What happened in 2013, from Depardieu’s hug to Sachin’s last bow

January

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said he wanted to ‘negotiate a new settlement with our European partners’, and that before the end of 2017 would ‘give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice’. Gérard Depardieu hugged President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi as he received a Russian passport. French troops were welcomed in the streets of Timbuktu as they drove back Islamist forces in Mali. HMV, the record shop, and Blockbuster, the DVD rental firm, went into administration. There were riots in Belfast. A helicopter crashed into a tower block at Vauxhall in London. The City of London approved a 620ft tower nicknamed the Scalpel.

February

Moody’s reduced Britain’s credit rating from AAA to AA1. The Commons voted for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, with 127 Conservative MPs voting in favour, and 136 against. Horse meat was found in prepared meals sold by several companies. The Spanish parliament voted for bullfighting to be declared a protected national cultural pastime. North Korea exploded a nuclear device underground. The number of Syrian refugees abroad rose above a million. Pope Benedict XVI, aged 85, abdicated. Patricia Hughes, the former Radio 3 announcer, died, aged 90. Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee who runs on blades, was charged with murder.

March

The Most Reverend Justin Welby was enthronised as Archbishop of Canterbury. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, taking the name Francis. The people of the Falkland Islands voted by 1,513 to three to remain a British overseas territory. Banks in Cyprus closed their doors when the government announced a levy on accounts, to meet EU bailout terms. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela died, aged 58. Kenny Ball, remembered for ‘Midnight in Moscow’ (1962), died, aged 82. Chris Huhne, the former energy secretary, and his former wife, Vicky Pryce, were jailed for perverting the course of justice.