BBC News Briefing

1 November, 2024

Jules Darmanin

Hello. With election day approaching in the US, we carry on our world tour of people watching a contest they have no voice in, but which will most likely affect them. Today James Waterhouse reports from the Ukrainian frontline, where American aid is essential to the war effort. Meanwhile my colleague Stephanie Hegarty, who reports on the fascinating subject of demography, tells us more about the role of men in the global fertility decline. We're also writing from Spain, Japan, and Eritrea.

GET UP TO SPEED

Voters in Botswana have rejected the country’s Botswana Democratic Party, which has been in power since 1966. Read more on Duma Boko, the man behind the political earthquake in the diamond-rich African nation.

The number of people who have died in the Valencia region has risen to 202, Spanish authorities say.

Two artworks by the American artist Andy Warhol have been stolen during an overnight break-in at a gallery in the Netherlands.

AT THE SCENE

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

US election weighs on Ukraine's frontline

A man is standing in front of charred vehicles and amid rubble.

The next US president will have a profound impact on Ukraine’s borders, James Waterhouse writes. Credit: BBC

Kamala Harris has suggested military aid to Ukraine would continue if she is elected next week, while the pipeline of US military support is looking less likely to be sustained under a second term for Donald Trump. Ukrainians tell the BBC what they make of an election that could change their war - and their country.

James Waterhouse, Ukraine correspondent

As she sweeps up broken glass outside her shop, Inna knows her country’s future is in the hands of Americans voting more than 5,000 miles away. “We hope that the woman, Kamala Harris, will win and support us,” she says. A Russian bomb had shattered her shop windows - a common occurrence in Zaporizhzhia. There’s a 10-metre (32ft) wide crater in the middle of the road. “Of course we are worried about the outcome [of the election],” she adds. “We want to defeat the enemy!”

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For Ukraine to have a remote chance of doing that, it needs the help of the US. It was here in 2023, on this south-eastern part of the front line, where Ukraine launched a counteroffensive it hoped would force out the Russian invaders. Instead, after little to no progress, Ukraine’s ambitions have switched to survival. Missiles and glide bombs slam into towns and cities daily, and its soldiers weather constant Russian attacks.

Keep reading

The context: What arms are allies supplying to Ukraine? Read our piece tallying up aid from the US and other countries.

Decisive moment: American voters tell Holly Honderich when they made up their mind on who they wanted to vote for - and whether they wanted to vote at all.

Campaign live: Trump and Harris are holding rallies in Wisconsin, while the record for early voter turnout was broken - 66 million people already have cast their ballot. Our live page has all the updates.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Wrecked cars are piled up in an underpass.

Why Valencia floods proved so deadly

The toll following flash floods in Spain is exceptionally high for the region.

Here's why >

A Japanese man in a business suit is smiling in a portrait while holding a Hello Kitty plushie - a cute cat character wearing a red bow.

Saving cuteness

How Japan's youngest CEO transformed Hello Kitty by tagging friends along.

Read the story>

Cyclists are posing on a podium, holding a large Eritrean flag and wearing Eritrean jerseys.

Riding to glory

How an Eritrean cycling icon is paving the way for his nation's riders.

Read more >

Your weekend listening: Beyond the White House

From governors to lawmakers, there is more than the presidency at stake on 5 November.

Listen here >

THE BIG PICTURE

Why men have fewer children

A montage shows the face of a man upside down next to a toddler looking up. In the background, an arrow goes down.

The proportion of people without children is growing in almost every country in the world. Credit: BBC

The global conversation around declining fertility - and the data that feeds it - often centres on women. But men play quite an obvious part in it too, and demographers are increasingly looking into why a growing number of them don't have children. Population correspondent Stephanie Hegarty tells us more about "social infertility", "male malaise" and "alloparenting".

Read the story

A still from the film Wicked shows Ariana Grande as Glinda, a blonde witch wearing a puffy pink dress, holding the shoulders of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a green-skinned witch.

FOR YOUR DOWNTIME

Wizards and wars

Our critic's 12 films to watch in November.

Check the list

And finally... in the US

These aren't words we ever thought we'd write, but an Instagram famous squirrel been seized by New York state authorities amid fears the furry fellow will be euthanised. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation say it's because Peanut's home was unsafe and the creature could pose a rabies risk. So far, some 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for Peanut's safe return.

Six Steps to Calm

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– Jules

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