Dozens killed in Hong Kong fire

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

0:48I'm Janet Jalil and in the early hours of Thursday, the 27th of November, these are our main stories. A massive fire that has engulfed a complex of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong has killed dozens of people and left hundreds missing. Two US National Guard troops have been critically wounded blocks away from the White House in what officials say was a targeted shooting. Nigeria declares a nationwide state of emergency after a series of mass abductions. Also in this podcast, a special report from Lebanon on the anniversary of Israel's ceasefire with Hezbollah. And a lot of the time when I send this piece of music to people, they're like, that's the best thing I've ever heard.

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1:48As we record this podcast, firefighters in Hong Kong have been battling for nearly 24 hours to contain a massive fire that spread through a high-rise apartment complex. At least 44 people are known to have been killed, dozens more are critically injured and hundreds are missing. Flames could be seen on every story of the massive tower blocks as huge clouds of black smoke billowed above. These residents of Wang Fuk Court spoke to the BBC. Around quarter to three in the afternoon I suddenly heard a very loud noise and I looked outside and saw that in the distance over by block five there was a fire.

2:33I left and I've been downstairs until now. It's already been more than three hours. I'm devastated. I don't know what's going on anymore. One neighbour said he still could not find his wife. I know some are still inside the building. Why is there no one saving them? I know someone who has young children and elderly members of their family. I called him and he said he was still trapped inside the building. Denbury shelters have been set up for the hundreds of people made homeless. And as they wait to find out what has happened to those feared to still be trapped inside the burning and smouldering buildings, local media has been showing footage of the late night rescues of a baby and an elderly woman.

3:15The chief executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, insisted the authorities are doing all they can. I take this incident with the utmost seriousness. We have deployed 140 fire engines and more than 60 ambulances. Over 800 firefighters and rescue personnel have been mobilized and drones are being used. We will use all necessary resources and manpower to extinguish this fire. Well, firefighters are slowly bringing the fires in some of the buildings under control, but conditions are still dangerous. Police say they've arrested three construction company executives on suspicion of manslaughter. I got this update from our correspondent at the scene, Danny Vincent.

4:01I'm looking up at the burning towers and there are large plumes of smoke just still pushing up into the air. There are one, two, three, four streams of water from fire engines just spraying constantly at the buildings. I can still see a number of apartments on fire. I can literally see the flames in quite a few apartments. It's a big contrast to last night when I was on the scene where the entire buildings were just completely engulfed flames for hours. Today you can see that there's few flames, but they're still there. It's worth noting that some of these flames have been burning for almost 24 hours now.

4:47Around me, there are a group of people just looking silently, sending text messages, taking photographs. Some are live streaming. They all seem to be very shocked about what's happened. This is a large residential building. There were thought to be around 2 ,000 people living there. We know that close to a thousand people stayed in shelters last night. I know from last night, people I spoke to at the scene, people were fearful that their loved ones, their relatives, their neighbours were sadly trapped in the building. We know there are hundreds of people unaccounted for and there are fears that those people may have been in the building and were unable to escape.

5:31and some people are blaming construction work that was going on as the cause of this and we now know that three construction company executives have been arrested that's right i mean an investigation is underway into the cause of this fire it's been said it's been reported by the to the authorities or should i say the authorities have said that this fire it escalated at an unusually rapid pace now we know there have been arrests relating to executives of a construction company those arrests are under suspicion of manslaughter now as i'm looking up at this building i can see a type of green mesh uh this around that's on top of and covering many of the buildings um there have been uh reports that this particular residential area was actually facing renovation for more than a year.

6:26Local media have reported that bamboo scaffolding and this green mesh has been surrounding the building and an investigation is now underway to finding out how this large fire was started. Danny Vincent in Hong Kong. When they were deployed to Washington DC earlier this year by President Trump, National Guard troops were supposed to make the city safer as part of what he called a crackdown on crime. Instead, two members of the National Guard are now fighting for their lives after being shot and critically wounded close to the White House by what police say was a lone suspect. The attack on the eve of a Thanksgiving holiday caused panic.

