BBC News Briefing

9 October, 2026

Alex Binley

Hello. The news that the execution of a former US Army general will be made public has been met with a strong response. Could a new film about Meta be the tech giant's "Big Tobacco" moment? And find out why a court case centres on stripes.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Will livestreamed firing squad execution of Fort Hood attacker go ahead?

Nidal Hasan the Fort Hood shooter is wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. He has a black beard and hair but is bald.

During his court martial in 2013, Hasan said he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Credit: Bell County Sheriff's Office/Reuters

The decision to livestream a firing squad execution of former general Nidal Hasan is "unprecedented in the modern era", said John Mills, a lawyer who works with inmates sentenced to death. It comes after Pete Hegseth said the public would be able to watch the execution of Hasan, who shot dead 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. Alonzo Lunsford, a former sergeant who was shot seven times in the attack, has told the BBC that while he supports the execution, he has concerns about the message a livestream sends to younger people. Mills added that it may be "unlikely to occur". The execution, which is scheduled to take place on 3 December, is set to be the first carried out by a military firing squad since the end of World War Two.

Keep reading

Explained: How widely used is the death penalty in the US?

Watch: What Americans think about the death penalty.

Execution witnesses: Why some Americans volunteer to watch people be put to death.

WORLD HEADLINES

Officers wearing FBI uniforms examine a silver car which is in front of a wall. It is night and other vehicles are parked around the car.

ICE agent shoots man in New York City

The Department of Homeland Security said an officer "discharged" their weapon during the arrest of a "criminal illegal alien".

Read more >

A man wearing a black hoodie and green trousers is seen through a window. He is sat on a wooden bench and has a face covering on.

Suspect linked to Monaco bomb attack speaks to BBC

The former Ukrainian security services officer has for the first time given his account of the attack which targeted a multi-millionaire.

What else he said >

A firefighter stands in the middle of burning peat. They are ddressed all in red and holding a hose.

Why is it so hard to put out Indonesia's wildfires?

The blazes have been burning for weeks and have sent smoke into neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Watch the video >

Kyiv residents flee Russian strikes as winter approaches

Renewed Russian attacks on power and energy infrastructure have made some contemplate leaving Ukraine's capital.

Read more >

Sailors stand on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it pulls up to dock in San Diego. The sailors look tiny as the ship is huge and seen from a distance.

USS Lincoln docks in US after 10-month mission

The US aircraft carrier was set to return in May but the war with Iran has kept it at sea on one of the longest deployments ever.

Watch the video >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Analysis: The Green leader Zack Polanski didn't win a Westminster by-election, but all eyes are on him, our political editor writes. Here's why.

Prince Harry: The Duke of Sussex said he "slipped into depression for about two weeks" after relocating to Canada in 2019 ahead of his move to the US.

AI caution: A photographer has warned parents who use the tech to take watermarks off school pictures about how the images can be used.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Zuckerberg's image is in trouble - but Meta's business is booming

Jeremy Strong plays the tech boss in new film The Social Reckoning. Credit: CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / CTMG, Inc./Leah Gal

Meta appears to be immune to bad publicity, our North America tech correspondent Lily Jamali writes. Despite months of bad press and a new film which paints the firm's founder Mark Zuckerberg as a villain, Meta's products are doing better than ever - and users are "flocking" to its new AI assistant, Muse, she writes. So, "can anything really clip Meta's wings?”, she asks.

Read Lily's analysis

A man in a white T-shirt makes a disgusted face as he looks at a glass that includes an amber liquid and a dark mummified toe

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

World's weirdest drink?

Would you order a cocktail that included a mummified toe? These tourists did.

Dip in

And finally... in Australia