latest from the key battleground states. hello, i'm lucy hockings, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. the prime minister of spain is visiting areas devastated by flash flooding, which has killed at least 95 people. pedro sanchez said the authorities were using all resources at their disposal to rebuild infrastructure, restore basic services and find people who remain unaccounted for. more than 1,000 emergency workers have been deployed to valencia and other affected regions. some locals are accusing the regional civil protection agency of not being prepared enough. they say it only issued its highest emergency alert on tuesday evening, when the flooding had already caused widespread damage. let us take you to live picture, you can see a hilly cam hovering over the skies in valencia, there has been a huge am of damage done to

infrastructure. some areas we know can only be reached by aerial route, because roads are blocked by mud, debris i piles of cars you can see here under the bridge, the piles of cars and mud that are just piled the bridge, the piles of cars and mud that arejust piled up. this has absolutely devastated communities in spain. there has been rescue workers trying to look for people who remain unaccounted for as well, and thatis unaccounted for as well, and that is not clear, actually, the fission yours there, how many people are still unaccounted for, what we are seeing is the military being mobilised. soldiers sent out as well, to help with the civil defence, and with various parts of the operation, but the new figure we are getting more than 100 people have been killed and our correspondents on the ground have been telling us they have been speaking to people who say we all know someone who has died. this is a nightmare for people. so these are the pictures we have right now coming to us, live, from valencia. with more details of

what has happened today so farer here is steve knibbs. this flooding is one of the worst natural disasters in recent spanish history. more than 90 people so far confirmed to have died. there are fears the number could rise. emergency teams are working around the clock to try to find the missing and rescuer others trapped by the flood water. some places are only accessible from the air, residents winched into helicopters to escape the devastation. hundreds of soldiers have also been deployed to help in the rescue effort. working in difficult and dangerous conditions. the prime minister pedro sanchez warned today the crisis is farfrom over and he urged people to stay safe. please, do not go out, stay home, follow the alerts from the emergency services, follow all the requirements, all the recommendations, because at the moment the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible. in valencia, the floods caused

havoc never seen here before. washing away cars that were left piles up on the streets as the waters receded. the aftermath, broken roads, homes and businesses covered in mud and silt. some areas, more than a year's worth of rain fell in a few hours. never before in history has there been so much rain. cannot even imagine the amount of rain that fell here yesterday. it is a catastrophe. the floods we had in 1982 when i was ten years - old were a joke compared to what happened - here yesterday. the streets here are now a dumping ground, for cars, furniture and belongings destroyed by the floods. translation: yesterday this was full of people - and today it is still empty, utter desolation. with time everything will go back to normal just like the river.

this is something that came to us and it is a ruin for the town. meanwhile spain has declared three days of national mourning as it comes to terms with the aftermath of this deadly force of nature. steve knibbs, bbc news. the bbc�*s nicky schiller gave us an update from valencia. iam in an i am in an area of the city centre of valencia, you can see cars just piled centre of valencia, you can see carsjust piled up, and all of the two, two—and—a—half kilometres i walked here because the whole area, you can't get in, in cars or vehicles, every where are cars, tossed round like matchsticks during that flooding that came through, the locals telling us that the water was a metre, metre—and—a—half high, when it came through this area. now, if you follow me round, you will see this devastation, so here

is a business, and in front of the business you have got the debris, you have got a fridge, you have got the car, completely wrecked, and then you have the business itself, with just stuff coming out of the entrance, and another car that has been stated. lucy this is what it is like all the way along this road. there is mud really thick horrible mud this area but people have been trying to clear up, so you can see here, one of the gentlemen here at this electronics store, trying to get rid of some of that awful mud, that has inundated their properties, and you mentioned the concerns about the alerts, and i have to say, all of the people that we have spoken to here, said that the alerts came too late. they said they got them, and within half an hour the water was here and itjust wasn't half an hour the water was here and it just wasn't a half an hour the water was here and itjust wasn't a long enough period for them to do anything about it. they are

also quite angry about the response since then. you can see the area here, locals are trying to do what they can, wheelbarrows being used to do things, but since the time i have been here i haven't seen many emergency services, yes there are police here, but the locals are saying they need food, they need water, there is no electricity in this area, people have been coming up to us and saying can we borrow a charger to try and charge our phones so we can ring loved ones and there is a concern they haven't got enough into this area, in terms of the emergency response. as you mentioned, the prime minister pedro sanchez has been visiting the area and will later on this afternoon hold an emergency cabinet meeting, to try and work out what you they do, going forward, with the response. here is a little of what he said and a warning to people in the affected areas. let us takes a listen. translation: i let us takes a listen. translation: ., 4' let us takes a listen. translation: ., ~ , translation: i would like first of all after _

translation: i would like first of all after this _ translation: i would like first of all after this meeting - translation: i would like first of all after this meeting to - of all after this meeting to pass— of all after this meeting to pass on— of all after this meeting to pass on to the people who live in valencia, and also other area, — in valencia, and also other area, please the high depression continue, please do not go — depression continue, please do not go out. stay home, follow the alerts _ not go out. stay home, follow the alerts from the emergency services — the alerts from the emergency services. follow all their requirement, all their recommendations because at the moment— recommendations because at the moment the most important thing is to save — moment the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible _ is to save as many lives as possible. secure as many lives as possible in this crisis. a crisis — as possible in this crisis. a crisis that_ as possible in this crisis. a crisis that is so dramatic and so tragic, _ crisis that is so dramatic and so tragic, that we are going through— so tragic, that we are going through in this area. let _ through in this area. let us _ through in this area. let us take you back to the live pictures because it is quite dramatic what they are showing us, this is in the skies above, which is to the west of valencia, there has been some real damage caused there. rescue services, hundreds of soldiers too, working round—the—clock right now, they are trying to find those that could still be missing, in these floods. we don't know the numbers yet. we don't know the numbers yet. we don't know the numbers yet. we don't know how many are unaccounted for, but you get a sense of the damage and just

