BBC goes inside Myanmar with rebel fighters

Summary

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Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: “BBC goes inside Myanmar with rebel fighters”

Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Oliver Conway
Key Reporters/Contributors: Quentin Somerville, Ambaran ETI Rajan, Alfie Habershon, Yoland Nell, Dr. Hassan Al Hassan, Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi, Pumza Fehlani

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the BBC brings listeners direct reports from inside Myanmar’s active conflict zones, following rebel fighters as they face renewed pressure from a resurgent military junta. The episode also covers escalating US-Iran military tensions, deadly airstrikes on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, insights into mass shootings in South Africa, and concludes with a lighter scientific segment on whether dogs are “right-” or “left-pawed.”

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Myanmar Conflict: Rebel Fighters Under Pressure

[01:49–08:36]

Key Points

• Shifting Battlefield Dynamics:
  After losing ground for months, Myanmar’s military regains the initiative with forced conscription and drone warfare, reversing some rebel advances.
• On the Ground in Karen State:
  Quentin Somerville reports from a jungle field hospital treating resistance fighters, many injured by landmines, highlighting the brutal daily toll.
• Voices of the Resistance:
  Fighters share desperate circumstances, heavy casualties, and doubts about the cost of the fight.
• The Human Cost:
  One injured fighter, Jasu, doubts the struggle’s material worth compared to lost lives, yet vows to continue for the country’s future.
• Defections and Forced Conscription:
  Four junta deserters recount being forcibly recruited and then escaping under dangerous, dehumanizing conditions.
• Life Amid War:
  In an affecting moment, a fighter’s wife gives birth in the clinic, the child’s name—Supe (“fulfilled wish”)—reflecting hopes for a peaceful, democratic Myanmar.

Notable Quotes

• “There were days during the five years that I had been here when I couldn’t describe the sorrow with words anymore.”
  — Ambaran ETI Rajan [03:34]
• “If young people choose not to oppose the dictatorship now, then this cycle of revolution and resistance in our country will just continue repeating itself endlessly.”
  — Ambaran ETI Rajan [03:56]
• “We were forcibly recruited against our will. They began grabbing people from their homes...seizing people they found on the streets, even taking people in broad daylight.”
  — Junta deserter (anonymous) [06:12]
• “If we compare material gains against a life sacrificed, then no, it’s not worth it. The lives of our comrades can never be exchanged for anything.”
  — Jasu (rebel fighter) [07:35]
• “I’ll return to fight. One way or another, I will fight until the end for the future of our children.”
  — Jasu [07:44]
• "Her parents say that all they want for her is a peaceful and democratic Myanmar. But after five years of hard fighting, that dream...seems far beyond their grasp."
  — Quentin Somerville [08:20]

Memorable Moments

• The vivid description of a makeshift surgery running on solar power in sweltering jungle heat.
• The birth of a baby girl in the resistance clinic, symbolizing hope amid tragedy.

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US-Iran Escalation: Tit-for-Tat Strikes

[08:36–14:52]

Key Points

• Recent Attacks:
  US and Iran exchange the heaviest barrage since the April ceasefire: a US helicopter is downed, the US responds with massive raids; Iran launches missiles/drone attacks on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan.
• Perspectives from Both Sides:
  US officials accuse Iran of stalling negotiations and “playing rope-a-dope.” Iranian representatives insist their attacks are self-defense against US aggression and violations of the ceasefire.
• Regional Fallout:
  The spat reengages regional alliances and results in some civilian infrastructure damage.

Notable Quotes

• "As Iran continues to take patience for weakness, I think the President eventually is going to do a much bigger kinetic military strike."
  — Darren Selnick, ex-US Defense official [09:53]
• "Even if this leads to an all out war...Iran would defend itself to the maximum necessary level."
  — Reza Gholamzadeh, UN Iran Diplomatic House [10:11]

Timestamps for Blow-by-Blow

• Start of US-Iran Strike Coverage: [08:36]
• US Analyst View: [09:16]
• Iran’s Response: [10:09]
• Regional impacts/Assessment: [11:05–12:59]

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Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Strikes

[15:52–18:44]

Key Points

• Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of airstrikes that kill at least 13 civilians, including children; Pakistan claims it was targeting militants crossing the border.
• Escalating violence—hundreds of civilian deaths in just months—leads to unsuccessful ceasefire efforts mediated by China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
• Civilians on both sides suffer the most, caught between militant attacks and military retaliation.

Quotes

• “The people...they are the ones who are suffering.”
  — Ambaran ETI Rajan [17:30]
• “Hundreds of people have died and the tragedy is that the civilians are bearing the brunt of these increasing tensions...”
  — Ambaran ETI Rajan [18:24]

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Mass Shooting in South Africa: Growing Trend of Violence

[18:44–26:07]

Key Points

• Johannesburg suburb: 12 people shot dead in a mass shooting.
• Attack suspected to be linked to illegal mining activities and organized crime rivalry.
• Rise in mass shootings, but still rare compared to other forms of violence in South Africa.

Quotes

• "It's a trend that's been on the rise...usually between rival gangs or interpersonal conflicts."
  — Pumza Fehlani [18:54]
• "This group was heavily armed with rifles...not weapons that are readily available...which might be linked to organized crime."
  — Pumza Fehlani [25:47]

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Science: Are Dogs Right- or Left-Pawed?

[26:07–28:33]

Key Points

• Italian researchers have developed new tests to determine if dogs showed "pawedness" preference.
• Task-dependence is key: using food-based manipulations, toys, stairs, and observing natural behaviors.
• Understanding paw preference can reveal temperament traits: right-pawed dogs tend to be more confident, left-pawed more cautious.

Notable Quotes & Insights

• “The problem is that paw preference is task dependent, so different ways to measure paw preference...could lead to different results.”
  — Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi [26:46]
• “Right paw dogs tend to be less fearful...left paw dogs are more or less to approach ambiguous stimulus...pessimistic cognitive bias.”
  — Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi [28:07]

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Additional Noteworthy Segment: Lawsuit Against Kanye West (Ye)

[19:44–23:53]

• Allegations: Model Jennifer Ahn files lawsuit claiming West assaulted her during a video shoot in 2010, a claim West’s lawyers argue was “theatrical performance.”
• Legal Ramifications: Case could set precedent for artist conduct and workplace boundaries.

Quotes

• “I was given no direction...he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me...then starts smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside of my mouth.”
  — Jennifer Ahn [20:11]
• "This allows creators to basically do whatever they want...and get away with it as long as they call it art."
  — Jennifer Ahn’s lawyer [23:28]

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Timestamps Summary of Important Segments

• Myanmar on the Frontlines: [01:49–08:36]
• US-Iran Escalation: [08:36–14:52]
• Afg-Pak Airstrikes: [15:52–18:44]
• South Africa Mass Shooting: [18:44–26:07]
• Kanye West Lawsuit Segment: [19:44–23:53]
• Dog Pawedness Science: [26:07–28:33]

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Tone & Style

Reflecting the BBC’s balanced, international approach, the episode combines immersive firsthand accounts (notably from Myanmar), concise global news analysis, and a measured, sometimes somber narrative. Technical terms around geopolitics and military deployments are kept accessible; emotional resonance is achieved through voices from the ground.

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For listeners seeking a deep understanding of the shifting violence and resistance in Myanmar, as well as critical global incidents and underreported scientific curiosities, this episode offers comprehensive and human-centered journalism.

Transcript

[Quentin Somerville]

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[Oliver Conway]

You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 15 hours GMT on Wednesday 10 June, rebels in Myanmar tell the BBC they're losing ground as the military forces thousands of men to join the army after exchanging attacks overnight. The US and Iran accuse each other of damaging negotiations and Afghanistan says Pakistan killed 13 civilians in Cross border airstrikes.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

Also in this podcast, paw preference is task dependent. There are different ways to measure paw preference and this could lead to different results.

