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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: theglobalstory@bbc.com #TheGlobalStory and tell us your thoughts on what you would like us to talk about.

The Global Story

In a week of high-stakes diplomacy, President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, has sparked intense debate. On this episode, Caitríona Perry is joined by Sumi Somaskanda and North America correspondent Nada Tawfik. They examine the implications of Biden’s decision on the future of presidential pardons and discuss how Donald Trump’s incoming administration plans to reshape America’s role on the global stage.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. And every Saturday until the inauguration of Donald Trump on the 20th of January, we bring you an update on his Path to the Presidency. If you don’t want to miss an episode, follow or subscribe to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You can email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com

Producers: Eleanor Sly and Charlie Jones

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas
 
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Path to the Presidency: Foreign policy

President Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria, ending 50 years of authoritarian rule by his family. Over the weekend, rebels who had already taken Aleppo and Hama began to close in on the city of Homs and set their eyes on the capital Damascus.

As it became clear that Assad had fled, the BBC's Lina Sinjab crossed the border from Lebanon, becoming the first western journalists to report from Damascus as a new era began. She tells Azadeh Moshiri how some Syrians celebrated while others looted the president's former home. And our Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, explains what the future might hold for Syria, now that everything has changed.

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 theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Richard Moran and Sergi Forcada Freixas

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

The final hours of the Assad regime

Syria’s notorious Saydnaya prison is one of many that have been liberated as rebels take control of the country. We hear from our correspondent Barbara Plett Usher who has been inside the prison where thousands of opposition supporters are said to have been tortured and executed under the Assad regime. Family members rushed in to see if their relatives were among those released. But will these people find answers in their search? And what will this mean for Syria’s future?

On this episode Azadeh Moshiri is joined by the BBC’s Middle East regional editor Sebastian Usher who compares the collapse of the regime to the start of the civil war, which began in 2011.

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 theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Beth Timmins

Sound engineer: Ben Andrews

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Saydnaya Prison: Inside Assad’s ‘human slaughterhouse’

This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual violence.

When Bashar al-Assad’s power was challenged in 2014, the Islamic State group filled the vacuum in Syria. Now the Assad regime has fallen, ending 50 years of rule by the family. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group who toppled the president, are now faced with governing a country occupied by various factions.

On today's episode, Azadeh Moshiri speaks to Barry Marston, the head of the BBC's jihadist media team, to ask how much of a threat the Islamic State group is today, and whether this new power vacuum could present them with a new opportunity for their brand of terror?

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 theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Richard Moran and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineer: Phillip Bull

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

As Syrians celebrate, IS watches closely

Is artificial intelligence making social media more dangerous? With online personalities increasingly dictating the way many of us live our lives, we are firmly in the age of the influencer. And with the advent of AI influencers, longstanding concerns about unrealistic beauty standards or unattainable lifestyle goals, are being argued even more strenuously by critics of the industry. But are the feeds of these AI-generated models any less 'real' than the enhanced profiles we have been exposed to for years?

On today's episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by the BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy. He reveals all on his recent trip to meet the creators of one of the world's most successful AI influencers, Aitana...

Producers: Laurie Kalus and Mariana Hernández Carrillo

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

The AI models invading our feeds

In 2022, mass protests erupted in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Those protests dissipated after a fierce crackdown. But individual acts of defiance and stories that tell the cost of activism have been making the headlines in recent weeks.

In this episode, Parham Ghobadi tells Azadeh Moshiri about the life of Kianoosh Sanjari, a young man who faced the brunt of government oppression, and took his own life in an apparent final act of defiance against the regime.

Producers: Richard Moran and Alix Pickles

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Life and death activism in Iran

Trump's immigration plans, their effect on agriculture, and social media clashes. On this episode, Caitríona Perry is joined by Sumi Somaskanda and North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. They discuss Donald Trump's key policy priorities as it gets closer and closer to his inauguration. This week the president-elect vowed to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in the United States on his first day in office. Mr Trump reiterated his plans for mass deportation for undocumented immigrants. What impact would that have on agriculture - a sector that relies heavily on migrant labour? 

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. And every Saturday until the inauguration of Donald Trump on the 20th of January, we bring you an update on his Path to the Presidency. If you don’t want to miss an episode, follow or subscribe to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You can email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com

Path to the Presidency: Policy priorities

Donald Trump's return to the White House is seen as a potential threat to European security. Some believe he could abandon the transatlantic military alliance Nato - but the organisation's new secretary general Mark Rutte seems convinced he will be persuaded to stay.

On this episode of The Global Story, Katya Adler speaks with the BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale about what impact losing the alliance’s biggest financial backer would have on the war in Ukraine - and the reasons why the incoming US President might be convinced to remain in Nato.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts, Laurie Kalus and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineer: Philip Bull

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Does Trump’s return threaten the future of Nato?

Next year, Mexico will become the first country in the world to begin electing all its judges by popular vote. The radical judicial reform was passed by the Senate in September, where the ruling Morena party hold a commanding majority. They argue the change will promote transparency and accountability in a justice system which has faced accusations of corruption, nepotism, and bowing to political and criminal pressure. But critics say it is a direct threat to democracy which weakens the ability of the judiciary to hold the government to account - including the Supreme Court.

On today's episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by the BBC's correspondent in Mexico, Will Grant. They examine the politics behind this shakeup, and discuss why many members of the legal community are protesting the measures.

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 theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Mariana Hernández Carrillo and Laurie Kalus

Sound engineer: Rohan Madison

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Why Mexico is electing judges by popular vote

For months a court room in the small French town of Avignon has demanded the world’s attention and shaken attitudes towards sexual violence and consent. Throughout the trial, Gisèle Pelicot has faced the 50 men accused of her rape and sexual assault while she was unconscious, drugged by her husband.

On today's episode Caitríona Perry speaks to the BBC's Paris correspondent Andrew Harding about Gisèle Pelicot and how she refused to carry the shame of the 51 men she faced in court.

If you need support with the issues we’ve been talking about, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide: www.befrienders.org. In the UK, you can find a list of organisations that can help at bbc.co.uk/actionline 

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 theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Richard Moran, Alix Pickles, Mhairi MacKenzie, Eleanor Sly

Sound engineers: Rohan Madison and Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Picture credit: EPA

Gisèle Pelicot and the 51 men she faced in court

The Islamic State group dominated headlines in the years after seizing large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The footage they shared of their brutal attacks and executions horrified the world, but attracted thousands of international recruits. 
Mina al-Lami from BBC Monitoring tells us that the groups fortunes fell in 2023, with them claiming far fewer attacks. And Josh Baker from The Shamima Begum Story podcast joins us to explain why they still pose a credible threat.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory
This episode was made by Richard Moran. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Islamic State group – spent force or present threat?

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