The Global Story

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Is the US losing the EV race? May 26, 2026

Show notes

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 affordability, while the US struggles to keep up.

In today’s episode, we speak to Suranjana Tewari, Asia Business Correspondent for BBC News. She explains what BYD cars are really like, and how China won the EV race.

Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller

Executive Producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: A newly presented electric roadster Formula X of BYD's brand Fang Cheng Bao appears at the company’s booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China), in Beijing, China April 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov.

Ebola: How worried should the world be? May 25, 2026

Show notes

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 correspondent, explains why this outbreak is in some ways more worrying than previous ones, and discusses what it might reveal about global preparedness for international health emergencies.

Producer: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin, Sam Chantarasak Executive producer: Bridget Harney Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Red Cross workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

Has the US set the stage for military intervention in Cuba? May 22, 2026

Show notes

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 government say the move is “a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation.”

The indictment has drawn comparisons to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and whether the US has set the stage for military intervention.

Asma speaks to Cecilia Barria, a journalist based in Miami for BBC Mundo, and Will Grant, the BBC’s Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent, about the story behind the charges — and why three decades on, the indictment is only happening now.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Raul Castro attend the International Labor Day commemoration in Havana, Cuba, 01 May 2026. Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/Shutterstock

'The Doping Olympics': a look inside the Enhanced Games May 21, 2026

Show notes

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 on performance enhancing drugs. Many in the sporting world say that a competition that endorses doping will normalise unfair and possibly dangerous drug use. But supporters argue that the competition will facilitate the safe, open use of drugs that are often taken unsafely and without medical supervision at competitions elsewhere.

BBC sports editor Dan Roan joins us to break down all things Enhanced Games. His documentary, Enhanced Games: A Sporting Revolution or Dangerous Doping?, is available now on YouTube.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Valerio Esposito

Executive producers: James Shield and China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Olympic swimming medallist Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to join the Enhanced Games, an event which allows athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs. Credit: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.

Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers May 20, 2026

Show notes

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 sluggish economic growth.

To top it off, recent local elections across the country proved disastrous for Labour as it lost ground to populist parties on both the left and right, and only two years after a landslide victory some of Sir Keir’s own party members are calling for him to step down.

How did British politics become so volatile? BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale joins us to explain.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Aron Keller

Executive producer: Richard Fenton-Smith

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo:Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer makes a statement in number 10 Downing Street, Westminster. Credit: Jack Taylor/PA Wire

Inside the war in Lebanon May 19, 2026

Show notes

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 in Lebanon before talks can continue with the US.

A ceasefire in Lebanon was announced back in April, but Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire since then and hundreds have been killed.

Hugo Bachega, Middle East Correspondent, discusses why the war in Lebanon is so hard to end, and what that means for the chances of a deal between the US and Iran.

Producer: Viv Jones and Aron Keller

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Choukine, Lebanon (Reuters)

The American mayor accused of working for China May 18, 2026

Show notes

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 goes well beyond this case. According to the FBI, Chinese counterintelligence and espionage efforts are a “grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States”.

We speak to Andrew Badger, former CIA case officer and co-author of The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets.

Producer: Viv Jones and Lucy Pawle Executive producer: James Shield Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Eileen Wang. Credit: City of Arcadia City Hall/ Reuters)

Did Trump and Xi get what they wanted? May 15, 2026

Show notes

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 Bicker.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: James Shield Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Trump and Xi. Reuters/Evan Vucci/Pool

Eurovision: A song contest in turmoil May 14, 2026

Show notes

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 and sports competitions.

We speak to William Lee Adams, a culture reporter at the BBC who also runs a Eurovision YouTube channel, to unpack the controversy surrounding this year’s contest and discuss whether politics and art can ever really be separated.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior News Editor: China Collins

(Photo: Noam Bettan of Israel performs during the first semi-final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, 12 May 2026. Credit: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/Shuttershock.)

President Xi’s purges May 13, 2026

Show notes

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 this should be seen as a weakness… or a strength.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in 2019.