2023
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The year has seen the decline in severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the WHO ending its global health emergency status in May. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has continued, and a series of coups, an armed conflict, and political crises broke out in numerous African nations. An escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict occurred in October when Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, launched an attack on Israel, leading the latter to declare war on Hamas. Furthermore, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ended after 100,000 Armenians fled the region. Catastrophic natural disasters included the fifth-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century striking Turkey and Syria, leaving nearly 60,000 people dead, Cyclone Freddy – the longest-lasting recorded tropical cyclone in history – leading to over 1,400 deaths in Malawi and Mozambique, Storm Daniel, which became the deadliest cyclone worldwide since Cyclone Nargis after killing at least 11,000 people in Libya, a major 6.8 magnitude earthquake striking western Morocco, killing 2,960 people, and a 6.3 magnitude triplet earthquake striking western Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people.
2023 additionally witnessed a banking crisis resulting in the collapse of numerous American regional banks as well as the buyout of Credit Suisse by UBS in Switzerland. Among American banks, the two largest banks which collapsed were Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, the third and second largest banking collapses in US history respectively. Furthermore, numerous acquisitions in various industries were announced, some of the largest and most notable being October's energy acquisitions with ExxonMobil and Chevron buying Pioneer Natural Resources and Hess respectively, the luxury fashion holding company Tapestry (Coach New York and Kate Spade New York) announcing its purchase of Capri Holdings (Michael Kors and Versace), and the closure of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In the realm of technology, 2023 has seen the continued rise of generative AI models, with increasing applications across various industries. These models, leveraging advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, have become capable of creating realistic and coherent text, images, and music. An AI arms race between private companies has continued since the late 2010s, with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google-owner Alphabet today most dominant among firms.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Events
January
- January 1
- Croatia adopts the euro and joins the Schengen Area, becoming the 20th member state of the Eurozone and the 27th member of the Schengen Area. This is the first enlargement of the Eurozone since Lithuania's entry in 2015, and the first enlargement of the Schengen Area since Liechtenstein's entry in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Following the 2022 Brazilian general election in October that year, Lula da Silva becomes President of Brazil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One week later, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro storm the Brazilian National Congress, the Supreme Federal Court and the Presidential Palace of Planalto.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="decree">Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 3 – Starting from this date, many countries impose travel restrictions on travel from China due to the relaxation of the country's zero-COVID policy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 5 – The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI is held at Saint Peter's Square within the Vatican City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 8
- The 2023 Beninese parliamentary election is held, with the Progressive Union for Renewal party winning a plurality of seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- COVID-19 pandemic: China reopens its borders to international visitors, marking the end of travel restrictions that began in March 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 10 – 17 – A deadly cold snap in Afghanistan kills 166 people and nearly 80,000 livestock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 15 – Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes during final approach into Pokhara, Nepal, killing all 72 people on board.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- January 16 – Tigray War: Amharan Special Forces withdraw from the Tigray Region in line with an African Union-backed peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 17 – Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigns as President of Vietnam amid several recent scandals in the government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- January 18 – A helicopter crash in Brovary near Kiev, Ukraine kills 14 people including Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky.<ref name="2023-01-18 BBC">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 20 – The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago elects former senate president, minister and lawyer Christine Kangaloo as president in a 48–22 vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 21
- Burkina Faso requests French forces to withdraw from its territory after suspending a military accord that allowed the presence of French troops in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Tigray War: Eritrean forces withdraw from Shire and other major towns in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- January 25 – Chris Hipkins succeeds Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister of New Zealand,<ref name="January25">Template:Cite news</ref> six days after she announced her resignation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 27 – Widespread unrest erupts in Israel following an Israeli military raid in Jenin which left nine Palestinians dead. Incendiary air balloons are launched into Israeli-populated areas following it. Israel responds with targeted airstrikes. Later the same day, seven Jewish civilians are murdered in a synagogue in Neve Yaakov in a terrorist attack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- January 27 – 28 – The second round of the 2023 Czech presidential election is held, with Petr Pavel declared winner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- January 30
- A Jamaat-ul-Ahrar suicide bombing inside a mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, kills 84 people and injures over 220 others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka confirms that Kiribati will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum after leaving the organization the previous year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
February
