Failed US execution sparks death penalty debate

Loading player...
Christa Pike's botched execution has reignited the debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States. Tennessee's head of prisons is to resign amid growing scrutiny. Also: Ethiopians fear a return to civil war after government forces take control of the Tigrayan regional capital. Tens of thousands of people protest against the housing crisis in Spain. Investigators say the co-pilot of the FlyDubai plane attacked his captain with an axe kept inside the cockpit. Nearly 200 people are under medical observation after a Russian lab worker reportedly died from pneumonic plague. Germany's Oktoberfest is handing out shorts to female riders after a surge in upskirting videos. And a new species of lizard has been discovered living high up in the Peruvian Andes.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.
Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.
Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Photo: Death chamber seen through the steel bars from the viewing room at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas in September 2010.
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice via Reuters
3 Oct 11PM English United Kingdom News

Other recent episodes

The Global Story: The Super El Nino - what happens when it hits us?

Climate scientists have put out a dire warning about this year’s El Niño; that it will likely be the worst in recorded history. And if previous ‘super’ El Niños are anything to go by, that means that this cycle will bring extreme weather - flooding, drought, wildfires, and hunger- across…
4 Oct 3PM 29 min

The Happy Pod: Fat Bear Week returns

Fat Bear Week is back! The annual contest sees people around the world vote for their favourite bear, ahead of hibernation season. More than two million votes were cast this year's tournament which is based at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Also, meet the tattoo artist covering people's…
3 Oct 7AM 29 min

Christa Pike: What next after failed execution?

Christa Pike's legal representatives say the convicted murderer is unconscious and on a ventilator in hospital in Tennessee, after surviving two lethal injections on Wednesday. They have requested that all evidence related to the incident be preserved. We hear the account of Nashville reporter Steven Hale, one of a small…
3 Oct 12AM 27 min

Hero pilot tells his story from hospital bed

An Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, says he fought to open the cockpit door of the stricken Flydubai airliner because he was determined to save the lives of his passengers and crew. Also: Washington urges European countries to start using their diesel reserves. We look at the student demonstrations against school…
2 Oct 11AM 31 min

France rocked by student protests

French students set fire to bins and erected blockades outside schools, as they protest against overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and crumbling facilities. Hundreds of people have been arrested and dozens injured. Fires have broken out at some schools that are being blockaded. President Macron said concerns over funding and studying…
2 Oct 12AM 29 min