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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.

Come and join us our live event. You can register for Castfest tickets here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026

The Global Story

For decades, Pakistan sat on the margins of global diplomacy. But now it’s due to be the unlikely venue for another round of peace talks between the US and Iran.

We speak to the BBC’s Pakistan correspondent, Carrie Davies, to ask how the country became a trusted intermediary between the parties in this conflict, and whether it can use this moment to increase its influence on the world stage.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Viv Jones, Aron Keller and Xandra Ellin

Studio managers: Mike Regaard and Ricardo McCarthy

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: U.S. Vice President JD Vance with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir after arriving for first round of talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan, April 11, 2026. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Reuters

How Pakistan became the peacemaker

When the ceasefire deal was announced more than six months ago, there was celebration and relief in Gaza and Israel. But since the US-led Board of Peace announced plans to rebuild Gaza, the Trump administration’s attention has been occupied by other matters.

The success of the ceasefire deal hinges on Hamas disarmament and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. So what progress has been made?

We speak to Yolande Knell, the BBC's Middle East correspondent, about life inside Gaza since the Iran War began.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Lucy Pawle and Xandra Ellin

Studio managers: Dafydd Evans and Mike Regaard

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo credits: A displaced Palestinian woman stands on a balcony inside a building damaged during the war at Al-Aqsa University, now used as a shelter, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, April 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Haseeb Alwazeer.

While the world’s eyes were on Iran, what happened in Gaza?

In 2024, reports emerged of a highly sophisticated cyber espionage campaign against US telecoms companies, which some analysts believe went all the way up to the Chinese government.

The group behind this campaign would later be codenamed Salt Typhoon, and it is believed to have quietly infiltrated critical US telecoms infrastructure in order to collect private information on influential Americans – including presidential candidates. In the process, it may have also swept up data from millions of ordinary Americans. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for Salt Typhoon.

We speak to former Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger, who was working inside the White House when the attacks were first uncovered. We also speak to BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy about how this hack unfolded – and what it reveals about who may be winning the cyber war.

Producer: Aron Keller 

Sound engineer: Travis Evans 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

(Photo: Analysts in the Security Operations Center at the Dell Secure Works office in South Carolina, US. Credit: Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

The Chinese cyber-attack that could have stolen data from every American

Anthropic, one of Silicon Valley’s leading AI firms, have built a new model which they say is too dangerous to be released to the public.

Instead, they are only giving access to Claude Mythos Preview to a handful of big companies to help them find and fix security vulnerabilities. The company says the model has already found weak spots in “every major operating system and web browser”. Is this a genuine example of an AI company acting responsibly, or more of a carefully calibrated publicity move? 

We speak to the BBC’s North America tech correspondent, Lily Jamali, about whether this is a watershed moment for AI. 

Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

Credit: Jurassic Park (1993) / Dir: Stephen Spielberg / Universal Pictures 

Photo: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Reuters/Denis Balibouse.

Mythos: The AI model that’s ‘too powerful’ for public release

Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration”, after his criticism of the Iran war drew scorn from President Donald Trump. 

On Sunday, the US President called the Pope “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”, and posted a now-deleted AI image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure.The posts caused outrage among Catholics and the religious right, but he has said he will not apologise to the Pope. 

We speak to BBC presenter and author Edward Stourton, who has reported on religious affairs and US politics for decades, about what happens when an American president takes on an American Pope. 

Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Pope Leo XIV addresses journalists during the flight heading to Algiers on April 13, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Alberto Pizzoli.

Trump v Pope

The United States began implementing a blockade of all ships entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. President Trump took to social media and warned that any Iranian ships trying to approach the blockade would be “immediately ELIMINATED.” 
 
The blockade and escalating threats come after weeks of Iran being in control of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. 

And over the weekend, delegates from the US and Iran failed to reach a resolution after 21 hours of peace talks.
 
The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it’s winning the war, but so has the government in Tehran, which believes it is negotiating from a position of power. 
 
