Global News Podcast: Malawi floods: hundreds dead and thousands homeless
BBC 3/15/23 - Episode Page - 33m - PDF Transcript
Hello, this is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis
from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are
supported by advertising.
Seven years ago, I was filming at East London Mosque. When the story broke, the three school
girls from the area had gone missing. They were heading to Syria to join the Islamic State Group.
Shamima Begum was the only one of the girls to emerge from the ashes of the so-called Caliphate.
I've retraced her steps to investigate the truth of her story.
What do you think people think of you?
I was a danger as a risk.
The Shamima Begum story, series two of I'm Not a Monster.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Alex Ritzen and at 14 hours GMT on Wednesday, the 15th of March, these are our main stories.
As we record this podcast, more than 220 people are known to have died in floods and mudslides
caused by tropical storm Freddie in Malawi. A senior Pakistani official says the security
forces in Lahore have suspended efforts to arrest the opposition leader Imran Khan because they're
disrupting a prestigious cricket tournament. Also in this podcast, 45 days in solitary confinement
for a 13-year-old indigenous boy in Australia. And a wall of proof that doesn't exist. The
wolf is so smart he overwins every fence. Some animals just have a right to exist,
not just because we find them useful.
Celebrations and controversy over the success of the reintroduction of wolves to the wild in
Europe. In our earlier podcast, we heard some of the harrowing tales of the impact tropical
storm Freddie has had on the people of Malawi. As we record this podcast, the government says
more than 220 people are known to have died and thousands more have been displaced. I got the
latest from our correspondent Shingai Nioka. Well, some good news after just some harrowing days.
The skies have begun to clear over the commercial capital of Blantyre,
and that allows for the airlift operations to start. They will need to conduct search and
rescue operations, but they'll also be trying to bring relief in terms of supplies to the areas
that have been cut off by road. And we already know a lot of people have died, many, many,
many more displaced, but of those who have survived, obviously things like waterborne
diseases are going to become an increasing risk. And that is the main cause of concern
among the UN agencies, for example, who say that Malawi had already been battling its deadliest
cholera outbreak in years. There was a concern that because of the water and just not not just
the floods, but also just access to clean water, that this might actually exacerbate the situation.
This is widely being seen as a demonstrable effect of climate change, isn't it? Yes. And
one of the effects that people are talking about is the fact that you have what, according to the
record books, is one of the longest lasting cyclones for the last month or so. Cyclone Freddy
has moved from Australia all the way to Malawi and is now heading back to Mozambique.
But that really has been the concern that Southern Africa in particular has borne the brunt
of this climate change, that we're seeing more frequent rains, we're seeing more frequent storms
and that they're getting more and more severe. And these are the countries that are least able
to cope with the impact of these changes. What can countries like Malawi do to improve their
responses for next time if next time is going to be more regular? In Malawi, we're hearing that the
warnings were given out ahead of time to some of the communities in low-lying areas and those that
live beneath the mountains, but that many people didn't listen to those warnings and only tried
to escape when it was too late. The people that are really affected by these cyclones are the
poor people who generally don't have access to quality buildings. And so these are some of the
areas that governments think that they can improve on. Shingai Nyoka. Well, Mozambique has also been
hit by Freddy, but whereas four years ago the death toll there from a similar storm was nearly
500, this time it's been 51. Evidence says the country's humanitarian coordinator,
Merta Kulad, that Mozambique's special programme of investments is working. The country has invested
in quite sophisticated early warning systems. So there are satellite imageries and it's able
to anticipate when a natural disaster is about to hit. So there is time and there is communication
and populations are aware. Shelters are created and buildings are also built in a different way,
so they are more resilient and resists better to heavy winds and rains. Now, of course,
this is a very long-term process and this is a very costly process. So results are parallel
yet, but we start to see the results of these investments because 51 people have lost their
lives compared to nearly 500 people four years ago. Merta Kulad in Mozambique.
Cricket is a way of life in Pakistan and if Punjab's information minister is to be believed,
this has put a stop to the operation to arrest the former Prime Minister Imran Khan
at his home in the Hawa. Amir Mir has told the BBC that this has now been suspended until
after the 19th of March, the final of Pakistan's Super League cricket tournament.
Yesterday and today the security forces surrounded Mr Khan's home using tear gas and water cannon
against supporters of his PTI party. Today he spoke to them from inside his house.
They fired bullets at us. Those who fired the bullets were not here to put me in front of a
court. They have also tried to kill me before. Their aim was not to put me before a court.
