to avoid war and decline ahead of saturday's key presidential elections. beijing also has some tough words for washington — accusing america of interfering in the poll, saying they risk doing serious damage. for regional supremacy. we'll find out what people living on the taiwan strait think. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to a special edition of newsday from taipei on the eve of the island's general and presidential election. whoever is elected president on saturday will shape before we get to that, we do have some breaking news because

the us and britain have begun strikes against targets linked to houthi rebels in yemen. we can cross to will vernon. what can cross to will vernon. what can you tell us?— can you tell us? very few details at _ can you tell us? very few details at this _ can you tell us? very few details at this stage. - can you tell us? very fewl details at this stage. what can you tell us? very few- details at this stage. what we do know is that several us officials have been speaking to news agencies, to reporters, saying the united states and britain have started carrying out strikes against targets linked to the houthis in yemen. that's all we know so far. we haven't had any official word from the white house or from the pentagon. earlier today, when a pentagon spokesman was asked about that, they said they would not comment on any... they wouldn't speculate on any potential military action. from what we're hearing, it seems the strikes have started. one houthi official has written on social media that strikes have hit

several you many —— yemeni cities. it seems that military action has begun. information seems to _ action has begun. information seems to be _ action has begun. information seems to be of _ action has begun. information seems to be of little - action has begun. information seems to be of little scarce i action has begun. information seems to be of little scarce ati seems to be of little scarce at the moment. how do we know or how they authorised these without approval from congress in parliament?— in parliament? well, as we heard earlier, _ in parliament? well, as we heard earlier, there - in parliament? well, as we heard earlier, there hasn't| in parliament? well, as we i heard earlier, there hasn't so far been any discussion in congress or in the uk parliament. but we saw several statements from western nations warning houthi rebels that there will be serious consequent is. a multinational naval task force in december was formed. several other

nations to protect shipping in the red sea, shortly after that on the 3rd ofjanuary, there was a very strongly worded joint statement from the us, the uk, and i2 joint statement from the us, the uk, and 12 over nations. it seemed as a final warning to the houthis that if these attacks do not stop, then they will bear the responsibility of the consequences. those warnings were not heeded by the houthis. the attacks continued and tonight, it seems we're seeing the results of that. we're seeing that the us and the uk have backed up those promises, those warnings to the houthis. i think the question i will be how far will these strikes go, how long will it last and what with the response be. earliertoday, one houthi leaderwent be. earliertoday, one houthi leader went on yemini tv promising if there were any attacks, they would retaliate. that group is backed and armed

by iran and iran has a warship in the red sea region. i think the dangerfor in the red sea region. i think the danger for escalation is there, and that will be something that the us and the uk will be very aware of. they will be looking to proceed with caution if possible. as we saw today, antony blinken, the us secretary of state, returning from a tour around the middle east, where he was discussing with a number of middle eastern leaders, including the saudi crown prince and the israeli prime minister, the danger of the war in israel between israel and hamas spilling out, escalating into a wider regional war. potentially pulling and other global players — hezbollah in lebanon and perhaps even iran. this is exactly why the secretary of state went on this tour around

the middle east, to try and avert something like this. so i think something like this... i think something like this... i think the us and the uk and allies will be very aware of the danger of that, especially of any direct military confrontation with iran. i think that's something they will be looking to avoid at all costs. ~ ., , costs. will, thanks very much for getting — costs. will, thanks very much for getting us _ costs. will, thanks very much for getting us up _ costs. will, thanks very much for getting us up to _ costs. will, thanks very much for getting us up to speed. i for getting us up to speed. beginning strikes links to houthis in yemen. we'll leave it there for now. the us has there been 27 attacks in the red sea by houthis who say they support hamas.

