The Global Story

BBC World Service

<p>Global perspectives on one big story. In-depth insights from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. Make sense of the news with our experts around the world, every Monday to Friday. Episodes will be ready by 10:30 GMT. Host Katya Adler and our BBC teams guide you through one major global news story each episode. From Beijing to Boston, Baghdad to Bangalore, our unrivalled reach will take you beyond the headlines to help understand and explore what’s happening. The Global News Podcast brings you the latest updates and, on The Global Story, we will drill deep into a single story. From the climate emergency, to the burning questions around Artificial Intelligence, to the movements of money and markets, and the power of the ballot and the bullet. Katya Adler has been a BBC correspondent and editor for more than 25 years, covering conflicts in the Middle East, political and economic crises in Europe, and drug cartels in Mexico. The Global Story team would like to hear your stories and experiences on the issues that we’re covering on the podcast. Please get in touch: [email protected] #TheGlobalStory and tell us your thoughts on what you would like us to talk about.</p>

  • 26 minutes 55 seconds
    While the world’s eyes were on Iran, what happened in Gaza?

    When the ceasefire deal was announced more than six months ago, there was celebration and relief in Gaza and Israel. But since the US-led Board of Peace announced plans to rebuild Gaza, the Trump administration’s attention has been occupied by other matters.

    The success of the ceasefire deal hinges on Hamas disarmament and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. So what progress has been made?

    We speak to Yolande Knell, the BBC's Middle East correspondent, about life inside Gaza since the Iran War began.

    Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Lucy Pawle and Xandra Ellin

    Studio managers: Dafydd Evans and Mike Regaard

    Executive producer: James Shield

    Mix: Travis Evans

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    Photo credits: A displaced Palestinian woman stands on a balcony inside a building damaged during the war at Al-Aqsa University, now used as a shelter, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, April 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Haseeb Alwazeer.

    20 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 27 minutes 10 seconds
    The Chinese cyber-attack that could have stolen data from every American

    In 2024, reports emerged of a highly sophisticated cyber espionage campaign against US telecoms companies, which some analysts believe went all the way up to the Chinese government.

    The group behind this campaign would later be codenamed Salt Typhoon, and it is believed to have quietly infiltrated critical US telecoms infrastructure in order to collect private information on influential Americans – including presidential candidates. In the process, it may have also swept up data from millions of ordinary Americans. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for Salt Typhoon.

    We speak to former Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger, who was working inside the White House when the attacks were first uncovered. We also speak to BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy about how this hack unfolded – and what it reveals about who may be winning the cyber war.

    Producer: Aron Keller

    Sound engineer: Travis Evans

    Executive producer: James Shield

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    (Photo: Analysts in the Security Operations Center at the Dell Secure Works office in South Carolina, US. Credit: Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

    17 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 26 minutes 51 seconds
    Mythos: The AI model that’s ‘too powerful’ for public release

    Anthropic, one of Silicon Valley’s leading AI firms, have built a new model which they say is too dangerous to be released to the public.

    Instead, they are only giving access to Claude Mythos Preview to a handful of big companies to help them find and fix security vulnerabilities. The company says the model has already found weak spots in “every major operating system and web browser”. Is this a genuine example of an AI company acting responsibly, or more of a carefully calibrated publicity move?

    We speak to the BBC’s North America tech correspondent, Lily Jamali, about whether this is a watershed moment for AI.

    Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller

    Digital producer: Matt Pintus

    Mix: Travis Evans

    Executive producer: James Shield

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    Credit: Jurassic Park (1993) / Dir: Stephen Spielberg / Universal Pictures

    Photo: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Reuters/Denis Balibouse.

    16 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 27 minutes 27 seconds
    Trump v Pope

    Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration”, after his criticism of the Iran war drew scorn from President Donald Trump.

    On Sunday, the US President called the Pope “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”, and posted a now-deleted AI image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure.The posts caused outrage among Catholics and the religious right, but he has said he will not apologise to the Pope.

    We speak to BBC presenter and author Edward Stourton, who has reported on religious affairs and US politics for decades, about what happens when an American president takes on an American Pope.

    Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle

    Executive producer: James Shield

    Mix: Travis Evans

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    Photo: Pope Leo XIV addresses journalists during the flight heading to Algiers on April 13, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Alberto Pizzoli.

    15 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 27 minutes 33 seconds
    Is the Strait of Hormuz Iran’s trump card?

    The United States began implementing a blockade of all ships entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. President Trump took to social media and warned that any Iranian ships trying to approach the blockade would be “immediately ELIMINATED.” The blockade and escalating threats come after weeks of Iran being in control of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

    And over the weekend, delegates from the US and Iran failed to reach a resolution after 21 hours of peace talks. The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it’s winning the war, but so has the government in Tehran, which believes it is negotiating from a position of power. To help us understand why - and what Iran wants - Tristan and Asma are joined by Parham Ghobadi from the BBC Persian Service. Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Xandra Ellin and Aron Keller Sound engineer: Travis Evans Executive producer: Richard Fenton Smith Senior news editor: China Collins

    14 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 27 minutes 13 seconds
    What was the point of Artemis II?