To help us understand why - and what Iran wants - Tristan and Asma are joined by Parham Ghobadi from the BBC Persian Service. 
 
Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Xandra Ellin and Aron Keller 
Sound engineer: Travis Evans 
Executive producer: Richard Fenton Smith 
Senior news editor: China Collins

Is the Strait of Hormuz Iran’s trump card?

The Artemis II crew are back on solid ground having travelled further from earth than any human has before. 

The mission was an undoubted success. But aside from getting some stunning photos of the moon’s surface and the tiny blue dot we call home, what did we actually learn? And was it just a big PR exercise? 

BBC science correspondent Georgina Rannard joins us to discuss the point of the mission and what is next for Nasa.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Valerio Esposito
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: The Artemis II crew of Nasa astronauts attend a press conference the day after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas, US. Credit: Lexi Parra/Reuters)

What was the point of Artemis II?

In this episode of the BBC Radio 4 series, Archive on 4, our very own Tristan Redman tells the story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise and fall.

The former French President was jailed last year for conspiring to fund his 2007 election campaign with money from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He’s currently appealing his sentence. And he has some powerful supporters.

Using archive recordings and contemporary interviews with those who know Sarkozy well, Tristan Redman tells the story of how he became the first former French head of state to end up behind bars since Nazi collaborator, Philippe Pétain.

Featuring investigative journalist, Fabrice Arfi from Mediapart; Daniele Klein whose brother was killed in the ‘French Lockerbie’ and her niece Melanie who lost her father; Alain Minc, one of Nicolas Sarkozy’s closest friends and advisers; the British writer and academic Andrew Hussey and Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, who was Sarkozy’s finance minister.

Presenter: Tristan Redman

Producer: Adele Armstrong

Sound: Peregrine Andrews

Editor: Penny Murphy

Credits: Mediapart, Euronews, France Télévisions, TF1 and France 2

Recommending: The Sarkozy Affair

One condition of the US and Israel’s two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran is that ships must be able to safely use the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas supplies travel. 

In theory, the deal should cut the prices of fuel worldwide, as well as allowing essential supplies of fertiliser, helium and other goods to reach businesses. But the fragility of the ceasefire is leaving markets uncertain, and prices remain volatile. 

Will the ceasefire eventually help lower costs? And if so, when? Sean Farrington, presenter of the BBC’s Wake Up To Money, joins us to explain. 

For our explainer on the conflict in Lebanon, listen back to our episode from March 19th: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct71b5. 

Producers: Hannah Moore, Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth 

Executive Producer: James Shield 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins

The gathering economic storm

Kanye West’s history of antisemitic behaviour caught up with him this week. The UK banned him from visiting; preventing his recently-announced performance at the Wireless festival later this summer. His appearances in the UK are part of his ‘comeback’ tour for his new album, with performances scheduled in multiple countries this year.

Kanye has apologised for his actions, which include releasing a song glorifying Hitler and selling t-shirts with swastikas, and blamed his bipolar diagnosis. With rising levels of global antisemitism, his appearances have become increasingly controversial. But despite his UK ban Kanye is selling out shows in US stadiums. So will Kanye West be able to make a comeback?

Producer: Viv Jones, Lucy Pawle, Valerio Esposito, Xandra Ellin
Digital producer: Matt Pintus
Executive producer: James Shield
Editor: China Collins

(Photo: Kanye West in North Charleston, South Carolina, US, 19 July, 2020. Credit: Randall Hill/Reuters)

Will his UK ban kill Kanye West's ‘comeback’?

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-president, who has substantial MAGA support and is expected to run for the 2028 presidency, now finds himself among Trump’s team negotiating an end to the US-Israel war on Iran, a war he was reportedly skeptical of launching. 

What tactics will Vance use to secure both the interests of the president abroad, and his own domestic popularity among MAGA supporters who do not support the war? BBC Washington correspondent Daniel Bush joins us to discuss. 
 
Producer: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin 
Sound engineer: Travis Evans 
Senior news editor: China Collins

JD Vance’s Iran test

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