The Global Story

What do the leaders gathered at the United Nations this week make of the US election? Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Katty Kay discuss the global perspective on the election. They also look at the implications of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment for the Democrats and preview the key strategies each campaign will focus on in next week’s vice-presidential debate. Until the US electi...

When OceanGate's Titan submersible went missing last June, it sparked a monumental rescue mission which captured the attention of the world. After days of searching, authorities concluded that the vessel had suffered a catastrophic implosion, and that all five passengers died almost instantly. For the past two weeks, the US Coast Guard has been hearing testimonies from former employees and industr...

Israel and Hezbollah’s intensifying conflict is affecting a country already on edge. Over 90,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon as cross-border violence, ongoing for nearly a year, has reached new heights. More than 600 people have been reported killed across Lebanon since Monday, when Israel began an intense air campaign to destroy what it said was infrastructure built up by Hezbollah sinc...

November’s presidential election could highlight the political power of the largest minority group in the United States. Roughly one in five people in the US identifies as Latino, and in a close race, which way they vote could prove crucial, particularly in several swing states being keenly targeted by both major parties. On this episode of The Global Story, we explore the main political issues of...

The United States has long been seen as the world’s leading superpower. It is home to the globe’s biggest military and political force – but has many diplomatic challenges. From the wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, to the growing influence of global rivals like China, to the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea. This year’s presidential candidates Donald Tru...

The BBC sees first-hand the desperate conditions civilians in Sudan are living through. With the world’s attention trained on the war in Ukraine and the devastation in Gaza, another conflict which has been raging since April 2023 has received comparably little coverage. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has taken a horrific toll on the countr...

Caitríona Perry and Sumi Somaskanda discuss voter sentiment in Michigan, how race and gender are affecting the election campaign, and the aftermath of a second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Until the US election, every weekend The Global Story brings you "Path to the Presidency," where we delve into the state of the race and examine what’s on the minds of those closest to it. The...

Rupert Murdoch is locked in a secret court battle with three of his eldest children, over the future of his media empire. The news mogul owns some of the most influential outlets in the world, including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The Times of London. It has been reported that Mr Murdoch wants to amend a family trust to ensure his son and political disciple Lachlan inherits controlling...

Mohamed Al Fayed was an Egyptian billionaire businessman who owned Harrods in London, one of the world's most famous department stores. He also owned the Ritz Hotel in Paris and Fulham Football Club, and famously courted the British Royal Family. But a new BBC investigation reveals he's also accused of being a serial rapist and abuser of women in his employment. Katya Adler speaks with Cassie Corn...

More blasts have been reported in Lebanon, after a series of pagers exploded across the country. In what appears to be a highly sophisticated attack, devices used by the armed group Hezbollah were targeted, and the operation has captivated the security community. Hezbollah blames Israel, with which they have been exchanging cross-border fire for months, and has vowed to retaliate. With multiple re...

Can Taylor Swift and Elon Musk swing the vote for Harris or Trump? From Billie Eilish to Oprah, Hulk Hogan to Kid Rock, the rich and famous are lining up behind the 2024 presidential candidates. But will Americans vote the way their favourite celebrities tell them too? Or is it all just window dressing for the presidential campaigns? In this episode Caitríona Perry speaks to reporter Ana Faguy fro...

How are Afghanistan’s women and girls coping with harsh new restrictions? When the Taliban took back power in 2021, it promised to uphold women’s rights with the limits of what it called “Islamic law”. But officials have placed strict limits on women’s education, employment opportunities, dress codes and, now, even the volume at which they speak. In this episode, Katya Adler speaks to the BBC’s So...

Violent unrest is forcing Ireland to reckon with increasing hostility to high levels of immigration, which has not traditionally been a major point of political debate. That is changing, however, with roughly one in five Irish residents today born overseas. The country is grappling with a burgeoning far right movement, with much of the conversation happening on social media. In recent years, hosti...

Did the Harris-Trump debate actually change voters' minds? Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Katty Kay discuss the state of the 2024 US election, explore what’s happening behind the scenes of the campaigns, and provide insights into how both voters and candidates are preparing for election day. From now until the US election, every weekend The Global Story brings you "Path to the Presidency,"...

Ever since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine there have been widespread reports of Russians reporting fellow citizens to the police for anti-war views; often leading to prosecution and, in some cases, prison sentences. It’s revived memories of the Soviet past when informing on colleagues and neighbours was actively encouraged. Katya Adler speaks to our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg abou...

Inside a 30-year mission to expose a pattern of infanticide. In the 1990s, midwives in northern India admitted that they were regularly paid to kill new-born baby girls whose families did not want them. It’s an issue that speaks to India’s complicated relationships with gender, caste and wealth. So what do these killings say about the status of women and girls in India? And why are some babies sti...

The Republican and Democratic presidential candidates traded claims over key election issues including the economy, immigration and abortion. They discussed policy but personal attacks also dominated their first debate. So, who had a good night, and to what extent will this debate sway voters, with less than two months to go before polling day? Sumi Somaskanda hosts this episode from Philadelphia,...

Brazil’s Supreme Court has banned the social media platform X - formerly known as Twitter. It was one of the platform’s biggest markets, with millions of Brazilians using it. The boss of X, Elon Musk, has complained that the move is destroying free speech but the country's top judge says it is necessary to stop the spread of disinformation. Katya Adler speaks with Daniel Gallas and Leandro Prazere...

Democrats and Republicans are donating billions to back candidates in November’s election. So far, the 2024 US election has been defined by surprises and unprecedented moments. But if one thing is certain, it's that the election will cost a lot of money. Donors from both major parties are donating billions of dollars in the hopes of seeing their candidates win the White House and hundreds of local...

Israel has been rocked by huge protests after six hostages being held in Gaza were shot and killed last weekend. Fury at the Netanyahu government’s handling of negotiations with Hamas has prompted a wave of public indignation which has spilled into the streets. We examine whether or not the demonstrations and rising international pressure over the number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza, will...

BBC analysis has identified almost 200 settler outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under both international and Israeli law. Experts say these outposts are able to seize large swathes of land more rapidly than settlements, and are increasingly linked to violence and harassment towards Palestinian communities. And the BBC World Service has seen documents showing that organisations with clo...

The Hungarian prime minister has become a hero to many US conservatives. So how has Mr Orban changed Hungary throughout his 14 years in power? And why is he such an appealing figure to right-wing politicians around the world? In this episode, Sumi Somaskanda speaks to the BBC’s Central Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe, who has been covering Mr Orban’s career since the 1980s. The Global Story bring...

Nearly a decade ago, China promised to provide 10,000 remote villages in Africa with free digital TV access. It was a sign of warm relations between Bejing and the continent - as well as being another step in China’s plan to spread its influence across the globe. Caitriona Perry speaks with Shawn Yuan and Ankur Shah from the BBC's Global China unit about whether China really managed to expand its...

Two Nasa astronauts are stuck in space after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered technical problems. It’s the latest in a long line of crises facing the company, which is one of the largest and most important in the United States. So, is this one failure too far for Boeing? Sumi Somaskanda speaks to the BBC’s business correspondent Theo Leggett and climate and science reporter Georgina Rann...

Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov, is under investigation over criminal activity on the messaging app. He spent four days in detention after being arrested when arriving in France and is now barred from leaving the country. Sumi Somaskanda speaks to the BBC's Cyber Correspondent, Joe Tidy about what Durov's arrest means for Telegram. And what it signals about future moderation on social media platforms......