[Oliver Conway]

A new test to find out if dogs are right or left handed. In the five years since a coup brought the armed forces to power in Myanmar, civil war has raged, leaving almost 100,000 people dead. Until recently, the military has been losing ground to rebel and ethnic groups, but the forced recruitment of tens of thousands of conscripts and the use of new drone technology has changed that. And now the armed opposition is on the back foot. Quentin Somerville reports from inside Myanmar.

[Quentin Somerville]

Hidden deep under forest cover in Myanmar's Karen state is a field hospital, a jumble of bamboo and wooden buildings that treats resistance fighters injured in their battles to set Myanmar free from military rule. So we're in the operating theater. It's running off solar power and generator. It is quite hot in here. Jasu is on the table, still awake. Jasu has a long gash at the top of his leg. They're Trying to save his leg, which was injured as a result of him stepping on a landmine. He was on his way back from a military assault. As they turn him over, you can see that the. The back of his heel is all gone. It's just raw flesh. People sustain injuries from landmines every single day here. Dr. Song is the surgeon here. They say they carry out operations every day in this operating theater. Never stops in terms of casualties.

[Ambaran ETI Rajan]

There were days during the five years

[Quentin Somerville]

that I had been here when I

[Oliver Conway]

couldn't describe the sorrow with words anymore.

[Ambaran ETI Rajan]

This is not just bombing. Later, kamikaze drones and artillery as well.

[Quentin Somerville]

What do you say to young people in Yangon and Mandalay today who say the coup was five years ago, this is all over.

[Ambaran ETI Rajan]

If young people choose not to oppose the dictatorship now, then this cycle of revolution and resistance in our country will just continue repeating itself endlessly.

[Quentin Somerville]

There's about 10 rebel militia fighters who are heading to a base called Papunya. Now, they have that hunter base surrounded, but it's heavily armed. They have artillery, they have the ability to call in airstrikes. They have mortars. But they are surrounded on all three sides by the rebels. We're on a rare thing here, an asphalt road, and that means we're a big target. These men are listening out for drones. Commanders here tell us that Myanmar's military has the edge in terms of quantity and technology. Strikes come almost daily, they say. Commander Koh Khan of the People's Defence Force takes me on patrol to a captured hunter base.

[Darren Selnick]

The danger from drones is definitely increasing.

[Quentin Somerville]

It would be easier for us if we also had jammers. So there was a drone overhead and we just had to take cover, but we can't hear it now. And the PDF forces think they might have brought it down, but they can't confirm that. In any case, we have to wait at this position. Just like the conflict in Ukraine, like the conflict in Lebanon. Drones are everywhere now. And very quickly, drone warfare adapts and escalates. And that's exactly what's happening here in Myanmar. This resistance base is hidden deep in the forest. Time and time again, we hear from resistance fighters that one of the reasons that Myanmar's military, the junta, has regained the initiative on the battlefield is because of thousands of new recruits, forced conscripts, some of whom never wanted to fight. Well, here at this hq, there are four deserters from the junta forces, and they've agreed to speak to us. How did you escape from the army? From the military outpost? We planned to escape from the bathing place Two of us went down to the bathing spot first, while the other two stayed behind to keep watch. Once all four of us had gathered there, we waited for the right moment and slipped away as soon as we could. Did any of you want to join the army, or were you? We were forcibly recruited against our will. They began grabbing people from their homes, seizing people they found on the streets, even taking people in broad daylight. Before we even understood what was happening, we were sent to the front lines. They treated us terribly from the beginning to the end. We couldn't endure it anymore. The juntas new recruits may not be willing, but they've revived the military's fortune. Once on the defensive, they're now mounting offensive operations across the country and attempting to take back border posts that fell to the resistance, although the military still controls less than half of the territory in the country. The rebels, for their part, five years after the coup, are struggling with recruitment. Back at the clinic, I asked Jia Zu, now in a recovery ward, if the heavy casualties suffered by the rebels has been worth it. No, it's not worth it. If we compare material gains against a life sacrificed, then no, it's not worth it. The lives of our comrades can never

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

be exchanged for anything.

