Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
-_Alessandro_Bianconi.png)
Comet C/2022 E3
- A Chinese balloon suspected of surveillance and espionage is shot down after overflying Canada and the United States.
- Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) (pictured) makes its closest approach to the Earth.
- A suicide bombing in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills 100 people and injures more than 220 others.
- Petr Pavel is elected as president of the Czech Republic.
- Cyclone Cheneso leaves at least 33 people dead in Madagascar.
February 5, 2023 (Sunday)
Disasters and accidents
- Eight people in Austria and two in Switzerland are killed by a series of avalanches. (BBC)
- At least eight people are killed and 42 injured when a bus crashes and overturns in Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey. (ABC News)
Health and environment
- South Africa reports two imported cases of cholera in two sisters who returned from Malawi. The government is requesting that people remain vigilant. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Cypriot presidential election
- Cypriots head to the polls to elect their president. (AFP via France 24)
- 2023 Ecuadorian constitutional referendum
- Ecuadorians head to the polls for a non-binding referendum on a constitutional reform. (Infobae)
- 2023 Monegasque general election
- Monacans head to the polls to elect their parliament. (Euronews)
February 4, 2023 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 China balloon incident
- The Federal Aviation Administration closes the airspace off the east coast of the United States, and suspends arrivals at Myrtle Beach International Airport, Charleston International Airport, and Wilmington International Airport after President Joe Biden orders the high-altitude balloon to be shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. (Euro Weekly News)
- The high-altitude balloon is shot down by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor over the Atlantic Ocean at 2:39 PM EST. An operation to collect the remnants of the balloon in U.S. territorial waters is currently underway. It is the first time that an aircraft has been shot down in the United States since World War II, as well as the first ever aircraft shootdown in the contiguous United States. (AP) (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 16 people are killed and 66 others are injured in a multiple-vehicle collision along a highway in Changsha, Hunan, China. (AFP via The Straits Times)
- Nine sailors are missing after their fishing vessel capsizes off the coast of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. President Yoon Suk-yeol has deployed the coast guard to conduct an air-sea rescue for the missing people. (AFP via Oman Daily Observer)
- Two people are killed and three others are injured by an avalanche in Raghistan District, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. (5DariyaNews)
Health and environment
- February 2023 North American cold wave
- Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States, records the lowest wind chill temperature in the country at −108 °F (−78 °C). (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
February 3, 2023 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Tigray War
- Tigrayan peace process
- Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed meets with officials of the Tigray People's Liberation Front for the first time since the signing of a peace treaty in November. (AFP via RFI)
- Tigrayan peace process
Business and economy
- The FTSE 100 Index, the main share index of the 100 most highly capitalized companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, reaches a record intraday value of 7,906.58 points, surpassing the previous highest intraday value of 7,903.50 points recorded on May 22, 2018. (AFP via Barron's)
Disasters and accidents
- Three people are killed and several others are injured when a bus overturns near Murska Sobota, Prekmurje, Slovenia. (AP)
- At least seventeen people are killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)
- Chile expands its state of emergency due to wildfires that have burned up to 8,000 hectares and also declares a catastrophe in the Biobío region amid a summer heat wave. (Reuters)
International relations
- 2023 China balloon incident
- China–United States relations
- The United States accuses China of "a clear violation of sovereignty" after a suspected meteorological high altitude balloon is noted hovering over Montana. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postpones his official visit to Beijing, initially scheduled for February 5, in response to the incident. (The Independent) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
- The United States Department of Defense reports that a second high altitude balloon has been discovered flying over Latin America. (NBC News)
- China–United States relations
Law and crime
- Corruption in South Korea
- A court in South Korea sentences former justice minister Cho Kuk to two years in prison after convicting him on charges of abuse of power and for helping his children enter prestigious schools using fake credentials. (The Washington Post)
Science and technology
- The Brazilian Navy scuttles the decommissioned aircraft carrier São Paulo into the Atlantic Ocean, following the rejections of injunctions from the Ministry of the Environment and the Federal Public Ministry. (AFP via RFI)
February 2, 2023 (Thursday)
Disasters and accidents
- Eight construction workers are killed near Sevastopol, Crimea, in an overnight fire at a barracks. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- 2020–2023 H5N8 outbreak
- The UK Health Security Agency confirms that avian influenza has crossed over to several wild mammals, including foxes, otters and seals. The agency says that the risk to humans remains very low, however, there will now be more "targeted surveillance" and testing of animals. (BBC News)
International relations
- Israel–Sudan relations
- 2023 China balloon incident
- The United States Department of Defense monitors a high-altitude balloon from China flying over Montana. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry says the balloon is used for civilian meteorological research and had drifted off-course due to unexpected weather. (AFP via NDTV) (The Guardian)
- Philippines–United States relations
- The Philippines permits the U.S. Armed Forces access to an additional four military bases, thereby expediting the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (AFP via France 24)
Law and crime
- War on terror
- The United States releases Majid Khan from the Guantanamo Bay prison and transfers him to Belize. Khan had been captured in 2003 in Pakistan and was being held on accusations of helping al-Qaeda. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament
- Two MEPs, Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella, have their legal immunity revoked by European Union lawmakers amid an investigation into money laundering and bribery. (BBC News)
February 1, 2023 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- A Russian Iskander-K ballistic missile destroys an apartment complex in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, killing at least three people and injuring 20 others, according to local officials. (Reuters)
- Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kivu conflict
- M23 offensive
- M23 insurgents capture the town of Kitshanga in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, after days of heavy fighting. The DRC army confirms the withdrawal of its troops from the town, saying that it was a "tactical move to protect civilians". (Al Jazeera)
- M23 offensive
