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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.

The Global Story

On Monday, Hong Kong's pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding with foreign forces under the city's controversial national security law. The family of the 78-year-old, who is a British citizen, have appealed to foreign governments to call for Lai’s release. 
Lai’s sentence, which is the harshest yet under this law, has caused global concern over whether this is an attempt by Beijing to crackdown on dissent and democracy in the Chinese territory. 
We speak to Danny Vincent, the BBC’s Hong Kong reporter, who was the last journalist to interview Jimmy Lai. 
Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Chris Benderev 
Executive producer: James Shield 
Mix: Travis Evans 
Senior news editor: China Collins 
Photo: Jimmy Lai is escorted out of a Correctional Services Department vehicle and into the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong, China, 09 February 2021. Credit: Tyrone Sui/Reuters

With Jimmy Lai in jail, have Trump and the West abandoned Hong Kong?

During Sunday's Super Bowl in California, a flurry of ads from drug manufacturers and telehealth companies implored viewers at home to "ask their doctor” about a class of weight loss drugs, known as GLP-1s. 

These medications — like Mounjaro and Wegovy — have become ubiquitous. In just a few short years, they’ve transformed the way we live, move, and eat, whether we take them or not. And access and demand are only increasing, as pill forms of the drugs come onto the market. 

But where did they come from? And how are they reshaping our world? Today, we speak to Giles Yeo, a professor of molecular neuroendocrinology at the University of Cambridge, about the so-called weight loss revolution.

Producer: Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Someone using a set of weighing scales. Chris Radburn/PA)

The ‘weight loss revolution’ changing the world

The top official from ICE – US Immigration and Customs Enforcement – will testify in front of Congress this week, for the first time since two people were shot and killed in Minneapolis. 
 
Democrats are demanding changes to the way ICE operates, including banning face masks and requiring agents to have warrants signed by a judge before they can enter private properties. Republicans say these measures could make officers less safe. 
 
Meanwhile, the controversy over ICE has spread to other countries. A protest broke out in Milan in response to the presence of ICE agents in Italy, who say they are helping with American security operations during the Winter Olympics. 
 
Camilo Montoya-Galvez, immigration reporter for CBS News, has been covering ICE operations across multiple US cities. He tells us the history of how this previously little-known law enforcement agency was created, and how it has become so internationally controversial. 
 
Producers: Viv Jones, Aron Keller and Chris Benderev 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

Photo: Anti-ICE protests in Milan. Credit: Reuters/ Alkis Konstantinidis

The origins of ICE

2026 has already been a huge year for international news, from Venezuela to Greenland to Iran. 

We wanted to get our heads around what other seismic changes we can expect in the rest of 2026: from Europe’s new dynamic with Washington, to President Trump’s meeting with President Xi of China, to the rebuilding of Gaza. 

So we sat down with two foreign policy experts: Tom Bateman, the BBC’s State Department Correspondent, and Emma Ashford, a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and author of First Among Equals: US Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World. 

We were joined in the heart of Washington DC by a live audience at Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship. 

Recorded Monday 2 February. 

Producers: Chris Benderev and Xandra Ellin 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A live taping of The Global Story in Washington DC on 2 February 2026. Credit:Emma Carroll Hudson/Syracuse University

Live in Washington DC

Warning: this episode contains themes of sexual abuse.

Following the release of the latest tranche of Epstein files, renewed scrutiny has fallen on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s links to powerful figures in the United States. In the UK, attention has shifted to a related controversy that is now sending tremors through Westminster.

Newly surfaced email exchanges between Epstein and former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson - also known as Britain’s “Prince of Darkness”, have raised questions about the nature of their relationship and its political ramifications, triggering a police investigation and threatening the position of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

George Parker, the Financial Times Political Editor and BBC Radio Presenter, has known the man in question for over three decades. He talks about the seismic implications the Epstein files are having on British politics.

Producers: Samantha Chantarasak, Valerio Esposito and Cat Farnsworth

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Peter Mandelson and Keir Starmer. Credit: Carl Court/PA Wire

Could the Epstein scandal topple the British Prime Minister?

On Sunday, Bad Bunny will perform at the Super Bowl half time show to an audience of more than 100 million people across the world. But the NFL’s choice of the Puerto Rican star has proven controversial, because he has long been outspoken in his criticism of the US government, including most recently at the 2026 Grammy Awards, when he called for ICE agents to be removed from the streets. 

