live from singapore, this is bbc news. with just hours to go before polls open, donald trump and kamala harris make their final push in the key swing states that will decide who will be the president. we stand on the verge of the four greatest years of american history. it's really something. with your help we will restore america's promise and we will take back the nation that we all love so much. i see the promise of america in everyone who is here, in every one of you, in every one of us. we are the promise of america. more heavy rain hits spain, causing flooding around barcelona, less than a week

after more than 200 people were killed in floods around valencia. and in indonesia, rescuers search for bodies under buildings in a series of volcanic eruptions on the island of flores. welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. as a nation prepares to vote in one of the most eagerly anticipated collections of modern times, it has been a frantic day of campaigning in a race that is on a knife edge. focus will be on the seven key states that will decide the election, the so—called swing states whose allegiance can shift dramatically between the democrats and republicans. let's take a look at some of

the polling. an average of the national polls suggest kamala harris remains a single point ahead of donald trump but in the seven swing states, the leads are so narrow it is impossible to know who is really ahead. let's get more from our correspondence across the us. we'll see if we can get backlinks for you shortly. in that meantime, let's take a lycian —— look at the issue of gender. let's speak with debbie walsh, director of the centre for american women and politics. i do apologise, we don't have a guest with us at the moment. let's continue with our coverage of perhaps the most important swing state of pennsylvania. let's take a look at this life shot in philadelphia, kamala harris was due to appear at a rally there in the coming hours. with 19

electoral college votes, it is a big prize and could give either candidate the part of the white house. we have also seen. sarah smith takes a look at what is at stake. both candidates have landed in pennsylvania to deliver their final messages, both fighting over every vote in the state that could and victory to either of them. if we win pennsylvania, not me, if we win pennsylvania, we win the whole ball of wax, it's over. donald trump wants people to consider one single question as they vote. are you better off now than you were four years ago? but as he traverses the country, his speeches are getting more erratic. here he is telling voters things will get nasty if he is re—elected to the white house. we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in american history. you watch, it's going to be so good. it's going to be so much fun.

it'll be nasty little bit at times and maybe at the beginning in particular but it's going to be something. he did not explain what he means by that. but for a man who prides himself on the size of his crowds, the empty seats at his closing rallies will be a worrying sign. right across america, from florida to texas and ohio, there have already been record numbers of people early voting where people can cast their ballots in advance. over 78 million have done so so far. that's about half the total number of people who voted in the whole of the 2020 election. kamala harris has stopped warning about the dangers of re—electing donald trump and in fact, she has stopped even mentioning his name at all. you know, this whole era of this other guy... she is deliberately giving a morejoyful message in the last hours of campaigning. we are going to keep doing this work with the optimism that it requires to be strong, everyone here knows in the context of your family,

in your life, when you believe something is possible, you put in the hard work and you know it's good work, hard work is good work, it'sjoyful work, and we get the job done. let's get this done. in washington, metalfences and other security measures are being put up before the result of the election is known. the police say there is no specific threat but they obviously feel the need to prepare for what could happen in this deeply divided country, where emotions around this election are running very high. sarah smith, bbc news, harrisburg, pennsylvania. the leaves are so narrow it is impossible to know who is ahead, let's get more from our correspondence. here in wisconsin,..., harris

promised to expand medical insurance to those over 65 years of age, she also pledged to protect the affordable care act, also known as 0bamacare, which aims to provide affordable health insurance to many people nationwide. donald trump on the other hand says he wants to replace 0bamacare with what, it is not quite clear. wisconsin is accustomed to nailbiter is, here in the state, four of the last six presidential elections have been decided by i% or less. both campaigns face challenges here with kamala harris enjoying huge support among that black voters who make up a third of the electorate here, donald trump poll suggests is making some inroads with young black men. 0n the other hand, the tough abortion restrictions also brought in here may be costing him at the polls. joe biden won in georgia back in 2020 by the narrowest of

margins, prompting that infamous call from mr trump in which he was seen to pressuring election officials to find him 11,000 votes. with unfounded conspiracy theories circulating once again it is likely to be just as tight this time around. georgia is bracing for another nail—biting election night. north carolina is a state donald trump needs to win but many democrats believe that this could be kamala harris�*s best chance of lifting the battleground state blow. she has been campaigning hard on reproductive rights issues here and in the south, north carolina isjust and in the south, north carolina is just one of two states where abortion is permitted past six weeks, bringing in women from neighbouring states that can't access services there. now, to be successful, she will need to draw from around 60% of white women voters who previously supported donald trump in 2020, but there is a looming question, the impact of hurricane helene which hit hard here in september, how voters feel that president biden had