[Quentin Somerville]

I'll return to fight.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

One way or another, I will fight

[Quentin Somerville]

until the end for the future of our children. Just battlefield injuries here. The wife of one of the fighters is heavily pregnant and the contractions have just started, so they're going to deliver the baby. So Major Mo is pretty close now. This is her first baby,

[Darren Selnick]

the baby

[Quentin Somerville]

girl they call Supe. It translates roughly to fulfilled wish. Her parents say that all they want for her is a peaceful and democratic Myanmar. But after five years of hard fighting, that dream of these young revolutionaries still seems far beyond their grasp.

[Oliver Conway]

Quentin Somerville with that report from Myanmar. Overnight, Iran and the US traded the heaviest attack since they agreed a ceasefire in April. The Americans said they launched their strikes after an Iranian drone downed a US helicopter on Monday. Iran then responded by firing missiles and drones at US bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. A couple of hours later, President Trump posted that Iran had been completely defeated. But he went on to say the Iranians had taken too long to agree a deal and would now have to, quote, pay the price. So what might the US do now? Darren Selnick is a former deputy chief of staff to the American Defence Secretary.

[Darren Selnick]

I think the President is being tested with his patience, and I think his patience is running out. I don't think the Iranians are serious about a deal. I think they're Playing what we would call rope a dope, drawing it out. The thing we don't know, having been Deputy Chief of Staff at the Pentagon is we don't know all the information he has. We don't know the private conversations he's had with our Arab regional allies. We don't know what sort of deal he may be trying to make, a bigger deal beyond Iran. I don't think that deal is possible. I think you have to take care of Iran first. And so I think as Iran continues to take patience for weakness, I think the President eventually is going to do a much bigger kinetic military strike. But that's going to be his option. We shall see.

[Oliver Conway]

The Iranians insist they are responding to US aggression amid. Reza Gholamzadeh is head of the UN Iran Diplomatic House in Tehran.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

We are in the middle of war with the United States and any threats and any operations need to be responded by the Iranian side in order to defend itself. And that is the Iranian policy right now. Even if this leads to an all out war, still Iran goes to the battleground and would defend itself to the maximum necessary level. The correct question is actually why Americans are still attacking Iran or why Israelis are still attacking Lebanon despite the ceasefire and the agreement that they had made. They have imposed a blockade against Iran which is an act of war and it's a violation of the ceasefire. They are attacking Iranian assets and Iranian bases and Iranian forces in the sea, in the land. So Iran is responding to all the violations that is happening.

[Oliver Conway]

So have the tit for tat exchanges now stopped? I asked our correspondent in Jerusalem, Yoland Nell.

[Yoland Nell]

Things have calmed down for the moment, but this is definitely looking like one of the most serious flare ups there's been between the US and Iran since the ceasefire came into effect two months ago. And of course it's just a day after President Trump suggested again he was days away from a deal with Iran, having put significant pressure on Israel to stop its first confrontation with Iran in the last two months. And it's brought US Arab allies back under attack once again. We've been getting some more details with a US official now saying that the US struck nearly 20 targets in Iran. These air defenses, ground control stations, surveillance radar sort of around the Strait of Hormuz area. Iranian state media had been reporting explosions in the south, not giving much information about damage on their side, apart from saying that in one location two water reservoirs had been affected and that was going to have an impact on the drinking water supply. The US insisted that this was a proportional response to Iran's aggression and Iran's own response came very swiftly. And it said it was really attacking the sites that had been used to carry out attacks on its territory. So Bahrain, that's where the US Naval Fifth Fleet is based. You've got Kuwait. Sirens were going off there. It said that it intercepted hostile aerial attacks. Iran saying that it targeted a US Air base in Kuwait. Longer range missiles were launched at Jordan, where there's a US Air base in the east with the Jordanian armed forces saying that five missiles were successfully intercepted. Iran also says it shot down a US Drone over its airspace. And this US Official has been saying that nearly all the missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted, that they're not aware of any harm to US Personnel or damage to US locations. But Iran is insisting that it destroyed the four of its targets. We haven't got a way of verifying any of that information.