7:08I heard gunfire. We started to run and then there was another round of gunfire. There was just one police guard there and they were yelling at somebody to stay down. We noticed that there were two National Guards down and one they were trying to resuscitate. Officials said the suspected attacker was also shot and is now in custody. President Trump said he was an Afghan national and described the incident as an act of terror. This heinous assault was an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity. The U.S. has now stopped processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals indefinitely.

7:55Mr. Trump also said that he'd ordered 500 more National Guard troops to Washington in addition to the hundreds already deployed there. But former FBI special agent Catherine Schweitz said putting extra resources in the nation's capital could have unintended consequences. There are 20-some law enforcement agencies already existing there, stepping on top of each other all the time and in a good way. So adding 500 more National Guard to an area that's already filled with law enforcement, in my opinion, is potentially adding 500 more targets. Now, as we know that in the past 15 years, law enforcement and first responders have become more of a target.

8:36Well, Alan Itter is a reporter in Washington with the radio station WTOP. He was at the scene. This all happened around just after two o 'clock local time in the afternoon in broad daylight. It was quite shocking. People were milling about, going to the stores, going to the businesses around the area there. This is quite heavily populated with commercial properties. And this individual apparently targeted these two National Guard members. And according to witnesses, literally walked up to them and shot them. Now, when they went down, they had three other colleagues who were nearby, according to police, who then responded and then shot that individual.

9:23The suspect, who was also shot, is in serious condition, but without life-threatening injuries. What law enforcement has been telling us and other news outlets across the country is the person has been identified as a 29-year-old Afghan immigrant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal. And he's been here since September of 2021. So, I mean, of course, all this is still under investigation. And we don't have any identifications yet on the individuals who were shot since August of this year. The National Guard, federal police have been deployed to cities, including Washington, D.C., across the country. And however people here feel about that, I mean, it hasn't resulted in the lessening of crime.

10:13But of course, this is going to renew the debate on immigration. Of course, the Trump administration has been quite hard line on immigration here since the campaign. Reporter Alan Etter. A year ago today, a ceasefire ended the war between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. But Israel has continued to attack targets it says are linked to the group. Lebanon says more than 330 people, including civilians, have been killed by Israeli strikes across the country since the ceasefire came into effect. Our correspondent Hugo Boshega has been to some of the hardest hit areas in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, to see for himself how residents there are living under the constant fear of Israeli airstrikes.

11:03To travel there, our team had to inform Hezbollah, but the group didn't interfere with their reporting.

11:14Southern Lebanon is the heartland of Hezbollah, but they're not safe here. They remain a target for Israel, despite a ceasefire. In the village of Frun, a car has been hit. This airstrike happened about an hour ago, possibly another targeted assassination. And attacks like this happen almost every day across this country. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild its capabilities. But the constant bombing means no one is feeling safe.

11:54The village of Beit Liv is on alert. Israel has accused Hezbollah of using dozens of places here for military purposes and has threatened to take action. Ezzat Hamoud is the local mayor. No, no, no. There are no militants and no weapons here. And I can be held responsible for what I'm saying. One of the locations that appeared to be suspicious was a house across the street. Is Hezbollah using this building for military purposes? You are the BBC, you have cameras, you are journalists and the owner is here. Haider insisted on taking us to his family house. Outside, a banner remembered his brother, a Hezbollah fighter, killed in the war.

12:43It's difficult for us to confirm what could be happening here. He wanted to prove that there was nothing wrong. People seem desperate for any protection, such as the fear of becoming an Israeli target.

13:00We want stability. We don't want war or anything related to it. We are done. We are done with this matter. Thank you. Just months ago, it would have been almost impossible to have this kind of conversation with residents without organising interviews through Hezbollah or being approached by Hezbollah minders. It is perhaps an indication of the new reality here in the south.

13:31Hezbollah was battered in the war. The Lebanese military is now in places once dominated by the group. But Hezbollah insists it will not disarm, a standoff that has gripped this country. That grey concrete wall separates Lebanon from Israel, and those hills in the distance are inside Israeli territory. Now many villages on the Lebanese side of the border have been completely destroyed.