More than that, they want to exclude me from politics. That's the reason they came to arrest me.
A local official has denied that live rounds were fired. The security forces wanted to arrest
Mr Khan for not turning up at court to defend charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts.
He says the case is politically motivated. We got more on Imran Khan's position from the
barrister Hassan Niazi, a legal representative and advisor to Mr Khan. A few months ago,
when he was attacked in one of the rallies, when he was shot four times, he nearly escaped
a murder attempt. The people, the supporters, they don't trust the law enforcement agencies
anymore, especially the police. Hence, our only concern was that the summon of the court for arrest
of Chairman Imran Khan could result in another attempt to murder and that could leave us as a
leaderless society. Okay, you've said that he's willing to appear before the court. So why doesn't
he comply with the court order and go with the police officers who have been sent by the court
to take him to court? There have been 77 cases and every case Mr Khan has paid in the court
has surrendered himself for the investigation and to the court. The reason he is avoiding it is
because our petition is in the higher court regarding the security. This very court is the
same court where in a few years ago there was a terrorist attack and a judge was killed and a lot
of lawyers were killed and we have a fear it's a complete security risk. The whole place is so
congested with a lot of high rise. So all we are asking is that either move the court to some other
courts which are located in the higher court maybe or the special courts which are like two
kilometers away from that. Right, so I mean ordinary Pakistanis don't get to choose which court
they're tried in do they? Why should he? Why should he get special treatment? We have seen photos of
several people who are clearly struggling to cope with the effects of tear gas and some of them
appear to have blood on them. These are supporters of his party. Isn't the responsible thing for
him to say look this is getting out of hand you should go home to keep yourselves safe there will
be no more clashes. I don't want to see this outside my home. Absolutely that's the best route.
But he's saying people would come on the street he isn't saying people should go away from one
side because he's fighting for these very people he's not fighting for himself. Today a lot of
supporters were shot with live ammunition and the bullets of SMG and 9MM were found the shells were
found and we've given them to the media and I've even posted a video myself of making video of
the police officer shooting the live bullets at us. So what do you think the police is coming to do
to arrest him or to kill him? Who decides this? Why should we believe what the police is saying?
Hassan Niyazi talking to Rob Young. I spoke to our South Asia regional editor and Barassan
Etibrajian. Is cricket really the reason that the authorities are pulling back on arresting Imran Khan?
Ostensibly because the government wants way out of this crisis because for the past 24 hours
security forces including the paramilitary rangers they unsuccessfully tried to arrest Imran Khan
the former prime minister of Pakistan because of a court order the court order was issued the warrant
was issued because he didn't turn up for court hearings to face charges that he incorrectly
declared about the state gifts he received from foreign dignitaries while in office. So now the
government has come out with a reason saying that because of this cricket tournament we are now
postponing this operation. Imagine you know hundreds of police officers they have been brought from
Islamabad from different parts of Punjab province for this operation so they all have to go back
and now the government says that they will stop the operation until the 19th of March when the
final is played of the Pakistan super league and in the meantime the law who I court has
ordered the government not to proceed with any operation at least until tomorrow morning 10 a.m
Pakistan local time probably the government was aware of Imran Khan supporters going to the court
so they preempted by announcing the postponement of operation because of cricket. Imran Khan of
course insists all this is politically motivated who can we believe? Well Imran Khan remains hugely
popular in Pakistan and he won his party won a series of by-elections in the past a few months
putting a lot of pressure on the governing coalition and he says that dozens of cases
have been filed against him since he lost power he was ousted from power in a no confidence vote
in parliament in April last year so he was he was arguing that he was unfairly treated and he was
unfairly ejected from power and that's why he had been organizing these huge rallies all across
Pakistan you know for several months now putting pressure on the government and now he argues that
many of these cases were fabricated politically motivated even though you know the courts are
still going ahead with the cases he seems to be having this popularity and people his supporters
at least believe in what he says. Can he come back from all of this? At the moment Imran Khan
seems to be a bit isolated because he has cut off his links burnt bridges with the military powerful
military and also is very antagonistic relationship with the governing coalition but what he believes
is the people's support and that is what can bring him back to power if the elections are held
and also if he's allowed to contest. Anbarasan Eta Rajan across large parts of Europe the number
of wolves is increasing these animals once widely hunted are returning to lands they
haven't lived in for more than a century two packs have settled in Belgium but these predators don't
always get a warm welcome as our correspondent Jessica Parker reports from Limburg in the east
of the country. That sound you can hear is a wolf sniffing a camera on a stretch of
heat land planted to track Belgium's emerging wolf population. So have you ever seen a wolf here?
