BBC News Briefing

2 October, 2026

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

Alex Binley

Hello. The governor of New York state has given an update on the Cornell University rape inquiry - we've got more on what she said. We also meet Cuban exiles who believe the island's regime will soon fall. Plus, test your news knowledge with our quiz of the week.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Woman in Cornell University rape case was 'failed at every turn', New York governor says

Kathy Hochul has long brown hair and is wearing red lipstick She is wearing a blue suit and gold shirt. She is speaking into two microphones and there is a large gold disc on the wall behind her.

Hochul said she would not allow the case to be 'swept under the rug'. Credit: Reuters

Kathy Hochul has said she is "deeply disturbed" by how the investigation into an alleged gang rape of a student at Cornell University was handled. The 2024 case was investigated at the time but no charges were brought. Speaking on Friday, New York's governor said the woman at the centre of the case was "failed" at "every turn". The case was reopened last month after the woman - known as Jane Doe - filed a civil lawsuit. A spokesperson for the university said it is "committed to an independent external review of all aspects of how Cornell has handled this case". Meanwhile, students and staff on the campus said tension there had become palpable since the case resurfaced.

GET UP TO SPEED

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'I've seen many executions - never one like Christa Pike's'

Reporter Michael Graczyk has seen almost 500 executions, some of them botched, but never one in which an inmate survived.

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Why school protests are worrying French government

The movement that began last week has spread, and in France, young people on the streets spells trouble, our correspondent says.

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Composite image of BBC journalist Helen Livingstone standing in front of trees outside and a swarm of bogong moths the the corner of a wall. Helen is on the left and is wearing a white shirt with small pink flowers on it. She has long brown hair. On the right lots of brown moths are clustered in the corner of a wall.

Why moths are swarming Australia's east coast

Although bogong moths are endangered, people have been filming hordes of them infiltrating their homes and cars.

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NEWS FROM THE UK

Ann Widdecombe: The man accused of murdering the ex-MP has also been charged with preparing acts of terror including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Olivia Dean: The singer has been accused of copying the melody of Bill Withers' soul classic Just The Two of Us in a legal case filed in the US.

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AT THE SCENE