BBC News Briefing

31 October, 2025

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. In the aftermath of Buckingham Palace's dramatic statement that Andrew will no longer be a prince, our correspondents unpick everything you need to know about what happens next. We also hear from some of the tens of thousands of people who were adopted in the US from abroad and now fear deportation. Plus, try our quiz of the week, and take a look inside the house where it's Halloween all year round.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

No plans to remove Andrew from line of succession, UK government says

Andrew and King Charles stand next to each other. They are both wearing black suits, white shirts and black ties and have grey hair. Charles is looking to the side and Andrew appears to be speaking to him.

On Thursday, King Charles moved to strip his younger brother of his titles and honours, and force him out of his 30-room mansion in Windsor. Credit: Reuters

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as the former prince is now known, will not be formally removed from the line of succession, the UK government has confirmed. Political reporter Kate Whannel explains why the late Queen Elizabeth's second son will remain eighth in line to the throne. Meanwhile, royal correspondent Sean Coughlan has the latest on why Andrew may not be leaving his 30-room mansion in Windsor until the new year. These are the properties he could live in instead. And culture reporter Noor Nanji details why Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and their daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, can't escape the taint of family scandal. It all comes after weeks of intense scrutiny over Andrew's links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and on Friday, a further email from the former prince to Epstein was released in the US.

The day's developments

GET UP TO SPEED

A pile of debris almost as tall as a building sits between two shops. A number of people stand on top of the debris and on the roofs of the surrounding buildings

Hurricane deaths rise amid Jamaica aid struggles

Hurricane Melissa killed at least 19 people in Jamaica and the destruction means it's proving hard to get aid where it's needed.

Read more >

A man in wearing what appears to be a military uniform - a dark blue jumper over a khaki-coloured shirt and trousers, with a helmet on his head, walks past a poster showing a woman with glasses and red lipstick on, wearing a black head scarf. The poster is partially ripped.

Hundreds feared dead in Tanzania election protests

Protesters have been denouncing the vote as unfair, after key opposition figures were barred from running against the president.

More on this >

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wears a lilac jacket and stands behind a microphone.

Latvia to withdraw from

treaty protecting women

MPs voted to withdraw from a global accord aimed at protecting women from violence, including domestic abuse.

More on vote >

The Sagrada Familia is pictured with a crane perched on top of it's central turret, with the rest of Barcelona stretched out behind the famous church.

Sagrada Família becomes world's tallest church

Part of a cross has been placed on the central tower, and the basillica will reach 172m (564ft) when the final part is added.

Watch the video >

AT THE SCENE

St Petersburg, Russia

How teen giving street concert was caught up in Russia's repressive past

Diana Loginova sits with her head on her clasped hands in a court in St Petersburg, wearing glasses with transparent frames under her blonde hair

Diana Loginova said that all her band has done was to bring music to a big audience.

In recent years in Russia, a string of repressive laws have been adopted to punish dissent and silence criticism of the Kremlin and of Russia's war in Ukraine. The authorities have two main objectives: victory abroad and conformity at home. Anyone who publicly challenges these risks becoming a target.

Steve's head and shoulders can be seen. He has short grey hair and blue eyes and looks serious. The collar of a blue shirt and suit can be seen

Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor

At Leninsky District Courthouse there is barely room to move. I get talking to Irina. Her daughter Diana is on her way here in a police car. The 18-year-old has already spent 13 days in jail for "organising a mass public gathering of citizens resulting in a violation of public order" - an improvised street concert which the authorities claim obstructed access to a Metro station.

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On the streets of St Petersburg, Diana and her band have been performing songs critical of the Kremlin and of Russia's war in Ukraine. After a brief hearing the judge finds Diana guilty of discrediting Russia's army and fines her 30,000 roubles (£285; $374). The police take Diana back to the station and prepare more charges.

Keep reading

'Enemies within': More Russians have been reporting each other since the invasion of Ukraine. Steve Rosenberg explains the implications.

Leningrad survivor: An 84-year-old woman was fined in May for "discrediting" Russia's army after calling for an end to the Ukraine war.

Threat or bluster?: Russia's president has unveiled two nuclear-capable weapons, but their value may be more symbolic than military.

PICK OF THE WEEK

The US adoptees who fear deportation to countries they can't remember

A treated image showing Shirley Chung, right, and an adoptee from Iran who requested anonymity, around the age they arrived in the United States. The back of an ICE agent is seen in front of them. Shirley has long black hair and is wearing a white dress. The child on the right is wearing a white dress and has curly black hair in bunchies.

Shirley, now in her 60s, and others like her, are urging the president to help finally grant them citizenship.

Shirley Chung grew up living a life similar to that of many young Americans, the only difference was, she was adopted from South Korea aged one. But in 2012, in her late forties, her world came crashing down when she discovered she did not have US citizenship. There are up to an estimated 75,000 others in the US like her. Dozens have been deported and many others are living in the US with increased fear of being removed under President Donald Trump.