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'Richmond Sentinel' present eight notable news items in the year 2023.

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Eight notable news items in 2023

By Matthew Cheung

Published 2:22 PST, Fri December 22, 2023

Last Updated: 2:24 PST, Fri December 22, 2023

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Following a 2022 year that was filled with change, 2023 brought on a new year for people all around the world as they began to adapt to the new normal. The Richmond Sentinel recaps eight notable news items around the globe in 2023.

1. Barbie awarded Top Grossing Movie of 2023

In Fall 2009, Universal Pictures had announced that a live-action Barbie film would be coming in the future. After 14 years of staffing and casting changes, the film premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023. In as little as three months, the live-action film generated $1.44 billion becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and highest-grossing film by a solo female director. The film surpassed many notable on-going movie series including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

2. Taylor Swift’s landmark Eras Tour the highest grossing tour of all time

In 2023, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour broke the Guinness world record for the highest-grossing music tour ever. The tour began in 2023 and will continue into December 2024. With a total of 151 shows worldwide, the show broke Elton John’s five-year farewell tour that ended in 2023, generating a whopping $1.04 billion compared to Elton John’s $939 million. Each show spans over three and a half hours, featuring a set list of 44 songs.

3. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announces global temperatures shatter records

On November 2023, it was announced by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that the global temperatures have shattered records, indicating a 1.40 degrees Celsius increase compared to the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline. Greenhouse gases were recorded to be at an all-time high showing no signs of decreasing, sea surface temperatures and sea level rise saw record levels, a record low Antarctic ice levels, and extreme weathers causing death and starvation.

4. The King and Queen of the United Kingdom’s Coronation

On May 6, 2023, Charles III and his wife Camilla were coronated onto the throne at Westminster Abbey, following the death of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022. On September 10, Charles was proclaimed King by the Accession Council.

5. World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency

On May 5, 2023, after three years of a global pandemic, the WHO declared the end of COVID-19 as a global emergency. With more than 765 million cases worldwide since the early stages of the pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic took nearly seven million lives. Government all around the world were urging citizens to get their vaccines and booster shots. The announcement does not mean that COVID-19 has disappeared from the earth but that we will be transitioning out of the emergency phase and will need continue monitoring it and take measures to protect ourselves and others.

6. India passes China as the world’s most populous country

In April 2023, India officially surpassed China as the world’s most populous country. China who had held the title for World’s Most Populous Country since 1950, began experiencing a decline in 2022 after reaching a peak size of 1.426 billion people. India surpassed that number late April and has continued grow based on the latest United Nations estimates and projections. As of late 2023, India has reached a population of 1.434 billion people based on the United Nations’ data.

7. Japanese Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani signs massive deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

On Dec. 9, Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani announced on social media that he would be signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time unanimous Most Valuable Player (MVP) agreed to a ten-year, $700 million contract. He will earn $2 million a year from 2024 to 2034, after opting to defer the remaining $680 million to be paid out from 2034 to 2043, sparking many baseball fans to take exception to the baseball league’s rules. By deferring the money, the superstar has allowed his new team to stay competitive in the free agency market.

8. Ocean Gate’s Titan submersible implodes during expedition to see wreckage of infamous Titanic ship

On June 18, a submersible operated by American tourism company OceanGate lost communication with its mothership during an expedition to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The titan initiated emergency protocol to ascend from their location, but it never appeared. The news prompted citizens around North America to tune in as it was reported that the submersible only had 96 hours of breathable air remaining. 14 days later, debris consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure was found. Up until early October, multiple recovery operations were conducted, as engineers recovered the rest of the debris and presumed human remains.