- February 1 – Lebanese liquidity crisis: The central bank of Lebanon devalues the Lebanese pound by 90% amid an ongoing financial crisis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 2
- Israel and Sudan announce the finalization of an agreement to normalize relations between the two countries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The European Central Bank and Bank of England raise their interest rates by 0.5 percentage points to combat inflation, one day after the US Federal Reserve raises its federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 3
- The US announces it is tracking alleged Chinese spy balloons over the Americas, with one drifting from Yukon to South Carolina before being shot down the next day, and a second hovering over Colombia and Brazil. This event is followed by subsequent detections and shootdowns of high-altitude objects elsewhere.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>
- A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derails in East Palestine, Ohio. Multiple train cars burned for more than two days, followed by emergency crews conducting a controlled burn of several additional cars, releasing hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere.<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 5
- The 2023 Cypriot presidential election is held, with Nikos Christodoulides elected president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":123">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Cyclone Freddy forms in the Indian Ocean. It would become the longest lasting tropical cyclone in history and cause over 1,400 deaths and countless injuries and property damage across southeastern Africa.<ref name=":Records">Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 6 – A 7.8 Template:M earthquake strikes Gaziantep Province in southeastern Turkey. A 7.5 Template:M aftershock occurs on the same day in nearby Kahramanmaraş Province. Widespread damage and at least 59,000 people die in Turkey and Syria, with more than 121,000 injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 13 – The 2023 Bangladeshi presidential election scheduled for 19 February is held, with Shahabuddin Chuppu of the Awami League, the only nominated candidate, elected unopposed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 14 – The European Parliament approves a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe and promote electric vehicles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 16 – Lawmakers in the Russian State Duma vote to withdraw Russia from 21 conventions of the Council of Europe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 17 – The South African Navy hosts a ten-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean with Russia and China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 19 – Libyan Crisis: The African Union announces the organization of a peace conference to address the instability in Libya.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 21 – Vladimir Putin announces that Russia is suspending its participation in New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 23 – Oman opens its airspace to Israeli airlines for the first time, in an upgrade of bilateral relations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- February 25 – 2023 Nigerian general election: Bola Tinubu is elected as Nigeria's president, defeating former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Punch Newspapers 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 27 – The United Kingdom and the European Union reach an agreement surrounding modifications to the Northern Ireland Protocol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- February 28 – A train crash in Thessaly, Greece, kills 57 people and injures dozens. The crash leads to nationwide protests and strikes against the condition of Greek railways and their mismanagement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March
- March 2 – The National Assembly of Vietnam declares Võ Văn Thưởng as the country's new president after receiving 98.38% votes from the Vietnamese parliament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 4
- UN member states agree on a legal framework for the High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Kivu conflict: Burundi deploys 100 troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help fight insurgencies by militias, including M23.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- March 5 – The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- March 8 – Allied Democratic Forces jihadist insurgents use machetes to kill about 35 people in the village of Mukondi, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 8 – 21 – 2023 World Baseball Classic is held and won by Japan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 10
- The 2023 Chinese presidential election is held with the National People's Congress unanimously re-electing Xi Jinping as the President of the People's Republic of China to an unprecedented third term.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to resume diplomatic relations which were severed in 2016, at talks mediated by China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the United States, fails, creating then the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, affecting companies around the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Kivu conflict: Angola announces the deployment of troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the failure of a ceasefire between government forces and M23 rebels in North Kivu.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 14 – OpenAI launches GPT-4, a large language model for ChatGPT, which can respond to images and can process up to 25,000 words.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 17 – The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin, the first against a leader of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 19 – In a deal brokered by the Swiss government, investment bank UBS agrees to buy Credit Suisse for Template:CHF 3 billion (Template:USD) in an all-stock deal.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 20 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases the synthesis report of its Sixth Assessment Report on climate change.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- March 23 – World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics, bans trans women who have gone through male puberty from competing in female events.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 24 – 27 — A tornado outbreak kills at least 26 people in Mississippi and Alabama. This includes a violent tornado which devastated the city of Rolling Fork and the town of Silver City in Mississippi, killing 16 people and injuring 165 others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- March 26
