More than 200 killed in Valencia floods as torrential rain hits another Spain region
Large numbers head to join clean-up in Valencia
As we've been reporting, large numbers of volunteers have been seen out on the streets to help with the clean-up operation after the floods.
The images below show people on their way to help with the effort – some holding cleaning equipment and supplies.
Summary
The number of people who have died in the Valencia region has risen to 202, according to authorities
It brings the total number of people killed to 205; two others died in the Castilla La Mancha region, and another in Andalusia
There's been torrential rain in the region of Huelva, where there are warnings of further heavy rain into the night
The city of Cartaya has seen around two month’s worth of rain in just ten hours
The mayor of Chiva, in eastern Spain, says many more may be found dead inside their cars, as a witness says he fears people were left trapped in their vehicles
New satellite images show the significant impact of the historic flooding in Valencia
Gunfight and massive brawl in France seriously wounds five
Shootings in Poitiers are latest to injure children, with minister saying country at ‘tipping point’ on drug violence
Fri 1 Nov 2024 07.54 EDT
A shooting and massive brawl linked to drug trafficking has seriously wounded five people, including three teenagers, in western France, officials and media said, in the latest such gunfight to injure children.
The shooting began at about 10.45pm on Thursday in front of a restaurant in Poitiers and rapidly escalated into a mass fight, the interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, told BFMTV/RMC radio on Friday.
“What started as a shooting at a restaurant ended up in a fight between rival gangs that involved several hundred people,” Retailleau said. A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the head was in a critical condition, he said.
Iran condemns consulate closures in Germany as 'sanction'
Germany's closure of Iran's consulates in the country effectively serves as a "sanction" against Iranians residing in Germany, Tehran said on Friday.
It comes after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday announced that three Iranian consulates would be closed in Germany in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the order online.
Botswana president concedes election, ending governing party's six-decade rule
Botswana's opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has won a majority in parliament and can form the next government, the electoral commission announced Friday, marking a historic defeat for the party that had governed the diamond-rich country for nearly six decades.
Outgoing president Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat in Wednesday's general election and said his administration would begin handing over the reins of government in the next few days.
"The UDC has reached the minimum requirement to be declared the next government," Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) spokesperson Osupile Maroba told AFP.
Chinese aircraft hover over Japan-U.S. joint military exercise
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 1, 2024 at 14:50 JST
The largest joint Japan-U.S. military exercise may have provided the eavesdropping Chinese military with a wealth of intelligence.
A total of 45,000 members of the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military participated in the Keen Sword joint military exercises, which began on Oct. 23 and will conclude on Nov. 1.
A primary aim of the drills was a simulated response to a military encounter off Taiwan.
North Korea pledges to stand by Russia until ‘victory’ in Ukraine
North Korea will back Russia until it achieves victory in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said in Moscow as the United States warned thousands of Pyongyang’s troops were at the Ukrainian border and could soon be deployed into combat.
In her meeting on Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Choe also accused the US and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike against her country.
“Our traditional, historically friendly relations, which have travelled the tested path of history, today … are rising to a new level of relations of invincible military comradeship,” she said, praising the role played in this by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