14:04This is now a buffer zone between the countries. In a deserted village called Yaron, we meet Nayef, one of its last residents. At all times, we hear an Israeli drone circling overhead. We've got every reason to be afraid, because as you can see, no one else is here. We will live in a bit and we'll be left alone. There is a Hezbollah flag right next to your house. Do you think the Hezbollah must disarm? I find it hard that they will give it up. But one also wants to live. This is no life. Hezbollah remains defiant, but some supporters are getting tired. The group is trying to survive, and a battle for its future may be emerging within.

15:01That report by Hugo Besheger. This year's Miss Universe beauty pageant has been mired in a series of controversies, including an official publicly berating Miss Mexico before later having to apologise. And now, just days after the contest in Thailand ended, with Miss Mexico being crowned as the surprise winner, it's been hit by a fresh scandal. The Mexican co-owner of the contest has been accused of drugs and arms trafficking, and his Thai counterpart has been accused of fraud. Mimi Sweby has the details. The majority owner of the Miss Universe Corporation, Rao Rocha Cantu, is accused of supplying weapons to drug trafficking cartels across Mexico, including the Gulf cartel, as well as stealing and distributing fuel from Guatemala.

15:48He faces multiple charges tied to what investigators have described as a complex multinational criminal network allegedly operating for years under the guise of legitimate business structures. Mr. Roshakantu entered a witness corporation arrangement shortly after the warrant for his arrest was issued, signalling the potential of reduced penalties in exchange for testimony implicating other participants. It comes as another co-owner is reported to have been the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a Thai court over alleged fraud. It's been a troubling year for the Miss Universe contest. Chaos long reigned over the competition before Miss Mexico was crowned the victor.

16:28Judges resigned and there were allegations of vote rigging. Mexico's contestant, Fatima Bosch, made headlines by walking out of an event after being publicly criticised by the organiser. Mimi Swaybe. Still to come, as underwater noise disrupts ocean life. It really affects all components of the ecosystem, from plankton to fish and marine mammals. There are calls to turn down the volume.

17:25And in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:42Following a recent series of mass abductions in Africa's most populous nation, the Nigerian president has declared a nationwide security emergency. One of the kidnappings in northern Nigeria last week saw more than 300 children taken from a Catholic school. This comes at a time when President Trump has alleged that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted, an allegation strongly refuted by the government who say Islamist extremists like Boko Haram target Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike. From Abuja, here's our Africa correspondent, Mayeni Jones. With this new state of emergency, see it constitutes one of the strongest sets of security policies that President Bola Amet Tinobu has implemented since the resurgence of this wave of mass kidnappings in the last couple of weeks.

18:33Among some of the decisions that he wants to implement, he wants 50 ,000 additional police officers recruited to help tackle the security crisis. He also wants to deploy forest guards to wooded areas around the country. Now, that's because a lot of the armed gangs that have traditionally kidnapped people in rural areas tend to keep them in forests until a ransom is paid. So he says he doesn't want those guys to have anywhere to hide. Other policies he's implemented is he wants police officers who used to look after VIPs to receive crash training on how to deal with high risk areas. And he's also controversially recommended that local authorities avoid building schools in areas that are too remote.

19:18Now, northern Nigeria is a part of the country that already has devastatingly low levels of access to education, and many could argue that this policy would make it even harder for some of the poorest children in the country to get access to school. And Bola Ahmed Sinubu introducing these policies at a time when he's coming under intense criticism from rights groups from the US and from the Catholic Church for failing to get a handle on a security crisis that has been many years in the making. The Bring Back Our Girls activist group who drew attention to the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls in 2014 say that these recent kidnappings are not isolated incidents.

19:56They're part of a wider pattern and that the government after 11 years should have found a new, more permanent solution for this. The president will be hoping that this new state of emergency will be that solution. Mayani Jones in Nigeria. Moving further west, the small nation of Guinea-Bissau on Africa's coast has seen numerous coups and attempted coups since independence, and now in a scene that has become all too familiar across West Africa.

20:27Gunfire was heard near the presidential palace on Wednesday, and a military spokesman appeared on state television to announce that the army had taken control and the president, Umaro Sisoko Mbalo had been arrested to, quote, protect national integrity.