of that disaster could end up in place and whether they would trust to harris administration. you can watch the results coverage here on bbc news and the bbc iplayer at 2240 gmt on tuesday. we will be bringing you a special programme from washington, dc with our team of experts and correspondence. now, in other news, south korea and japan say north korea has test fired several short range ballistic missiles. seoul said the protection does work fired off the east coast into the sea off the east coast into the sea of japan. off the east coast into the sea ofjapan. tokyo said seven missiles were launched in total, the missile tests come as north korea is his condemnation for sending troops to russia for possible involvement in the war against ukraine. us officials say they are monitoring the situation but don't believe this launch poses an immediate threat to

the us or its allies. extremely heavy rain is causing problems in barcelona. this is less than a week after over 200 people died in flooding in valencia. water has entered parts of the main airport and some motorways are flooded. further south, rescue workers in valencia continue to search underground car parks, as the search for missing people goes on. let's get more on the situation from the bbc�*s nick beake who's in valencia. the official search for bodies goes on, all along the flood—ravaged ravines, but many of the families of spain's missing have given up on the authorities and are doing the work themselves — this new instagram page, part tribute, part plea for help to find their loved ones. among them, brothers izan, on the left, and ruben, just three years old. we went to the boys' town and found the family home —

what's left of it, the brothers�* bedroom door one of the few things still standing. every one of the communities devastated by these floods has its own particular dreadful story. what happened here is the sheer power of the water picked up trucks. one of them came crashing down towards the family home. it knocked down a wall. the lights went out. the water came in, sweeping away the two boys and their dad. jonathon, their next—door neighbour, told us what happened next. translation: the water destroyed everything - in its path. the dad told me that he'd managed to take his boys in his arms, but then realised they had gone. he said the power of the water was incredible. "oh, my god," they shouted. when the water flooded valencia's largest shopping centre last week, it had been full of families.

many of them escaped, but fears have grown that some may have been trapped in the underground car park. dozens of empty cars have been retrieved, but others have not yet been reached. when we asked one police officer if he knew whether anyone had died here, he wouldn't tell us. many spaniards are furious at a lack of information. today, in the second city, barcelona, a new deluge filled the streets, cancelling trains and planes, bringing more misery. last week's devastating floodwaters have long receded, but they've exposed anger and a sense of abandonment, and that feeling is not going away. nick beake, bbc news, valencia. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's take a look at some other

stories making the news in the uk. university students in england are set to pay more in tuition fees from next year. the education secretary, bridget phillipson, has announced the annual cost will rise by 3.1% to £9,535. maintenance loans will go up in line with that. kemi badenoch has been appointing her shadow cabinet after becoming the new conservative leader. the bbc has been told that her rival in the leadership contest, robertjenrick, will become shadow justice secretary. dame priti patel has been named shadow foreign secretary and mel stride is the new shadow chancellor. a quarter of a million more flats could have flammable cladding, according to a new report from the national audit office. it suggests there may be more than 7,000 tower blocks across britain still to be tested. nearly 5,000 buildings have been identified since the grenfell tower fire

but only a third of them have been fixed so far, with work estimated to take another decade. you're live with bbc news. at least ten people have been killed when a volcano erupted in eastern easier and easier. video received by the bbc shows bed and damaged houses. residents fled in terror which happened in the middle of the night. let's go to jakarta so now and speak to our correspondence. thank you for joining us. get us up to speed with how things are on the ground now. has the volcano stop spewing? figs ground now. has the volcano step spewing?_ ground now. has the volcano stop spewing? as of today, so the latest _ stop spewing? as of today, so the latest update _ stop spewing? as of today, so the latest update we - stop spewing? as of today, so the latest update we received | the latest update we received from the government official was yesterday evening when they are still trying to evacuate

