From Musk and Tusk to Swift: numbers that outlined 2023

• Narges Mohammadi, preventing for human rights in Iran

Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi acquired the Nobel Peace Prize “for her battle towards the oppression of ladies in Iran and her battle to advertise human rights and freedom for all.”

The journalist performs a key function in Iran’s Girls, Life, Freedom motion, which has gained international consideration because the dying of Mahsa Amini whereas in Iranian police custody in September 2022. The motion requires the abolition of necessary hijab legal guidelines and the elimination of varied types of discrimination towards ladies in Iran.

Mohammadi was first arrested 22 years in the past and has been held in Evin jail since 2021, identified for its abuse of prisoners.

From behind bars, the place she has spent a lot of the previous twenty years on expenses of ‘propaganda’, ‘riot’ and ‘endangering nationwide safety’, she continues her battle towards what she calls a ‘tyrannical and misogynistic spiritual regime’.

Her 17-year-old twins, who’ve been residing in exile in France since 2015, gave her speech on the Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo.

learn extraNarges Mohammadi: Iran’s defiant voice, even behind bars

• Donald Tusk, who brings Poland again into the fold

After eight years of nationalist rule by the Regulation and Justice Celebration (PiS), Poland’s Donald Tusk is again in his nation’s high place.

The dedicated Europhile and former President of the European Council (2014 – 2019), who was Prime Minister from 2007 to 2014, guarantees to place his nation firmly again on the democratic observe.

His priorities are clear: restoring the rule of regulation and rebuilding Poland’s credibility throughout the EU. His coalition additionally advocates abortion in a rustic the place the follow is just allowed in instances of rape, incest or hazard to the life or well being of the mom.

Nevertheless, Tusk should cope with the far proper in Poland, which nonetheless retains vital political energy regardless of shedding the premiership.

• Taylor Swift, shining so shiny

In a world the place celebrities could be fleeting, Taylor Swift has by no means been removed from the highlight. From Nashville to New York, the 34-year-old American singer has constructed a romantic-pop musical empire that has captivated hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, often known as “Swifties.”

Swift, who began her profession greater than fifteen years in the past, was named Time Journal’s Particular person of the Yr 2023 on December 6 and has an extended listing of world information. Her albums often high the charts in the US – since she debuted in 2006, 13 of her 14 albums have reached primary in US gross sales.

In October, Swift launched the live performance movie “The Eras Tour”, which grew to become the highest-grossing live performance movie of all time, with $249.9 million worldwide.

In September, the singer demonstrated her cultural energy. After a brief put up on Instagram encouraging her 272 million followers to register to vote, the web site she directed them to – the nonprofit Vote.org – registered greater than 35,000 registrations in simply someday.

Devoted to sustaining musical independence, the feminist icon re-recorded songs from her first six albums in 2019 to regain management of the rights after her former report label was acquired by music trade mogul Scooter Braun.

• Hollywood’s standout writers and actors, preventing and successful

In Could 2023, Hollywood was on fireplace. Trade writers, adopted by actors in July, went on strike. At stake within the negotiations included each base and residual wages – which actors say have been undermined by inflation and streaming’s enterprise mannequin – and the specter of unregulated use of synthetic intelligence (AI) by studios.

The strike – the most important since 1960 – paralyzed movie and sequence manufacturing for months, costing the American economic system not less than $6 billion.

On the coronary heart of the protest was the concern that studios would use AI to generate scripts or clone actors’ voices and pictures with out compensation. The strikers, supported by the general public, refused to withdraw.

They sang “If we battle, we win,” a slogan that has grow to be the rallying cry for staff throughout the US, from the auto trade to the hospitality trade. Distinguished names from the movie world are becoming a member of the picket traces, together with actress and producer Jessica Chastain and ‘Breaking Unhealthy’ star Bryan Cranston.

In September, the writers reached a wage settlement with the studios, which included protections concerning using AI. Actors lastly returned to the units in November after 118 days off.

• Elon Musk, genius or man-child?

Elon Musk will depart 2023 an much more divisive determine than when he arrived. With a fortune of $250 billion, Musk has grand ambitions to overcome house, roads and social networks.

Twitter, renamed Its continued existence is now an open query after Musk informed advertisers who had suspended their advertisements over his repost of a tweet broadly seen as anti-Semitic: “Go f-k personal.”