let's get more now from our security correspondent frank gardner on who the houthis are — and what the effect of their attacks has been. armed, angry and defiant. yemen's houthi rebels. a tribal mountain militia that controls much of yemen and its red sea coast. they've declared their support for hamas in gaza and, since november, they've been attacking ships in the red sea. britain, the us and the un have all demanded a stop to the attacks. we cannot have a situation where a major sea route, a major ability to move goods around the world, is being cut off by terrorists and thugs, and we therefore must act. this was a heli—borne raid they did on a container ship in november, seizing the vessel and its crew and steering it back to yemen. the houthis have defied all warnings to stop targeting shipping. translation: we are more determined to continue - to target ships linked to israel and we will not back down from that. our position stems

from our faith. the americans should know what that means. the houthi attacks are having a global effect. around 15% of world trade passes through the nearby bab—el—mandeb strait, but now major shipping companies like bp and mersk are having to avoid the red sea altogether. as this computer tracking shows, they're re—routing round the far side of africa, adding days to the journey, driving up costs in europe and elsewhere. a us—led task force, including the royal navy's hms diamond, has been in action. they shot down 21 houthi drones and missiles on tuesday. but the houthis, helped by iran, have got plenty more missiles and have vowed to use them, which is why the us and britain say they must now bear the consequences. frank gardner, bbc news.

just a reminder of the breaking news, we have heard news that us and britain have begun strikes against houthis in human. we will bring you more news on that —— in yemen. let's return to our coverage on the elections here. whoever is elected president on saturday will shape relations with both beijing and washington. taiwan is a key flashpoint in their tussle for power in this region. the stakes are high. on wednesday, china told taiwanese people not to vote for this man — the leader of the democratic progressive party, william lai. it says he would lead taiwan down an evil path, towards confrontation and war. china's leaders dislike mr lai because he favours more independence for the self—governing island. let's take a look at the three main parties and their candidates. we've heard about the centre—left and us—friendly democratic progressive party

or dpp, which has ruled taiwan for the last eight years. as we just mentioned, its candidate is current vice president lai ching—te — also known as william lai. there's the more conservative and beijing—friendly kuomintang, or kmt. its candidate is new taipei city mayor hou yu—ih. he's promised to boost the island's defences while restarting talks with beijing. there's also the smaller taiwan people's party, or tpp, which lies somewhere between both parties on the political spectrum. their candidate is former taipei mayor ko wen—je. joining me is our asia digital reporter tessa wong. taiwan prides itself as having a vibrant democracy and an engaged electorate. you don't have to go far to see political dialogue, debate and disagreements all play out in the media and in public forums.

but that openness also means that it can be vulnerable to disinformation. joining me is our asia digital reporter tessa wong. tessa, great to have you with me up here. let's focus on this information with regards to the taiwan election. what does that mean? set the context.- mean? set the context. what we've been — mean? set the context. what we've been seeing _ mean? set the context. what we've been seeing in - mean? set the context. what we've been seeing in the - mean? set the context. what we've been seeing in the last| we've been seeing in the last few months is what's called a us sceptic uses him —— scepticism. it focused on driving a wedge between taiwan and the us. driving a wedge between taiwan and the us-_ driving a wedge between taiwan and the us. ~ ., ., , and the us. what would be some examles and the us. what would be some examples of _ and the us. what would be some examples of how _ and the us. what would be some examples of how that _ and the us. what would be some examples of how that plays - and the us. what would be some examples of how that plays out? | examples of how that plays out? some narratives on what stories are you seeing? just some narratives on what stories are you seeing?— are you seeing? just factual newscast — are you seeing? just factual newscast in _ are you seeing? just factual newscast in a _ are you seeing? just factual newscast in a way - are you seeing? just factual newscast in a way that - are you seeing? just factual newscast in a way that putsj are you seeing? just factual - newscast in a way that puts the us in a very bad light. when they talk about the us withdrawal, a lot of the

narratives were about they're not going to be a good friend to taiwan —— just factual news, but cast away. when it comes to arms sales to taiwan, there's rumours of cheating the island out of money. rumours of cheating the island out of money-— out of money. when you have freedom of— out of money. when you have freedom of speech _ out of money. when you have freedom of speech and - out of money. when you have freedom of speech and open l freedom of speech and open democracy, these stories blur the line between being an opinion towards the more being complete the fall.— complete the fall. absolutely, there's also — complete the fall. absolutely, there's also fake _ complete the fall. absolutely, there's also fake news, - complete the fall. absolutely, l there's also fake news, rumours and disinformation, as we understand it. for example, there's rumours about us pork imports being poisoned. a few months ago, there was an outlandish claim that the taiwanese government was taking blood from its citizens. speaking of china, is there any sort of... there are plenty of accusations they are behind a lot of this. what have you found? , , ,

