BBC News Briefing

18 August, 2026

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

Alex Binley

Hello. A landmark trial which could force changes to Facebook and Instagram has begun - we'll bring you the latest from court. In Australia, we meet a rare animal offering conservationists a glimmer of hope. And find out why Princess Diana's brother is writing a new book about her.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Meta 'hid the truth' over child safety, court hears, as social media trial begins

Six men in suits of varying shades of blue are seen walking in a street. They all look serious and a person with a professional camera is seen near them. In the centre of the men is Mark Zuckerberg who has curly ginger hair.

Founder, chair and chief executive of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, may testify during the trial. Credit: Reuters

The trial of social media giant Meta is underway in California, with the owner of Facebook and Instagram accused of deliberately designing its platforms to be addictive to young people. The case has been brought by four US states acting on behalf of a group of 29 that filed a lawsuit in 2023 arguing the company violated child privacy laws. Should Meta lose the case, it could change the way young people experience social media. Not only are the states seeking billions of dollars, they are demanding Meta make changes such as ending "like" counts and infinite-scroll. Meta says it "strongly disagrees" with the allegations and evidence will show its "longstanding commitment to supporting young people". But this hasn’t stopped a groundswell of legal action in the US, with the company potentially facing thousands of lawsuits.

Get the latest

GET UP TO SPEED

A woman with long, dark brown hair is seen side-on She is sitting in a court room and looking straight ahead. She is wearing a pale blue top and the wall behind her is wood-pannelled.

'US mother begged for help before children's killings'

Lindsay Clancy admits killing her children but has pleaded not guilty to murder, saying she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.

More from court >

Princess Diana is seen smiling. She is wearing a pale blue jacket and has short blond hair. She is smiling and is wearing large pearl earrings and a necklace.

Princess Diana's brother to 'tell truth' about her in book

Earl Spencer said he wanted to write the book "to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way".

More on the release >

A photo of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji. He is wearing a dark grey suit, white shirt and red tie and is smiling. He has short black hair. Gold writing in Chinese characters is seen next to him and a man with his back to the camera is filming on a large camera on a tripod.

China censors mourning as it holds ex-premier's funeral

While hailing Zhu Rongji’s legacy, authorities are wary that the nostalgia could lead to criticisms of Xi Jinping’s rule.

Read more >

Kanye West is posing for a photo and pouting. He is wearing a black leather jacket, black sunglasses and a large necklace. He has a shaved head and a short black beard.

Kanye West announces tour dates in Russia

The St Petersburg shows mean the rapper will become the biggest Western star to play in the country since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

More on the gigs >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Shoreham: A huge emergency response is underway in the seaside town after reports of four people getting into difficulty in the water. Get the latest.

Salmonella: One person has died and hundreds have fallen ill with food posioning in an outbreak that UK experts believe is linked to imported eggs.

Wetherspoons: The pub chain has banned customers from playing music out loud or taking calls on speaker, saying the noise drives people "nuts".

AT THE SCENE

Dryandra, Western Australia

Australia is planet's extinction hotspot, but one animal offers a glimmer of hope

A numbat on a blackened log licks its nose. It is small and covered in brown fur. It has a long snout, black eyes and ears that point up. It is hunched over and stands on four legs.

Dryandra Woodland is one of the few places you can still find wild numbats. Credit: Sharon Jones/BBC

From Our Own Correspondent: Australia is a country full of animals found nowhere else in the world, but many are under serious threat of extinction, with around four species disappearing every decade. But there is also hope, with some species bucking the trend, including the rare Australian marsupial, the numbat.

Tiffanie has long brown hair and brown eyes. Only her face can be seen and she is smiling at the camera.

Tiffanie Turnbull, digital journalist

Five hours into our research count, volunteers Rob and Jacko let out twin cries of excitement. The cause of the commotion stands frozen at the end of a hollowed log... To my untrained eye, it looks like just another fallen piece of rusty tree bark. But then, as I squint, it takes shape… and before I know it we’ve seen eight numbats, including several babies, blinking at us in the dusky light.

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Across the country, numbers are up ten-fold, and just a few weeks ago it was taken off the international endangered species list. It's now classified as near threatened, but a sense of nervousness remains, with other species offering cautionary tales.

Listen from 23:03

In pictures: See more from Tiffanie's search for numbats, and find out about Australia's animals that are critically endangered or already gone.

Killer cats: Australia's eight million feral and domestic felines kill billions of native creatures each year. Here's what's being done about it.

Back from the dead: Read about the multi-million dollar project to try and bring the Tasmanian tiger back from extinction.

Gene Savoy poses in front of some ruins, His blonde hair is combed back and he has a moustache. He wears a green shirt, a red jumper hangs around his shoulder, and two cameras from his neck.