Along with X, Musk’s firm SpaceX has performed a significant function within the warfare in Ukraine with its satellite tv for pc web product Starlink. It has additionally made progress on the Starship Rocket, which may revolutionize house transportation. Nevertheless, the 2 launches this 12 months didn’t go as deliberate, elevating considerations concerning the venture’s feasibility.

Within the workshops of Tesla, its electrical automobile firm, a global strike motion that’s nonetheless gaining momentum has already tarnished its picture.

Lastly, its Neuralink venture, which goals to develop mind implants to assist paralyzed people or these with neurological illnesses, has additionally attracted criticism. Some specialists consider that the dangers posed by this venture are too nice.

Love him or hate him, it appears Musk cannot keep out of the headlines.

• Jennifer Hermoso, the face of change for Spanish soccer

Till this summer season, Jennifer Hermoso was solely identified to soccer followers. However the wave of assist she acquired after the Girls’s World Cup has turned her into an emblem.

Whereas the Spanish participant was topped world champion in Sydney, she was unexpectedly kissed on the mouth by Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish Soccer Federation. The picture, which was broadcast dwell on tv, went all over the world and prompted outrage.

Just a few days later, Hermoso broke her silence and denounced an “impulse-driven, sexist, misguided act.” She filed a grievance towards Rubiales, who claimed it was only a consensual “little kiss.”

In the end, Rubiales was charged in courtroom with assault and banned from all football-related actions by FIFA for 3 years. The scandal led to a boycott of the nationwide staff by Spanish gamers for a number of days, till the federation promised “rapid and profound modifications”.

• Mortaza Behboudi, Afghan journalist who fights for press freedom

Most of 2023 was spent behind bars for French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi. His crime? Simply does its job.

It began on January 7 when he was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul on expenses of espionage. Throughout his 9 months of captivity, he was often tortured and threatened with dying.

Reporters With out Borders (RSF) and its assist committee, based by his spouse Aleksandra Mostovaya, moved heaven and earth to safe his launch. Their willpower finally paid off and he was launched on October 18.

He works for French information media, together with France Télévisions, TV5Monde, Libération and Mediapart, and already desires to return to Afghanistan. “My battle is to present a voice to those that should not have that voice,” he informed FRANCE 24.

In keeping with RSF’s annual roundup, 45 journalists have been murdered worldwide in reference to their work (as of December 1, 2023).

• Rayyanah Barnawi, first Saudi girl in house

On Could 21, Rayyanah Barnawi grew to become the primary Saudi girl to journey to the Worldwide House Station. She graduated in biomedical sciences and devoted her ten-day mission to analysis into most cancers stem cells.

Her journey is a vital image for Saudi Arabia, the place ladies face restrictions. Barnawi symbolizes a brand new era of extremely educated and bold Saudi ladies able to tackle vital roles within the traditionally conservative society.

The journey can be a part of the Saudi monarchy’s technique to renew its worldwide picture.

• Sam Altman, the daddy of ChatGPT

At 38 years previous, Sam Altman is likely one of the most outstanding names within the tech world. He’s the CEO of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based AI lab that created ChatGPT – a chatbot with 100 million weekly customers that’s now disrupting the expertise ecosystem.

Along with being a prolific entrepreneur, Altman formally launched Worldcoin, a brand new cryptocurrency with an identification verification system that makes use of the human iris. Like Elon Musk, with whom he co-founded OpenAI in 2015, his grand ambition and generally controversial strategies have earned him criticism. Some accuse him of prioritizing security over innovation.

In November 2023, he was fired by OpenAI’s board of administrators, however was reinstated after many of the firm’s workers threatened to depart the group.

view extraSam Altman returns as CEO of OpenAI after his tumultuous resignation

His exercise just isn’t restricted to entrepreneurship. In Could, Altman invested $375 million in Helion, a nuclear fusion startup.

• Barbie, a triumphant return

For higher or for worse, Barbie has been an icon since she first hit retailer cabinets in 1959. The 29 centimeter doll has had an influence on generations of women and girls: lengthy vilified by feminists, she underwent a picture makeover in 2023.

This summer season, Barbie made a triumphant return because of a movie directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Launched in July, the movie has been a crucial and business success and has been praised for its clever script, impeccable performances and feminist message.

Gerwig created a world the place Barbie is a rebellious icon who fights towards gender stereotypes, surrounded by sturdy and impartial feminine characters.

Within the course of, Gerwig grew to become the primary girl to direct a movie that grossed greater than a billion {dollars} on the field workplace. The 40-year-old capped off her stellar 12 months by being appointed jury president at Cannes 2024.

This text has been translated from the unique in French.