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria clashes
- Eight soldiers are killed near Kafr Rumah in Idlib Governorate by Tahrir al-Sham militants. (AFP via Barron's)
- Northwestern Syria clashes
- 2018–2023 Haitian crisis
- Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that his government is willing to send troops to Haiti as part of a "multinational security assistance deployment". (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Lebanese liquidity crisis
- The central bank of Lebanon devalues the Lebanese pound by 90% amid an ongoing financial crisis. (Reuters)
- 2021–present United Kingdom cost of living crisis
- More than 500,000 workers across multiple public sectors go on strike in the United Kingdom, forcing thousands of schools to close and many services to be delayed or cancelled, amid disputes over pay and working conditions. It is the largest industrial action in the UK since 2010. (CNBC)
- 2021–2023 inflation surge
- U.S. payment service provider PayPal announces that it will cut around 2,000 jobs, about 7% of its workforce, citing the "challenging macro-economic environment". (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- January 31 – February 2, 2023 ice storm
- Eight people are killed by a winter storm in Texas, United States. (NBC News)
- Two people are injured after a magnitude 6 earthquake hits Monkayo, Davao de Oro, Philippines. (GMA News Online)
- One person is injured after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hits Banjar, West Java, Indonesia. (Kompas.com)
- Three people are killed and 32 others are injured after a fire in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)
Health and environment
- Western Australian radioactive capsule incident
- A search team from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and WA Fire and Emergency Services announces that they have found the missing caesium-137 capsule around 74 km (46 mi) south of Newman. (ABC News Australia)
- The East Epi submarine volcano in Vanuatu erupts for the first time since 2004, sending ash 90 meters into the air, with a 10 kilometer radius danger zone. (The Washington Post) (RNZ)
Law and crime
- Four people are killed and five others are injured after a mass shooting in KwaMashu, Durban, South Africa. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2021–2023 Myanmar civil war
- 2023 Myanmar general election
- Two years after Myanmar's military overthrew the country's democratically-elected government, the State Administration Council extends the country's state of emergency for another six months, thereby postponing the general election initially scheduled for August 1. (AFP via France 24)
- 2023 Myanmar general election
Science and technology
- Long-period comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) makes its closest approach to Earth after reaching its perihelion on January 12. (ABC News)
Sports
- Four years after it originally folded, the Arena Football League announces plans to re-launch in time for a 2024 season. (CBS Sports)
January 31, 2023 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Foreign involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announces that France will send 12 additional CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, and could also train Ukrainian Air Force pilots to operate French fighter jets as part of their latest military support package. (Reuters)
- Foreign involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Disasters and accidents
- Tanda Dam boat disaster
- The death toll from a boat capsize at the Tanda Dam in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on 29 January increases to 51. (AFP via The Peninsula)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
- Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker announces that the state will end its COVID-19 emergency proclamation after three years beginning on May 11. (The State Journal-Register)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- The Namibian environment ministry announces that 61 black rhinoceros and 26 white rhinoceros were killed in the country in 2022 as a result of poaching, including 46 in Etosha National Park. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- Pastoral visits of Pope Francis
- Pope Francis begins his first papal visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He will also visit South Sudan on the same trip. (AFP via RTHK)
Law and crime
- 2022–23 Salvadoran gang crackdown
- The Salvadoran government opens the Terrorism Confinement Center, a prison with a capacity of 40,000, amidst a gang crackdown which has arrested over 62,000 people since March 2022. (Reuters)
- Killing of Tiba al-Ali
- A YouTuber is killed in Iraq; her father confesses to the honour killing. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- Protests against Emmanuel Macron
- 2023 French pension reform strikes
- A second day of strikes and demonstrations occurs throughout France against the government's pension reform project, which proposes to increase the retirement age to 64. (BFMTV)
- 2023 French pension reform strikes
Sports
- 2022–23 Premier League
- Chelsea F.C. sign Argentinian central midfielder Enzo Fernández from Primeira Liga club Benfica in a £106.8m deal to break the British football transfer fee record. (The Guardian)
January 30, 2023 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- 2023 Peshawar mosque bombing
- At least 100 people are killed and 225 others are injured when a suicide bomber detonates his explosive belt at a mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The mosque is located inside a compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counter-terrorism department. (Al Jazeera)
- 2023 Peshawar mosque bombing
- Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- Ten police officers, two Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland personnel, and a civilian are killed in a terrorist attack by at least 15 jihadists in Falagountou, Séno, while five other police officers are injured and ten people are missing. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- Syrian civil war
- Fifteen people are injured after a bomb explodes near a bus carrying police officers near Khirbet Ghazaleh, Daraa Governorate, Syria. (AP)
Business and economy
- British sports-fashion retailer JD Sports says that the stored data of 10 million customers "may have been accessed" in a cyberattack, including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, order details, and the final four digits of debit card numbers. (BBC News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- The Biden administration announces that the United States will end its COVID-19 emergency proclamation on May 11 after being imposed for three years. (Forbes)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Aging of China
- The Chinese province of Sichuan announces the abolition of its three-child policy and the restrictions on birth registration for single parents on February 15, citing the country's population decline. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
International relations
- Foreign relations of Kiribati
- Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka confirms that Kiribati will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum after leaving the organization last year due to a dispute. (The Guardian)
- 2022–2023 Peruvian protests
- The Organization of American States passes a resolution asking the government of Dina Boluarte to convene elections soon in an attempt to reduce the level of violence in Peru, which has already killed 65 people. (La Prensa Latina) (Infobae)
| 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 |
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