- Honduras switches its formal diplomatic recognition of "China" from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests: Large-scale spontaneous protests erupt across Israel in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing his defense minister who criticized the government's judicial overhaul plan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- March 29
- Brazil and China sign an agreement to trade in their own currencies, ceasing the usage of the United States dollar as an intermediary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Burkina Faso formally resumes diplomatic relations with North Korea after suspending them in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- March 30 – The International Court of Justice rules that the United States violated its Treaty of Amity with Iran when it allowed its domestic courts to freeze assets held by Iranian companies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
April
- April 2
- The 2023 Bulgarian parliamentary election results in a GERB—SDS–PP–DB coalition government headed by Nikolai Denkov as prime minister, and ends two years of political deadlock.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The 2023 Montenegrin presidential election is held, with Jakov Milatović of the Europe Now! movement winning in the second round, becoming the first president not from the DPS party since the introduction of a multi-party system in 1990.<ref>Jakov Milatović ubjedljivo pobijedio: Dobio 60,1 odsto glasova, Đukanović 39,9 % Template:Webarchive, RTCG, 2 April 2023</ref>
- The 2023 Finnish parliamentary election is held, with the centre-right National Coalition led by Petteri Orpo receiving the most votes.<ref name=":15">Template:Cite web</ref>
- The 2023 Andorran parliamentary election is held, with the ruling Democrats for Andorra led by Prime Minister Xavier Espot winning the majority of the seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 4 – Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO, doubling the alliance's border with Russia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 5 – Clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police happen at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 10 – Two document leaks from the Pentagon detailing foreign military aid relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine are leaked onto the Internet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 11 – Myanmar civil war: In the village of Pazigyi, at least 165 people are killed by the Myanmar Air Force during the opening celebrations of a People's Defence Force administration office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 14 – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to search for life in the Jovian system, with an expected arrival date of 2031.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 15
- Nuclear power in Germany ends after 50 years, with the closure of the final power plants.<ref>Handelsblatt.com: „Atomkraft konnte die Versprechungen nie einlösen“ – Deutschland beendet das Kernkraft-Zeitalter Template:Webarchive (german), April 2023</ref><ref>Tagesschau.de: Nukleare Risiken bleiben Template:Webarchive (german), April 2023</ref>
- Fighting breaks out across Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The RSF captures Khartoum International Airport, and the presidential palace in Khartoum.<ref name="AtStakeRegion">Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 19 – At least 90 people are killed and another 322 injured in a crowd crush during a Ramadan charity event in Sanaa, Yemen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 20 – SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time in a test flight from Texas. It explodes four minutes after launch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 21 – The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, representing a majority of the global Anglican population, reject the leadership of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as the head of global Anglicanism over his support for same-sex marriage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 24 – The 2023 British Virgin Islands general election is held; with the ruling Virgin Islands Party remaining the largest party in the House of Assembly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Natalio Wheatley is elected as Premier of the British Virgin Islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 25 – A mass cult suicide is uncovered in Shakahola forest in Kenya. 429 followers of the Good News International Ministries are found in shallow graves throughout the forest, with over 613 people missing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- April 29 – The 2023 Niuean general election is held and incumbent Dalton Tagelagi is re-elected as Premier of Niue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- April 30
- The 2023 Paraguayan general election is held, with the Colorado Party candidate Santiago Peña being the president-elect of Paraguay, winning in a plurality.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The second round of the 2023 French Polynesian legislative election is held; the Tāvini Huiraʻatira party wins a majority of seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Moetai Brotherson, Tāvini Huiraʻatira's deputy leader, is elected President of French Polynesia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May
- May 1 – 2023 banking crisis: San Francisco-based First Republic Bank fails and is auctioned off by the US FDIC to JPMorgan Chase for $10.7 billion. The collapse surpasses March's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to become the second largest in US history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 3 – A school shooting occurs in Belgrade, Serbia. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A second mass murder occurs the next day near near Mladenovac and Smederevo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These events leave 19 people dead, causing the government to increase regulations on gun ownership<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and mass anti-government protests to begin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 4 – A series of floods and landslides strikes villages in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in over 400 deaths.<ref name="ALJAZEERA">Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 5 – The World Health Organization ends its declaration of COVID-19 being a global health emergency, but continues to refer to it as a pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- May 6 – The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is held in Westminster Abbey, London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 7 – Syria is readmitted into the Arab League after being suspended since 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 9 – Cyclone Mocha forms in the Indian Ocean, killing over 400 people and injuring over 700 as it strikes Myanmar and Bangladesh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 9 – 13 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is held in Liverpool, UK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Swedish contestant Loreen wins with the song "Tattoo".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 11 – The World Health Organization ends its declaration of mpox being a global health emergency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 14
