welcome to the programme. we begin in spain — where at least 95 people have died in flash floods that have devastated parts of the south and east. rescuers are still searching for the missing after mudslides and torrents of water swept away bridges — cars were left piled up on each other. the valencia region received a year's worth of rain in eight hours on tuesday. and as you can see, more torrential downpours and flooding is expected as the week goes on. this is the picture going into thursday and friday. our climate editor justin rowlatt reports. these flash floods were truly apocalyptic. one town got a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. just watch what happens to this bridge. shouting.

these images have been widely shared on social media. there was little warning. one local mayor said the first flood alert was just half an hour before the torrent arrived. rescuers have been scrambling to pluck people and their pets from the surging tide of filthy water all day. just look at the wreckage the floods left in their wake. it is a terrifying reminder of the extreme weather climate change could bring, say scientists. we're seeing a warming climate, which holds more moisture in the atmosphere and we are seeing more severe storms happening more often. and this isn'tjust devastating floods that we've seen in southern spain, but also across the uk and other parts of the world. "the whole of spain weeps with you," the spanish prime minister told the families of the missing this afternoon.

the rescue effort will continue into the night. justin rowlatt, bbc news. our correspondent nicky schiller is in south—eastern spain and sent this update. i am in valencia, 15 minutes from the airport and this is a children's play area and you can see it has been destroyed by the flood. the mud is really thick and the whole area has been covered with bamboo. the locals say that on wednesday morning the water was deeper than i am tall, which is around two metres. and it is notjust the bamboo that you can see but also big blocks of concrete have been moved by the force of this water. trees have been uprooted and you can also see here that there are six cars that have been damaged in this flooding. they have got their windscreens knocked out and this is a scene that is happening all across this area where cars have been damaged, property has been damaged and locals are having to clear up. this area, when we were driving

here and it took us about 1.5 hours to do what should be a 15—minute journey. the actual roads were quite clear and you could not see that there had been flooding. it was only when we got to this area which is near the river that you saw the debris on the floor and it is the clear—up operation that will be going on over the next couple of days, notjust here but across this region. the here but across this region. rescue efforts continue overnight. the rescue efforts continue overnight. as for in the morning now. we know at least 95 individuals have been killed among them at least four children with dozen still missing. and the exact number of unaccounted for people is still very unclear at this point. one resident described the storm coming in like a tsunami with many witnesses reporting individuals being swept away by the current. soldiers have nowjoined rescue

efforts alongside emergency crews who started their operations really early on wednesday, working late into the night, operating around the clock trying to in those areas. operating around the clock trying to evacuate those areas. for example, evacuating them from car roofs, balconies, rooftops. at present there are still 100,000 people are without electricity and communications which makes the situation more worrying. and although the extent of the devastation is still being discovered, it is already thought that this storm is among the most of the worst natural disasters in spain's history as well as being one of the most costly. we were just seeing their some shocking pictures of the level of devastation and how much the cleanup will involve. do you have an idea of how the government has been coping with the natural disaster? there has been criticisms of insufficient warnings and perhaps

inadequate response. the government has activated a crisis cabinet as well as declaring three days of national mourning. but there has been a blame game raging among with widespread accusations that in many cases the disaster relief authorities were too slow enacting and giving out warnings which meant that people did not have time to get off the road, out of the car or seek high ground where needed. in one case, one of the first hit areas, a town near valencia received more than one year's worth of year in eight hours — they received a warning at 8pm on tuesday evening but by that time they had already experienced flooding for at least two hours. authorities have defended the timing of warnings and the management of the disaster as a whole and they say enough the resources now have been allocated and made available for all crews to get into cut—off areas and help those in need.

those isolated areas where they have yet to discover the extent of damage. north korea has test—fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile. south korea and japan say the missile flew on a steep trajectory from an area near north korea's capital pyongyang. it dropped into the sea off the japanese coast just under an hour and a half after it launched. if confirmed, the estimated flying time of nearly 90 minutes would be the longest of any north korean test. the white house condemned the missile launch, while saying it did not immediately threaten us territory, personnel, or its allies. meanwhile, us and south korean defence chiefs have urged pyongyang to withdraw its troops from russia, where it's believed they'll be deployed against ukrainian forces. lloyd austin said around 10,000 north koreans were already in the russian far

east, probably on their way to the kursk region to fight a ukrainian incursion. south korea's defence minister kim yong—hyun said pyongyang was likely to seek technology for russian tactical nuclear weapons, submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles. lloyd austin said the move to engage north korean troops was a sign of vladimir putin's weakness and warned of a dangerous and destabilising moment the evidence now suggests that north korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern russia. some of these dprk troops have already moved closer to ukraine. we are seeing them outfitted with russian uniforms and provided with russian equipment. i am increasingly concerned that the kremlin plans to use these north korean soldiers to support russia's combat operations in russia's kursk region near the border with ukraine. matthew schmidt from

