Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
Brahim Ghali
- Chris Hipkins succeeds Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party after her resignation.
- Brahim Ghali (pictured) is re-elected as secretary general of the Polisario Front and president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
- A helicopter crashes near Kyiv, killing fourteen people, including Ukrainian interior minister Denys Monastyrsky.
- In the Antiguan general election, the Labour Party retains its majority in the House of Representatives.
- A plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal, kills all 72 people on board.
January 27, 2023 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Ukraine says "fierce fighting" is underway in the east and northeast of the country as Russian troops try to breakthrough Ukrainian defensive lines in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. (Reuters)
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israeli Air Force jets launch airstrikes on an underground rocket manufacturing site, and a military base used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in response to rockets fired by Palestinian militants into southern Israel. (Reuters)
- 2023 East Jerusalem synagogue shooting
- Seven Israeli Jews are killed and ten more are injured in a mass shooting at a synagogue in Jerusalem. The perpetrator is killed by police. (Israel National News)
- Gaza–Israel conflict
- Azerbaijan–Iran relations; Terrorism in Iran
- Attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
- A guard is killed and two others are injured during a shooting at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, Iran. The perpetrator is arrested. (Al Jazeera)
- Attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
- Syrian civil war
- Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concludes with "reasonable grounds" that the Douma chemical attack that occurred on 7 April 2018 was carried out by the Syrian military. (Al Jazeera)
- Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 Auckland floods
- At least two people have died after severe flash flooding broke out across New Zealand's largest city Auckland. (NZ Herarld)
- Environmental issues in Pakistan
- It is announced that at least 18 people have been killed in the past two weeks by toxic chemicals from factories in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
- A Russian Mi-8 helicopter of the "Rossiya" special flight squad, which transports members of the government and armed forces, crashes at Vnukovo airport. According to some reports there are injuries, with TASS reporting that pilot error is the main cause of the helicopter crash. (RTVI)
Health and environment
- Western Australian radioactive capsule incident
- A radioactive capsule goes missing along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of highway in Western Australia. (ABC)
- Rewilding
- South Africa agrees to send 12 cheetahs to India a year for the next eight to ten years to help establish a "viable and secure cheetah population" in the wild. The Asiatic cheetah became extinct in India in the 1940s due to hunting and habitat destruction. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Czech presidential election
- Czechs head to the polls in the second round of the presidential election. (BBC News)
- Greek wiretapping scandal of 2022
- Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis survives a no-confidence vote called by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras over the scandal. (AFP via The Sun)
January 26, 2023 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia launches a wave of cruise missile and Shahed 129 drone strikes across Ukraine, targeting major cities and critical infrastructure, killing at least 11 people and injuring 11 others. Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi says that at least 20 missiles have been intercepted over the capital Kyiv. (The Guardian)
- 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Somali Civil War
- American military intervention in Somalia
- A U.S. military raid in northern Somalia kills senior Islamic State member Bilal al-Sudani and ten other insurgents. No U.S. military casualties are reported in the operation, which was ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden. (NBC News)
- American military intervention in Somalia
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- 2023 Jenin killings
- Four Al-Qassam militants, three Islamic Jihad members and two Palestinian civilians are killed and 20 others are injured during a raid and subsequent gunfight by Israeli soldiers in Jenin, in the West Bank. In a separate raid in Al-Ram, a Palestinian man is killed and two others are injured by Israeli soldiers. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
- 2023 Jenin killings
- Aftermath of the 2022 Haitian crisis
- Ten police officers are killed, one is critically injured and another is missing during a series of attacks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by the Gan Grif gang. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- Hong Kong–United States relations
- U.S. President Joe Biden grants a two-year extension to the Deferred Enforced Departure immigration status of Hong Kong residents, citing increasing tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China. (AFP via GMA News Online)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Tokelauan general election
