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What went right in 2023? Here’s some good news

It wasn’t all doom and gloom this year, there were many positive moments as well.

A woman participates in an abortion-rights demonstration during the Day for Decriminalization of Abortion, in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 28
A woman participates in a demonstration for abortion rights during the Day for the Decriminalisation of Abortion, in Mexico City, September 28, after Mexico's Supreme Court threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion on Wednesday, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women's rights, in a sweeping decision that extended Latin America's trend of widening abortion access [Alexa Herrera/ AP Photo]
Published On 30 Dec 2023

The past year was dominated by global conflicts that continue to cause devastation, death and despair, deep political divisions and extreme climate events, but it also had glimmers of positive and hopeful news. Here are some images that uplifted 2023.

Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo takes a selfie during his presentation
Cristiano Ronaldo takes a selfie during his presentation at Al Nassr football club on January 3, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He became the world’s highest-paid athlete for the first time since 2017 after his move to Al Nassr, with an estimated $260m income in 2023. [Ahmed Yosri/Reuters]
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Rihanna performs during the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12
Pop superstar Rihanna performed hits from Umbrella to Diamonds as she wowed the Super Bowl halftime crowd during her first live performance in seven years, February 12, Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. [Charlie Riedel/AP Photo]
First ever Ramadan lights installation at Piccadilly Circus is pictured on the eve of the first day of Ramadan, in London, Britain, March 21 2023
The first-ever Ramadan lights installation at Piccadilly Circus lit up the eve of the first day of Ramadan, in London, UK, March 21. [Anna Gordon/Reuters]
A Greenpeace activist poses with a poster in front of a mock-up dinosaur in front of the Brandenburg Gate during a rally marking the nuclear shutdown in Germany in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, April 15
A Greenpeace activist poses in front of a mock-up dinosaur near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin during a rally marking the nuclear shutdown in Germany, April 15. Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants, as part of an energy transition agreed to by successive governments. The signs read: "Nuclear Power No Thanks" and the words on the dinosaur: "German nuclear power defeated on April 15, 2023". [Markus Schreiber/AP Photo]
People lie on the ground as they use protective glasses to watch solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 20
People lie on the ground as they use protective eyewear to watch a solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 20. A rare solar eclipse crossed over remote parts of Australia, Indonesia and East Timor. [Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo]
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al Qarni, with their crew Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner pose for photo ahead of their mission
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali al-Qarni, with their crew Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, before their mission to the International Space Station from Florida, US, in this photo released on May 20. Barnawi is the first-ever woman from the Arab world to go to space. [Saudi Press Agency via Reuters]
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In this photo released by Colombia's Armed Forces Press Office, soldiers and Indigenous men pose for a photo with the four children who were missing after surviving a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, June 9, 2023
Soldiers and Indigenous men pose with four rescued children, who went missing after surviving a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, June 9. The children survived 40 days in the jungle after the crash that killed their mother. [Colombia's Armed Force Press Office via AP Photo]
Gustav Klimt's 'Dame mit Faecher' (Lady with a Fan) is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. A late-life masterpiece by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt has sold for 85.3 million pounds ($108.4 million), in London, making it the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Europe. “Dame mit Fächer,” or Lady with a Fan, sold at Sotheby’s on Tuesday for 74 million pounds ($94.35 million). The higher final figure includes a charge on top of the sale price known as the buyer’s premium.
Gustav Klimt's, Dame mit Faecher (Lady with a Fan), is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, June 20. A late-life masterpiece by the Austrian artist sold for 85.3 million pounds ($108.4m), making it the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Europe. [Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo]
Dutch King Willem-Alexander lays a wreath at the slavery monument after apologising for the royal house's role in slavery and asked forgiveness in a speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, July 1
Dutch King Willem-Alexander laid a wreath at the slavery monument after apologising for the royal house's role in slavery and asked forgiveness in a speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery in Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 1. [Remko de Waal/Pool via AP Photo]
Voters line up at a polling station during a snap election in San Miguel del Comun, Ecuador, Sunday, Aug. 20
Voters line up at a polling station during a snap election in San Miguel del Comun, Ecuador, August 20. In a historic decision, Ecuadorians voted against the oil drilling of Yasuni National Park, which is a protected area in the Amazon that's home to two uncontacted tribes and serves as a biodiversity hotspot, and contains the country's largest reserve of crude oil. [Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo]
People gather near the illuminated Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) during the Festival of Lights, in Berlin, Germany October 6
People gather near the illuminated Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) during the Festival of Lights, in Berlin, Germany, October 6. [Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters]
United States' Simone Biles celebrates with a coach after winning the gold medal during the women's all-round final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. Biles was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for a third time on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, after winning national and world all-around titles in her return to gymnastics following a two-year break after the Tokyo Olympics
The United States's Simone Biles celebrates with a coach after winning the gold medal during the women's all-round final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, October 6. Biles was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for a third time on December 22, after winning national and world all-around titles in her return to gymnastics following a two-year break after the Tokyo Olympics. [Virginia Mayo/AP Photo]
Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires
Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 9. According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift was 2023's most-streamed artist globally. [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo]
Tito Perez, dressed as Santa Claus, waves to children while standing on the back of a horse cart, at a pre-Christmas celebration organized by "Los Chicos de la Via" soup kitchen, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 23
Tito Perez, dressed as Santa Claus, waves to children while standing on the back of a horse cart, at a pre-Christmas celebration organized by "Los Chicos de la Via" soup kitchen, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 23. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]