[Oliver Conway]

Yolanel in Jerusalem, in Bahrain, it's still not clear what targets were hit. As Dr. Hassan Al Hassan at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the capital Manama told Sean Lay, preliminary reports

[Dr. Hassan Al Hassan]

suggest that the overwhelming majority of Iranian projectiles, whether missiles or drones, were intercepted. But there are early reports that some targets that have yet to be formally identified have been struck. Now, the Iranians claim that they've been after the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, but it's not entirely clear yet whether they've been able to strike it or not. Now, in terms of a response, Bahrain is a very small state. It's just over a million people. So it does not have the independent sort of national military capability to launch retaliatory strikes. What Bahrain has been doing is working closely with its allies and partners, including its fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. So other Arab Gulf countries. But there isn't a unified Arab Gulf position on how to respond to the attacks by Iran. There have been individual retaliatory strikes by Saudi Arabia, by the United Arab Emirates, but those have been carried out individually, not as a group. So without a unified Arab Gulf umbrella, it's unlikely that Bahrain will resort to military retaliation against those Iranian attacks.

[Quentin Somerville]

Is that lack of a coherent position agreed by all GCC members, do you think, weakening their influence on Washington, on getting Washington to do what they would like to do, what is in the interests of the Gulf in terms of either ending or prosecuting a war with Iran?

[Dr. Hassan Al Hassan]

Obviously, the Gulf states, they run up against Israel's influence over Washington. As a matter of fact, the Arab Gulf states were unified in not wanting the United States to begin this war. In the first place. But it's quite clear that Benjamin Netanyahu had the upper hand there in pushing the Trump administration to do so under the pretext that this would be a short and sweet war that would end up toppling the Iranian regime quite quickly. Now, we know that this is not how things turned out. As it so happens right now, I think there is a unified Arab Gulf desire in seeing the United States bring an end to this war through a negotiated settlement with Iran. So perhaps the Arab Gulf states might not be working in close coordination with one another to influence the Trump administration in that direction. But at the very least, I do think they are united in this broad desire to see the a quick end to this war through negotiators.

[Oliver Conway]

Dr. Hassan Al Hasan in Bahrain, Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of killing at least 13 civilians, including children, and injuring dozens more in airstrikes along their shared border. Pakistan says the strikes were in response to a spate of attacks by militants crossing from Afghanistan. Violence between the two nations has claimed hundreds of lives this year. Our global affairs reporter Ambaran ETI Rajan told me about the latest attacks.

[Ambaran ETI Rajan]

There are competing versions of what really happened along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. As you said earlier, the Taliban rulers in Kabul, they say that 13 civilians and many of them were children were killed along the border in Afghanistan and due to these strikes by Pakistani military. On the other hand, the Pakistani government says that they targeted militant hideouts along the border in which 26 militants were killed. Now, these latest strikes come a day after suspected Islamist insurgents carried out attack on a security forces check post in Peshawar in Pakistan that killed at least six paramilitary troops. And then there were reports or the militants claimed that they had also abducted some soldiers that we could not confirm. But what it shows that the volatile nature along the border between these two countries. You know why these tensions? Because Pakistan accuses Kabul of providing safe haven to some of these insurgents who carry out attacks on Pakistani forces.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah, and of course, it's the people who get caught in the middle of it.