new haven university is an expert on strategic affairs and north korean policy. he explained a little more about what the motivations might be behind this latest move from north korea. it is about trying to threaten the west, particularly the united states with the possibility that north korean missile technology can defeat american defensive technology and reach the mainland. the issue about the 90 minute burn, the 90 minute flight time is important because if you take that high trajectory and flatten it out, that 90 minute burn means the missile could reach the united states territory on the west coast. we are talking west coast, not the likes of somewhere else? we know that north korean missile technology can fly that far. the question is really not that, the question is how

well can the technology evade american defences and the transfer of that technology from russia either directly to missile technology or to submarine technology which could get submarines with missiles closer to the american coast, that is what concerns the pentagon. i wanted to ask what you thought the pentagon was making of this. do you think this kind of missile test and 90 minutes would be something they are worried about? absolutely. this is the nightmare scenario. because certain technologies with multiple re—entry vehicles are able to essentially deploy decoys that force a defence system to have to choose from five potential warheads instead of one, meaning that the chances of the defence system will attack a key point and not the real warhead are higher and higher meaning the real warhead can get through and land in hawaii or san diego

or somewhere on the west coast. and the timing of all of this came as the us and south korean defence ministers met at the pentagon to discuss the deployment of thousands of north korean troops to russia. they have urged pyongyang to withdraw these troops. is there any chance north korea will do so? there is no chance. the benefit to the regime in north korea is too great relative to the cost. vladimir putin has essentially bought 10,000 north korean lives to dispose of for his purposes and to the kim regime those 10,000 lives are a cheap price to pay for this technology. matthew schmidt speaking to me earlier. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the first case of a new strain of mpox, formerly known as monkey pox, has been detected in the uk. the patient, who had recently been on holiday in africa, developed flu—like symptoms and a rash afterflying home. the new outbreak appears

to spread more easily between people — but authorities say the risk to the public remains low. train fares in england are to rise by about 4.5% next year. the measures, which weren't announced in the budget, will also see the cost of rail cards go up by £5. the changes come into force in march 2025. campaigners said the fare rises were a �*kick in the teeth�* for people who rely on public transport. the england cricket captain ben stokes says a masked gang of burglars broke into his home earlier this month while his wife and two children were there. stokes, who was away playing in pakistan, says his family didn't come to any physical harm. in a post on social media, he says �*cherished possessions�* have been taken, including his obe medal. you�*re live with bbc news. with six days to go until the us presidential election, both candidates are targeting key battleground

states as they make their final appeal to voters. the democratic candidate kamala harris has been making stops in north carolina, pennsylvania, and here in wisconsin. polls show there�*s little separating the vice president and donald trump. here�*s the former president a short while ago campaigning in green bay, wisconsin after earlier rallying in north carolina. he referred to a remark made by president biden in which he appeared to call mr trump�*s supporters "garbage". president biden says he was referring to a comedian who sparked outrage when he used that same word to describe puerto rico at a recent trump rally. let�*s hear what donald trump said tonight. i have to begin by saying 250 million americans are not garbage. cheering. this week, kamala has been comparing her political opponents to the most evil mass murderers in history and now speaking on a call for her campaign last night, crooked joe biden finally said

what he and kamala really think, that our supporters are garbage. no way. they mean it, even though without question my supporters are far higher quality than crooked joe or lyin�* kamala. addressing supporters at a rally in wisconsin, kamala harris put the focus on unity. it is time that we start locking arms together as a people who rise and fall together. and it is time for a new generation of leadership in america. our north america correspondent rowan bridge gave me his thoughts on how trump has reacted to the �*garbage�* jibe.

i think it generates attention for donald trump and that is something donald trump enjoys. let�*s not forget he made his name as a star of the reality tv programme the apprentice. he knows what works on television and he knows what will garner attention to his campaign and undoubtedly that is why he did this. he also knows it�*ll bring up the issue of whetherjoe biden spoke about some supporters as being garbage. the white house has made it clear that that was not joe biden�*s intention but clearly donald trump osma campaign see this as an issue that will work for them and that is why they had him in a vest and they push this issue to try and energise voters to go out and vote. it does certainly seem like a pivot. this was a criticism of the trump campaign, their association with a comedian and now he is taking it to the next extent. harris had a focus more on economic issues,

