
Look back on the first half of the year here