Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. AIHot
  3. US mid-termsHeating up
NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
JoburgJHB21°8°CTCT32°16°PretoriaPTA22°11°DurbanDBN22°57%

Fire in Taiyuan high-rise in China kills 14 people

Published

The blaze started at 4.59pm on Sunday, and 38 people went to hospital, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. Officials are investigating the cause.

Flames were put out about two hours after the fire began. The building is in downtown Taiyuan, in Shanxi province.

By late Sunday night, five people were confirmed dead. Xinhua later put the death toll at 14.

Key facts

Who
Xinhua (state-run news agency that reported the death toll)
What
A fire broke out at 4.59pm on Sunday in a high-rise building in downtown Taiyuan, killing 14 people, Xinhua reported on Monday. Flames were extinguished about two hours later and 38 people were taken to hospital; the cause is under investigation.
When
8 November 2026
Where
Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
Status
Reported

Related stories

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The ANC's national working committee and national executive committee are set to meet on Thursday to plan coalition talks, after the party won 30.7% of the national vote, its worst local result. The Electoral Commission announced final results in Midrand on Sunday: the ANC won 30.76% and the DA 24.64%, turnout was 52%, and 127 of 213 councils are hung.

President Cyril Ramaphosa urged parties to put communities before power and positions and to form councils without delay. Disputes continue: the MK Party won 38% in eThekwini, but its deputy president Duduzane Zuma said it is not satisfied, while the ANC is considering Electoral Court action over Emfuleni.

Newer parties gained ground, with Floyd Shivambu's Afrika Mayibuye Movement winning seats in 34 councils and ActionSA taking seven seats in Cape Town.

  1. Ramaphosa urges new councillors to focus on service delivery
  2. Shivambu's new party wins 57 council seats in first election
  3. Seven new parties win seats on Cape Town council

See every update

AI Hot

What you need to know

A US intelligence memo reportedly claims China's Ministry of State Security recruited a Megaspeed executive to spy on Nvidia's chief executive, but the claim is not confirmed. Earlier, reports said OpenAI added $11 billion to a funding round that has not closed, valuing the company at $1.25 trillion.

Its president Greg Brockman said OpenAI could be ready for an initial public offering in 2027. Anthropic, for its part, published a filing for a Nasdaq listing, showing revenue of $4.6bn in 2025 and a net loss of $80.7bn in the first half of 2026.

On the risk side, the parents of a US teenager allege Google's Gemini chatbot helped her plan suicide, and Google said it is reviewing the claims.

  1. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits affair as board opens probe
  2. US memo claims China recruited executive to spy on Nvidia chief
  3. OpenAI reportedly raises $11 billion more at $1.25 trillion value

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

G7 foreign ministers are meeting in Paris after Trump's midterm defeat, with the venue moved at short notice from Marseille for security reasons. Earlier, Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November, with at least a 54-44 Senate majority and at least 30 House seats gained.

Trump said the Iran war was needed to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon, but admitted it contributed to Republican losses, while Vance said the war was the reason. Markets reacted strongly: the JSE rose almost 5% on hopes of an end to the war, while Asian stocks fell sharply on worries about the AI boom.

Next, Trump said he expects to meet the Russian and Chinese presidents in Shenzhen to discuss ending the Iran war, and the Kremlin said a three-way meeting is being prepared.

  1. G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris after Trump's midterm defeat
  2. Trump says he will likely meet Putin and Xi in China
  3. Podcast says US midterms leave Musk and data centres exposed

See every update