lot of this. what have you found? , , y�* found? experts say they can't rove found? experts say they can't prove that — found? experts say they can't prove that china _ found? experts say they can't prove that china is _ found? experts say they can't prove that china is behind - found? experts say they can't prove that china is behind it, | prove that china is behind it, but they can see that it is amplifying it and spreading it through state media and provincial government, and they're quite effective. a lot of the sources are actually taiwanese and they're quite friendly to beijing as well. now makes discerning something thatis now makes discerning something that is disinformation and propaganda, makes it very tricky for the electorate. absolutely. speaking to experts and people, ithink absolutely. speaking to experts and people, i think people are very aware that there is fake news, there's rumours, but equally, a lot of people do believe in the narrative that the us is out to cheat taiwan. so, just to ask you another question about misinformation stories in taiwan. we're now one day away from the election process. the efforts are continuing?— process. the efforts are continuina? ~ , �*, continuing? absolutely, it's also taking _ continuing? absolutely, it's

also taking other _ continuing? absolutely, it's also taking other pathways. we've seen lots of videos on youtube attacking thai england and the out —— the outgoing president. there's lots of videos attacking her, and there have been putting back saying it's fake news. a lot of people are wondering if the damage has been done. are wondering if the damage has been done-— been done. tessa, thanks so much for _ been done. tessa, thanks so much for getting _ been done. tessa, thanks so much for getting us - been done. tessa, thanks so much for getting us across . been done. tessa, thanks so i much for getting us across the information concerns here in taiwan. let's focus more now on china's relationship with taiwan. taiwan makes more than half the semiconductor chips that power most modern technology. its biggest manufacturer, tsmc, is the ninth—most valuable business in the world. it's a huge player. that makes taiwan nearly irreplaceable ? and vulnerable, we'll have that story in a bit. our china correspondent

laura bicker has been speaking to people in the province closest with the self—governing island. bracing themselves against the briskjanuary winds. these chinese tourists peer towards taiwan. in reality, sea fog clouds their view. undeterred, they make the most of their visit. this is as close as they can get to taiwan. they're banned from travelling to the self—governed island, which beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take one day. translation: my biggest wish after visiting here is that - i hope the island of taiwan can return to our motherland soon. even if taiwan is taken back, i hope it's done via peaceful negotiations. in this way, there is no harm inflicted. if there is a war, the casualties will be huge. we want peace. but worries about a war barely register with these seafood workers. even though they live

here on the taiwan strait, they have bigger concerns. translation: | don't care | whether it's reunified or not, it's up to the officials. we just want enough to eat. we want a better life. we don't care about other things. president xi's policies on taiwan involve two things — carrot and stick. for the carrot, this city, the main one in the province, is offering incentives for taiwanese people to come and live and work here, including much cheaper rent. and here is the stick — china's latest aircraft carrier, named after the fujian province closest to taiwan, was unveiled on state media last week. the sound of militaryjets and warships likely drown out beijing's attempts at wooing the island's people. this man came here from taiwan for work.

he tries to entice chinese customers with simpler taipei flavours and is aware the relationship between his past and current homes is fractious. translation: i think the feelings are good | between the people, but i don't know how the two governments feel about each other. i hope ties can be normalised. i hope the two sides can be like two brothers, . like a family. many taiwanese are thought to be descendants of immigrants from this province. beijing plays on these familial ties to outline a vision of a future china unified with taiwan. but those likely to listen to this view are its own people, not those living across the street. laura bicker, bbc news, fujian. i was talking about the