- Tokelauans head to the polls to elect the members of the General Fono. (RNZ)
January 25, 2023 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022–2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions
- A DRC Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 is hit by anti-aircraft fire over the Rwandan border. The Rwandan government says that its forces took "defensive measures" against a plane that had "violated its airspace". (BBC News)
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- France agrees to withdraw its 400 special forces personnel from Burkina Faso, following Saturday's mandate from the ruling military junta that France withdraw within one month. (BBC News)
- Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria
- At least 27 herders are killed, and several others are injured, after a bomb explodes in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Some herders say that the explosion was caused by an airstrike. (AFP via News24)
- Algeciras church attacks
Arts and culture
- UNESCO places the ruins of the Kingdom of Saba in modern-day Yemen, the historic center of Odesa, Ukraine, and the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon, on its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO cites ongoing conflicts and lack of funding due to the Lebanese liquidity crisis as the reasons for their inclusion. (NPR)
Business and economy
- 2021–2023 inflation surge
- The Bank of Canada raises its benchmark interest rate to 4.5 percent, the highest since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, amid high levels of inflation and vacancies affecting the Canadian economy. (Financial Post)
Disasters and accidents
- A Hong Kong-registered ship carrying 22 people capsizes off the coast of Japan. Eight crew members are dead, 13 are rescued and two others still missing. (AFP via Barron's)
- A Philippine Air Force SF.260 training flight from Sangley Point Airport in Cavite City, Philippines, crashes into a paddy field in Pilar, Bataan, killing two people on board. (Rappler)
Health and environment
- NK News reports that the North Korean government has imposed a five-day lockdown in Pyongyang due to the spread of an unspecified respiratory infection. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
International relations
- Iran and weapons of mass destruction
- Nuclear program of Iran
- International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi says that Iran has now amassed enough material for "several nuclear weapons", and calls for new diplomatic efforts in order to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. (CNN)
- Nuclear program of Iran
- Iran–European Union relations, Iran–United Kingdom relations
- Iran places sanctions on more than 30 UK and EU-affiliated individuals in a tit-for-tat response to a new round of sanctions by the European Union over the Mahsa Amini protests. Sanctioned individuals include UK Attorney General Victoria Prentis, UK Army Chief of Staff Sir Patrick Sanders, and three staff members of Charlie Hebdo. (RFE/RL)
Law and crime
- Brokstedt stabbing
- Two people are killed and seven others are injured in a mass stabbing on a passenger train in Brokstedt, Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. (ITV)
- Human rights in Russia
- The Moscow City Court orders the closure of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest human rights organization. (RFE/RL)
Politics and elections
- 2023 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election
- Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins is sworn in as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand by Governor-General Cindy Kiro. (AFP via RFI)
- Cabinet of Borjana Krišto
- The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina votes 23–21 to approve the new Council of Ministers to be led by ethnic Croat former Federation President Borjana Krišto. (RFE/RL)
January 24, 2023 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Battle of Soledar
- Two British aid workers are killed during a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (BBC News)
- Battle of Soledar
- Germany–Ukraine relations
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announces that Germany will send Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, and will also allow other operators of the tanks, such as Poland, to send them to Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
- Two police officers are killed and a third is injured in an attack in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. (Al Arabiya)
Disasters and accidents
- List of earthquakes in 2023
- At least one person is killed and two others are injured by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Bajura and Bajhang Districts, Nepal. (MyRepublica)
- Three people are killed, twelve are missing and twelve are rescued after a building collapses in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, due to the earthquake in Nepal. (Reuters)
- 2023 Afghanistan cold snap
- The death toll from two weeks of cold is 124 people and about 70,000 livestock, according to the government, the majority of whom lived in rural areas. (BBC News)
- Tornado outbreak of January 24–25, 2023