one village that is badly damaged by the ash and rocks and spews. as we are speaking right now, the government is giving updates on how they are going with the evacuation process for today. but as of yesterday, the government also mentioned that they are focusing on giving aid to the people who are now sheltering in schools and the nearby villages. the ministry of social affairs say they have sent thousands of packs of food and also clothes for babies and people who are now sheltering in the buildings.— in the buildings. could you tell us a — in the buildings. could you tell us a bit _ in the buildings. could you tell us a bit more - in the buildings. could you tell us a bit more about i in the buildings. could you i tell us a bit more about how many people have been affected by this and some of the challenges that rescuers have been facing. challenges that rescuers have been facing-— challenges that rescuers have been facing. around more than 10,000 people _ been facing. around more than 10,000 people are _ been facing. around more than 10,000 people are evacuated i 10,000 people are evacuated from the nearby villages. that

was yesterday. but before that, because the eruption has happened on and off since december last year, hundreds of people have already left their homes and sheltered in schools in the villages around further away from mount lewotobi laki—laki. what we have received yesterday, videos from locals who are badly affected by the eruption, many of them are still feeling traumatised, they are still panicked when they are still panicked when they hear loud noises, especially because the volcanic activity of the mount lewotobi laki—laki is right now still happening. even though we are still unsure whether there will be a follow—up eruption of the mountain but the indonesian authorities have said that we have to be prepared for the worst, that is why they are now

declaring emergency response status until the end of this year. status until the end of this ear. �* , . ~' , status until the end of this ear. ~ , . ~ , ., year. and 'ust quickly, how common— year. and just quickly, how common are _ year. and just quickly, how common are eruptions - year. and just quickly, how common are eruptions like| year. and just quickly, how - common are eruptions like this in indonesia?— in indonesia? indonesia has over130 — in indonesia? indonesia has over 130 volcanoes, - in indonesia? indonesia has over 130 volcanoes, many l in indonesia? indonesia has| over 130 volcanoes, many of them are still active and a lot of the communities also live nearby the volcanoes. people around this active volcano mainly work as farmers because they are benefiting with the fertile soil that is provided by volcanoes, so this kind of disaster is unfortunately quite common in indonesia. we are also sitting in the so—called pacific ring of fire which is an area where we are on top of an area where we are on top of a lot of seismic activities and thatis a lot of seismic activities and that is why indonesia has been known to be really prone to

volcanoes eruptions and kind of disasters. ., , volcanoes eruptions and kind of disasters. . , . volcanoes eruptions and kind of disasters. ., , . ., disasters. thanks very much for caettin disasters. thanks very much for getting us _ disasters. thanks very much for getting us up — disasters. thanks very much for getting us up to _ disasters. thanks very much for getting us up to speed - disasters. thanks very much for getting us up to speed with - getting us up to speed with what has been happening there. let's turn to the latest from the middle east, and the us secretary of state has urged israel to substantially increase humanitarian aid into gaza. antony blinken has spoken with israel's defence minister yoav gallant and called for civilians in all parts of gaza to get better access to food, medicine and other essential supplies. the us has given israel a deadline of next week to boost aid supplies into gaza or risk having some military assistance cut off. it comes as unrwa, the united nations agency for palestinian refugees has warned that an israeli ban on its operations could lead to the collapse of humanitarian work in gaza. israel has rejected the warning, claiming the agency only carries out a small percentage of aid work in the strip. earlier, israel formally told the un it was cutting ties

with unrwa after accusing some staff of colluding with hamas during the october 7th attacks. the us state department says unrwa is playing a crucial role in gaza. the us has also urged israel to take action over violence by settlers in the occupied west bank. it follows the torching of more than a dozen cars near ramallah. the us state department says it's also deeply concerned by reports of palestinians being attacked by settlers who damaged property, assaulted civilians and released dogs to attack residents. let's return to our top story, the final days of the presidential election campaign. we have seen some of those final pictures from kamala harris and donald trump. 50. harris and donald trump. so, allentown. — harris and donald trump. so, allentown, this _ harris and donald trump. so, allentown, this is _ harris and donald trump. so, allentown, this is it, - harris and donald trump. srr, allentown, this is it, just harris and donald trump. 5rr, allentown, this is it, just one more day, one more day, one more day, one more day, one more day, one more day, one more day left in one of the

