logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
14m 23s

Why are buildings being hijacked in Sout...

Bbc World Service
About this episode
“What I saw was really traumatizing. It was traumatic to see people jumping out of a building” On the 31st of August, a fire destroyed a block of flats in the Johannesburg inner city, in South Africa. A total of 77 people died while dozens of others remain in hospital. The police are still investigating how the fire started. The authorities say those ... Show More
Up next
Aug 22
Focus on Africa: Exploring Africa-Japan trade ties
Japan has pledged to work more closely with African countries at global summit on economic development. How can Africa benefit from stronger ties with Japan?The former prime minister of Chad is facing a 20-year prison term after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and havi ... Show More
32m 3s
Aug 20
Focus on Africa: Increased concerns over missing Ethiopia journalists
Two prominent journalists in Ethiopia, Abdulsemed Mohammed and Yonas Amare, have been missing for more than a week after being abducted by what reports say, were men wearing masks and military uniforms. There has been no news about their whereabouts but their disappearances have ... Show More
27m 44s
Aug 15
Focus on Africa: Nigeria negotiates $346m arms deal with US
The US government has approved a $346m arms deal with Nigeria which would include munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets. What is behind the change in a decade-long US policy about selling certain kinds of weapons to Nigeria?The mining of gold has been a key driver of S ... Show More
33m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
A Tragic Fire and Broken Promises in South Africa
This episode contains descriptions of severe injuries. Last week, a devastating fire swept through a derelict building in Johannesburg that housed desperate families who had no place else to go. The authorities had been repeatedly warned that it was a potential firetrap. Nothing ... Show More
31m 43s
Aug 2023
South Africa fire: president demands action
The South African president says he expects actions to be taken to prevent any recurrence of the fire in a derelict building that killed more than 70 people in the South African city of Johannesburg. It's thought 200 families were living in an abandoned five storey building when ... Show More
49m 23s
Aug 2023
More than 70 dead in Johannesburg fire
A fire in a block of flats in the South African city of Johannesburg has killed more than 70 people. Officials said bodies had been found piled up at a locked gate that had prevented people fleeing. It's not known what caused the blaze. Also: the man the military has named as Gab ... Show More
29m 20s
Mar 2021
When US police dropped explosives on a Philadelphia home
On 13 May 1985 a police helicopter dropped explosives on a house in residential Philadelphia, in an attempt to end a stand-off with radical black activists from an organisaton called MOVE. Fire spread quickly through the surrounding buildings and 11 people died, including five ch ... Show More
9m 36s
Sep 2023
‘Dam of death’: How a Libyan city was washed away
Rescuers are calling for more body bags to be sent to a Libyan city hit by catastrophic flooding - as fears of waterborne diseases grow. More than 11,300 people are known to have died - and this could reach up to 20,000, with a further 10,100 missing. Meanwhile, attempts to coord ... Show More
20m 24s
Jul 2022
Seven Minutes of Terror: The Toronto Van Attack Part 1 | 17
Cathy Riddell has lived in Toronto's Yonge and Finch neighbourhood for over six decades; it's an area where she says she’s surrounded by familiar faces, shops and restaurants. On a warm Monday in April 2018, Riddell was eager to be outside and run errands in the sunshine. However ... Show More
22m 53s