Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday, the cute, enigmatic character* that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers still making millions for her Japanese creators. 🇯🇵 The simple *design of the character -- who is not a cat, but a little girl from London* according to Sanrio, the company behind Kitty -- has mileage as a money-spinner for years to come, experts say. One woman in the US state of California has amassed *so much Hello Kitty merchandise that her husband built her a pink so-called _"she-shed"_* to keep it in. *Stuffed inside are thousands of toys and other items featuring Kitty and her eye-catching red bow,* including rows of sunglasses, a swivel chair and novelty gumball dispensers.

Kamala Harris slammed Donald Trump for _"very offensive"_ remarks about women* as she pressed her case that his misogyny has no place in 21st century America, days ahead of a nail-biter election. 🇺🇸 🗳️ *Both candidates took the White House race to western battleground states,* homing in on immigration and wooing Latinos five days before voting concludes on November 5. *In New Mexico, Trump painted a dark picture of immigration* as he addressed supporters, saying migrants are *_"unleashing a violent killing spree all across America"_* despite there being no evidence of a migrant crime wave. *Harris criticised Trump after he told a rally he wanted to _"protect"_ American women* _"whether the women like it or not."_ Speaking in Las Vegas, she branded the comments "offensive to everybody." *Trump and Harris are set to hold dueling campaign rallies in Wisconsin's largest city Milwaukee* on Friday, as both make frantic last-ditch appeals to wavering voters.

Spain mourned at least 158 deaths in flood-hit eastern and southern regions* as authorities told people to stay at home with hopes of finding survivors fading three days after the disaster. 🇪🇸 An exceptionally *powerful Mediterranean storm unleashed heavy rains and torrents of mud-filled water* on Tuesday that swept away people and wrecked homes, with the eastern Valencia region hit hardest. ⚠️ The body *coordinating rescue work in the Valencia region announced 155 bodies had been recovered* there by Thursday afternoon. *The government on Friday sent an extra 500 troops to the stricken areas* to bolster the 1,200 already on site for search, rescue and logistics tasks. *Some cut-off areas remain without water, food or power* and many roads and rail lines remain inaccessible, raising fears the death toll will climb.

At least 51 people were killed* after floods triggered by torrential rains lashed Spain's eastern Valencia region, rescue services have said. 🇪🇸 _"First toll carried out by the different security and emergency forces: provisional number of dead victims at 51 people,"_ the *regional emergency services wrote on X* , adding that bodies were being identified. ⚠️ *Heavy rain hit much of eastern and southern Spain* on Tuesday, flooding streets with muddy water and disrupting rail and air travel.

Rescuers are racing against time to find survivors and victims of *once-in-a-generation floods in Spain that killed at least 95 people* and left towns submerged in a muddy deluge. 🇪🇸 *About 1,000 troops joined police and firefighters in the grim search for bodies* in the Valencia region as Spain started three days of mourning. ⚠️ *The toll will rise* because _"there are many missing people"_ , territorial policy minister Angel Victor Torres predicted late Wednesday. Up to *a year's rain fell in a few hours on the eastern city of Valencia* and surrounding region on Tuesday sending torrents of water and mud through towns and cities.

*North Korea has test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)* in Kim Jong Un's first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to Russia. 🇰🇵 The missile launch came just hours after *US and South Korean defence chiefs called on Pyongyang to withdraw its troops from Russia* . 🚀 *South Korea and Japan both condemned the missile launch* which they say was fired on a lofted trajectory -- meaning up, not out. 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 Tokyo said the *"ICBM-class" missile was airborne for about 86 minutes* and hit altitudes of 7,000 kilometres. [01/11, 12:19 pm] null: 3️⃣ *Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday, the cute, enigmatic character* that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers still making millions for her Japanese creators. 🇯🇵 The simple *design of the character -- who is not a cat, but a little girl from London* according to Sanrio, the company behind Kitty -- has mileage as a money-spinner for years to come, experts say. One woman in the US state of California has amassed *so much Hello Kitty merchandise that her husband built her a pink so-called _"she-shed"_* to keep it in. *Stuffed inside are thousands of toys and other items featuring Kitty and her eye-catching red bow,* including rows of sunglasses, a swivel chair and novelty gumball dispensers.