One-Minute Reads: News from across the world

SOUTH AFRICA

Three killed in building collapse

(AP): Three people, including a one-year-old child, died when a two-story building collapsed in South Africa's Soweto township, west of Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday morning, the authorities said.

Three others sustained injuries during the incident and were receiving treatment at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. According to the authorities, six people were inside the building when it collapsed and emergency personnel rescued the three injured who were trapped under the rubble.

"Tragically, three lives were lost in this incident, two adult females and one child. The incident has been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation," said Xolile Khumalo, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Management Services. On December 12, five people died when a multi-storey building at the site of a Hindu temple collapsed near the coastal city of Durban.

GAZA STRIP

Freezing rain floods refugee camps

(AP): Rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding makeshift encampments with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by the two-year war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use.

Muddy water soaked blankets and mattresses in tents in a camp in Khan Younis and fragile shelters were propped up with old pieces of wood. Children wearing flip-flops and light clothing ill-suited for winter waded through the freezing puddles, which turned dirt roads into rivers. Some people used shovels to try to push the water out of their tents.

"We drowned last night," said Majdoleen Tarabein, a woman displaced from Rafah in southern Gaza. "Puddles formed, and there was a bad smell. The tent flew away. We don't know what to do or where to go." She showed blankets and the remaining contents of the tent, completely soaked and covered in mud, as she and family members tried to wring them dry by hand.

At least 12 people, including a two-week-old infant, have died since December 13 from hypothermia or weather-related collapses of war-damaged homes, according to Gaza's health ministry, part of the Hamas-run government.

USA

Winter storm threatens to bring ice, blizzards

(AP): A powerful winter storm swept east from the Plains on Sunday, driven by what meteorologists describe as an intense cyclone, setting off a chain reaction of snow, ice, rain and severe weather expected to affect much of the country.

Snow and strengthening winds spread across the Upper Midwest on Sunday, where the National Weather Service warned of whiteout conditions and possible blizzard conditions that could make travel impossible in some areas. Snowfall totals were expected to exceed a foot across parts of the upper Great Lakes, with up to two feet (61 centimetres) possible along the south shore of Lake Superior. In the South, meteorologists warn of severe thunderstorms expected to signal the arrival of a sharp cold front -- sometimes referred to as a 'Blue Norther' -- bringing a sudden temperature drop and strong north winds that will end days of record warmth across the region.

The cyclone is expected to produce heavy snow and blizzard conditions in the Midwest and Great Lakes, freezing rain in New England, thunderstorms across the eastern US and South, and widespread strong winds. The storm is expected to intensify as it moves east, according to the National Weather Service.

MYANMAR

Country holds first election since military took power

(AP): Voters went to the polls yesterday for the initial phase of Myanmar's first general election in five years, held under the supervision of its military government while a civil war rages throughout much of the country.

Final results won't be known until after two more rounds of voting are completed later in January. It's widely expected that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who has governed Myanmar since an army takeover in 2021, will then assume the presidency. The military government has presented the vote as a return to democracy, but its bid for legitimacy is marred by the absence of formerly popular opposition parties and reports that soldiers used threats to force voters' participation.

While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six are competing nationwide with the possibility to gain political clout in parliament. Final results are expected to be announced by February.