Verified Live

In Tennessee, convicted murderer Christa Pike survived two attempts to execute her by lethal injection, and the state has stopped all planned executions for the rest of the year. Pike, convicted of murder in 1996, was taken to hospital; her lawyer said her condition remained unclear, and the governor demanded a full investigation. Pike would have been the first woman executed in the state for 200 years, and a planned December execution was put on hold. A CBS News correspondent said Tennessee officials indicated they followed the state's execution protocol, while a law professor said botched lethal injections have occurred frequently and that Pike was the eighth person in the US since 2009 to survive a lethal injection execution.

Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal was released from prison in Delhi after nearly nine years in custody without conviction, though he still faces federal charges over alleged terrorist offences. He had been granted bail on 18 September but a Home Ministry legal notice delayed his release, and his brother said the family was relieved after a long wait. Separately, hundreds of prisoners began leaving prisons in England and Wales under a government early release scheme to ease overcrowding, with about 700 released today and 4,500 due by June. Ministers said the scheme was needed and included tagging and other controls, while victims and campaigners raised public safety concerns; BBC Verify said the prison population was at 98% capacity and projected to breach capacity without the scheme.

Israel's prime minister said the pilot accused of stabbing a plane's captain had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination, and Israel is toughening cockpit security checks after what officials called a 9-11 style attack. The flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after plunging 17,000 feet in minutes; passengers subdued one pilot, and the injured captain was identified as Indian national Captain Schmidt Machar and was in stable condition. Israel's prime minister hailed him as a hero who saved 174 people on board. An aviation expert said relief crew were in the cabin and discussed post-Germanwings cockpit door protocols, pilot assessments and expected further changes.