something she says is a major issue for voters. the economy is one of the biggest issues in this election and it has been for many an election. back in 1992 it was james carvel who coined the phrase it�*s the economy stupid, in terms of that of something that matters to voters and certainly this year the issue of inflation and the cost of living and the cost of housing is something that is important to voters and is a relative weakness for kamala harris. something she tried to address in this rally, talking about how it would be her number one issue when she first got into the white house and ran through a checklist of her campaign over price gouging and help forfirst home buyers and so on but clearly a recognition that the economy is an issue that she needs to get a message out to voters on. she also appealed to other sections of the electorate, she spoke about the issue of abortion which matters to women voters, a big section of her voting block. she also spoke about young

voters, again who would disproportionately be going to harris. she was trying to energise voters who are already supporting her to try and win over some that may be sceptical. and time and time again we hear how this is the closest election in decades and polls at the moment put kamala harris at 48 and donald trump at 47%. what is the feeling like they�*re in washington? is there a feeling of trepidation or anticipation? excitement? what is the feeling like? you are talking about an election that is a statistical tie and it is possible that it could go either way. it is really a coin toss. and i think the sentence that you have is that nobody really knows how this is going to go. this is one that will go down to votes cast and where those votes have gone. the election will be decided by about seven swing states because most states, we already know, are likely to be in the harris or trump cohort.

so it will be seven swing states we watch for, that everybody will watch for to see how this election finally is resolved. but we may not get a result for several days after the election on november 5 so i think the tension and uncertainty may last for several days after november five. rowan bridge reporting there. we�*ll have live coverage of election night here on bbc news, on bbc one in the uk, and on the iplayer. sumi somaskanda and caitriona perry will bring you a special programme from washington dc, beginning at 10:40 gmt, that�*s next tuesday, the 5th november. the uk chancellor has presented the first budget by a labour party government in fourteen years. rachel reeves says she will raise taxes by 50 billion dollars — and that the move is necessary to put public finances on a firm footing but the former prime minister,

rishi sunak, said the labour government was going to tax, borrow and spend far beyond its means. our political editor chris mason reports. it isn�*t the most famous door on downing street, but the build—up on what�*s been going on behind it has been growing for weeks. the focus getting sharper on what would be in the budget and who is unveiling it. a genuine moment of history, this — hundreds and hundreds of blokes for centuries and centuries have had a moment like this, delivering a budget as chancellor. and yet this is the first time ever it�*s been done by a woman, and a big budget it is too — big borrowing, big spending and big tax rises. i call the chancellor of the exchequer! the first budget from labour in nearly 15 years. and a reminder, if you really mean it, say it three times. the only way to drive economic growth is to invest, invest, invest.

investing means spending, even if the hope is it will lead to lots of long—term gains, and spending is necessary, rachel reeves claimed, because of all of the bills the conservatives left them. their failure to assess the scale of the challenges facing our public services means that this budget raises taxes by £40 billion. £40 billion — a colossal amount of money. this is a huge change—making budget, one way or the other, a massive money—raiser for the chancellor, hiking the national insurance paid by employers, both the rate and when it kicks in. if the party opposite chooses to oppose this choice, then they are choosing more austerity, more chaos, more instability. this is the choice that our country faces too. but it won�*t be a choice for some to pay more capital gains tax, inheritance tax or vat on private school fees. so where is all this

money going? there�*s some more for the ministry of defence, there�*s a rise in the minimum wage, and the health service is getting a big chunk more. this is the largest real—terms growth in day—to—day nhs spending outside of covid since 2010. but if you feared the cost of filling up going up, courtesy of the chancellor, it isn�*t. so i have decided today to freeze fuel duty next year and i will maintain the existing five point cut for another year too. but the government has found a way to loads more money for longer—term spending — what they call investment — by changing their own rules on how much they can borrow. butjust like for you and me, it costs to borrow money. this is a moment of fundamental choice for britain — investing in our future, delivering change, rebuilding britain. we on these benches commend those choices and i commend this statement to the house.

responding in his last big moment in thejob, rishi sunak. time and again, we conservatives warned labour would tax, borrow and spend far beyond what they were telling the country. and time and again, they denied they had such plans. but today the truth has come out — proof that they plan to do this all along. and here the reaction from others. we needed a different budget to repair the damage done to our country and to give people the fair deal they deserve. for our constituents, these benches will push the government to do far more for our economy, nhs and care. they are what liberal democrats will always champion. i think it's a missed opportunity, unfortunately. i was looking for the chancellor to introduce policies and a change to the taxation system that would create a fairer society and a greener economy.