the emptiness really on the streets that you can see here too. we know that rail service, as nicky said, that link madrid and valencia could be suspended. we are hearing for as long as three weeks because of the extent of the damage. we have heard from the king who says this is a crisis that is not over at all. and we have been hearing as well from our weather colleagues, that there is more rain on the way. it is not going to be as ever i have as what we have seen in valencia but it psi going to fall and with the ground sodden there is concerns is about the rain that is still coming. if you go to the bbc website this is is a dramatic image we can show you which is a before and after satellite image, released by the european space agency, you can just see the extent of the heavy rain, the impact it has had on the flash flooding in the valencia region. the first image was taken on 8th october and the second was taken yesterday, so thraeltzly

vividly do illustrate the scale of the disaster, the absolute transformation, the dramatic transformation, the dramatic transformation you can see there of the landscape, as a result of this flooding. we have the live page up and running, log on and take a look and monitor the situation in space for more details. the uk chancellor has admitted that increasing taxes in the budget is likely to hit workers, in the form of lower pay rises. rachel reeves has told the bbc her decision to raise the contributions employers pay specifically to fund the health service and benefits payments could impact wage growth for private sector workers, because companies will need to find some way to meet the extra costs. 0ur political correspondent iain watson has the latest. kier starmer and rachel reeves have been on something of a politicaljourney — they promised limited tax rises before the general election, but announced substantial tax increases just a few months later. the bulk of this, £25 billion, coming from businesses in the form of higher national insurance

contributions. employees national insurance remains unchanged, this morning the chancellor admitted working people would pay a price. i said that it will have consequences. it will mean that businesses will have to absorb some of this through profits. it is likely to mean wage increases might be slightly less than they otherwise would have been. but overall, the office for budget responsibility forecast that household income will increase in this parliament. i was able to announce £22.6 billion of additional money for day—to—day spending in the health service... the prime minister and chancellor had travelled to the west midlands to meet nhs staff and to highlight their cash injection for the health service. kier starmer insisted higher taxes would provide better services. yes, difficult decisions, but we have taken difficult decisions now and i think everyone, many people, would agree health, education and housing and issues like that are the really important things for our

country to be driving towards. the chancellor has said she does not want to do another budget like this again. the red box packed full of difficult decisions. some of the independent experts have pored over the contents and think that further tax rises might be necessary. she is looking at significant. increases in spending this year and next but then the rate of increase really. - of increase really falls sharply to the extent that it - might well mean cuts in budgets for unprotected departments over the next few years. - in reality, pretty unlikely - to happen, probably be topped up in the next year's - spending review and it could have a knock—on effect - on higher taxes thereafter. the political divisions between the main parties seem even clearer now than they did at the last election. some measures suggest the budget is right on the inside as well as the outside, vat on private school fees, more tax on private jet

flights, for example. this weekend the conservatives choose the new leader and rachel reeves appears to have succeeded in uniting the remaining candidates. they both hate her budget. rachel reeves is a compulsive liar. she said in the election she was not going to raise taxes. she hasjust raised in by more than any other chancellor in 30 years. she said she would not increase borrowing. she has massively hiked borrowing. they do not understand what it is like to employ people. they do not understand what it means. one of the fundamental differences between conservatives and labour. labour say the big picture is the promise of change will become tangible through more investment in public services, but the budget does not in itself boost economic growth in this parliament and the chancellor may have to make more difficult decisions. iain watson, bbc news, westminster.

meanwhile, the biggest storm to hit taiwan in nearly 30 years has made landfall on the country's sparsely populated eastern coast, whipping up 10—metre waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. super typhoon kongrey is gusting at more than 200 and 50 kilometres an hour and torrential rains are expected as it sweeps across the country. thousands of people living in its path have already been evacuated and schools, businesses and financial markets are closed. hundreds of flights have been cancelled. the defence ministry has put more than 30,000 troops on standby. 0ur asia correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes is in taipei where he says people are bracing for the worst. we are now really getting the full force of the storm, coming through the capital city. people are hunkered done, the island has been closed down. schools and offices are all closed, the whole of today, rail services spending all domestic flights have been cancelled, the brunt of the storm has been borne by the

people on the east coast where it came ashore earlier today, it came ashore earlier today, it is an enormous storm, it is 500 kilometres across, it is packing winds at the centre of over 200 kilometres an hour, so it is a very serious storm, and thatis it is a very serious storm, and that is why the government has really shut the island down. the real dangerfrom really shut the island down. the real danger from storms like this isn't from the wind it is the amount of rain it is carrying and as it piles into the central mountains of taiwan which are very highs it will start breaking up and dumping that rain over the mountains, potentially causes flash flooding and lands slides, we have seen that he in the past where whole villages have been buried in events like this. the other things that is noticeable about this particular typhoon, is that how late it is coming in the season. taiwan, we have had two very big storms here, big typhoons so far this year, the first the end ofjuly and another at the end of september, but i have looked back at the records and i can

tell you, this is it will largest typhoon to strike taiwan so late in the season, right at the end of october, they have never had anything like that before and people have been commenting on that, we have seen people on tv here being asked what they think of the typhoon and they are saying we are used to them here but what is strange is this is way, way too late in the season, we have never seen anything, a 1526 00:15:27,590 --> 00