- The 2023 Thai general election is held, with pro-democratic parties such as the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties gaining a majority of seats in the House of Representatives while pro-military parties such as Palang Pracharat lost seats.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 49th G7 summit takes place in Hiroshima, Japan. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Japan on the second day of the summit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 21
- The May 2023 Greek legislative election is held; the ruling New Democracy wins a plurality of seats in the Hellenic Parliament. Just days later incumbent prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, called for another snap election to be held in June.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The 2023 East Timorese parliamentary election is held; with the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction and Fretilin parties receiving the most votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Xanana Gusmão is elected Prime Minister of East Timor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 24 – Canada and Saudi Arabia agree to restore full diplomatic relations after a breakdown in relations in 2018 over the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- May 25 – Russia and Belarus sign an agreement in Minsk allowing the stationing of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- May 27 – The second round of the 2023 Mauritanian parliamentary election is held; with the ruling El Insaf Party receiving the most votes.<ref name="MYCENI">Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 28 – The second round of the 2023 Turkish presidential election is held; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defeats Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu with 52.18% of the vote to win a third term as president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- May 31 – The 2023 Latvian presidential election is held; Edgars Rinkēvičs is elected the President of Latvia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
June
- June 2 – A train collision in Odisha, India results in at least 296 deaths and more than 1,200 others injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- June 6
- The 2023 Guinea-Bissau legislative election is held; the coalition Inclusive Alliance Platform – Terra Ranka led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, wins a majority of seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The 2023 Kuwaiti general election is held;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> following the annulment of the results of the 2022 snap elections by the Constitutional Court.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 38 members retained their seats from the annulled 2022 session, while two returned from the dissolved 2020 session. Ten new MPs were elected for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson is destroyed, threatening the region with devastating floodwaters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Due to smoke from wildfires in Canada, New York City in the United States is declared to have the worst air quality out of any city in the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- June 11 – Honduras opens its first embassy in Beijing, China, after breaking off relations with Taiwan in March.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 12 – Eritrea rejoins the Intergovernmental Authority on Development trade bloc after suspending its membership in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 13 – At least 106 people are killed when a wedding boat capsizes on the Niger River in Kwara State, Nigeria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- June 14
- Scientists report the creation of the first synthetic human embryo from stem cells, without the need for sperm or egg cells.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- At least 82 people die and 500 are reported missing after a boat carrying migrants capsizes off the coast of the Peloponnese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 16 – In Uganda, the jihadist group Allied Democratic Forces kill 42 people at a school in Mpondwe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 18 – Titan submersible implosion: All five crew members of Titan, a deep-sea submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic, are killed following a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 19
- The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopts the High Seas Treaty, the first treaty aimed towards marine conservation in international waters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Qatar and the United Arab Emirates announce that they will restore diplomatic relations after relations were suspended during the Qatar diplomatic crisis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 20 – At least 46 people are killed after a riot between MS-13 and Barrio 18 gang members at a women's prison near Tegucigalpa, Honduras.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- June 23
- The June 2023 Greek legislative election is held; Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes prime minister after his New Democratic party wins a majority of seats in the Greek parliament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, begins an armed conflict with the Russian military, seizing the city of Rostov-on-Don and portions of the Voronezh Oblast before withdrawing the next day, after a peace agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 28 – The 2023 Sierra Leonean general election is held; Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party is re-elected president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- June 30 – The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to end MINUSMA, its peacekeeping mission in Mali.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July
- July 3
- Indian oil refiners start payments for Russian oil imports in Chinese yuan as an alternative to the US dollar due to increasing sanctions against Russia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- In the largest incursion by Israel into the West Bank since the Second Intifada, the Israeli military deploys ground forces and armed drones into the Jenin camp, killing 13 and injuring more than 100. An attack claimed by Hamas as retaliation for the incursion, occurs in Tel Aviv the following day, injuring nine.<ref name="Iajib">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="G">Template:Cite web</ref>