Yeah quite often actually. In the province of Limburg I go out to try and find signs of the
wolf with Jan Huy from the Research Institute for Nature and Forest he knows what to look for.
So this is wolf feces? This is wolf feces. What remains after the rain is just some hairs of the
prey. Why are their numbers growing in Europe and why are they back in Belgium for the first time
in over a hundred years? The reason why they're back is mainly legal protection because in Europe
it started with the Bern Convention in 1970 and later on in 92 there was the Habitats Directive
which obliged all member states to consider the wolf as a protective species. From the early 90s
really a lot has happened in Europe and the wolves really started to disperse all over the continent.
What does the wolf eat? Deer, wild boar but livestock also makes up around 15% of its
diet here according to analysis. Local farmer Johann Scheuterdun tells me he's lost dozens of sheep
and current compensation doesn't cover the true cost. We're in a huge barn here. Johann how many
sheep do you actually have in here at the moment? For the moment I think 800. Out in the fields where
Johann's sheep graze he shows me the fencing he's built. We have a guardian dog to protect our sheep
against the wolf but still we have some attacks. Some people might say you just need to build
a better fence. Yes what if you do no more we can use more wires your more sticks but I don't think
that a wolf proof fence doesn't exist. The wolf is so smart he overwins every fence.
Johann calls his sheep. Farmer's distress has led EU lawmakers to call for a downgrade in the
wolf's protected status. A controversial cull was recently carried out in Sweden. Here we have
another wolf print. Back out on the trail with researcher Johann he says people must again learn
to live alongside the wolf. Why is it positive that they're back? Well first of all of course you
need to maybe also ask if everything has to have a positive effect on the way we see it as humans.
Some animals also just have a right to exist not just because we find them useful.
In some marshland a camera picks up a wolf having a drink and then a bathe.
Local legend says that the last wolf here was shot by Belgium's king in the 1890s now
they're back and while evasive in this densely populated region their presence is getting noticed.
That report from Jessica Parker. Still to come. The unprocessed coca leaf isn't illegal
in Bolivia. When it's processed it's the raw material of cocaine that is when that shifts
into being a drug anicotic. Bolivia and Colombia urged the UN to remove the coca leaf from its
list of banned drugs. The United States has said it will continue surveillance flights near the
war zone in Ukraine despite the loss of a drone that crashed into the Black Sea after being
intercepted by Russian fighter jets. Moscow has denied that Russian jets forced it down after
colliding with its propeller. Exactly what type of flying robot then was this drone?
David Hambling is the author of the book Swarm Troopers How Small Drones Will Conquer the World.
This is an MQ-9 Reaper which is the mainstay of the American Drone Reconnaissance Force.
While they can be armed this one would almost certainly have been carrying out a intelligence
gathering mission outside the borders of Ukrainian airspace keeping an eye on what was happening
inside Ukraine probably using radar or electronic sensors.
How easy would it have been to take it down? I mean is this likely to have been
an accident or something done deliberately? They didn't deliberately bring it down but
they were deliberately harassing it. It's a very unequal contest with a manned aircraft against
a drone like this because the drone pilot has no situational awareness they can't see what's
happening around them. One pilot is compared to the view you get to seeing through a drinking straw
and the cruising speed is something like 200 miles an hour so the Russian jets could literally fly
circles around it. Clearly they are trying to harass, they're trying to interfere with its
ability to carry out its mission by flying close to it and forcing the pilot to make evasive maneuvers.
My suspicion is that in doing so they simply flew a bit too close and actually clipped it causing
damage that caused the drone to be lost. It's a costly loss or something like 20 million dollars
is that right? Somewhere upwards of 20 million depending on what additional equipment they have
on it. That's not the most expensive drone the Americans have lost. A few years ago the Iranian
shot down a global hawk drone which should have been somewhere over 200 million. Also these drones
operate in what are known as orbits as soon as one drone goes off station another one takes its
place so they have 24-7 surveillance so there will be another drone in exactly the same place as that
one continuing its mission. Has it happened because Russia just wants to annoy the US or do you think
that they are concerned about the amount the quality of intelligence that the Americans are
getting through these drones? The Americans are getting a vast amount of intelligence and that
is being fed straight back to Ukraine. According to some reports every single time the Ukrainians
use the Haimars missile system the targets for that are located and confirmed using intelligence
supplied by the US so this is probably carrying quite militarily important information. Do the
Russians use similar technology? The Russians have much less emphasis on their drone fleet
partly for historical reasons. They do have a similar drone called Orion though it's hardly
been seen in this conflict. They don't really have the the same type of capabilities on the same
scale and at any rate obviously they operate within Ukrainian and Russian airspace so they
don't have to do their reconnaissance from a distance. David Hambling speaking to James Kopnell.
