The Global Story

When Donald Trump began his second term in the White House, many European leaders chose to pursue flattery instead of a fight. Most sought to avoid public confrontation even as Trump instituted tariffs, spoke of annexing Greenland, and went to war with Iran.

But lately more European leaders across the political spectrum - from longtime allies to ideological opponents - are willing to openly contradict and criticise the American president. The White House appears to be retaliating, especially against Germany, from which the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 troops.

Has Europe suddenly become more defiant? And what happens next? Asma speaks to the BBC’s Europe editor, Katya Adler.

Producers: Valerio Esposito, Chris Benderev and Hannah Moore

Photo: US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold a bilateral meeting at the White House, 03 March 2026. Credit: Samuel Corum/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock

In recent months, the Russian government has been restricting access to messaging apps such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, and at points, even shutting down internet access completely.

Russian officials insist that curbs on communication are in the interests of public safety. They claim that mobile internet blackouts disorient Ukrainian attack drones, although such attacks have continued even in areas where the internet has been switched off.

How have these blackouts been affecting peoples’ ability to access news, communicate, even find their way around? And how are people reacting to the restrictions on their freedoms?

BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg joins Asma to discuss.

Producers: Chris Benderev and Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Passengers use mobile phones aboard a themed metro train honouring the Russian National Guard in Moscow, Russia, March 31, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Ramil Sitdikov

Since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, there has been an ongoing debate over the role played by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in convincing Donald Trump to go to war.

But when it comes to ceasefire announcements, it has been the US President taking the lead - if the Israelis are present at all. So when it comes to ending the wars in Iran and Lebanon, are the Americans leaving Netanyahu out in the cold?

We speak to Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent at The Economist, and author of Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering an address from the roof of the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1 March 2026. Credit: Avi Ohayon/EPA-EFE)

For the first time in history a country has apparently won a battle using only robots, without a soldier on the ground put at risk. Ukraine claims to have recently taken over a Russian position – forcing Russian soldiers to surrender – using robotic systems alone.

President Zelensky has been asking the world for help to fight Russia since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. But in the years since, Ukraine has revolutionised the technology of warfare with battlefield robots and drones, and now other countries are turning to it for its technology and expertise.

We speak to the journalist and defence expert Mark Urban about how Ukraine went from needy to needed.

Producers: Lucy Pawle and Viv Jones

Photo: The "ASLAN" unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is tested during a NATO exercise in Germany, February 20, 2026. Photo by: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters

When President Trump talks about his attempts to reach an agreement with Iran, he often mentions a previous deal: the 2015 JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), or Iran nuclear deal.

Trump pulled America out of the Obama-era accord during his first term and has called it, "the worst deal in history". His own deal, he says, "will be FAR BETTER".

Asma speaks to Ambassador Wendy Sherman, the lead US negotiator on the JCPOA, to get the inside story on how the deal was done, and ask what it might take for Trump to get a deal now.

Producers: Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Wendy Sherman. Credit: Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

As the US-Israel war with Iran reaches a diplomatic stalemate - one idea seems to be taking hold: that China is the real winner. Some have argued that the US’s biggest rival is quietly boosting its international standing, leverage and reputation as a reliable partner. Yet beneath the surface the economic situation in China looks far less triumphant.

King Charles is visiting America at a tense moment for the ’special relationship' between the United States and the United Kingdom. Can he help turn things around?

In a special live recording at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios in London, Asma and Tristan speak to the former British ambassador to the United States, Lord Kim Darroch.

Recorded on Saturday 25 April as part of Castfest, a one-day celebration of BBC podcasts.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and James Shield

Photo: BBC. Kim Darroch talked to Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman at BBC Maida Vale Studios.

Donald Trump has promised to release government files on UFOs and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, telling a crowd at Turning Point USA this month, “ we found many very interesting documents”.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance has said he is “obsessed” with the search for aliens, which he believes are demons, rather than innocuous little green men. Their comments follow a slew of congressional hearings about the subject in recent years, as well as pronouncements from other political figures, such as Barack Obama.

Why has the search for extra-terrestrial life – a fascination that began in the 1940s in the US – become mainstream again? What deeper meaning are people seeking when they look to the skies?

Daniel Lavelle, an award-winning British journalist, set out on a road trip across the States to answer these questions for his forthcoming book, Chasing Aliens: Conspiracy in the UFO Heartlands, and he joins Tristan on today’s episode.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Meteors in the night sky. Credit: Georgi Licovski/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock.

Why were scheduled talks between the US and Iran suddenly cancelled? On Tuesday, as US vice president JD Vance was due to be flying to Pakistan for mediated talks on ending the war in Iran, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he was extending the ceasefire agreement, but that the US will continue to block Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane through which 20% of the world’s oil, as well as critical supplies of gas, aluminium and fertiliser is transported, remains a flashpoint, with Iran attacking cargo ships attempting to get through.

Today, we speak to the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams, who is in the capital of Pakistan. Plus, in response to listener demand, we speak to Charlotte Smith, the long-time presenter of the BBC’s Farming Today, about how the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting the farming and food industries globally.

Producers: Hannah Moore, Lucy Pawle and Valerio Esposito

Executive producers: James Shield and Richard Fenton-Smith

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

*** This episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse and upsetting scenes ***

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Greg Squire in The Darkest Web: Inside the internet’s most hidden corners to save kids – BBC World Service Docs)