The gladiators are Here!

Gladiators sandals, as the name implies, are based on a design that gained fame in the coliseums.

Once an integral part of the clothing of slaves, prisoners, and assorted never-do-wells in their fight for survival; it has now become another tool in the arsenal of ever-changing ladies fashion.

This footwear is built around a flat sandal secured to the foot and lower leg by a number of straps. Overtime, variations on the basic design have resulted in footwear that feel adventurous and exotic as they now come in high heels as well, while being comfortable and adaptable to any style and body shape.

Among young ladies today, gladiator sandals have gained popularity because they come in very comfortable and flexible forms. They tend to be very comfortable especially the flat sole versions. The flexibility is another big plus. They can be worn with a wide variety of clothing styles from dresses, skirts, pants, shorts and jeans.

Gladiator sandals are popular because they make a bold statement not only about fashion, but also about the strength of the modern lady.

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Sahara migrant survivor: I buried my family

14-year-old Shafa: "Some 15 of us died on the second day"

The bodies of 87 people, thought to be migrants, were discovered in the Sahara desert in the north of Niger on Wednesday. They died of thirst when their vehicles broke down en route to Algeria.

Shafa, a 14-year-old girl from Niger, survived and told the BBC's Newsday programme her story: 

We were on our way to Algeria to visit family members. There were more than 100 of us in a convoy of two vehicles. Our truck broke down and it took a whole day to fix. In that time we ran out of water.

We managed to find a well but there was very little water - one of us climbed down into the well and managed to draw out a tiny amount, but the rest of us went thirsty.

The drivers told us to wait while others went to fetch water, but a night and a day later they had not returned.

That was when people started dying. Some 15 of us died on that second day without water.

We moved on with the dead bodies in the truck. By this time the second vehicle had returned with some water, Alhamdulillah (thanks to God).

We came across some Algerian security forces - but the drivers turned around because they didn't want to be caught carrying us since this was illegal.

They asked us to hide inside a trench, we spent another night there - so that is three nights in a row without any water. 

One woman started complaining and one of the drivers used a hose to beat us.

Many women and children died. The drivers had some water in jerrycans but kept it for themselves.

'I buried them'

From there they took us back into Niger. Our water ran out again. There we were, hungry and sitting amidst corpses in the truck.

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