The Global Story

BBC World Service

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.

  • 26 minutes 15 seconds
    Inside Ukraine as Trump targets minerals

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to Washington on Friday, after a preliminary deal was agreed to share his country's mineral resources. Kyiv insists it is still seeking additional security guarantees from the US, before anything is signed. Meanwhile, Ukraine's long defence against Russia's invasion continues, and three years into the war some frontline troops have told the BBC they feel revitalised after the Trump administration excluded them from controversial negotiations with Vladimir Putin. But can they really fight on?

    On today's episode Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's international editor, Jeremy Bowen. We hear his take on the current attitudes of those inside Ukraine, after reuniting with some of the people he met there during the first weeks of war.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Peter Goffin, Laurie Kalus, and Mhairi MacKenzie

    Sound engineer: Phil Bull

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    27 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 25 minutes 57 seconds
    Why are more younger adults getting cancer?

    The number of cancer cases among the under-50s around the world appears to have risen sharply in the past 30 years. Studies have shown that there are rising cases of breast, colorectal and other cancers in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. But what is driving the increase in younger adults getting cancer and can anything be done to stop it?

    Presenter Jonny Dymond speaks to freelance health journalist David Cox about what scientists think could be driving this worrying trend.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Eleanor Sly

    Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Phil Bull

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    26 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 24 minutes 29 seconds
    China’s approach to Trump 2.0

    The challenges and opportunities facing Beijing. China has been recalibrating its economic, political and diplomatic strategies since Donald Trump returned to the White House. From renewing the state’s relationship with powerful tech giants to expanding Chinese influence in the developing world, President Xi Jinping is preparing his country for a new international order.

    On this episode, presenter Jonny Dymond speaks to the BBC’s China correspondent Laura Bicker.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

    (Picture: Headshot of China's President Xi Jinping. Credit: Adriano Machado/Reuters)

    Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

    Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Phil Bull Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    25 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 24 minutes 58 seconds
    Inside Russia: Putin’s war, three years on

    What have Russians won and lost during the conflict in Ukraine? Three years after the start of its full-scale invasion, Russia has entered talks with Donald Trump – and not Kyiv – about ending the war. For Vladimir Putin, this could be a chance to end the conflict on his terms, and forge a new international order with Russia and the US at its centre. But what about the people who live under Putin’s rule? What do Russians stand to gain from these talks?

    On this episode, presenter Lucy Hockings is joined by the BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

    Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    24 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 24 minutes 29 seconds
    The President's Path: Trump and Zelensky's rift

    The world of international relations was shaken as the US held talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The relationship between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky has soured, with Trump calling Zelensky a "dictator" and accusing him of doing a "terrible job." Zelensky has fired back, claiming that the US President is trapped in a "disinformation space" fuelled by Russia.

    On this episode, Caitríona Perry is joined by Sumi Somaskanda, who is in Berlin to cover the German elections, and Bernd Debusmann, who has been travelling with President Trump aboard Air Force One. Together, they explore the implications of this dramatic turn in global politics.

    Producers: Charlie Jones and Aisling Taylor

    Sound engineer: Hannah Montgomery

    Editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    22 February 2025, 6:00 am
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?

    With President Trump back in the White House, his Brazilian former counterpart Jair Bolsonaro is attempting his own return to high office. Bolsonaro has been nicknamed the 'Trump of the Tropics' but he is facing a lot of hurdles to reclaim his position. He has been barred from standing in the next election by the courts and he has been charged with planning a coup.

    Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's South America correspondent Ione Wells. They discuss the close relationship between Trump and Bolsonaro and ask whether or not Brazil’s former president might ever be able to return to office.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

    (Picture: Headshot of Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Credit: Adriano Machado/Reuters)

    Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts, Laurie Kalus and Beth Timmins

    Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    21 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 24 minutes 55 seconds
    From welcome to wary: Europe's divide on migration

    A decade of migration through the eyes of a German city. Ten years ago Germany opened its borders to more than a million people at the height of Europe’s so-called migrant crisis. A decade later, that warm welcome has cooled as issues of culture, integration and national identity spark fierce debate across the continent. With German elections just days away, the BBC has revisited one migrant family and the city they landed in, to see how life has changed since 2015 – and what their experience says about the way Europeans now view migration.

    On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC’s Berlin correspondent Jess Parker, and Mark Lowen, the BBC’s former southern Europe correspondent who covered the refugee crisis for years.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

    Sound engineers: Hannah Montgomery and Mike Regaard

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    20 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 25 minutes 25 seconds
    Is Rwanda backing rebels in the DRC?

    The mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Violence has once again seen an uptick in recent months as the M23 rebel group has captured a number of key cities and towns. Led by ethnic Tutsis, the militia has long been associated with the Rwandan government by the UN and others, but President Paul Kagame has consistently dismissed the links. But, as international attention on the humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC grows, is this a line he can sustain?

    On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Deputy Africa Editor, Anne Soy. They track the origins of the conflict, and consider the incentive behind Rwanda's alleged involvement.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Laurie Kalus and Beth Timmins

    Sound engineer: Dafydd Evans

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    19 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 24 minutes 12 seconds
    How can Europe defend itself without the United States?

    With the Trump administration threatening to redirect America's foreign defence spending from Ukraine and Europe to other parts of the world, European leaders are grappling with what the future of their security could be without US support.

    Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale. They discuss the threat of Russia and how Europe could defend its borders if the United States were to withdraw its money and manpower from the continent.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts, Eleanor Sly and Laurie Kalus

    Sound engineer: Gareth Jones

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    18 February 2025, 6:30 am
  • 29 minutes 10 seconds
    The President’s Path: The push to end the war in Ukraine

    On this episode of The President’s Path, Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda and Bernd Debusmann Jr discuss a week of major foreign policy developments in Washington DC.

    The proposed meetings between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could herald a new dawn in US-Russia relations, while critics fear Ukraine could be sidelined during negotiations to end the war in the country.

    Plus, the latest on the president’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip, which he reiterated during a visit from King Abdullah of Jordan. And how rising egg prices could be a major thorn in the side of the new administration.

    Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Charlie Jones

    Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

    Assistant editors: Sergi Forcada Freixas and Alice Aylett Roberts

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    15 February 2025, 9:50 am
  • 26 minutes 24 seconds
    Has one phone call sealed Ukraine's fate?

    In a surprise move this week, US President Donald Trump announced that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The pair held what Washington described as a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call, ending an effective boycott of high-level diplomatic dialogue with the Kremlin by western leaders. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke separately with President Trump, has emphasised his scepticism about Russia's readiness for peace. So, does this moment mark the first step towards formal talks?

    On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet. She dialled in from the Munich Security Conference, where Ukraine looks to be high on the agenda.

    The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

    Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Tom Kavanagh

    Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

    Senior news editor: China Collins

    14 February 2025, 6:30 am
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