- July 4 – Iran joins the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, becoming the organization's ninth member.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 8 – In the Netherlands, the governing coalition collapses and Prime Minister Mark Rutte announces his upcoming resignation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 9 – New Zealand signs a free trade agreement with the European Union, increasing bilateral trade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- July 10
- China and the Solomon Islands sign a cooperation agreement between the People's Police and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in an upgrade of bilateral relations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The European Commission and the U.S. government sign a new data communication agreement aimed at resolving legal uncertainties that European and American companies face when transferring personal data.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 14 – SAG-AFTRA announces it will begin an ongoing strike against the major film and TV studios in protest of low compensation, ownership of work, and generative AI.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- July 19 – Typhoon Doksuri forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean, going on to kill 137 people in Southeast Asia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 20 – August 20 – The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand. In the final, Spain wins 1–0 against England.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 20 – Bolivia and Iran sign a memorandum of understanding, in an upgrade of bilateral relations, expanding cooperation in the security and defense sectors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- July 23
- 2023 Greece wildfires: Tens of thousands of tourists flee Rhodes, Greece, amid wildfires and a major heatwave, in what officials say is the largest evacuation in the country's history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The 2023 Cambodian general election is held, with the dominant Cambodian People's Party retaining control of every seat in the National Assembly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The 2023 Spanish general election is held, with the People's Party becoming the largest party in the Congress of Deputies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 26 – President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger is toppled in a coup d'état after members of his presidential guard and the armed forces seize control of the country and install General Abdourahamane Tchiani as leader of a military junta.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- July 30 – 63 people are killed and over 200 are injured after a suicide bombing occurs in Khar, Pakistan; the Islamic State – Khorasan Province claims responsibility for the attack.<ref name="“aj63”">Template:Cite web</ref>
August
- August 1 – Global warming: The world's oceans reach a new record high temperature of Template:Conv, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also the hottest month on record for globally averaged surface air temperatures by a considerable margin (Template:Conv).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 8 – 2023 Hawaii wildfires: 17,000 acres of land are burned and at least 98 people are killed, with 31 others missing, when a series of wildfires break out on the island of Maui in Hawaii.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- August 10 – Tapestry, the holding company of Coach New York and Kate Spade, announces it will acquire Michael Kors' Capri Holdings, which also owns Versace and Jimmy Choo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- August 14 – August 16 – The death toll from fighting in Tripoli between the 444 brigade and the RADA Special Deterrence Force increases to 55 people, with 146 more injured. The fight ended after the release of a commander.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 16 – August 21 – Hurricane Hilary, a Category 4 Pacific Hurricane, strikes the Baja California peninsula and later Southern California, the region's first in 84 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Importance inline
- August 18 – American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact: The United States, Japan, and South Korea agree to sign a trilateral pact.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- August 20 – 2023 Guatemalan presidential election: After two rounds of voting, Bernardo Arévalo of Semilla is elected with 58 percent of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 21
- 2023 Canadian wildfires: 68% of the Northwest Territories are forced to evacuate to other parts of the country due to wildfires.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Saudi Arabia is accused of mass killing hundreds of African migrants attempting to cross its border with Yemen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 23
- India's Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, carrying a lunar lander named Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder Dmitry Utkin and eight others are<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> killed when their plane crashes in Russia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 26 – August 31 – Hurricane Idalia hits northern Florida and the Southeastern United States, the worst to hit Florida's Big Bend in nearly 100 years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Importance inline
- August 30 – Following the announcement of incumbent president Ali Bongo Ondimba's reelection as President of Gabon after the 2023 presidential election, the military launches a successful coup d'état and creates the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions to govern the country, ending the rule of the Bongo family after 56 years in power.<ref name="cnn">Template:Cite news</ref>
- August 31 – 2023 Johannesburg building fire: 77 people are killed and more than 85 are injured in a fire in a building that had been taken over by gangs who rented it out to squatters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
September
