Hard Numbers: Gaza begins school year without any schools, Inmates escape prison in Liberia, Massive cocaine seizure made in Guinea-Bissau, Typhoon Yagi kills dozens in Vietnam

Palestinian students sit on the rubble after attending a class in a tent set up on the ruins of the house of teacher Israa Abu Mustafa, as war disrupts a new school year, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 4, 2024.
Palestinian students sit on the rubble after attending a class in a tent set up on the ruins of the house of teacher Israa Abu Mustafa, as war disrupts a new school year, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

0: Not a single school in Gaza was open for the official start of the school year on Monday as the Israel-Hamas war nears its first anniversary. Israel’s offensive has left 90% of schools in the enclave damaged or destroyed, according to the Palestinian Education Ministry.

47: Are you looking for a job as a prison warden? There might soon be an opening at a certain penal facility in Liberia. A whopping 47 inmates escaped from a maximum security prison in Liberia’s Margibi County over the weekend, the country’s justice ministry announced Monday. This was apparently because of a breach in the prison’s security system. The justice ministry says it’s working to recapture the escaped inmates.

3 tons: Snow in West Africa?! Nearly three tons of cocaine were seized in Guinea-Bissau over the weekend, police announced Monday. This is part of a broader trend. International drug traffickers have increasingly looked to West Africa as a transit point for cocaine traveling from South America to Europe, the UN warned earlier this year.

64: At least 64 people have died in Vietnam as of Monday amid heavy rain, flooding, and landslides brought on by Typhoon Yagi – the strongest typhoon to hit the country in decades. In recent days, factories have been damaged, buses have been swept away by flooding, and bridges have collapsed.

More from GZERO Media

Mexican social media influencer, Valeria Marquez, 23, who was brazenly shot to death during a TikTok livestream in the beauty salon where she worked in the city of Zapopan, looks on in this picture obtained from social media.
REUTERS

Last Wednesday afternoon, Valeria Márquez, a 23-year old old Mexican cosmetics and lifestyle influencer with more than 200,000 followers on social media, set up a camera and began livestreaming on TikTok from her beauty salon near Guadalajara, Mexico.

As AI and data centers drive record-breaking power demand, Enbridge is stepping up to deliver reliable, always-on energy. From natural gas to renewables, Enbridge’s diverse mix supports the tech powering our lives. “Big tech wants partners who can deliver,” says CEO Greg Ebel. “They know we get things done.” With data needs growing fast, Enbridge is ready to fuel the future—securely, sustainably, and at scale. Read more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Kursk-II nuclear power plant under construction, in the Kursk region, Russia, on May 21, 2025.
Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a victory lap in Kursk, a Russian city that the Ukrainian army held for over six months. The Kremlin will look to build on this win to boost its bargaining position with Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), on the day of a closed House Republican Conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025.
REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

Republicans have a math problem—and it’s turning into a political one. As the party in full control of government moves to advance its sweeping policy agenda, internal divisions are surfacing over what to prioritize: tax cuts or budget cuts.