semiconductor industry. it is a significant part of the economy. here's a report from rupert wingfield—hayes, who visited the home of one. this place has been described as taiwan's silicon shield. this is hsinchu, about an hour and a half's drive south of the capital, taipei, and this is now the global behind me here in this very bland—looking building, this is taiwan semiconductors plant, or one of many of them in this city. and inside here are some of the most advanced manufacturing processes anywhere in the world. this is where they make the really cutting—edge chips, the five nanometres, or recently they started production of three nanometre chips. these are the things that go into all of our high—tech devices — our mobile phones, our laptops, our cars, and increasingly the smart

devices in our homes. taiwan now produces more than 50% of all the semiconductors in the world, but here they produce over 80% of the really, really cutting—edge chips. and that is why, if you like, the outside world needs to be interested and concerned about what happens to taiwan. it's why countries are saying some of this manufacturing needs to move elsewhere to america, to europe or to japan — because taiwan is under threat from china, and that makes this place very vulnerable. if there were ever a conflict between taiwan and china, if the island was blockaded by china or if there was an invasion, if these places became damaged or in the worst case scenario destroyed, then experts say the impact on the world's economy would be vastly greater than anything we have seen so far from russia's invasion of ukraine. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. voiceover: bbc news - bringing you different - stories from across the uk. tacking up to take

down criminals. it might not be theirjob, butjess and claire have volunteered to even up the fight when it comes to crime in the countryside. i love cheltenham where i'll keep my horse and i want to give a little bit back to the community. —— tilton. i'm on my horse almost every day and this volunteering role came up and i thought, "yeah, let's go for it." why not? the aim — to crack down on incidents like this, which last year, nfu mutual says cost the midlands economy more than £11 million. you've had a tip—off already? yes, yes. we were contacted by a volunteer. she had been out riding, had come across some silver tents in a hedgerow ditch line. she's hopped off to have a look. and it was the remains of a cannabis grow, but it was also quite a large box with cannabis in it. the 20 riders vetted and recruited will work alongside rural policing teams to be their eyes and ears along quiet country lanes. for more stories from across the uk, - head — to the bbc news website.

you're live with bbc news. as we continue our coverage ahead of the taiwan election. let's get you up just to be with the breaking news that we told you about. —— up to speed. the us and uk have launched air strikes against houthi rebels. the british prime minister earlier held discussions with senior members of his government about the potential strikes. a similar briefing took place in washington. we have the latest information — us official quoted by the associated press spoke of a massive strike using a tomahawk wants cruise missile and fighterjets. we will bring you breaking news here on tuesday throughout the morning. two another story. israel's prime minister has described accusations of genocide against his

government as being based on hypocrisy and lies. benjamin netanyahu was speaking after south africa began a case at the international court ofjustice, alleging that israel was attempting to destroy gaza. mr netanyahu said listening to the first day of arguments was like being in "an upside—down world". he insisted that his country was in fact battling genocide by hamas. israel will outline its defence at the court in the hague on friday. back to saturday's crucial poll in taiwan. there's a new party involved this year — the taiwan people's party, or tpp. i caught up with cynthia wu, the tpp's vice presidential candidate and asked her how they plan to differentiate themselves from taiwan's two biggest parties.

like the kmt, we favor stronger economic development for taiwan, and we are open to having ties with china economically. but on the other hand, we're unlike the dpp because we're not seeking to provoke china and proclaiming independence. if we could talk about defense for a moment. the tpp has plans to increase the budget for defence from 2.5 to 3% of gdp. why is that necessary if you're also pushing to have closer relationships with china? tpp's policy is that dialogue and deterrence are equally important. and so, while we want to be able to maintain dialogue and open discussions with china, we also believe that we should be better armed to be prepared in case something happens. but we do not want to be the one provoking war, and we do not want to seek war as the ultimate solution.

