With 2023 drawing to a close, SBS News has compiled some of the best photos from some of the biggest news stories from around the world.
Wildfires
2023 was a year of record heat temperatures, accompanied by wildfires that scorched vast swaths of land in countries around the world.
Smoke from turned the New York City skyline orange, while holiday-makers from the path of fires that burned across the northeast and Rhodes. A killed dozens in Maui, leaving hundreds homeless.
Canada experienced a record-setting wildfire season, with more than 33.9 million acres scorched. Source: Getty / Darren Hull
A firefighter runs as wildfire intensifies in Evros, Greece. Source: Getty / Anadolu
This aerial image shows a red-roofed house that survived fires in Maui, surrounded by destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground. Source: Getty / Patrick T. Fallon
Donald Trump arrested
On 24 August this year, former US president and booked on 13 charges related to his alleged attempts to .
The former president has been criminally indicted four times and is facing other charges in different states over crimes like alleged , allegations of and his alleged involvement in the Washington DC Capitol insurrection.
He remains the frontrunner for the Republican Party in the 2024 elections in November next year.
Donald Trump was booked on 13 charges related to an alleged plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Source: Getty / Handout
Türkiye earthquake
In the early hours of 6 February, an earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude struck Türkiye and Syria, with thousands of aftershocks. More than 50,000 people were killed and over 120,000 injured. The of both countries, razing buildings to the ground and displacing millions.
Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş. Source: Getty / Adem Altan
Coronation of King Charles III
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, her eldest son Charles, then-Prince of Wales, ascended the throne. also included his wife Camilla being crowned Queen.
The new heads of the Royal Family for the UK, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth had a spectacular affair to mark the beginning of their reign.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Source: Getty / Max Mumby
Prince Louis' facial expressions during the coronation stole the show. Source: AAP / Yui Mok/PA/Alamy
War in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has ground on for another year, with the outcome still uncertain. Neither Russia nor Ukraine have managed to make substantial territorial gains and there has been widespread debate on whether the conflict has entered a stalemate. The US released its final package of aid in Ukraine this month, while its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to try and rally allies to his cause.
After a public dispute with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the notorious mercenary force known as the Wagner Group, .
A wounded Ukrainian soldier is treated by Ukrainian military medics in a stabilisation point in an undisclosed location near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine. Source: Getty / Roman Pilipey
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner paramilitary group, following a plane crash was confirmed by formal genetic analysis. Source: Getty / Natalia Kolesnikova
Iceland volcano
A in December saw rivers of molten lava flow south of the capital city Reykjavik.
The volcanic eruption caused the emergency evacuation of the town of Grindavik. Source: Getty / Kristinn Magnusson
Israel attacked
On 7 October, members of Hamas, a group that is designated a terrorist organisation by some countries, including Australia, on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and about 240 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.
Israel declared war and launched a retaliatory attack on the Gaza Strip.
While some hostages have been returned in deals negotiated between Hamas and the Israeli government, more than 100 remain inside Gaza. Source: Getty / Alberto Pizzoli
The Supernova music festival was among the first sites attacked by Hamas militants on 7 October, sparking the current war between Israel and Hamas. Source: Getty / Alexi J. Rosenfeld
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Israel's in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. It's estimated more than 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with more than 55,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Exact numbers are difficult to confirm, as it is thought thousands more are buried under the rubble.
The UN has said starvation and disease are rampant in Gaza. Israel has been accused by the United Nations and human rights organisations of war crimes and deliberate bombing of hospitals, refugee camps, churches and other civilian infrastructure.
Israel has denied they deliberately target civilian infrastructure, and says their goal is to eliminate Hamas. Source: Getty / Jack Guez
The UN has dubbed Gaza a "graveyard" for children amid Israel's ongoing attacks. Source: Getty / Anadolu
Tributes after Pope Benedict XVI's death
The Pope Emeritus , his body lying in state in the Vatican Basilica before his funeral, which was officiated by the current Pope Francis in St Peter's Square.
The former Pope died at age 95, almost a decade after he stood down due to ill health. Source: Getty / Anadolu
