BBC News Briefing

31 October, 2024

Jules Darmanin

Hello. Today we're hearing from Nicky Schiller in the Spanish city of Valencia, which was hit by massive flash flooding on Wednesday. My science colleagues also tell us why researchers say climate change played a part in the disaster. And Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson speaks to Israelis and Palestinians about their hopes and fears around the upcoming US election. We're also reporting on TikTok battles, cheese theft, and Halloween.

GET UP TO SPEED

Typhoon Kong-rey, the biggest typhoon to directly hit Taiwan in nearly 30 years, has made landfall on the island's eastern coast.

A Russian court has fined Google two undecillion roubles - that's $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, much more money than there is in the world - over restriction on Russian state media on YouTube.

A 63-year-old man has been arrested after 22 tonnes of cheddar, worth more than £300,000 ($386,000), were stolen from a London cheesemonger.

AT THE SCENE

Valencia, Spain

'Nightmare' floods destroy neighbourhoods

Firefighters are walking on a massive pile of debris in a city street. Dozens of cars are piled up, blocking the entire street.

More than 1,200 workers are deployed to the rescue mission. Credit: Reuters

At least 158 people have died after flash floods hit southern Spain on Wednesday, particularly devastating communities in Valencia. Emergency teams are continuing to search for those missing.

Nicky Schiller, BBC correspondent

I'm in the La Torre area of Valencia, one of the worst hit areas of the city. All around me are cars tossed into the road from the force of the flood water. Locals don't have any power in this area, but are already starting to work together to try and clear up. I saw a group of young men with brooms sweeping muddy water from one business. There is mud everywhere.

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We spoke to one local called Rosa who said she saw cars floating in the water and had not seen anything like it in this area. But she also said the community was coming together seeing what others needed and trying to get it for them. It is going to be weeks and months before this area of the city looks anything like it did before the floods.

More on this

In pictures: Torrential rains swept away buildings, destroyed bridges and piled debris in streets. Striking photos show the aftermath.

The science: Researchers say climate change has contributed to the intensity of the downpours, making the floods worse due to warmer sea waters.

Watch: Footage from emergency services shows people rescued from brown floodwaters.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What Middle East wants from US election

The front sign of a residential community with its name, Trump Heights, in Hebrew and English. The statue of an eagle can be seen in front of the sign.

Israel’s prime minister named a community after Donald Trump when he was president. Credit: BBC

BBC correspondents are asking people across the world about their hopes and fears ahead of the US presidential election next week. Today we're hearing from people in the occupied West Bank and Israel, where so much hinges on the identity of the next president.

Lucy Williamson, Middle East correspondent

What is the Israeli leadership hoping for?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once called Donald Trump “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House”. He won that title by scrapping an Iran nuclear deal that Israel opposed, brokering historic normalisation agreements with several Arab countries, and recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – countering decades of US policy.

What about regular Israelis?

Around two-thirds of Israelis would prefer to see Trump back in the White House, according to recent surveys. Less than 20% appear to want Kamala Harris to win. For many people here, good allies never pressure, criticise or constrain. Harris has been more outspoken in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and has put more emphasis on humanitarian issues.

What are Palestinians saying?

Many Palestinians see little hope in either candidate. “The overall estimation is that the Democrats are bad, but if Trump is elected it’ll be even worse,” said Mustafa Barghouti, a respected Palestinian analyst and politician in the occupied West Bank. “The main difference is that Kamala Harris will be more sensitive to the shift in American public opinion, and that means more in favour of a ceasefire.”

Read the story

More on the Middle East: Senior American officials have returned to the region to try to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The latest: More than 60 million people have already cast their ballot in early votes. Follow the campaign on our live page.

Musk latest: The Trump-backing billionaire can continue to give away cash to registered voters for now until further judicial proceedings, a Pennsylvania state judge has said.

THE BIG PICTURE

The Somali TikTokers battling for their clans

Two screenshots of TikTok battles, which look like video game footage, show two influencers side-by-side with their faces blurred. Scores and rewards such as virtual roses appear on each screen, which include computer-generated crowds watching on.

Influencers are rewarded in TikTok coins from users, which can be turned into actual money. Credit: BBC

A TikTok feature allowing users of the social media platform to spar in live-streamed battles has been turned into a virtual battleground between Somali clans. In the Big Tribal Game, champions trade insults and vitriol as paid gifts from spectators pile on the screen. But there is a much darker side to these games.

Read the story

A close-up photo of a huntsman spider which appears to have multiple eyes

FOR YOUR DOWNTIME

Spooky spiders

Get in the Halloween spirit and read about the US island ruled by alien spiders.

And finally... in the UK

Roz Edwards spends her days trawling through a sea of body parts including legs, heads, and even the odd foot - but her job isn't exactly out of a Halloween movie. Roz, or the 'Mannequin Lady' has she's known to friends and clients, sells and rents out mannequins for a living and has even done business with Lady Gaga and Mika. Find out what it's like working inside what some would consider their worst nightmare - a mannequin emporium.

Six Steps to Calm

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