India, now world’s leader in population

India has overtaken China in terms of total population, according to the World Population Review (WPR). This was widely expected to happen as per United Nations (UN) projections as well.

India had last conducted a census in 2011. The census is the largest and most authentic exercise to measure population. Since this decadal exercise has not been announced yet, one would have to wait for official numbers to come in.

The WPR database suggests that Indian population on March 3 stood at 1.428 billion against China’s 1.425 billion. The United States comes third with 339 million people.

While India attaining, arguably, the status of the highest populated country in the world may sound like a story to be worried about, data also indicates that India has achieved ‘replacement level’ total fertility rate (TFR). TFR is the number of children born to a woman in her reproductive age.

Canada-India relations hit

The India-Canada diplomatic relationship turned frosty this year after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau claimed that there was a “potential link” between the Indian government and the killing of a pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada earlier this year.

Nijjar, who was the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey and the chief of the separatist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was shot by two unidentified men outside the gurdwara in June.

20K Palestinians killed

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, wounded tens of thousands more, and displaced 90% of the 2.3 million residents of the besieged enclave. The current conflict was triggered by the surprise Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were gunned down in their homes, at a music festival and other public places by militants who overcame the country’s famed security and intelligence measures. The attack left thousands wounded and over 240 others were taken hostage, of which about half have been released as a part of a temporary ceasefire earlier this month.

Imran held, Sharif returns 2023

Was an eventful year for Imran Khan. The cricketer-turned-politician, who was removed from Pakistan’s PM post via a no-confidence motion , was arrested and jailed in the Toshakhana case, in which he is accused of not disclosing details of expensive gifts received while in office. Khan’s arrest was followed by days of drama in which his supporters clashed with law enforcement, including storming the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore. Meanwhile, the events also cleared the way for the return of former PM Nawaz Sharif, who was under exile in London for four years. His return just as the general elections are scheduled to take place early next year, is widely seen as a precursor for another stab at power.

China floods

From July 29 onwards, northeastern China grappled with unprecedented rainfall and flooding across at least 16 cities and provinces, courtesy of Typhoon Doksuri which left at least 81 dead and 34 missing—the fifth typhoon to hit the Pacific in 2023. This deluge ushered in a historic period for Beijing, witnessing its most substantial rainfall in 140 years. Remarkably, the rainfall accumulated to surpass 60% of a typical year’s precipitation within a mere 83-hour window.

Artemis II manned mission

On April 3, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) revealed the four astronauts selected for the Artemis II mission, which aims to orbit the Moon. This mission, slated for launch next year, marks the first crewed lunar voyage in over 50 years. After seven years, NASA’s first asteroid sample returned to Earth on October 4. Upon initial examination, researchers discovered black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the Osiris-Rex science canister, as reported by the US Space Agency. Meanwhile, On April 20, the most powerful rocket ever constructed faced multiple engine failures and exploded within minutes of its launch from SpaceX’s Starbase spaceport in Texas. 

Greece train accident

February 2023 – A head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train on the route between Greece’s capital, Athens, and Thessaloniki killed 57 people, in the country’s worst rail accident.

US Nashville school shooting

School shootings have, unfortunately, become a familiar part of the news cycle in the US.

In March 2023, a mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee grabbed headlines after a former student opened fire in The Covenant School building, killing six people, including three nine year old children. The shooter was shot dead by the police.

School shootings have, unfortunately, become a familiar part of the news cycle in the US.

In March 2023, a mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee grabbed headlines after a former student opened fire in The Covenant School building, killing six people, including three nine year old children. The shooter was shot dead by the police.

The Nepal quake

More than 150 people were killed and hundreds of others injured after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal on November 3. The quake, whose epicentre was at Ramidanda, about 550 km from the capital city of Kathmandu, was the country’s deadliest since 2015. The high death toll was partially due to the timing of the tremors, which hit the country at 11.47 pm (local time).

“If it had happened during the day, some people would have been out for work, some would have been in open areas, but because it happened late at night, the damage is more,” a local activist told The Indian Express.

Twitter changes to X

Tech billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter last year and changed its name to “X.” He initially said he was buying it in April 2022 for a certain price per share, but by July, he wanted to back out.

After some ups and downs, he officially became the new owner on October 27, 2022. In July 2023, Musk started calling Twitter “X” and changed its logo on phones. This came after earlier changes to the website and Twitter accounts. (AFP)

First space tourists

On August 11, a Virgin Galactic rocket carried its first space tourists to the edge of space, including a former British Olympian who purchased his ticket 18 years ago and a mother-daughter duo from the Caribbean. Russia’s Luna-25 mission crashes on the moon’s surface: On August 20, the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos confirmed that Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft, which was launched to perform a soft landing on the south pole of the moon, crashed due to propulsion manoeuvre issues.

Military airstrike

At least 165 people, including 27 women and 19 children, were killed after Myanmar’s military junta bombed Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region on Tuesday, the human rights minister of the ousted shadow National Unity Government Aung Myo Min wrote on Twitter, before confirming the figures to CNN.

An eyewitness, who hid in a tunnel during the attack, described a scene of horror as he approached the site of the military airstrike – of children dying, women screaming, and bodies heaped on the ground.

Serbia mass killing

A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade, the second such mass killing in Serbia in two days, state television reported. The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, the RTS report said early Friday. Police were looking for a 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, the report said. The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his father’s guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard.

Moroccan earthquake

Moroccan earthquake survivors huddled for a night in the open on the High Atlas Mountains , a day after the country’s deadliest quake in more than six decades killed more than 2,000 people and laid waste to villages.

Neighbours were still searching for survivors buried on the slopes, where houses of mud brick, stone and rough wood were cracked open and mosque minarets toppled by the quake that struck late on Friday. The historic old city of Marrakech also suffered extensive damage.

2,445 perish in quake in Af

2,445 people are reported to have been killed and 9,420 people injured across eleven villages of Zinda Jan district in Afghanistan. More casualties and structural damage in areas close to the epicentre are expected. The Afghan Red Crescent have confirmed that the destruction near Herat is much worse than initially feared. Villages have been flattened, with many residents still buried under the rubble.

Six schools are also reported to have been destroyed in the district, along with three early child development centres and two community-based education classes.

War spills into 2nd year

More than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the war continued with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scrambling to mobilise a continuous supply of soldiers and weapons as key allies, Europe and America, slowed down the funding due to changes in internal politics. Though there is no concrete information on the number of casualties, UN estimates say that more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed. A New York Times report said that over 5 lakh Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed so far.

Submersible implodes

The Titan submersible carrying five people onboard imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean on June 18. The submersible was part of a deep sea extreme tourism mission to visit the 111-year-old wreckage of the Titanic more than 12,000 feet underwater. After days of gruelling search and rescue mission, officials confirmed that a debris field was found around 500m away from the bow of the Titanic that was consistent with that of the 22-foot submersible.

Over 67,000 dead in quake

Over 67,000 people were killed after a series of devastating tremors hit parts of Turkey and neighbouring Syria early on February 6. Thousands of buildings tumbled down, trapping tens of thousands of residents. Most of the damage was done by the 7.8 and 7.7 magnitude quakes that struck Antakya within hours. It is estimated to be the largest earthquake in Turkey since 1939.