The city the world is watching. Overflowing with hungry refugees and facing a lethal showdown between Hamas and Israeli forces, Rafah is at the heart of an urgent push for peace. Children are scavenging for food even as aid trucks line up over the border in Egypt and diplomats try to avert a further humanitarian catastrophe. President Biden is positive a deal can be reached. But Israel says its hostages must be home by Ramadan, or else. Katya speaks to the BBC’s Gaza correspondent, Rushdi Abualouf, and our special correspondent in Jerusalem, Fergal Keane. 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 #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com or message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s podcast was made by Neal Razzell, Bethan Ashmead Latham and Laurie Kalus. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Rafah: caught in the crossfire (again)

The one big story. Making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, Monday to Friday, from the BBC.  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.

News

It is 30 years since the end of apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela was elected as the country's first black president. Since then, Mandela’s party - the African National Congress - has dominated politics, delivering every president.  People are going to the polls again at the end of this month. Nomsa Maseko, the BBC's South Africa correspondent tells us what the elections might mean for the rainbow nation as voters weigh frustration and loyalty to Mandela's ANC party. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory. The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app. This episode was made by Richard Moran, Tom Kavanagh and Rachel Hagan. The technical producers was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

South Africa elections: 'Democracy means nothing to me'

The war in Ukraine has turned from a relative stalemate to a major Russian offensive in the past few weeks. Several villages on Ukraine's north-eastern frontier near the city of Kharkiv have fallen under Moscow's control. Now overstretched Ukrainian troops are struggling to contain the most significant ground offensive since 2022. On this episode Katya Adler is joined by the BBC's Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and the host of Ukrainecast Vitaly Shevchenko to discuss whether Russia is starting to win the war with Ukraine. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.  The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.  This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Emilia Jansson. The technical producers were Ben Andrews and Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

War in Ukraine: Is Russia winning?

India is in the middle of the biggest election the world has ever seen, and social media has become a vital political tool for candidates trying to reach around a billion voters across the country.  Katya Adler is joined by Devina Gupta and Shruti Menon in the BBC’s Delhi bureau for a look inside the digital campaigns of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main opponent, Rahul Gandhi. And they ask, how can Indian avoid the threat of online disinformation and deepfakes? The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory. The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app. This episode was made by Peter Goffin and Beth Timmins. The technical producers were Mike Regaard, Hannah Montgomery and Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

India election: Modi's massive social media machine

Iran is reeling after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The country is already trying to balance deepening conflicts in the Middle East and political pressure from its own. Could this be a moment for change in Tehran? Or will the regime only tighten its grip on power? Katya Adler speaks to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet about Iran’s next move. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory. The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app. This episode was made by Peter Goffin and Beth Timmins. The technical producers were Ben Andrews and Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Iran: What's next after the president's death?

For decades, China has been 'on the rise'. In that time, perceptions in the West have shifted from seeing the country as a manufacturing centre, to a potential partner to a possible threat. But how does China see the West? And if Beijing is hoping to bring a change in the global order, is it on a collision course with governments in the West? The BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera has been taking a deep dive into this relationship for a new podcast series 'Shadow War: China and the West', which is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001z66c The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory. TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app. This episode was made by Alix Pickles and Richard Moran. The technical producers were Hannah Montgomery and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Rafah: caught in the crossfire (again)

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