To Australia now and the story of a 13-year-old Indigenous boy who was held in solitary confinement
for 45 days while awaiting trial for minor offenses. The teenager's treatment at the Cleveland
Youth Detention Center in Townsville is the latest case to raise human rights concerns
about the youth justice system in the state of Queensland. Our correspondent in Sydney,
Phil Mercer told us more. He's been referred to as Jack. He was released on probation last week after
more than two months in custody being held on remand on charges relating to a fight with another
boy. His lawyer said that this boy Jack had no serious criminal history describing his incarceration
as extraordinary and cruel and his mother said that he went in to prison as a bright talkative
teenager and came out very withdrawn and very stressed. Presumably this is a very unusual
kind of thing is it? We'd like to think so but according to campaigners in Queensland it has
happened before. In February of this year it emerged that another 13-year-old boy in the
state of Queensland with learning difficulties this time spent 78 days in a cell for 20 hours a day.
This is clearly raising concerns over Queensland's youth justice system and the authorities in
Queensland say that solitary confinement is only used as a last resort and lawyers say that
perhaps solitary confinement is being used because of a lack of staff in these facilities but
quite clearly it is shining a light on the way that young people, children, are treated in that
part of the country. And the law around children being locked up is being looked at as we speak
but I'm told things could get worse for them. Well the Queensland government is considering
new legislation that could well criminalise bail breaches by children that is minors breaching
the rules of their release after being accused of crimes. Now campaigners believe this could cause
the youth prison population to rise even higher than it is at the moment. If you look at the
statistic first nations Australians are up to 12 times more likely to be in jail than non-indigenous
people in the state of Queensland. Rates of juvenile incarceration are also very high it's
estimated that 70% of child inmates in Queensland are indigenous and unfortunately these recent
cases of two 13-year-old boys held for such a long time on their own is raising serious concerns
again. Phil Mercer in Sydney. Leonardo da Vinci is arguably the most famous artist of all time but
little is known about his personal life. New research suggests da Vinci was only half Italian
because his mother was a slave from the Caucasus Anna Aslam reports. It was long thought that
Leonardo da Vinci's mother was a Tuscan peasant but an expert who studied the artist for over a
decade Karlovece said the truth is more complicated. Using archaeological research and extensive
documentation he claims da Vinci's mother Catarina was a princess in the northern Caucasus mountains
but was kidnapped and sold into slavery making her way across the Black Sea to Constantinople
and Venice before arriving in Florence. There she worked as a nurse for a wealthy family and had a
child out of wedlock with a notary Piero da Vinci. An archive document written in Piero's handwriting
declares Catarina's liberation from slavery in November 1452 six months after Leonardo's birth.
Catarina's mysterious past has been the topic of debate among researchers for decades and some
other experts have agreed with Karlovece's account. Mr. Veche says Catarina's difficult life had a
profound impact on Leonardo da Vinci. He points to overarching themes of freedom in his work and
says da Vinci's universal appeal could come from the artist not belonging to a single class, culture
or country. Anna Aslam. Coca-leaf is part of everyday life in Bolivia but the country is banned
from exporting it because it's used as the raw material to make cocaine. For indigenous people
in the Andes it's a traditional medicine. Bolivia together with Colombia once the ban lifted.
They're urging the United Nations to remove the Coca-leaf from its list of prohibited narcotics.
Its data will now be reviewed by a committee of international experts. For more I spoke to our
reporter Mimi Swaybe. Coca-leaf is actually a plant and it's been used by indigenous communities
across Bolivia and Colombia in the Andean regions as traditional medicine as well as for social
interactions and involved in religious ceremonies. It's widely grown in usually medium altitude parts
of the Andes since probably about the Incas or even before primarily in Las Yungas in the north
and the east of the capital, La Paz. And when it's dried, when the leaves are dried, you can make tea
with it, you can chew it, you can grind into powder. There's lots of different forms you can do.
Usually you'll see people walking down the street in Bolivia with a wad of chewed up Coca-leafs in
the pout to their cheek and that really isn't uncommon. I remember the first time I arrived there,
the first thing I was offered was a plastic sack full of leaves and a Coca-leaf tea to ease the
altitude sickness. You've got to remember La Paz, the capital, is extremely high up. It's the highest
city in the world. It's 3,650 meters above sea level. So altitude really does hit you and you
can feel nausea, you can have a headache and that is one of the benefits of Coca. It's used,
like I said, as medicine, but really to help alleviate altitude sickness.