    The Artemis II crew are back on solid ground having travelled further from earth than any human has before.

    The mission was an undoubted success. But aside from getting some stunning photos of the moon’s surface and the tiny blue dot we call home, what did we actually learn? And was it just a big PR exercise?

    BBC science correspondent Georgina Rannard joins us to discuss the point of the mission and what is next for Nasa.

    Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Valerio Esposito Sound engineer: Travis Evans Executive producer: James Shield Senior news editor: China Collins

    (Photo: The Artemis II crew of Nasa astronauts attend a press conference the day after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas, US. Credit: Lexi Parra/Reuters)

    13 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 57 minutes 11 seconds
    Recommending: The Sarkozy Affair

    In this episode of the BBC Radio 4 series, Archive on 4, our very own Tristan Redman tells the story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise and fall.

    The former French President was jailed last year for conspiring to fund his 2007 election campaign with money from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He’s currently appealing his sentence. And he has some powerful supporters.

    Using archive recordings and contemporary interviews with those who know Sarkozy well, Tristan Redman tells the story of how he became the first former French head of state to end up behind bars since Nazi collaborator, Philippe Pétain.

    Featuring investigative journalist, Fabrice Arfi from Mediapart; Daniele Klein whose brother was killed in the ‘French Lockerbie’ and her niece Melanie who lost her father; Alain Minc, one of Nicolas Sarkozy’s closest friends and advisers; the British writer and academic Andrew Hussey and Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, who was Sarkozy’s finance minister.

    Presenter: Tristan Redman

    Producer: Adele Armstrong

    Sound: Peregrine Andrews

    Editor: Penny Murphy

    Credits: Mediapart, Euronews, France Télévisions, TF1 and France 2

    12 April 2026, 12:08 pm
  • 26 minutes 55 seconds
    The gathering economic storm

    One condition of the US and Israel’s two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran is that ships must be able to safely use the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas supplies travel.

    In theory, the deal should cut the prices of fuel worldwide, as well as allowing essential supplies of fertiliser, helium and other goods to reach businesses. But the fragility of the ceasefire is leaving markets uncertain, and prices remain volatile.

    Will the ceasefire eventually help lower costs? And if so, when? Sean Farrington, presenter of the BBC’s Wake Up To Money, joins us to explain.

    For our explainer on the conflict in Lebanon, listen back to our episode from March 19th: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct71b5.

    Producers: Hannah Moore, Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth

    Executive Producer: James Shield

    Mix: Travis Evans

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    10 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 27 minutes 3 seconds
    Will his UK ban kill Kanye West's ‘comeback’?

    Kanye West’s history of antisemitic behaviour caught up with him this week. The UK banned him from visiting; preventing his recently-announced performance at the Wireless festival later this summer. His appearances in the UK are part of his ‘comeback’ tour for his new album, with performances scheduled in multiple countries this year.

    Kanye has apologised for his actions, which include releasing a song glorifying Hitler and selling t-shirts with swastikas, and blamed his bipolar diagnosis. With rising levels of global antisemitism, his appearances have become increasingly controversial. But despite his UK ban Kanye is selling out shows in US stadiums. So will Kanye West be able to make a comeback?

    Producer: Viv Jones, Lucy Pawle, Valerio Esposito, Xandra Ellin Digital producer: Matt Pintus Executive producer: James Shield Editor: China Collins

    (Photo: Kanye West in North Charleston, South Carolina, US, 19 July, 2020. Credit: Randall Hill/Reuters)

    9 April 2026, 9:00 am
  • 28 minutes 7 seconds
    Back from the brink: The Iran ceasefire

    Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire.

    Donald Trump says the US has “met and exceeded all military objectives”, while Iran says the ceasefire is a “humiliating retreat” for Washington. So what has actually been agreed, and is this ceasefire likely to pave the way for an ending to the war?

    We speak to Jane Corbin from the BBC’s Panorama, who has reported from the world's major conflict zones for three decades.

    Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller

    Executive producer: James Shield

    Studio manager: Mike Regaard

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    Photo:Iranians wave the country's flag following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock

    8 April 2026, 10:36 am
  • 26 minutes 54 seconds
    The medications that can trigger sex and gambling addictions

    A BBC investigation has heard from hundreds of people who say they developed sex and gambling addictions after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists.

    Millions of people in the US and around the world have been prescribed these medications, which are used to treat various illnesses, from Parkinson’s to depression. But they have well-established side effects: around 1 in 6 people who take them develop impulse control disorders.

    Noel Titheradge, investigations correspondent, shares the story of one American woman who developed hypersexuality after she took a dopamine agonist drug. Like many of the patients Noel has spoken to, she says she was not warned that her medication could dramatically change her personality.

    Noel’s investigation is also a BBC podcast series. Search for ‘Shadow World: Impulsive’.

    If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor. For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

    Producers: Viv Jones

    Executive producer: Bridget Harney

    Mix: Travis Evans

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    Photo: A mixture of pills. Credit: Lauren Hurley/PA Wire

    7 April 2026, 9:00 am
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