From the war between Israel and Hamas to the earthquakes in Turkey, Syria and Morocco, the attacks in Ukraine and the artificial intelligence’s attack on the Hollywood industry, these are the main events that will happen in 2023:
“Israel-Hamas war”
On October 7, Hamas fighters entered southern Israel from the Gaza Strip and attacked border towns and a music festival, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to the latest official Israeli figures. The attack, unprecedented since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 has caused fear and shock in Israel and abroad. About 240 people have been taken hostage to the Gaza Strip, including the elderly, children and women. Israel plans to destroy the group, which the United States, the European Union and Israel call a “terrorist” organization, and has launched a heavy bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, advice residents to move to south. During the seven weeks of the war; the bombings in the Gaza Strip have killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians, including 6,150 children. According to the United Nations, more than two-thirds of the region’s 2.4 million people have been displaced.
“Ukrainian Counterattack”
In December, the Russian army returned to the offensive with a reinforcement of 300,000 troops and with the support of the Wagner Armed Group especially in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. In May, Moscow announced Pakhmut’s arrest after a bloody battle, which is the longest conflict since the Russian occupation began in February 2022.
Offensives of Ukraine by its Western allies began in early June in an effort to retake areas occupied by Moscow. But he faced a strong Russian defense. Despite billions of dollars in Western military aid, the Ukrainian army has managed to retake only some of the country’s southern and eastern towns. On June 24, members of the Russian armed group Wagner rebelled and began demonstrations against Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the betrayal of his leader Evgeny Prigozhin, who eventually ordered his men to return to their bases. Prigozhin’s death two months later in a plane crash has raised questions and Western countries and Ukraine suspect the Kremlin of involvement.
“Devastating Earthquake”
On the night of February 5-6, an earthquake, one of the strongest in a century, hit southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria. The 7.8-magnitude quake killed at least 56,000 people in Turkey and about 6,000 in Syria nine hours later.
Several moving images have circulated around the world of a father holding the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, who was trapped under rubble in Turkey, and of a baby girl born in Syria during the earthquake who was rescued from the debris while still strapped to her mother’s throat. The earth quake measured between 6.8 and 7, the strongest recorded in the country. About 3,000 were killed and more than 5,600 injured. The earthquake damaged about 60,000 housing units.
“Increasing instability in Africa”
Africa staged two coups in 2023. In Niger, a coastal country involved in jihadist violence, military personnel took power on July 26, citing deteriorating security conditions. Mohamed Abdul Mahdi was arrested at his home. In Gabon, a military coup on August 30 removed the president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, just after a widely criticized presidential election that saw him win a third term. “Ali Bongo,” whose family ruled the Central African country for more than 55 years, still remains in Libreville and is free to move.
Fighting has been launched in Sudan since April 15 between army commander Abdul Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. According to estimates by the NGO Euclid, more than 10,000 people have died. However, these estimates may not display the actual casual numbers. After Mali and the Central African Republic in 2022, France was forced to withdraw troops from two former occupiers, Burkina Faso in February and Niger in October under pressure from the authorities and public hostility.
“Artificial intelligence is shaking Hollywood”
In May, American screenwriters who had joined the actors in mid-July went on strike to demand better pay and a better understanding of artificial intelligence. The move, unprecedented in Hollywood since the 1960s, ended in September with screenwriters being given a pay contract and protection from the use of artificial intelligence. They only resumed operations in November. In addition to raising wages, the strike allowed for new restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence. The strike has completely paralyzed US film and series production for six months, costing the US economy at least $6 billion.
“Climate warming”
June and October were the hottest months in the world, according to the European Copernicus Monitoring Organization, which expects 2023 to roughly surpass the level set in 2016 and become the warmest year. Rising temperatures will coincide with drought, causing famine, devastating fires and violent storms. Canada has seen an unprecedented fire season this year, burning more than 18 million hectares and displacing 200,000 people.
“Back to the Moon”
On August 23, India successfully launched the Schnaderian-3 unmanned spacecraft to an unprecedented area in the southern corner of the moon. A few days ago, the Russian probe Lona-25 crashed on Moscow’s first lunar mission since 1976, in the same area of great importance because of the presence of frozen water.
Before India, only the United States, the Soviet Union and China successfully landed vehicles on the moon. NASA is relying on SpaceX’s Artemis mission to the moon with the goal of returning US astronauts in 2025 for the first time since 1972. On April 20, the Starship flew fully for the first time, but an engine failure forced Elon Musk to launch the rocket four minutes later.
In a second test in November, the top floor of the rocket reached space before a “fault” caused it to explode. Japan’s iSpace failed to land the Hakotr spacecraft on the moon in April, but the Japanese space agency JAXA sent a new mission to the moon in early September.
“Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno-Karabakh”
On the 19th of September; Azerbaijan invaded the Armenian separate region of northern Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been disputed by Baku and Yerevan for more than three decades. Within 24 hours, the regional authorities surrendered after Yerevan abandoned them and signed a ceasefire agreement. After the attack that killed nearly 600 people, the majority of its 120,000 inhabitants fled to Armenia while the authorities in Northern Karabakh announced dissolution on December. In the mid-November, the International Court of Justice, to which Yerevan turned, ordered Baku to allow the return of Karabakh residents “in complete safety.” International talks aimed at reaching a peace agreement have so far failed.
