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Emergency services say at least 58 people died when a fire ripped through a multi-story building in Johannesburg that had been overtaken by homeless people JOHANNESBURG -- At least 58 people died when a fire ripped through a multi-story building in Johannesburg that had been overtaken by homeless people , emergency services said Thursday. Spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said another 43 people were injured in the blaze that broke out in the predawn hours. He said the death toll was likely to still increase in what he described as effectively “an informal settlement.” “Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mulaudzi said. A search and recovery operation was underway and firefighters were moving through the building, Mulaudzi said. The team had pulled 58 bodies out so far, he said, adding that more might be trapped inside. At least one child was among the dead, Mulaudzi said. Authorities said the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped o...

The British government has ordered more than 100 schools to keep some or all of their buildings closed when the new academic year begins next week because of concern that crumbling concrete threatens the safety of children and staff LONDON -- The British government has ordered more than 100 schools to keep some or all of their buildings closed when the new academic year begins next week because of concern that crumbling concrete threatens the safety of children and staff. The announcement late Thursday sent school administrators scrambling to find ways to accommodate pupils, with some expected to return to the online instruction used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing of the decision, just days before the start of classes, raised questions from parents and school officials about why the government didn’t act sooner. Schools Minister Nick Gibb told the BBC that a beam collapse over the summer sparked an urgent reconsideration of whether buildings constructed with reinforced auto...

Authorities say a fire in a nine-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital has killed at least 56 people, including at least four children, while an additional 37 people are being treated for injuries HANOI, Vietnam -- A fire in a nine-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital killed at least 56 people, including at least four children, and injured at least 37, authorities said Wednesday The fire started just before midnight Tuesday in a building housing about 150 residents. Firefighters contained the blaze, but the building 's location at end of a narrow alley made rescue operations difficult. Dozens of people remained trapped in the building until after dawn, state media reports said. Of the 56 people confirmed dead, the police have identified 39 victims, the state-owned Viet Nam News said Wednesday evening, citing Hanoi police. State-owned national television channel VTV said four children were among those killed. Initial reports about the death toll were unclear sin...

The Ukrainian government wants to spend more than $1 billion to build an army of drones LUHANSK REGION, Ukraine -- Flying above enemy lines, a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone sends a clear image back to soldiers hiding in a basement a few kilometers away: A Russian armored vehicle is idling along a key logistics route, looking like easy prey in the artillery-scarred green landscape. Then, in a flash, the image disappears, and the drone operator’s screen is replaced by a jumble of black and white pixels. “Snow,” says a calm commander known by the battlefield name Giocondo, who allowed The Associated Press to follow him and his unit of drone pilots on condition of anonymity to protect their identities. High-tech warfare cuts two ways, and the Russians use electronic beams to disable the drone's signals. Seconds later, the drone pilot switches to a frequency the Russians cannot easily exploit. The bird’s-eye image of the armored vehicle reappears, and a second drone – this one laden wi...

A year since Russia took control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, plans for reconstruction are under way, but former residents aren't convinced. LONDON -- A year since Russia took control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, plans for reconstruction are under way but former residents aren't convinced. The siege of Mariupol started the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ended on May 20, 2022. The battle ended with the surrender of the last Ukrainian fighters at their final stronghold -- the Azovstal steel plant. Katya Plechystova got a call on that day from an unknown number. It was her husband Oleg. For three months he had been defending their hometown while fighting for the Ukrainian army. They hadn’t spoken -- except for the very occasional text message -- since before the invasion. “He said that they are leaving the plant, that this is just an evacuation through Russia and that they have guarantees that everything would be fine,” Katya says. That was the last time ...

A senior security official says at least a dozen people have been injured in an explosion at a residential building in western Germany BERLIN -- An explosion at a residential building in western Germany injured at least a dozen people Thursday, some of them seriously, a senior security official said. The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, told regional lawmakers that 10 firefighters and two police officers were injured in the blast at a high-rise building in the town of Ratingen. Firefighters and police were called to the building in the morning after concerns were raised about two residents, Reul said. When they forced open an apartment door, they found a fire and one of the inhabitants used an unidentified object to cause an explosion, the minister said. Television footage from the scene showed police snipers positioned on a balcony across the road from the building as smoke poured out of a top-floor apartment. Police said the operation was ongoing ...

A fire has swept through an apartment building in an older neighborhood of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, killing at least 16 people and injuring another nine DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A fire swept through an apartment building in an older neighborhood of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, killing at least 16 people and injuring another nine, authorities said Sunday. The blaze Saturday in the Al Murar area of Dubai's historic Deira neighborhood struck an apartment believed to have been shared by multiple individuals, a common practice for laborers who power the economy in this city-state known more for its towering skyscrapers. But the tight quarters, often subdivided by makeshift barriers of plywood, drywall or shower curtains, can become a major risk in fires. The state-linked newspaper The National cited a statement from Dubai Civil Defense provided by the city-state’s Dubai Media Office for the death toll. Authorities did not respond to questions from The Associated...