most consequential elections of our lifetime, and momentum is on our side. momentum our lifetime, and momentum is on ourside. momentum is our lifetime, and momentum is on our side. momentum is on our side. can you feel it? we have momentum, right? because our campaign has tapped into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the american people. we are optimistic and excited about what we will do together. and we here know that it is time for a new generation of leadership in america. 1ng of leadership in america. as our of leadership in america. as your president, i will fight for you _ your president, i will fight for you every single day with every — for you every single day with every breath in my body, i will fight — every breath in my body, i will fight. together, we will save this country, we will defeat the corrupt system in washington and america's future will be _ washington and america's future will be an— washington and america's future will be an absolutely incredible one, that is what it is. incredible one, that is what it is but— incredible one, that is what it

is. but we've got to start immediately, it can't wait any longer, — immediately, it can't wait any longer, it— immediately, it can't wait any longer, it is not going to be possible _ longer, it is not going to be possible. this is all you really— possible. this is all you really need to know. it is simple. _ really need to know. it is simple, not particularly beautiful, as a statement, but very— beautiful, as a statement, but very simple. it is kamala broke it, i very simple. it is kamala broke it. iwill— very simple. it is kamala broke il. l will fix— very simple. it is kamala broke it, iwill fix it. very simple. it is kamala broke it, i will fix it.— it, i will fix it. for more on these key _ it, i will fix it. for more on these key final— it, i will fix it. for more on these key final stages - it, i will fix it. for more on these key final stages on l it, i will fix it. for more on l these key final stages on the election, i spoke earlier to brendan o'connor, professor of us politics at the university of sydney. it us politics at the university of sydney-— us politics at the university odene. ._ ., , ., of sydney. it really dates from the idea that _ of sydney. it really dates from the idea that almost _ of sydney. it really dates from the idea that almost every - the idea that almost every american state at the founding of the united states at the end of the united states at the end of the united states at the end of the 18th century was almost like a country, i mean not quite like the european union today but many states didn't too much of their own sense of identity and wanted to have certainly their own say in any election. and it was particularly the southern states that were the place, obviously web slavery was based and the majority of slaves were

though states one to make sure they had particular rights. and it selected the peculiar system where each state proportionate, largely the population but with a minimum of three electoral couege a minimum of three electoral college votes, with the smallest states, got to have this federalised system where each state has a certain voice, as you say, and in reality it has meant that only a small number of very closely contested states, we know them from the outside of america, pennsylvania, that is a regular one, over the years, pennsylvania, that is a regular one, overthe years, florida has been a place with a lot of electoral manoeuvring, in this election, georgia, michigan and wisconsin, arizona, they are the key places that candidates have spent all their time because that is where the election will be decided. given what ou election will be decided. given what you have _ election will be decided. given what you have explained - election will be decided. given| what you have explained about the origins of the electoral college, is it still fit for purpose in 2024?- college, is it still fit for purpose in 2024? college, is it still fit for --urosein2024? , �* purpose in 2024? why hasn't it chance? purpose in 2024? why hasn't it change? no. — purpose in 2024? why hasn't it

change? no. i— purpose in 2024? why hasn't it change? no, i don't— purpose in 2024? why hasn't it change? no, i don't think- purpose in 2024? why hasn't it change? no, i don't think it - purpose in 2024? why hasn't it change? no, i don't think it is. change? no, i don't think it is particularly fit for purpose. i think it has got a lot of faults. i think for most people, vote across the nation, the winner of the most votes is the winner of the most votes is the most simple and straightforward way of deciding who the president is, that is the person who is most popular across the united states. it would lead to less pandering to these really sort of specific interest groups and states which have become so important, like pennsylvania and georgia. it would also lead to a lot less pressure on those who are running elections, those people have come under a lot of unfair scrutiny, election the in the united states haven't had much fraud, to politicise people who are counting votes, to follow them home, to publish where their home addresses are, this has been a really unfortunate development that donald trump has been very associated with. so there are many reasons to say that the electoral system should change, but it is very

hard to achieve. i mean, you need a constitutional amendment or you would need a very big group of states to say, look, we are going to have to hand our votes over in a different way, we are going to give our electoral college votes to the person who gets the most votes across the country. so that is across the country. so that is a possible eddy but very difficult to get to the margin that you need of 270 electoral couege that you need of 270 electoral college votes from another states in the united states. prince william is in south africa for this year's earthshot prize ceremony, where five prizes of £1 million each will be awarded to the best environmental innovations. on the first day of his visit to cape town, he challenged a group of teenagers to a game of touch rugby. our senior royal correspondent daniela relph sent this report. he was a bit rusty, he said. but for the young rugby players here, there was no fear. he just wanted to play a little game with them to feel welcome and we really enjoyed it. thank you.