- A tornado outbreak strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a rare tornado emergency for areas east of Houston, Texas. (The New York Times)
- A Cessna 206 with six people on board goes missing in Isabela, Philippines. Rescue operations are being conducted. (Global China Daily)
Law and crime
- 2023 Yakima shooting
- Three people are killed in a shooting at a Circle K store in Yakima, Washington, United States. The gunman later commits suicide in another location. (KNDO-TV) (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Corruption in Ukraine
- Several senior Ukrainian officials, including deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko, four deputy ministers, and five regional governors, resign as a nationwide anti-corruption campaign is launched in Ukraine. (BBC News)
Science and technology
- Doomsday Clock
- The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces that the Doomsday Clock has been moved up to 90 seconds before midnight, largely due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. (NPR) (CNN)
January 23, 2023 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- Makugwe massacre
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgents kill 23 people at a bar in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The jihadists also torched several homes and shops in the village during the attack. Islamic State claims responsibility. (AFP via France 24)
- Makugwe massacre
Business and economy
- 2021–2023 inflation surge
- Swedish music streaming service Spotify announces that it will cut 600 jobs, around 6% of its workforce, citing low revenue growth and a need to improve efficiency. Dawn Ostroff will also depart as its chief content and advertising business officer. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- A major power outage in Pakistan leaves nearly 220 million people without electricity after a failure at the national power grid. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a reduction in energy consumption as the country faces a severe energy crisis. (CNN) (Reuters)
- An Algerian Air Force Mi-171 helicopter crashes during a military exercise, killing three crew onboard in Ain Defla Province, Algeria. (MEHR)
- Two people are killed and two others are injured after a fire in a church in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. (DailySabah)
International relations
- Sweden–Turkey relations
- Enlargement of NATO, Sweden–NATO relations
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rules out Turkish support for Sweden's bid for NATO membership following the burning of a Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm by Rasmus Paludan and a series of pro-Kurdish demonstrations where protestors waved PKK flags. (AP)
- Enlargement of NATO, Sweden–NATO relations
- Estonia–Russia relations
- Estonia announces the expulsion of the Russian ambassador in Tallinn Vladimir Lipayev to reciprocate Russia's expulsion of the Estonian ambassador in Moscow Margus Laidre due to a "downgrade" of relations. Both envoys will depart their respective assignments on February 7. (AP)
- Latvia–Russia relations
- Latvia asks Russian ambassador Mikhail Vanin to leave the country by February 24 in "full solidarity" with Estonia. (Politico)
Law and crime
- Mass shootings in the United States
- 2023 Monterey Park shooting
- An eleventh person dies in the hospital from injuries sustained in Saturday's mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times)
- 2023 Half Moon Bay shootings
- Seven people are killed and one other person is injured in a shooting spree in Half Moon Bay, California, United States. A suspect is taken into custody afterwards. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- 2023 Monterey Park shooting
- Aftermath of the 2020 Beirut explosion
- Judge Tarek Bitar resumes his investigation into the explosion, 13 months after Hezbollah officials filed complaints against Bitar that prompted him to suspend the investigation. (AFP via Zawya)
- Eugenics in Japan
- The Kumamoto district court orders the government to compensate two plaintiffs ¥22 million (US$170,000) worth of damages for their compulsory sterilization under the now-obsolete Eugenic Protection Act of 1948. (Kyodo News)
Science and technology
- A new study by seismologists at Peking University in Beijing says that Earth's inner core stopped rotating faster than the rest of the planet in 2009. (Nature) (New Scientist)
January 22, 2023 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Germany–Russia relations, Germany–Poland relations
- German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock says that Germany will not prevent Poland from sending Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine which Ukrainian officials say are pivotal to defeating Russian forces. (Reuters)
- Germany–Russia relations, Germany–Poland relations
- Arab–Israeli conflict
- The Lebanese Army declares a "state of alert" after stopping Israeli bulldozers and accompanying soldiers from approaching a border fence in Southern Lebanon. Peacekeeping forces from UNIFIL have also been deployed to the area. (AA)
Disasters and accidents
- Four people are killed and three others are feared dead in an apartment fire in Kobe, Japan. (The Japan Times)
- At least 13 people are killed when a five-story building collapses in Aleppo, Syria, due to a leaking of water in the building's foundation. (Reuters)
