Italy and Nigeria

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world, presented by Pascale Harter.

In today's programme:

History turned to dust on the wind

Few natural disasters are as disorienting as an earthquake. Just a few seconds of tectonic movement can rearrange a landscape dramatically. The effect is even more noticeable in man-made environments - cities and towns. And when those places are full of centuries' worth of art and culture, the losses mount even higher.

In the aftermath of a series of tremors and aftershocks, Alan Johnston has been seeing at first hand the destruction of historic buildings and monuments in the town of Finale Emilia.

Transport tragedies

Nigeria is also reeling from disaster – this time a plane crash, which happened frighteningly close to the centre of Lagos. The dead weren't only passengers on the plane, but also people simply sitting in their own homes at the moment of impact.

As author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani explains, the incident has further convinced some Nigerians that there is simply no safe way to travel around their own country.