20:47The military high command for the restoration of national security and public order has just taken control of the powers of state of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. The military high command is reacting to the discovery of a plan for the destabilization of our country. This comes three days after a hotly contested presidential election in which the main opposition candidate was barred from standing, and a day before the results of that vote were due to be released. Our correspondent, Mishib Kigoi, is monitoring the situation from Nairobi. We have military officers who have mounted checkpoints across the city, and residents have actually expressed fear even of just stepping outside.

21:28The main opposition party candidate was disqualified. And it seems like there has been loyalty within the security forces of people who perhaps sympathized with his cause. And this could have contributed now to the situation that we're currently witnessing. So the fact that actually he was excluded from participating in the election process, then it seems like there are divisions even within the security forces itself. Because what we have not been able actually to verify so far is that also some senior military officials, we are hearing that they have also actually been detained by the faction that has taken full control of the country.

22:06In the past, say maybe five years, there have been attempted coups, even as President Sissoko has been in power sometime in 2020 and most recently in December 2023. Yeah, so it's a country that has had struggles in just ensuring political stability. It's a bit unpredictable. In fact, just one of our correspondents mentioned to us that a resident, when they had gunshots near the presidential palace, said he was not actually surprised because this is something that they have increasingly gotten used to. So that's really the challenge that this country, a very small coastal nation between Guinea and Gambia and Senegal, has been experiencing for the past nearly four decades.

22:51Richard Kagoy. There are growing calls for our oceans to be quieter. From the Arctic to the Great Barrier Reef, scientists have documented how excessive noise is damaging the fragile ecosystem. And at an assembly of the UN's International Maritime Organization here in London, experts have pushed for a new focus on the design and operation of ships. Lindy Wargaard is a marine biologist based on the Nova Scotia coast of Canada. She explained the impact of underwater noise to Julian Warwicker. It is a very pervasive problem because sound travels so far and so fast underwater, so it has a huge potential area of impact.

23:33And it really affects all components of the ecosystem, from plankton to fish and marine mammals. There's just general stress. There's a reduction in food finding. Animals can't hear their prey. They can't stay in contact with their group members or their offspring. With every decibel of noise increase, the communication space just shrinks. A lot of these whale species, like fin whales and blue whales, are solitary animals, and the only way they can find mates is through sound. So, you know, that has huge implications to the health of their populations, obviously. And this is noise, what, from ships, engines, propellers, most obviously?

24:21Yeah, shipping is a big one, commercial shipping, even recreational boating. Then there's also seismic air guns that are used to find oil and gas deposits underwater. And then there's like pile driving for wind farms and other construction and then things like naval sonar. So as you highlight those various examples, I mean, can you point to ways in which each one of those could go about their business more quietly? Shipping is one of the easiest ones because that is unintentional sound. And generally what makes ships quieter also makes them more efficient. Fewer emissions of greenhouse gases and so on.

25:05First of all, slowing down is the biggest, biggest solution. But then there's also technological modifications. I would say the seismic air gun industry is the worst at recognising and being willing to make changes. The shipping industry is more open. The pile driving industry is particularly open for wind farms, I would say. And the Navy is in between. Lindy Walgart. It's been a remarkable turnaround. In a short space of time, one of the biggest record labels in the world, Warner Music Group, has gone from suing the makers of AI music software Suno over copyright to ending the legal battle and announcing a partnership instead.

25:50The label says it will let the AI music platform use the names, voices and likenesses of its artists as long as they consent. So what does this mean for human musicians and songwriters? Our reporter Will Chalk has been finding out. It's tech that even a few years ago to most of us was unimaginable. You log on, ask it to write a song in whatever style you like, say Ed Sheeran-esque pop, and it will pump out an infinite number of fully formed, completely original compositions. Like any AI model, Suno's technology is trained on what's already out there. And as it stands, the artists whose songs it learns from get nothing whatsoever in return.

26:30It was this problem that a year ago led warn a music group to start legal action against suno describing the tech as wholesale theft and something that threatened the very ecosystem of music they weren't alone billy eilish nikki minaj and katie perry were among more than 200 artists who signed an open letter calling for the predatory use of ai to stop so how did we get from that to warner brothers announcing a first-of-a-kind partnership with the very company it had previously threatened. Well, firstly, it looks like there have been some attempts to address the potential issues. One of the big fears is that AI-generated music, because it's infinite in nature, will flood the market.