Global News Roundup: Natural Disasters and Tragedies Strike Worldwide
A series of unfortunate events unfolded across the globe, ranging from deadly weather conditions and political assassinations to preventable deaths and humanitarian crises.
In Japan, weeks of heavy snowfall claimed the lives of at least 35 people and injured nearly 400, with 126 suffering serious injuries, according to government officials on Wednesday. Sky News reported that the snowfall, reaching up to 2 meters (6.5ft) in the worst-hit areas, damaged more than a dozen properties across 15 prefectures. Authorities warned that more severe weather was expected.
Meanwhile, in Morocco, tens of thousands of people were evacuated as heavy flooding submerged parts of the northern region. Al Jazeera reported that the floods followed weeks of heavy rain after years of drought, forcing more than 50,000 residents to leave their homes.
In Libya, Saif al Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was shot dead in his home in Zintan, south-west of Tripoli, officials said on Tuesday. Sky News reported that the 53-year-old was killed during a "direct confrontation" with four armed men, according to a statement from his office. His lawyer, Khaled al Zaidi, and his advisor separately confirmed the death. Saif al Islam, despite holding no official position, was once considered the most powerful figure in Libya after his father, who ruled for more than four decades.
Adding to the global tragedies, Ifunanya Nwangene, a 26-year-old Nigerian singer and former contestant on The Voice Nigeria, died after being bitten by a snake in her flat in Abuja. The Guardian reported that Nwangene died in hospital while awaiting treatment. Her death highlighted the crisis of preventable fatalities in Nigeria, raising questions about the availability of effective antivenoms. In a last message to her friends, Nwangene wrote: "Please come."
In the Palestinian territories, a small number of sick and wounded Palestinians were allowed to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border post on Monday to seek medical treatment. According to The Guardian, this limited reopening came after more than 20 months of closure by Israeli forces. Egyptian officials stated that about 150 people were due to leave the territory and 50 to enter, but Reuters reported that Israel permitted only 12 Palestinians to re-enter by nightfall. The reopening followed fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilize the conflict.
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