[Ambaran ETI Rajan]

The people, especially along the border areas on both sides, they are the ones who are suffering. If you go by the United nations report, what it says that in the first three months of this year alone, more than nearly 300 people, civilians were killed and another 400 injured because of this ongoing conflict. Now, Pakistan has an overwhelming air superiority over Taliban militants because it has got latest fighter jets and drones using which it attacks. So the UN says many civilians were victims. However, these accusations are denied by Pakistan. And there was a ceasefire attempt negotiated by China in March when both sides were asked to come to China for meetings where there have also been attempts earlier by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Hundreds of people have died and the tragedy is that the civilians are bearing the brunt of these increasing tensions between these two countries. However, the other countries are also trying to broker another round of ceasefire to bring down the tensions between two countries. But this is one reminder that how a normal attack or a regular attack by any militant group can trigger much more violence along the border between the two countries.

[Oliver Conway]

Aanbarasan Atarajan still to come on the podcast, police in South Africa launch a manhunt after 12 people are shot dead.

[Pumza Fehlani]

It's a trend that's been on the rise in recent years of mass shootings, and usually it is between rival gangs or interpersonal conflicts.

[Oliver Conway]

We'll hear from our correspondent in Johannesburg. You're listening to the global news podcast. A model who appeared on the set of a music video with Kanye west says he choked her and put his fingers in her mouth without warning or consent. Jennifer Ahn says the incident happened in 2010. She's now filed a civil lawsuit against him. Known as Ye the rapper doesn't deny the contact took place, but argues it was part of an artistic performance that she did not object to. Jennifer Ahn has been speaking to Anoushka mutanda Doherty.

[Jennifer Ahn]

In 2010, model and aspiring actress Jennifer Ahn was on the set of a music video for Larue's song In for the Kill.

I was so excited. I was so excited because every single job was a step closer to where I was going. Yeah, I loved it.

As part of an exclusive interview with me for the Fame Under Fire podcast, Jen says that west arrived on set, then selected her for a scene. You're about to hear her describe what she claims happens next with some sexual content, some of which may be distressing.

I was given no direction. I was just told to sit in this chair. And then playback started. And then all of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me. And I'm just not sure what's happening. And then he pulled his other hand out and starts choking me with both hands and then starts smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside of my mouth, which I think, I mean, it simulated like oral sex. It started. It started where he. And he went up to my face and he was like, smearing my. My makeup on my face and. Okay.

Do you need a minute?

[Commercial Voiceover]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Ahn]

Sorry. It's okay. He was smearing the makeup on my face in a way that felt like he was trying to. I don't know, smearing the makeup all over my face in a way that just felt wrong. He started sticking his fingers in my mouth, and I feel like he was, like, trying to touch as much as he could, and I was actively. My tongue was, like, hiding from him, and he just, like, found everything.

We approached west for a response to the allegations, but haven't had a reply in Kanye's legal filings. His lawyers don't deny the action took place, but say it was part of an artistic performance that Jen did not object to. Jen told me that although she remembers there being a full set of people, no one stepped in.

I just started looking around the room like someone. It was a room full of people, and I was looking around, like, hoping that someone would see me and be like, hey, like, maybe we should stop.

Jen filed her lawsuit in 2024, 14 years after the alleged incident under the Gender Motivated Violence act in New York, which temporarily extends the statute of limitations for sexual assault survivors. I asked her why she didn't go to the police. At the time.

I didn't consider going to the police because I was in a room full of people. People when it happened. So I guess I felt like, what recourse could there be? And why would I put myself through that when nothing is going to happen to him?

Why did you think nothing would happen to him?

Because it was 2010. Not enough people were concerned about protecting women and sexual assault and the accountability of those perpetrators.

So, yeah, Kanye's lawyers have said that, quote, ye staged an intense and provocative theatrical performance consistent with the homage, and that the production paralleled scenes in American Psycho, which included actions to emulate forced oral sex and other physical contact, which, incidentally, may have caused plaintiff to have difficulty breathing. In response to that, Jen's lawyer told me that it would set a dangerous precedent if this case is thrown out.

[Quentin Somerville]

I think this allows creators to basically do whatever they want to whomever they

[Oliver Conway]

want in creative spaces and get away

[Quentin Somerville]

with it as long as they call it art. And I think that that's a really, really dangerous precedent to set.

