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The Global Story

BBC World Service

The Global Story

BBC World Service

Where the world and America meet, with episodes each weekday. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. Come and join us our live event. You can register for Castfest tickets here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026

Apr 03

Why the Royal visit to the US is dividing Brits

King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Washington DC this month at a time when the transatlantic relationship is at its lowest point in decades. The King is facing a difficult time at home in the UK too, with significant public opposition to the visit ...

Why the Royal visit to the US is dividing Brits

Apr 02

I wargamed Iran for the Pentagon - here is how it could end

Roughly 10,000 additional US troops have now arrived in the Middle East, giving President Trump options ranging from an invasion of Kharg Island to an elaborate special forces operations to seize Iran’s ‘nuclear dust’. For years, the Pentagon has run war ...

I wargamed Iran for the Pentagon - here is how it could end

Apr 01

JD Vance’s Iran test

When Donald Trump was re-elected on a ‘no more wars’ promise, his vice-president was his staunchest ally, criticising previous US foreign interventions, most notably in Iraq, as well as the US’ recent financial support for Ukraine. And yet, the vice-presid...

JD Vance’s Iran test

Mar 31

Has Trump pushed Cuba to the brink of collapse?

While still engaged in a war with Iran, Donald Trump’s attention is also on Havana. The US president suggested last week that he expects to soon have the “honour” of “taking Cuba, in some form”. He added “Whether I free it, take it—I think I can do anythin...

Has Trump pushed Cuba to the brink of collapse?

Mar 30

Is the Iran war helping Putin?

With the world’s attention on the war in Iran, Vladimir Putin appears to be stepping up Russia’s war in Ukraine. Last week saw the biggest Russian drone attack since the beginning of the war. Some Ukrainians believe Putin is doing this precisely because t...

Is the Iran war helping Putin?

Mar 30

Is the Iran war helping Putin?

With the world’s attention on the war in Iran, Vladimir Putin appears to be stepping up Russia’s war in Ukraine. Last week saw the biggest Russian drone attack since the beginning of the war. Some Ukrainians believe Putin is doing this precisely because t...

Is the Iran war helping Putin?

Mar 29

Recommending: 13 Minutes Presents Artemis II

Humans are returning to the Moon - hear all about it on the BBC’s space podcast. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon, with a new episode every day. Starts on Monday 30 March 2026. Search for 13 Minutes Presen...

Recommending: 13 Minutes Presents Artemis II

Mar 27

Meta and YouTube lose in a landmark trial

In a bellwether case, a jury in Los Angeles found on Wednesday that Meta and YouTube are responsible for a young woman’s childhood addiction to social media, and intentionally built addictive platforms that harmed her health. The companies say they intend...

Meta and YouTube lose in a landmark trial

Mar 26

The cities built on scamming us all

Have you ever received a call from a stranger regarding student loans you don’t owe? An Amazon order you never placed? An unpaid parking ticket for a car you don’t own? If so, it’s possible that you’ve been the target of a scam orchestrated by a criminal s...

The cities built on scamming us all

Mar 25

Are we heading for World War Three?

It has been almost a month since Israel and the US launched their war against Iran, and already there have been strikes in more than a dozen countries, with reports of over 2,000 people killed across the region. As the war drags on and more countries get i...

Are we heading for World War Three?

Mar 24

The Venezuela model for regime change

Nicolas Maduro, the deposed president of Venezuela, is due to appear in court in New York this week alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. The pair face charges of cocaine trafficking and possession of machine guns, which they deny. Meanwhile in their home cou...

The Venezuela model for regime change

Mar 23

Trump's Iran options

As the US and Israel war with Iran enters its fourth week, there are growing number of people in the United States calling for it end. But the military operations are increasing, not winding down. This is a critical moment where the war could turn into a ...

Trump's Iran options

Mar 20

Netanyahu is not dead. So why did the internet think he was?

Social media platforms this week have been flooded with a wild rumour: that Benjamin Netanyahu was dead (which he is not). Fake photos and videos of his body, coated with dust and debris, seemed to show that the Israeli prime minister had been killed in an...

Netanyahu is not dead. So why did the internet think he was?

Mar 19

The war in Lebanon, explained

Shortly after the US-Israeli war with Iran began, a second war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say that more than 900 people, including at least 111 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since 2 March. More ...

The war in Lebanon, explained

Mar 18

Listener Q&A on Iran

Since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, The Global Story listeners have been contacting us with questions: about the causes of the war, the legality of it, and how other countries are responding. As Gulf states get drawn further into the conflict, mi...

Listener Q&A on Iran

Mar 17

How does war affect a child’s brain?

For nearly forty years, Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from some of the world’s most brutal conflicts – in Gaza, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond – and in that time interviewed scores of children who are the innocent victims of adult wars. A...

How does war affect a child’s brain?

Mar 16

Was the air strike on an Iranian school a war crime?

WARNING: This episode contains some graphic descriptions of violence. Since an air strike on a school in Iran two weeks ago, the Pentagon has faced mounting questions over the possible involvement of the US military. Iranian officials say the strike kille...

Was the air strike on an Iranian school a war crime?

Mar 14

Jeremy Bowen: Trump has called for an Iran uprising. The lessons from Iraq in 1991 loom large

In this special essay, the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen explains what can happen when an American president calls for an uprising – and then doesn’t get involved when it starts. A version of this piece first ran on BBC Radio 4's Today programme...

Jeremy Bowen: Trump has called for an Iran uprising. The lessons from Iraq in 1991 loom large

Mar 13

How the Oscars went international

On Sunday, many of the film industry’s biggest stars will gather in Los Angeles for Hollywood’s biggest night: the 98th annual Academy Awards. Looming over the celebrations are some major upheavals in Hollywood: big corporate mergers, the incursion of AI,...

How the Oscars went international

Mar 12

Why is Donald Trump obsessed with the Chagos Islands?

At a recent White House event, President Trump assessed how America’s allies have responded to the US-Israel war in Iran. He praised some, but was angry with others, notably Britain and its prime minister Keir Starmer. His anger with the UK seemed to centr...

Why is Donald Trump obsessed with the Chagos Islands?