The Global Story

By 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

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The podcast currently has 671 episodes available.

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Number 1: The end of Harry and Meghan’s American dream
The Duke of Sussex told the BBC last year that he, “can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back.” So what’s changed? Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, plan to move back to the UK later this month. Their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are due to start at a British school in September. They are not expected to resume their roles as working Royals. Prince Harry and Meghan left the UK in 2020, and in the years since have had various achievements and controversies, including high-profile legal battles with the UK press and the government. We ask the journalist and royal commentator Sarah Hewson about the successes and failures of brand Sussex in the US, Prince Harry’s ongoing concerns about security, and whether he can repair relationships with his family. Producers: Xandra Ellin and Sam Chantarasak Executive producers: Martine Powers and James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Digital producer: Matt Pintus Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a World Health Organisation roundtable in Amman, Jordan, February 25, 2026. Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
August 21, 202627min
Number 2: The campaign to replace Zelensky
Last week Ukraine's popular ex-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections, in what is widely seen as the biggest challenge to Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelensky, whose five-year presidential term ended in May 2024, has been under pressure from both Washington and Moscow to hold new elections, but they have been suspended until after the war is over. Fedorov says that corruption is depriving the military of weapons and making it harder for Kyiv to win the war, and that, "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia”, although he tells the BBC that he had not himself seen the president engage in any corrupt activity. We speak to Vitaly Shevchenko from BBC Monitoring about where all this could lead. Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie, Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Digital producer: Tom Bage Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Ukrainians protest against dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Kyiv, Ukraine,24 July, 2026. EPA/Sergey Dolzhenko
August 24, 202628min
Number 3: Trump 'tightens the noose' on Iran. Will it backfire?
There have been a lot of sanctions programmes against Iran. But this week US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast, which promises to go further than ever before. It will punish not just Iran but any country helping Iran - including China. It is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to end the war. Will it work? We speak to Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, and ask whether in trying to end one war, President Trump risks starting a global trade conflict. (Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference to outline further sanctions against Iran, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, 24 August, 2026. He has short, mousy-grey hair and is wearing glasses, with the American flag behind him. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Producers: Mhairi MacKenzie and Lucy Pawle Sound engineer: Travis Evans Editor: James Shield Senior news editor: China Collins
August 27, 202627min
Number 4: Inside Afghanistan’s secret schools for girls
Five years after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s near-total crackdown on the rights of women and girls has made the country ‘a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world’, according to the United Nations. The Taliban governed for five years in the late 1990s before the US invasion. Now, as Afghanistan reaches the same milestone with the Taliban’s second stint in power, how is the international community engaging with them this time around? We speak to the BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, who has reported on the country for decades. She recounts her recent trip to Afghanistan and her conversations with senior Taliban ministers, as well as women and girls trying to challenge their repression. Producers: Hannah Moore and Sam Chantarasak Executive producer: Martine Powers Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: An Afghan burqa-clad woman walks along a road at Kolcha Abad village in the Dand district of Kandahar on June 16, 2026. Credit: Sanaullah Seiam/AFP via Getty Images.
August 31, 202627min
Number 5: Canada’s Mark Carney fights back
What are the costs of standing up to your biggest trading partner? Canada recently walked away from trade talks with the US hours before Trump's deadline to impose major tariffs on Canadian goods. Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a defiant tone, acknowledging that Canada was now locked in a trade war with the US. "You're at war when you're attacked,” Carney told reporters, “we got attacked". He also announced retaliatory tariffs, pledging to match US tariffs, "dollar for dollar". Carney's tough stance is popular at home, but will it come at a price? We speak to Jayme Poisson, host of the CBC podcast Front Burner, about whether Carney is taking a big political gamble by standing up to Trump’s tariffs – and why many Canadians feel confident they can withstand a trade war with their southern neighbour. (Photo: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks holds press conference after suspending trade negotiations with the US, in Ottawa, Canada August 22, 2026. Credit: Chris Tanouye/Reuters) Listen to Front Burner: link.mgln.ai/jvyxQW Producers: Aron Keller and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: Martine Powers Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins
August 26, 202628min