The Global Story

Latest Episodes:

Katseye, America and the dark side of K-pop perfection Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

What happens when K-pop’s gruelling formula meets the American music industry?

The global girl group Katseye has gone from a reality-show experiment to a global phenomenon. With chart-topping hits, a viral Gap campaign and a sold-out international tour, the group has become one of the biggest success stories in pop.

But as Katseye breaks through in America, it is also bringing new attention to the intense training, fierce competition and relentless scrutiny that helped fuel its rise. Has the group’s success shown that the K-pop model can work outside South Korea, or exposed the costs of trying to recreate it?

The Global Story’s Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman speak with BBC music correspondent Mark Savage about whether the discipline, pressure and perfectionism that drive K-pop’s success can translate to an American audience.

(Photo: Katseye performs in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Credit: Paul Bergan/ EPA/ Shutterstock)

Clips: Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE | Official Trailer | Netflix

Producer: Sam Chantarasak and Cat Farnsworth

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Is a free press at serious risk in Trump’s America? Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Last week, President Donald Trump barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, accusing them of spreading "fake news". After their reporters had their press passes revoked and were denied access to the building, the three outlets launched a joint legal challenge, arguing that the move was unconstitutional.

How unprecedented is this decision? And how does it compare with the treatment of journalists in other countries around the world?

Jason Rezaian, host of the Washington Post podcast Freedom Desk and the paper's former Tehran bureau chief, has a unique perspective on these questions. While reporting from Iran, he experienced restrictions on press freedom and was ultimately imprisoned by the regime. Since his release, he has become a prominent advocate for press freedom around the world.

He joins The Global Story’s Tristan Redman to discuss where President Trump's decision fits into a broader pattern in the relationship between political leaders and the media over recent decades.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Cat Farnsworth.

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Sam Gruet

Senior news editor: China Collins.

Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio points as members of the media raise their hands during a press briefing at the White House in Washington DC, May 5, 2026. Credit: Kylie Cooper/Reuters.

Inside China’s push to become the world’s AI superpower Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

China’s President Xi returns to the White House on Thursday for the first time in over a decade. A priority for both leaders will be to discuss AI. The two countries are currently locked in a fierce competition for AI dominance, amid dire warnings from US tech executives in recent weeks that the speed of AI development needs to be slowed, as the risks to humanity are too great.

President Trump has rejected those calls for a slowdown or suggestions of regulation, in part because of his concerns that China will overtake the US in AI development.

In this episode we speak to the BBC’s China correspondent Laura Bicker who tells us what China’s AI revolution looks from inside the country. And we ask how this issue is changing the power dynamics between the US and China. Credit: Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Digital producer: Sam Gruet

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A child speaks to a UBTech AI Wukong Robot for sale, during the 2026 World Robot Conference, in Beijing, China August 21, 2026.

Why the world wants American surrogates Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

The United States is one of the few wealthy countries where commercial surrogacy remains legal.

Bans elsewhere in the world, combined with a largely free-market approach at home, have made the US an international destination for would-be parents from around the globe – fuelling the industry’s rapid expansion. But could it all come to an end?

Today on The Global Story, we speak to fertility technology reporter Emi Nietfeld about how the US became a global hub for surrogacy – and why a series of high-profile cases is raising difficult questions about the industry.

Producer: Valerio Esposito

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Sound Engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A pregnant woman holding her stomach. Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Searching for Russia’s missing soldiers Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

While Russia’s president continues to insist that his, “special military operation” in Ukraine is succeeding, the estimated number of Russian soldiers killed and wounded in this war tells another story; 1.4 million casualties since February 2022. For that loss, Russia has gained just 2% of Ukraine’s land.

This is the story Vladimir Putin is not telling Russians. Amid parliamentary elections this past weekend, the Kremlin has claimed that most Russians back the president and the war, and it has promoted the political careers of thousands of soldiers back from Ukraine.

But what of their fallen comrades? The BBC’s Olga Ivshina has dedicated the last four years of her career to not just counting Russia’s true death toll, but building a picture of who these lost men were. She joins us on today’s show.

Producers: Mhairi MacKenzie and Hannah Moore

Executive producers: Martine Powers and Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Russian soldiers who were involved in the country's military campaign in Ukraine march during a military parade on Victory Day in central Moscow, