NewsHour

A woman who froze pieces of Ovarian tissue at the age of 19, after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, gave birth to a baby boy 25 years later. We speak with Kassandra Bacon, whose tissue was frozen for 23 years ago.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is in Ukraine today on a surprise visit. And we hear from Frances Haugen, who exposed how Facebook’s algorithms fostered hate and triggered depression and suicidal feelings among teenagers by leaking internal documents to the Wall Street Journal in 2021. Her testimony is the basis of an new movie by Aaron Sorkin called, The Social Reckoning.

(Photo: A doctor holds a stethoscope, August 15, 2014. CREDIT: Lynne Cameron/PA Wire)

The pilot of the FlyDubai plane has told Isareli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he was repeatedly hit on the back of the head by his co-pilot on Wednesday. We also hear a former pilot explain how disaster was averted after the plane went into a nosedive.

Also in the programme: TPLF rebel forces move out of Tigray's regional capital, Mekelle, as Ethiopian government troops move in. We ask what it means and how strong the TPLF is now; and a special report on how some traumatised children in Gaza are finding solace in swimming.

Demonstrations are taking place in Spain over the national housing crisis, after parliament rejected the government's proposals to protect tenants. Also on the programme, one scientific researcher has reportedly died of pneumonic plague in Siberia and hundreds are now being monitored there; and in Gaza, the story of one group that's offering a special experience to children that have been traumatised by war.

(Photo: Protesters hold placards as they demand political action to stop evictions and alleviate the housing crisis, in Madrid, Spain, October 3, 2026. REUTERS/Alejandro Martinez Velez)

There have been violent scenes outside schools across France as a dispute over learning conditions continues. The French government has accused left-wing party La France Insoumise of stoking up the disturbances. One of the party’s MPs tells us that the accusation is “absurd” and reflects the government’s disdain for young people.

Also on the programme: we hear from the lawyer of Renee Good's family as they file a lawsuit against the Trump administration over her killing during a Minneapolis immigration crackdown; and the Beatles album Rubber Soul is re-released with previously unheard studio tracks.

(Picture: A protest over conditions in the education system in Montpellier, 02 October 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

More colleges have been damaged by fire in France as student protests continue, demanding more investment in education. Hundreds of high schools and colleges are closed. The French government has condemned what it called urban violence.

Also, the hero Fly-Dubai pilot - who survived being stabbed by his colleague - describes how he fought to save the lives of all on board.

And will Europe release diesel reserves as requested by the US? And what are the possible consequences?

(Photo: French CRS riot police apprehend a protester during clashes outside the Lycee Deodat-de-Severac high school as part of nationwide protests by high school students to demand the hiring of substitute teachers, increased resources and better learning conditions, in Toulouse as more than 400 schools remain closed following days of student protests that have escalated into violence in some places, France, October 2, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is 'receiving life-saving care' in hospital, after surviving two lethal injection attempts, leading the state's governor to halt all executions for the year. So how common is it for the procedure to go wrong?

Also in the programme: Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says the co-pilot responsible for the attack on board a plane bound for Israel had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination", though he has said it is too early to say if Iran was involved; and what elephants' low-frequency rumbles reveal about their lives.

(Photo shows WPLN reporter Catherine Sweeney recounting the planned execution of Christa Pike at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on September 30, 2026. Credit: Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK)

An investigation is underway by Israel into the apparent attempt by the co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv to bring it down. The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it's too early to say if Iran is involved in the attack

We'll speak to one of the passengers, Adam Polovincik, about what happened, when the plane suddenly lost height.

Also in the programme: Tennessee has called a temporary halt to executions after a female convict survives two doses of lethal injection; thousnads of French high school students are taking part in protests which are becoming increasingly unrul; and why do many Russians seem to want to pretend that the war in Ukraine isn't happening?

(Photo shows a FlyDubai plane in the air near Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026. Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)

The Israeli prime minister says the co-pilot attacked his the pilot of an on board an Israel-bound flight from Dubai and attempted to deliberately crash the plane. Passengers are believed to have helped overpower and restrain the attacker. There were jubilant scenes at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport as passengers landed safely.

Also in the programme: Britain's Prime Minister says there are "strong indications" that Iran played a part in the security incident at Fairford airbase. Plus a last-minute stay of execution for Christa Pike in Tennessee - but what next?

And would Greta Garbo really want to be re-animated by AI?

(Picture: FlyDubai passengers are greeted by their friends and family at the Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, September 30, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

A passenger plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv had to land in Saudi Arabia after a fight reportedly broke out between the pilots. Two Israeli officials have said the co-pilot is believed to have stabbed the captain of the plane. Both pilots are being treated in hospital. Israeli and Saudi jets were scrambled after the FlyDubai flight transmitted a code used to report a hijacking.

Also, a BBC investigation tracks how children in Gaza are still falling victim to the conflict there.

And researchers convinced a Chinese AI tool to tell them how to make biological weapons and carry out assassinations. What went wrong?

(Photo: A Flydubai plane waiting at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on 30 September. Credit: EPA)

Spain's coalition government has approved new housing measures following protests over the country's housing crisis, sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last week. Also on the programme, a man held on death row for 41 years in Utah finally gets a retrial; and the 'fat dogs of Delhi' have gone viral - but can they become the 'fit dogs of Delhi'?

(Photo: Madrid housing protesters camp at Puerta del Sol, Spain - 29 Sep 2026. Rodrigo Jimenez EPA/Shutterstock)