The Global Story

After an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington DC, President Donald Trump called for sweeping changes in immigration policy and pledged to "permanently pause migration" from all "third world countries".

Afghan nationals, especially those who worked with the US mission in Afghanistan, may now find themselves in a particularly precarious position.

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin

Executive Producer: Bridget Harney

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Mix: Marty Peralta

Photo: People leave flowers at the scene where two National Guard members were shot in Washington DC. Credit: Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock

Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, is widely expected to award Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize on Friday, at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC. The prize has led to scrutiny over Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, along with concerns that Trump might move matches from host cities and fears over visa delays or refusals for travelling fans and officials.

We speak to Dan Roan, the BBC’s sports editor, about why Infantino is cosying up to Trump, and what it means for football and global diplomacy.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Image: Fifa President Gianni Infantino shows US President Donald Trump the World Cup Trophy in the Oval Office. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When China began cracking down on the spiritual movement Falun Gong in the 1990s, its leader and some followers moved to the United States. From there, they started the Epoch Times, a free newsletter.

But in the past decade, the organisation has grown to become a conservative media empire – with a Pentagon press pass, a slick TV arm, and many millions of dollars in revenue. How did they do it? The story involves a mysterious spiritual leader, a dance troupe, and even a federal indictment.

What does the meteoric rise of the Epoch Times say about how media and politics in the United States have changed in the last decade? We speak to Brandy Zadrozny, who has investigated the Epoch Times for NBC News.

Producer: Lucy Pawle and Cat Farnsworth

Sound engineer: Martin Peralta and Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Members of the Falun Gong protesting in New York. Credit: Alex Segre/BBC Images)

President Donald Trump has pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, a former president of Honduras who was serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and weapons offences.

It was only last year that Hernández was convicted in a New York courtroom of being part of a huge drug trafficking conspiracy, after being extradited to the US. Prosecutors said the operation flooded America with cocaine and turned Honduras into a “narco-state”. But Trump has claimed the investigation was a Biden administration “set up”, and Hernández is now a free man.

As the Trump administration ramps up its military threats against Latin American drug cartels, including multiple strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean, why has it pardoned Hernández? Will Grant reports.

Producer: Xandra Ellin, Hannah Moore and Viv Jones

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Juan Orlando Hernandez being escorted by US agents for extradition in 2022. Credit: Fredy Rodriguez/Reuters)

Are we living through the slow death of reading - replaced by an addictive screen culture that fragments our attention and floods us with trivial or unreliable information? Writer and voracious reader James Marriott believes we are entering a post-literate age with profoundly negative consequences for education, culture and democracy itself. In today's episode, James traces how an 18th century ‘reading revolution’ shaped the modern-world - and what might follow its sudden decline.

Last June, Israel and the United States carried out coordinated strikes on nuclear and military sites across Iran in what became known as the 12-day war.

Pope Leo is on his first official visit abroad, and there are already signs he’s willing to use his position to speak out on controversial matters. His recent comments about abortion and the rights of migrants have created headlines in the United States, and raised eyebrows from some conservatives who see the first American pope challenging President Trump’s policies.

It wouldn't be the first time that a pope has weighed in on politics. From Nazism to communism and the Cold War, from refugees to climate change, popes have used their position to influence global affairs.

In this episode we speak to author and presenter Edward Stourton, who has covered religious affairs and the USA extensively for the BBC, about what power Pope Leo XIV has, and what lessons he can learn from his predecessors.

Producers: Lucy Pawle and Sam Chantarasak

Executive producers: James Shield and Bridget Harney

Senior news editor: China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans

Image: Pope Leo XIV visits Ankara, Turkey on 27 November. Vatican Media Handout/EPA/Shutterstock

The backlash over the opening of Shein’s first brick and mortar store in Paris this month is just one in a series of controversies and complaints over the ultra-fast fashion retailer. As the company looks to go public, we explore whether its business model can withstand the world’s scrutiny.

Laura Bicker, the BBC’s China Correspondent, tells us what she found in the Guangzhou factories supplying Shein, and co-host Tristan Redman heads to the Paris store.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producers: Bridget Harney and James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A customer shops at Shein in Paris, France. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Miss Universe 2025 has been rocked by controversies and chaos, from stage falls and contestants storming out, to judges quitting and allegations of vote rigging – which the organisers deny.

The pageant – styled as a celebration of women of all backgrounds and nationalities – has suffered waning international attention in recent years, with many questioning the ideals of femininity it seems to espouse.

Could the drama of this year’s competition get people watching again?

BBC journalist and Miss Universe expert, William Lee Adams, joins us to discuss.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Hannah Moore

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

A ceasefire took effect in Gaza just over six weeks ago, and although both sides have accused the other of multiple violations of the agreement, there has not been the return to full-blown war that many feared. But the ceasefire agreement that was signed in early October was not a complete peace settlement. It left many issues still to be negotiated.

That ceasefire was part of the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. Last week, that plan came a step closer to reality when a resolution endorsing it was adopted by the UN Security Council. Within that 20-point plan - which covers everything from how to disarm Hamas, to who should govern Gaza – there are many sticking points that are still unresolved.

We speak to Yolande Knell, the BBC's Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem, and ask whether Trump’s plan can still bring a permanent peace to Gaza. And what could happen if it fails?

Producer: Viv Jones

Executive producer: James Shield, China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Hamas militant in Gaza city. Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas