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Global Events Unfold as Europe Grapples with Defense, Disasters Strike, and Political Turmoil Grips Asia
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, saw a series of significant events unfold across the globe, ranging from political upheaval and natural disasters to discussions about European defense capabilities.
In India, a plane crash claimed the lives of five people, including Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, according to Sky News. The private plane, en route from Mumbai to Pawar's home city of Baramati, crashed in an open field and burst into flames approximately 159 miles from its origin. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the minister. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Italy was grappling with a major landslide in Sicily. Sky News reported that heavy rain triggered the disaster in the town of Niscemi, causing the edge of the town to collapse. Over 1,500 people were evacuated as dozens of houses were left "teetering on the edge of a cliff," rendering them "uninhabitable." Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Niscemi in response to the crisis.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was jailed for 20 months for corruption, Sky News reported. Kim Keon Hee was sentenced for receiving luxury gifts, including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag, from the Unification Church in exchange for political favors. She was also ordered to pay a fine of 12.8 million won (6,495).
In France, nearly 300 people were evacuated from the five-star Les Grandes Alpes hotel in Courchevel as an intense fire tore through the building, Al Jazeera reported. Over 100 firefighters battled the flames, which spread rapidly under the roof.
Amidst these events, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius addressed the issue of European defense capabilities. Speaking to Euronews, Kubilius stated that while the EU relies on US nuclear protections, it "can and must work towards becoming independent in conventional defence." He added, "Europeans cannot replace the US nuclear umbrella, at least for the time being, but when it comes to conventional defence the situation is different." This statement followed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's remark on Monday that the European Union should "keep on dreaming" of becoming independent from the US.
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