The Global Story

Ketamine is licenced to be used as an anaesthetic and has a reputation as an illegal party drug. But after trials in the US and UK, many are calling for its wider use to treat depression. However, it is a powerful drug that can have dangerous side effects and was recently linked to the death of US actor Matthew Perry.

Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, Celia Morgan joins Katya Adler to talk about her trials of the drug to treat addiction. And neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett, from the BBC’s Science Focus Magazine tells us what he learnt after legally experiencing ketamine therapy in the US.

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 The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Beth Timmins. The technical producers were Jack Graysmark and Matt Hewitt. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The Islamic State group dominated headlines in the years after seizing large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The footage they shared of their brutal attacks and executions horrified the world, but attracted thousands of international recruits.

Jon Ronson on the origins of some of today’s most divisive issues. The acclaimed writer gives a peek into season two of his new BBC podcast series, Things Fell Apart. It details how seemingly random events, including an argument between a teenager and her mother and a misdiagnosis in a series of murders in Miami, came together in a few short weeks in May, 2020 to shake The United States and beyond.

He tells Katya Adler about how these personal stories spiral beyond private lives to impact wider society, and what bearing they might have on the upcoming US presidential election.

The Global Story delivers trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

Season two of Things Fell Apart is available as a box set on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode was made by Neal Razzell and Beth Ashmead Latham. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The evangelical pastor TB Joshua amassed millions of followers around the world. Many thousands came to The Synagogue Church of All Nations in Nigeria to witness him perform miracles and heal the sick.

Taiwan is going to the polls on January 13th to pick its new President and the island's future relationship with China is a key election issue.

The opposition KMT wants closer ties with mainland China – the country that sees Taiwan as a breakaway province. But the ruling party, the DPP, wants to strengthen Taiwan's partnership with other countries. Both are concerned about military threats coming from Beijing.

Our correspondent in Taipei, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and our Asia Pacific editor, Celia Hatton, join host James Reynolds to look at how elections in Taiwan could decide its future with China.

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 The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Beth Ashmead Latham. The technical producers were Mike Regaard and Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Kamala Harris made history in 2020, becoming the first woman, first Asian-American and first black vice-president in the history of the United States. She made it onto the Biden ticket despite struggling to make a positive impression on Democratic party voters during her own attempt to secure the nomination, eventually dropping out before the first primary contest. With her personal poll numbers sagging, some within the party have reportedly contemplated replacing her altogether ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

We look at her performance in the job so far, and examine the role of vice-president. In this episode, James Reynolds is joined by the BBC’s US special correspondent Katty Kay, and former BBC North America correspondent Jamie Coomarasamy.

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 The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Tom Kavanagh. The technical producer was Matt Hewitt. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Drone and rocket attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea have led many of the world's biggest shipping companies to announce they will avoid the area. The attacks are by the Houthis - an Iran-backed rebel group which controls a large part of Yemen and began after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In this episode, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner joins host James Reynolds to look at why the Houthis attacked the ships, who backs them and what it means for protection in the region.

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 The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Beth Timmins. The technical producers were Matt Hewitt and Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Deepfakes, distrust and democracy: Billions of people will have the chance to vote this year in elections around the world. There will be campaigns in eight of the 10 most populous countries, including India and the Biden/Trump race for the White House in the US. Given the stakes, the chance for AI shenanigans is high. Sam Altman, founder of ChatGPT, has warned “of a new kind of interference that was just not possible before AI.”

It raises two basic questions: How that might work? And, what might it mean? For answers, Katya speaks with leading experts in AI and democracy, each of whom have delivered the prestigious BBC Reith Lectures:

- Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science and founder of the Centre for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Berkeley

- Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, Oxford University

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at [email protected]. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Neal Razzell, Tom Kavanaugh and Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty. The technical producer was Matt Hewitt. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

US health officials have declared that the country is facing an epidemic of loneliness that's as dangerous to health as smoking. The World Health Organisation has launched a commission to look into the health implications of loneliness with surveys consistently suggesting that one in four people around the world feel lonely.

We look at what’s behind these huge numbers and explore solutions with the BBC’s global health correspondent, Tulip Mazumdar, and Professor Manuela Barreto, who was part of the largest study into loneliness to date.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Beth Timmins and Wendy Parker. The technical producer were Matt Hewitt and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

We look at how journalists get their hands on declassified documents, and how the release of these files can inform us about the true workings of government. BBC correspondent Sanchia Berg and Phil Tinline, a producer of historical documentaries for the BBC, tell us about some of the memorable documents they’ve come across, and how perusing the archives can offer valuable insight into the events of the past.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Charlotte McDonald and Tom Kavanagh. The technical producer was Mike Regard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.