she inherited a very challenging situation from the previous government. however, despite the fact that it is a very significant budget in terms of tax rises, if we consider the increase to the provision of public services and day—to—day spending, it is still quite modest. this is the biggest tax rise in a generation. this is classic labour, isn�*t it? big tax, big spend. i�*m not disputing the fact that this is a big budget. it�*s the first budget of this parliament. it wipes the slate clean under the fiction of the previous plans. but this is not a sort of budget that we would want to repeat, but this is the budget that is needed. the office for budget responsibility, the independent watchdog, says that growth in wages and salaries and profits are constrained by the increase in employer national insurance. you guys talk about yourselves being pro—business and pro—worker. the obr don�*t believe it, so why should anyone else? but if we had have just reversed the unfunded cuts that the conservatives made, that would have all been felt by working people.

so it�*s a might have been worse argument? we have made the decision to put the tax burden that we�*re having to increase today on the wealthiest and on business. the scrutiny is just beginning here as the crowds are departing and a new political landscape is emerging. chris mason, bbc news, in westminster. let)s take you to these live pictures from taiwan and the city of taitung on the southeast coast. most activity in taiwan has shut down as it prepares for the arrival of what is expected to be the biggest storm to hit the island in 30 years. already strong wind and dust, it is due to hit into .5 hours according to the central weather administration, that is 2pm local time, expected to

make landfall on the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast. we are all heading —— already hearing about a lot of evacuations, strong wind, five metre high waves already pounding the coastline. everything is closed in taiwan from schools, hospitals, stock market and many businesses. 2.5 hours addicts expected to make landfall. india is celebrating diwali, the festival of lights, one of the most important events in the hindu calendar. millions of people kicked off the celebrations in uttar pradesh by symbolically lighting a record 2.51 million earthen oil lamps at dusk on wednesday. the state�*s chief minister received a certificate from a team from the guinness world records for an unprecedented number of oil lamps — the number well exceeded last year�*s total of 2.2 million.

the display stretched for a mile along the banks of the river saryu. the lights symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, and the celebrations will go on for five days. that�*s all we have time for. stay with bbc news. hello there. on the whole, wednesday was a cloudy day for most of us, but there were a favoured few spots where we saw some sunshine. aberdeenshire, one of them, and also powis in wales, where we saw some lovely sunshine — temperatures peaked at 17 celsius. but for thursday, it�*s going to be another cloudy day. quite a murky start as well, but we keep that mild theme to close out the month of october. and that is because high pressure stays with us, and the winds very light indeed across england and wales, more isobars to the north, stronger winds in scotland, and this weather front

running across the top. that will introduce a little bit more in the way of rain as we go through the day across the northern isles. a windy scenario here — gusts, perhaps close to 50 miles an hour. more in the way of cloud across the far northwest, but we will be chasing cloud amounts around. if you get some sunshine, temperatures will respond, and through the afternoon, we�*re likely to see highs generally of around 15 or 16 celsius once again. now, that means that for halloween, evening it looks as though, particularly across england and wales, the spooky mist and fog set to return — that wind, keeping the mist and the murk at bay across the far north of scotland. and for diwali, for the fireworks — well, hopefully the cloud won�*t spoil proceedings too much. now, the higher pressure will start to drift away and allow this frontal system to sink a little bit further south. so, there will be outbreaks of rain pushing into the far north of scotland first thing on friday morning. with the cloud around, many areas staying into double digits —

again, another grey story, but that weather front will continue to drift its way slowly southwards behind it, the wind direction changing to a northerly introducing cleaner, fresher conditions so cooler, but there will be more in the way of sunshine coming through. 7—10 degrees here, but further south, once again, temperatures peaking into the mid—teens. that cooler air is not set to last. high pressure on the move again. it�*s moving over to the near continent, and that allows a subtle change in wind direction to more of a southeasterly. but that subtle change could bring quite a dramatic change to the forecast. there�*s the potential for a little more in the way of sunshine coming through across england and wales sunday into monday. looking ahead, that quiet theme continues, but once again, we have to watch out for mist and fog.

microsoft�*s artificial intelligence bet pays off as it sees a jump in revenue. plus: how european businesses are reacting to new tariffs on made—in—china electric vehicles. hello and welcome to business today. i�*m katie silver. if you can hear, this background noise as if you can hear, this background noise as our

if you can hear, this background noise as our studio has started making some sound effects but please, bear with us. i will bring you some stories about the us take earnings season being in full swing. microsoft has reported third quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations. this was boosted by demand for its cloud computing business driven by ai. ritika gupta has more from new york. microsoft beat wall street estimates for quarterly revenue and profit on wednesday. its cloud computing business is your and office software boosted result assigned the companies have the investments in al are starting to pay off. sales increased 60% to over $65 million as your revenue grew 33% while profit rose to $3 a share. seen as a leader among big tech peers in the ai race thanks to its early investment in chatgpt maker openai, microsoft has wrapped up ai services across its product offering, helping attract more customers. it�*s a some good news for the stock which is one