And it's not illegal, but it is a drug and it does have effects on you.
So that's the differentiation. The unprocessed Coca-leaf isn't illegal in Bolivia. When it's
processed, it's the raw material of cocaine. That is when that shifts into being a drug
and a narcotic and that is illegal. So another reason people chew Coca is to give them energy.
So people who are doing laborious work tend to have always have a pout of Coca in their cheek
and that is thought to keep them running through the day.
So why is this important to Bolivia and Colombia to get this ban lifted? And how did it come to
be banned in the first place? It's always been banned since it is recognised as an narcotic
internationally, but that is the argument the vice president is putting forward. He's saying,
actually, this is a cultural heritage. We need to decolonize this sacred leaf and correct this
criminalization of a really historic part, a cultural part of Bolivian and Colombian society,
which is so normalized. People don't see it as a harmful thing. They see it as so integral to
society and daily life, really. And this is one of the arguments that the vice president is also
putting forward that actually it needs to be decriminalized so they can export it and show
the benefits of Coca-leaf and rather than the international community seeing it as
the main ingredient for a drug. Mimi Swaybi. Music has been banned in Afghanistan since
the Taliban took power in August 2021, but the country's national orchestra is desperately
trying to keep Afghan melodies alive. An exiled group of musicians is going on a European tour.
Our reporter Shakiba Habib met them at their first concert in Paris.
Shabana is a star player, standing tall using an app on a smartphone to tune her stringed instrument.
But the sounds from the strings bring back some sad memories.
Music plays a very important role in my life. When I play, I think about the feelings of people.
I think about men and women that the Taliban banned from playing music.
Shabana and her friends are some of the youngest musicians of Afghanistan. 13-year-old Sabria
plays piano and harmonium. When the Taliban came, I was sad because I wasn't able to continue
studying. Most of the students said they couldn't believe they would lose everything they had overnight,
a modest 15, and play tabla. For now, music has been silenced in Afghanistan.
They broke the thing I love the most.
Back in Afghanistan, they had freedom to perform in public.
They had status as professionals. But when the Taliban returned, everything regressed.
After breaking all the instruments, the Taliban locked the doors to their music school.
Music plays
But the school students are far from defeated.
Back home, they performed in colorful dresses. But today, they are in plain dark clothes.
Most of them couldn't bring their belongings as they were forced to flee Afghanistan.
The students are now settled in Portugal as refugees, where they revived their music school.
Masuda is 15. We won't let their actions go unnoticed. We will play our music even louder.
Tonight is their first concert of the tour, and it's a sellout show.
I spoke to Hadya as she picked up her stature to go to the stage.
How do you feel before going to the stage? Excited.
Which piece do you like the most?
Sarzaminiman. The one that's about Afghanistan.
A packed theater hall greets them. Their selection of melodies
brought tears to some members of the audience.
And they end their performance with the patriotic masterpiece of
Sarzaminiman or my homeland, Emod and Sabria.
The Taliban want young girls and boys to be just like them,
uneducated, without progress and without a future.
When the Taliban are gone, I'll go to Afghanistan to teach music to girls and boys.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban have shown no intention of lifting the ban on music.
But for now, these students have the world stage
and audience to hear their message.
Shakiba Habib.
And that's all from us for now.
But there'll be a new edition of the Global News podcast later.
If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it,
you can send us an email.
The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.
You can also find us on Twitter at Global News Pod.
This edition was mixed by Lewis Alsop and the producer was Alison Davis.
The editor is Karen Martin.
I'm Alex Ritzen. Until next time, goodbye.
Seven years ago, I was filming at East London Mosque
when the story broke the three schoolgirls from the area had gone missing.
They were heading to Syria to join the Islamic State group.
Shamima Begum was the only one of the girls to emerge
from the ashes of the so-called Caliphate.
I've retraced her steps to investigate the truth of her story.
What do you think people think of you?
I was a danger as a risk.
The Shamima Begum Story series two of I'm Not a Monster.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.
The commercial capital, Blantyre, is worst-affected, with many having died in landslides. Also: the Pakistani authorities say they have suspended efforts to arrest the opposition leader, Imran Khan, because they're disrupting a prestigious cricket tournament, and celebrations - and controversy - over the re-introduction of wolves to Europe.