did you feel worried about tackling royalty? nah, it'sjust a little bit of rugby. prince william south africa visit is focusing on the environment and the young people. in townships close to cape town, rugby has helped unite and mentor. it's a giver of hope. um, you know, it reallyjust inspires the whole of this country to to become better than they ever thought they could be, you know? ok, he's obviously very nimble. um, he played in the second row. he claims, uh, but i would presume that he would would have been part of the backline. he looks more like a back to me. for the post—match selfies, the prince was a big draw. today was about capturing the energy and positivity of a young people in a community that faces challenges.

daniela relph, bbc news, ocean view, cape town. and finally, the legendary american musician quincy and finally, the legendary american musician quinchones has died. he was 91. american musician quincy jones has died. he was 91.— has died. he was 91. ladies and gentleman. _ has died. he was 91. ladies and gentleman, mr _ has died. he was 91. ladies and gentleman, mr quincy - has died. he was 91. ladies and gentleman, mr quincy jones. in a gentleman, mr quinchones. in a career that spanned more than 75 years, he worked with frank sinatra, aretha franklin, and most famously michaeljackson. # because this is thriller, thriller night.— # because this is thriller, thriller night. quincy jones produced _ thriller night. quincy jones produced his _ thriller night. quincy jones produced his 1982 - thriller night. quincy jones produced his 1982 album l produced his 1982 album thriller which is the best selling album of all time. they have been lots of tributes today stop nile rodgers said quincy today stop nile rodgers said quinchones was one of the richest —— one of the greatest. sir eltonjohn called him incredible. quincy sir eltonjohn called him incredible. quinchones, dying at the age of 91. thanks for your company here, our company —— coverage of the us election

continues on going on our website as well, we have a life page “p website as well, we have a life page up and running. hello there. mother nature is being a little bit stingy with sunshine at the moment, so if you've got it, you have to make the most and look up and enjoy through the beautiful autumn colour. we had just shy of 2.5 hours of sunshine in kent on monday afternoon, but most of us sat under cloudy grey skies. that's how we're going to continue for the rest of this week. a lot of dry, cloudy weather around. fog and drizzle could be an issue, but, again, it will be mild for this time of year. this high pressure just drifting its way steadily eastwards. but it's still blocking weather fronts from making too much of an impression as they try to move in from the atlantic. so on the whole, again, we start off quite cloudy, perhaps some patchy mist and fog lifting to low grey cloud in the south east. if we're going to see the best of any sunshine, potentially, once again, across northern and central

areas of scotland. temperatures peaking at around 11 to 14 degrees. a bit more of a breeze by the end of the day developing in the far north west and a few scattered showers here, but on the whole for bonfire night, the quiet theme continues. chance of seeing some returning mist and fog across south east england. so that weather front willjust brush the far north and west of scotland, but as it does so on wednesday, we will see a subtle change in wind direction to more of a southerly. that will mean just a degree or so warmer, and it might start to help break up the cloud just that little bit as well. so some showers across the north and west of scotland, but on the whole we keep quite a lot of cloud around. we will be chasing breaks from time to time, and as a result, temperatures may well peak at around 16 or 17 degrees, so still above where they should be for the first week of november. not that much in the way of change as we move into thursday. again, the cloud will break up to allow for some brief glimpses of sunshine. favoured spots are likely

to be the further north and west you are as we go through the day on thursday, and, again, somewhere like western scotland could see highs of 16 degrees. weather fronts trying to push in all the time, being blocked and weakened by this area of high pressure. but there's a potential as we move towards the weekend for some showery outbreaks of rain to start to push in from the extreme west. not too significant — we keep some sunshine further south. that's it. take care.

as us voters head to the polls on tuesday, we look at how economies and businesses in asia are preparing. plus, it's a big week for china, as top lawmakers gear up to sign off on stimulus measures for the world's number—two economy. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. the countdown is nearly over, with americans heading to the ballot box on tuesday to cast their vote for the next president. many polls have shown it to be a tight race between the two candidates — former president donald trump for the republican party, and vice president kamala harris for the democratic party.