| | | | | | | Hello. I bring you the latest on a deadly fire that has devastated an apartment block in Valencia, Spain. We're still waiting for news of up to 15 people who remain unaccounted for. In Kerala, in the south of India, locals tell my colleague Ashraf Padanna authorities are not doing enough to protect them from wild elephant attacks. We're also learning more on Eurovision politics, moon landings, and Senegalese music. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Deadly fire engulfs Valencia apartments | | | | Firefighters are working around the blackened remains of the building to cool it down, before they can enter it. Credit: EPA |
| | At least four people have died and up to 15 are missing after a massive fire engulfed two adjoining apartment blocks in the Spanish city of Valencia, emergency services say. More than 20 fire crews spent the night tackling the blaze, using cranes to rescue residents trapped in the 14-storey complex. Temperatures inside the apartment blocks are far too high for firefighters to enter, even though most of the fire is out. It was as if the buildings were "made of cork", a neighbour told Spain's TVE, after he saw the fire spread "within a matter of minutes". Questions are already being asked over the circumstances of the tragedy. Architects and engineers speaking to local media say highly flammable cladding allowed the rapid spread in the building, which was built in 2008-09. | | • | The latest: The city of Valencia has declared three days of mourning, as PM Pedro Sanchez said he was ready to offer "whatever help needed" to the region. More updates on our live page. | | • | Acts of heroism: Firefighters have been relentlessly working to contain the blaze, which has turned the block into a fire-blackened shell. Here's the moment when two people were rescued by a cherry-picker crane. | | • | A British precedent?: The issue of flammable cladding was also raised in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, where a kitchen fire spread in two hours in a 23-storey building in West London, killing 72 people. Here's what happened. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | A space odyssey: An American company has made history by becoming the first commercial outfit to put a spacecraft on the Moon, Jonathan Amos reports. Watch the moment staff cheered at the landing news. | | • | Shamima Begum: The British-born woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria when she was 15 will remain effectively stateless, after an appeal court confirmed the UK government decision to strip her of her citizenship. But the story may not be over, our correspondent Dominic Casciani writes. | | • | Music diplomacy: Israel says it will pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest if organisers try to censor its entry over its rules on political lyrics. Reports in Israel’s media suggest Eden Golan's still-unreleased October Rain references the 7 October attacks. | | • | Extreme weather: At least nine people were injured when dozens of cars crashed into each other on an icy highway in China. The spectacular incident involved more than 100 cars, Chinese state media said. | | • | I knew you were employable: The V&A museum in London is looking for a Taylor Swift super fan to become its official adviser about the star. This is not, I should stress, a full-time position. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Kerala, India | | The elephant attacks bringing people out on the streets | | Residents of Kerala's Wayanad district have staged massive protests, blaming authorities for failing to protect them from wild animal attacks. Some say government policies are shrinking their natural habitats, forcing elephants and tigers into residential areas. | | | | "I'm afraid the elephant that killed my father could come back to attack again," says 13-year-old Alna Joseph. On 10 February, Ms Joseph was returning from morning prayers at her village church in Mananthavady town in the hilly Wayanad district of the southern Indian state of Kerala when she saw a vehicle carrying a bleeding man. When she reached home, she found out that it was the body of her father Ajeesh Joseph, a 42-year-old farmer, who had been trampled to death by a radio-collared wild elephant - the second such death in the district in three weeks. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Walled site grows at Egypt border near Gaza | | | | More than 16 sq km (6 sq miles) have been cleared just over the border from Gaza. Credit: Maxar/BBC |
| | Egypt looks to be building a large walled site next to its border with Gaza, BBC Verify reports. But it's unclear what the area is for. Egyptian authorities say they're building a logistical hub, but humanitarian workers and researchers appear doubtful, and suggest Egypt could be preparing for a "worst-case scenario" of a displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Sober vacation | | "Dry tripping", or travelling without drinking alcohol, is a fast-growing trend. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Senegalese musicians Jigeen Ñi are proud of who they are – their band name means "woman" in Wolof. But the all-female ensemble is a rarity in a country where there's still prejudice over women playing musical instruments, and gender roles in general. Have a listen to their sound and their empowering message. |
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– Jules |
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