BBC News Briefing

3 April, 2024

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. Rescue efforts are taking place in Taiwan following a powerful earthquake. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Taipei. We also have stories about workers' exploitation in Brazil's carnauba wax industry, and China's ageing population problem. Finally, a literal gold digger finds that discovering England's largest lump of the precious metal isn't as rewarding as expected.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Taiwan

A partially collapsed building in Hualien city

A partially collapsed building in Hualien, located on Taiwan's east coast, in a sprawling, mountainous region. Credit: TVBS

Several people have died in Taiwan after the island was struck by its most powerful earthquake in 25 years. At the time of writing, the death toll stood at nine, with more than 700 people injured and dozens trapped in buildings. The earthquake's epicentre is located about 18km (11 miles) south of Taiwan's Hualien city, where some buildings partially collapsed. The surrounding mountainous region was hit by hundreds of landslides. About 160km away, Taipei-based correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes described hanging on to the kitchen counter to stabilise himself as "stuff came off shelves, flower pots were toppled, windows were opened, doors were moved". Japan initially issued a tsunami advisory, but that has now been lifted.

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Watch: The moment the earthquake shook buildings and caused landslides, in this report from Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.

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Manufacturing hub: Chipmaking giant TSMC said it had evacuated some of its factories on the island. Business reporter Peter Hoskins explains why Taiwan matters so much to the world economy.

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Taiwan profile: What you need to know about the island's history and society.

WORLD HEADLINES

Army recruits: Ukraine has lowered the military mobilisation age by two years, from 27 to 25.

Gaza convoy strike: US President Joe Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken" at the killing of seven aid workers. As Israel's relationship with its allies shows signs of strain, get the latest on our live page.

Iranian TV host: Three men suspected of involvement in the non-fatal stabbing of anchor Pouria Zeraati in London have fled the UK, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Pachyderm problem: Botswana's president has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany to protest suggestions Berlin might impose stricter limits on importing hunting trophies.

Child marriage: A 12-year-old girl has been placed under police protection in Ghana, after it emerged she had been wedded to a 63-year-old traditional high priest in a case that stoked public outrage.

AT THE SCENE

Piauí state, Brazil

Exploited for the wax in our make-up

A police officer is recording something on his phone while speaking to a worker eating a bowl of food near carnauba palm trees.

Around half a million Brazilians make a living harvesting the wax in universally difficult conditions. Credit: BBC

Carnauba wax is used in products from sweets to make-up and medicines. Brazilian authorities who have spent months investigating working conditions in the industry say big businesses are turning a blind eye to exploitation.

Katy Watson, South America correspondent

After three hours on the road, we arrive at an accommodation block - its ceilings so low you cannot stand up in some parts. There are walls with crumbling plaster and bare electrical sockets. Outside, pigs wallow in the waste water thrown out of the kitchen. A short distance away, we find most of the workers sitting under a large tree, sheltering from the midday sun. "It's so hot," says Irismar Pereira, one of the workers. "We stop for a bit because otherwise the sun would kill us - we can only cope with so much."

Read in full

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

China's ticking demographic timebomb

Huanchun Cao, 72. poses with his wife outside their snow-covered farm.

Huanchun Cao and his wife belong to a generation that witnessed the birth of Communist China. Credit: Lan Pan/BBC

Over the next decade, about 300 million people currently aged 50 to 60 are expected to leave the Chinese workforce - that's nearly equivalent to the size of the US population. At a time of shrinking government benefits and a slowing economy, the question of who will look after them is a tricky one.

Read now

A light green beverage covered in chocolate toppings.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Time for a ZaaZaa

Morocco's decadent drink is a popular post-fasting treat during Ramadan.

Check the recipe

And finally...

Last year, Richard Brock had a stroke of luck when he found a 64.8g (2oz) lump of gold, thought to be the biggest nugget ever found in England. But now the precious pebble has failed to sell at auction, with the largest bid falling very short of the guide price that was placed on it.

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– Sofia

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