but we need to make china understand that our desire to preserve our way of life is real and serious. let's talk more about the tpp and the fact that it is such a young party. how do you go about solidifying credibility amongst the electorate? the reality is we're sort of adjusting and rolling with the punches and kind of making things up as we go along, because it is a start—up party situation. and it's also can be quite complicated because we have young people like myself who have had no political experience prior, but obviously with some industry experience. and then you've got also other people from other political parties that have come to join us. so, what i think is great about dr ko's party is that he has an open application process which allows anybody who's interested to see change

and to shape taiwan's future to comejoin with him. and i was one of the many fortunate people who was able to do so. it will be speaking to the other parties later today. in the meantime, let's bring tessa wong back. what are we seeing of the youth vote? this wong back. what are we seeing of the youth vote?— of the youth vote? as you have seen in the _ of the youth vote? as you have seen in the last _ of the youth vote? as you have seen in the last three - of the youth vote? as you have seen in the last three weeks, l seen in the last three weeks, there's been a lot of support among young people for the tpp and for ko we—je. there were lots of people who were very keen on what the townies called smashing the blue and green. that's how the tpp is positioning itself. that's how a lot of young people see it. what are the main concerns that they want to see the parties address? ., ., ., .,

they want to see the parties address?— address? for a lot of young --eole address? for a lot of young people in — address? for a lot of young people in taiwanese, - address? for a lot of young people in taiwanese, cross| people in taiwanese, cross strait issues are important, but not as important as the economy, housing, jobs, wages. young people are very much affected by this. i've spoken to some young taiwanese about this. they've talking about how rent is affordable, but the housing crisis is unaffordable. thanks very much, tessa. thanks very much for keeping us company on newsday. we will have more right here on bbc news. hello there. it was another day where some of us had sunshine, some of us had cloudy skies on thursday. the cloud, again, was coming in from the north sea, bringing with it some patches of drizzle for east scotland, eastern areas of england. but as the cloud came around the area of high pressure that's dominating to the northwest, it actually mixed in some slightly drier airjust above the cloud layer as those winds went

across the mountains and that drier air evaporated the cloud. and so, what a glorious day it was across parts of the highlands, with not a cloud in the sky. we're going to have a similar kind of weather prospects, really, over the next day or so. with these clear skies in place in scotland, it's very cold night in places, temperatures getting down into minus double figures, —10, —12 degrees, something like that. whereas where we keep the cloud, that is across large parts of england, wales and northern ireland, it'll stay largely frost—free. and so, for friday morning, it's another day where cloud will vary quite a lot. the cloud thick enough across eastern areas of england to bring us a few patches of drizzle at times, particularly during the morning, the afternoon tending to become a little bit drier. the best of the sunshine — well, scotland, cloud might break in northern ireland, and the northwest of both england and wales could also see some breaks in the cloud. now, temperatures give or take around about six degrees, bit colder than that, though, in the sunshine in scotland. on into the weekend's weather prospects — we start to get a northwesterly wind moving in. thicker cloud brings the threat of a few showers for northern scotland, maybe an odd spit of rain for northern ireland, too. still quite cloudy across england, wales,

but probably a better chance of seeing a few cloud breaks, little bit of sunshine coming through, and it continues to be cold for the time of year. but then, as we get into the second half of the weekend and into monday, across northern areas of scotland, northerly winds start to blow harder and we start to get showers turning to snow. some accumulations are quite likely, so we could start to see some disruption across one and two routes. elsewhere, though, through sunday and monday, little overall change in the weather picture. some sharp frosts, a lot of dry weather, some spells of sunshine. beyond that, though, into next week, we could see some areas of snow affecting northern areas of the uk early in the week and maybe a system coming up from the south later in the week. there is still quite a bit of uncertainty about those kind of features, but the potential for seeing some disruption is certainly there. the highest risk initially across parts of northern scotland. bye for now.

it's friday. 12 january. one day before the polls open in taiwan where voters will pick their next leaders and parliament. coming up — analysis on why this vote matters.

hello and welcome to this special edition of asia business report i'm steve lai live from taipei in the lead up to the elections on saturday. but first... in the last hour, there've been reports the uk and the us have launched air strikes against the houthi rebels in yemen... in response to their attacks on ships in the red sea. let's go to suranjana tewari in singapore with the market reaction. steve, oil prices have risen following the reports of air strikes by the us and uk against houthi targets in yemen the west texas intermediate rose nearly 2%, trade above $73 a barrel. it is an event that raises a risk of a major escalation in the red sea region, the boss of the shipping giant.