In today’s episode, Puerto Rican cultural critic Carina del Valle Schorske, who profiled Bad Bunny for The New York Times Magazine, explains how the artist’s pride in his homeland is infused throughout his music, and considers how he might use the US’ biggest stage this weekend to challenge the president’s policies. 

This episode was updated on 5 February 2026 for music rights reasons.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Bad Bunny poses on the red carpet during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Credit: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Will Bad Bunny take on MAGA at the Super Bowl?

For three weeks, the world has been watching to see whether Donald Trump will order military strikes on Iran. The US military has been building up forces close to the Islamic Republic, including an aircraft carrier and several warships which President Trump has been calling an “armada.” 

Trump says he wants to do a deal with Iran, and the two sides appear to be talking. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister on Friday in Istanbul. But Trump has threatened that if no agreement is reached, he’s ready to order US forces into action.
 
Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, lays out what could happen if talks fail, and Trump decides to strike Iran. He describes several scenarios that might have major consequences for the Iranian leadership, its people, the wider region and the world. 
 
Producers: Viv Jones 
 
Executive producer: Bridget Harney 
 
Sound engineer: Travis Evans 
 
Senior news editor: China Collins 
 
(Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei. Credit: Iran’s Supreme Leader Office/EPA/Shutterstock)

What could happen if the US strikes Iran?

President Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris climate agreement for the second time and also announced plans to leave the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In his first year back in office, Trump has rolled back restrictions on oil, gas and coal – and has urged other countries to do the same. 
China, meanwhile, has spent the past decade consolidating its expansion into clean energy technologies, even as it remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. 
In today’s episode, BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt explains how the growing energy rivalry between the world's biggest superpowers will shape the future of geopolitics and have profound consequences for the planet’s ability to cut carbon emissions. 

Producers: Aron Keller and Hannah Moore 
Mix: Travis Evans 
Executive producers: James Shield and Bridget Harney 
Senior news editor: China Collins 

(Photo: A wind turbine and solar panels in Yancheng, China. Credit: Alex Plavesvski/ EPA)

How China beat the US on green energy

The US military has begun to transfer up to 7000 Islamic State (IS) group detainees held in prisons in Syria to Iraq, which officials say is to prevent prisoners breaking out and regrouping. The transfer comes weeks after the US led large-scale strikes on IS group targets in Syria. 

The move comes after clashes between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which last week ended in a deal that would see the gradual integration of Kurdish forces and institutions into the state, and transfer control of the prisons to Damascus.
 
Today we talk to Josh Baker, investigative journalist and host of the BBC podcast I Am Not A Monster, about the state of the IS group, and whether the country’s instability could lead to a resurgence in Syria 

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy Pawle 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Photo: A member of the Syrian security forces stands in front of the gate of the Al-Hol camp, which houses families of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Credit: Mohammed al-Rifai/EPA/Shutterstock

Is ISIS having a resurgence in Syria?

Palantir isn’t just another tech firm - it’s reach cuts across almost every aspect of modern life, from AI to healthcare to Formula 1 racing. 

Founded in 2003 to support US counter-terrorism efforts, the company has since grown into a global powerhouse and is central to the Trump administration's policies, from its military to immigration enforcement. 

At the centre of it all is billionaire co-founder Alex Karp – the philosopher turned tech-CEO who built the company from the ground up. 

So how did this software company built for bad times become indispensable to governments across the globe, and what does its rise reveal about the future of politics? 

We speak to journalist Michael Steinberger whose book The Philosopher in the Valley charts Karp’s life and Palantir’s rise. 

Producer: Aron Keller 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Executive producer: China Collins 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

Photo: Palantir co-founder & CEO Alex Karp. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.

How Palantir became indispensable

The US and Cuba have for decades had a troubled relationship, with the former imposing sanctions and travel restrictions on its close Caribbean neighbour. Now, in its attack on Venezuela, and the capture of president Nicolas Maduro, the US has dealt Cuba a blow so significant that President Trump has warned the socialist state is, “ready to fall”. 

Today, BBC Central America and Cuba correspondent Will Grant explains the deeply intertwined relationship between Venezuela and Cuba, and how Havana’s government plans to stand up to Trump. 

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaks during an event in support of Venezuela in Havana. Credit: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/Shutterstock.

Is Cuba next?

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