The Global Story

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has announced plans to expand the country's nuclear arsenal at ‘an exponential rate’, according to state media reports.

His announcement comes as China’s president, Xi Jinping, is making his first visit to Pyongyang this week since 2019 – the same year Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un several times for failed talks on denuclearisation.

We speak to the BBC’s Celia Hatton about why China might now be tryi...

Scientists warn that a “super” El Niño could be on its way which, combined with the effects of human-caused climate change, could result in 2027 being the warmest year on record. Yet El Niño is not just a climate story - throughout history, this recurring weather pattern has helped shape global events, triggering everything from famines and revolutions to impacting the Cold War. In this episode, we speak to historian Peter Frankopa...

Casting is finally underway for a new James Bond. But why has it taken five years to even begin the search?

Since Daniel Craig retired as Bond in 2021, there have been reports of a behind-the-scenes David and Goliath battle between the family business which has held creative control of the franchise since the 1960s and its new owners, Amazon. It is now up to Jeff Bezos’s tech giant to decide who will play 007 – and how to run the s...

On Sunday, two prominent left-wing political commentators in the US — Hasan Piker and his uncle, Cenk Uygur – said they had been barred from visiting the UK.

Both men were due to appear at the SXSW London festival, but say the British government blocked them from entering the country because of their criticism of Israel. The British government confirmed that it had denied them entry on the grounds that their presence in the UK “may ...

Warning: this episode includes details of alleged sexual offences and misconduct and includes descriptions which some listeners might find distressing.

Married at First Sight UK is one of the UK’s biggest reality TV shows. The dating format sees complete strangers marry in a mock-wedding, before moving in together and sharing a bed. Cameras follow what happens next.

The BBC has uncovered allegations that raise serious concerns that ...

On prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket people are placing sometimes huge wagers on questions ranging from the sublime (‘will Jesus Christ return by the end of the year?’) to the very serious (‘will the US invade Iran?’).

Gambling is restricted across many US states but prediction markets are not classified as gambling. Their rapid rise over recent years speaks – some say – to an increasing nihilism among young men in p...

At the Vatican on Monday, Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical, a letter issued to the world’s bishops. In it, he criticized artificial intelligence and what he called the “culture of power” fueling its rise, urging world leaders to regulate the technology more forcefully.

The Pope’s skepticism towards AI doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It comes after several weeks in which numerous commencement speakers championing artificial intell...

Politics, power and money have always been part of international sporting competitions, and football (or soccer) is no exception.

However, this year’s World Cup faces new challenges. The United States is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico, and its relationship with its neighbours has at times been rocky. Two countries at war with each other – the US and Iran – have never played in the same competition before. Some fan...

This week President Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said negotiations with Iran are going well and suggested a deal could be days away. Iran has disputed this.

Donald Trump says he wants “a great deal for all or no deal at all” but leaked details of a possible plan have some wondering if one side might be coming out on top.

We speak to the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, and ask if this might be the week Do...

In 2025, the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles. As conflict in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices and boosts demand for EVs, Chinese carmakers are seizing the opportunity.

Driven by years of state-backed investment and industrial policy, China has quietly become the global powerhouse of EV production, leading the industry in technology, innovation and affordabilit...

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.

The latest outbreak involves a rare species of Ebola for which there is no vaccine, and the epicentre is in an area affected by conflict. The WHO says the outbreak may be spreading faster than originally thought.

James Gallagher, the BBC’s health and science correspond...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubia has said Cuba poses a "national security threat" to the US and the likelihood of a peaceful agreement is "not high". His comments come days after the US announced criminal charges against Cuba’s former president Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel Castro.

The charges relate to his alleged role in the shooting down of two planes in 1996, which killed four people, including three Americans. The Cuban g...

At the inaugural Enhanced Games this weekend, something unprecedented is taking place; professional athletes from around the world will be encouraged to swim, lift, and sprint with the aid of performance enhancing drugs.

The competition — nicknamed the 'Doping Olympics' — has provoked enormous controversy in the world of sport. Enhanced runs counter to the many athletic organisations who have spent decades prioritising a crackdown o...

In the decade since Britain voted to leave the European Union, the country has cycled through six prime ministers, victims of both their own decisions, and global pressures.

Now, Sir Keir Starmer, the current prime minister and leader of the left-leaning Labour party, could be the seventh leader to fall, under pressure from members of his own party who feel he has failed to tackle key issues like the cost of living, immigration, and...

President Donald Trump has warned Iran the "clock is ticking" as talks to bring their war to an end have stalled. "They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

There are multiple thorny issues to be resolved between the US and Iran, but one of them concerns another country altogether: Lebanon. Iran has reportedly insisted on an end to the war...

The mayor of the Californian city of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to charges she acted as an illegal agent for China. Prosecutors say Eileen Wang was directly co-ordinating with a Chinese official to disseminate news stories downplaying human rights concerns in China, with the aim of trying to influence US government and public opinion.

US authorities say the extent of China’s covert activity and espionage in the United States...

Donald Trump has concluded his final round of talks with Xi Jinping and wrapped up his state visit to Beijing.

Trade, oil, Iran and Taiwan were among the topics discussed over two days of meetings. The US president said the meeting was ‘’successful” and “unforgettable” – and said he expects the relationship will be better than ever. Does Xi Jinping see things the same way? We speak to the BBC’s senior China correspondent, Laura Bick...

This Saturday, the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest final takes place in Vienna, and this year’s competition is again mired in controversy.

A boycott over Israel’s participation by several countries, including Spain and Ireland, threatens to put the competition’s stance of political neutrality to the test. And it is part of a wider debate over which countries should be allowed to compete in prestigious international arts ...

For the first time in nearly a decade a sitting American President is travelling to China. While tensions between the US and China have been simmering for a while now, over everything from tariffs to Taiwan, Donald Trump has expressed admiration for his powerful Chinese counterpart.

Meanwhile in China, President Xi has been conducting a years long “purge” on the military elite.

The BBC’s Celia Hatton joins us to discuss whether thi...