- September 1 – 2023 Singaporean presidential election: Economist and former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is elected president with a vote share of over 70 percent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 2 – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches Aditya-L1, India's first solar observation mission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 8 – October 28 – The 2023 Rugby World Cup is held in France, and New Zealand (the All Blacks) will play South Africa in the final at the Stade de France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 8 – 2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake: A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Marrakesh–Safi province in western Morocco, killing at least 2,960 people and damaging historic buildings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 9 – At the 18th G20 summit in New Delhi, the African Union is announced as the 21st permanent member of the G20.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 10 – Storm Daniel, a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone makes landfall in Libya, killing at least 5,000 people, with a further 10,000 to 100,000 reported missing. In the city of Derna in Libya, two dams collapse, resulting in a quarter of the city being destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 14 – The European Central Bank (ECB) raises eurozone interest rates to an all-time high of 4%, amid ongoing inflationary pressures across the continent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 15 – The United Auto Workers (UAW) begin a strike against the three largest American automakers, namely Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 19 – Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Azerbaijan launches a military offensive against the Armenia-backed Republic of Artsakh, which ends with a swift Azerbaijani victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Protests erupt in Armenia, Artsakh announces the dissolution of government institutions, and over 100,000 ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 20 – Archaeologists in Zambia find the world's oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years, consisting of two interlocking wooden logs connected by a notch securing one perpendicular to the other.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 21 – Rupert Murdoch announces his retirement and passes his businesses on to his son Lachlan. Murdoch led News Corp and Fox, and formerly Sky Group.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 24 – 2023 Nigerien crisis: French President Emmanuel Macron announces that France will end its military presence in Niger and will recall its ambassador from the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- September 25 – An estimated 170 people are killed and over 300 are injured during a explosion at a gas station in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- September 30 – 2023 Slovak parliamentary election: Smer, under the leadership of former prime minister Robert Fico, wins a plurality of seats in the National Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
October
- Template:Anchor October 3 – Elected on January 8,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kevin McCarthy is removed as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> with Mike Johnson being elected new Speaker on October 25.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 7
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war: Hamas launches an incursion into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting a military response from the Israel Defense Forces.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Israel launches numerous air strikes on Lebanon after rockets are fired by Hezbollah and further attempts are made to penetrate Israel. Israel's Security Cabinet formally declares war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- A series of earthquakes occur in Herat Province in Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people and injuring nearly 2,000, with tremors felt in Iran and Turkmenistan. The earthquakes are the deadliest in the country since 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 11 – ExxonMobil announces it will acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for $65 billion USD, the first of two major energy industry acquisitions of the month. The second occurs less than two weeks later on October 23, where Hess announces it will be acquired by Chevron for $50 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 13 – After British regulators' approval, Microsoft closes its $68.7 billion USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- October 14
- 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum: A majority of Australians vote against establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2023 New Zealand general election: The National Party wins a plurality of seats under leader Christopher Luxon, while the Labour Party suffers the worst result for an incumbent ruling party in modern New Zealand history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 15
- In the second round of the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, Daniel Noboa of the National Democratic Action is elected as the youngest-ever President of Ecuador.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2023 Polish parliamentary election: The Law and Justice party wins the most seats, but loses its majority.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 17 – An explosion occurs at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Displaced Palestinians were taking refuge at the hospital, resulting in a number of fatalities and injuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- October 22 – 2023 Swiss federal election: The Swiss People's Party retains its majority in the National Council.<ref>Template:Cite act Template:Webarchive</ref>
Predicted and scheduled events
- November 19 – Second round of the 2023 Argentine presidential election<ref name="Arg Election">Template:Cite web</ref>
- November 22 – 2023 Dutch general election<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- November 26 – The Junior Eurovision Contest 2023 will take place in Nice, France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Date unknown
- The European Spallation Source is expected to go into operation in Lund, Sweden.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2023 Ukrainian parliamentary election is to be held if martial law is revoked before the end of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Deaths
Nobel Prizes
- Chemistry – Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus & Alexei I. Ekimov, for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Economics – Claudia Goldin, for her research into female income and employment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Literature – Jon Fosse, for his innovative plays, prose and style, which has come to be known as Fosse minimalism<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Peace – Narges Mohammadi, for her works on the promotion of feminism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Physics – Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz & Anne L'Huillier, for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Physiology or Medicine – Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman, for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.<ref name="nobel-2023">Template:Cite web</ref>
References
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