[Jennifer Ahn]

Fame Under Fire approached LaRue's label, Universal Music Group, for comment and offered west an interview or to respond to these claims, but we haven't had a reply. It's now up to a judge to decide if this case will proceed to

[Oliver Conway]

court, and you can find the full interview on the Fame Under Fire podcast. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Police in South Africa have launched a manhunt after 12 people were shot dead in a suburb of Johannesburg. The Police say around 10 suspects entered an informal settlement in Cleveland late on Tuesday and opened fire at multiple locations before fleeing. I heard more from our correspondent in Johannesburg.

[Pumza Fehlani]

The police have held a press briefing saying that they are following all leads but would not give more detail on it. But we do know from community members at this stage is that one of the suspected motives has been linked to illegal mining activity in the area. The informal settlement sits not too far from old disused mines and in the last few months, there's been rival activity there between groups of people that are mining illegally. So this is people who go into the disused mines and try to salvage whatever little gold nuggets they can find and sell those in the black market. So community members believe that this was one of the reasons that this community was targeted, because a lot of those miners are known to live in the area. The police have said to us they do not discount this as a possibility, but at this stage they are considering all options. They've launched their manhunt and hope to be able to bring some people to justice soon. It's a trend that's been on the rise in recent years of mass shootings, and usually it is between rival gangs or interpersonal conflicts as a way of bringing an end to that. It is still something that is widely shocking for a lot of South Africans. Although there's a high murder rate here, mass shootings are not as common as you would think.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah, as you say, South Africa dogged by violence for years. But this sounds like a particularly brutal incident.

[Pumza Fehlani]

It was. From what the police tell us, this group was heavily armed with rifles. Now, these are not arms, these are not weapons that are readily available. There's a belief that a lot of resources would be involved in sourcing these arms, but also keeping them functioning. So we'd be starting to get a little bit of a sense that this might be something linked to some organized crime element.

[Oliver Conway]

Pumza Fehlani in Johannesburg. Dogs tend to favor one paw over another in the same way that their owners are right or left handed. But how can you tell which? Well, Italian scientists say they've come up with a new test. To find out, we sent our news hound, Alfie Habershen to investigate.

[Alfie Habershon]

We know that most dogs, like people, have a favourite side or paw, and apparently it can tell you quite a lot about them. Lots of different methods for determining this have been tried over the years, including offering them a handshake to see which paw they put on your palm. But finding a reliable test has proven to be elusive.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

The problem is that paw preference is task dependent, so it means that there are different way to measure paw preference and this could lead to different results.

[Alfie Habershon]

Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi of the University of Bari makes the point that we need to be careful about what exactly we observe the dog doing. For example, I may flick a light switch on with my left hand even though I'm actually right handed. But after studying dogs for over 20 years, he's come up with a list of four demanding dog tasks that he says will reveal the answer.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

You can test using manipulative tasks, using the food, reaching under the bed or some books. You can just use your imagination to create something that dogs have to fight and just to try to use one paw to catch the food.

[Alfie Habershon]

Another recommended task is to give a dog a ball shaped toy stuffed with food and monitor which paw it's using to hold it still whilst it tries to eat the contents. Other steps include getting your dog to sit alone at the top of the stairs. If you can persuade it to do that.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

We use also locomotion based test. So for example the pole which is used to stepping on stairs or during walking to step off for a transitional platform.

[Alfie Habershon]

And for the owners, it's a chance to understand their pet a little better.

[Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi]

Right paw dogs tend to be less fearful and researchers have discovered that left paw dogs are more or less to approach ambiguous stimulus. So what is called pessimistic cognitive bias.

[Alfie Habershon]

Dr. Siniscalchi and others from the University of Bari are now hoping to collect a large database of poor activity from the owners who are willing to try at home.

[Oliver Conway]

Alfie Habershon and that's all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by David Evans and produced by Alfie Habershan and Stephen Jensen. Our editors, Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.

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