- Four people are killed and six others are injured in a fire at a two-story cottage in Qusar, Azerbaijan. (Xinhua)
Law and crime
- Police in Cameroon find the mutilated body of prominent journalist Martinez Zogo, who had been kidnapped by unknown assailants five days ago, amid increasing violence against reporters in the country. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2023 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election
- The ruling Labour Party unanimously elects education and public service minister Chris Hipkins to succeed Jacinda Ardern as the party's leader following Ardern's resignation three days ago. Governor-General Cindy Kiro is expected to appoint Hipkins as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand on January 25. (AP)
- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses health and interior minister Aryeh Deri from his cabinet after the Supreme Court ruled that Deri was barred from holding a position as a cabinet minister due to his conviction for tax offenses. (AFP via France 24)
Sports
- In surfing, American lifeguard Luke Shepardson wins the 2023 edition of The Eddie at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, United States, after finishing with 89.1 points out of 90, defeating defending champion John John Florence. (AP)
January 21, 2023 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Russian military says that it has launched offensive operations in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and "taken more advantageous lines and positions". (France 24)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Tigray War
- Tigrayan peace process
- Eritrean forces withdraw from Shire and other major towns in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. (Reuters)
- Tigrayan peace process
- 2022–2023 Peruvian political protests
- Peru indefinitely closes its iconic Machu Picchu historic site due to the ongoing unrest which has killed dozens of people. Around 500 foreign nationals are currently stranded in Peru. (BBC News) (AFP via France 24)
- Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
- Burkina Faso demands that French forces withdraw from its territory after suspending a 2018 military accord that allowed the presence of French troops in the country. The ruling military junta has given France one month to complete the withdrawal. (Reuters)
- Yemeni Civil War
- Six people are injured after a bomb explodes in al-Majaza, Shabwah Governorate, Yemen. (Middle East Monitor)
Arts and culture
- Japan wins the 2023 World Pastry Cup in Chassieu, Lyon Metropolis, France. (AFP via The Philippine Star)
Business and economy
- International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- RT France, the French arm of the Russian state media network RT, ceases operation following the freezing of their bank accounts by the Direction générale du Trésor. (AFP via News18)
International relations
- Sweden–Turkey relations
- The Turkish defense ministry cancels Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson's upcoming visit to Turkey in response to an approval for far-right extremist Rasmus Paludan to protest in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. (AFP via The Jordan Times)
Law and crime
- 2023 Monterey Park shooting
- Ten people are killed and ten others are injured in a mass shooting at a dance studio after Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, United States. The suspect, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, escapes and later commits suicide. (Los Angeles Times)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Slovak constitutional referendum
- Slovakians head to the polls to vote in a referendum to determine whether early elections can be called before the customary end of the mandate. (AP)
- 2023 Brazilian Congress attack
- Commander of the Brazilian Army Júlio César de Arruda is fired by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the aftermath of the January 8 Congress attack and is replaced by Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva. (AP)
- Tanzanian opposition party Chadema organizes a political demonstration in Mwanza. This is the country's first demonstration since President Samia Suluhu Hassan abolished her predecessor John Magufuli's seven-year ban on political assembly earlier this month. (AFP via VOA)
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
2023 events and developments by topic
Arts
Animation (Anime) · Architecture · Comics · Film (Horror, Science fiction) · Literature (Poetry) · Music (Classical, Country, Hip hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US, Korea) · Radio · Television (Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, Scotland, US) · Video games
Politics and government
Elections · International leaders · Sovereign states · Sovereign state leaders · Territorial governors
Science and technology
Archaeology · Biotechnology · Computing · Palaeontology · Quantum computing and communication · Senescence research · Space/Astronomy · Spaceflight · Sustainable energy research
Environment
Transportation
Aviation · Rail transport · Transportation technology
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments · Disestablishments
Works and introductions categories
Works · Introductions · Works entering the public domain
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2023.
Discover Wikipedia using portals
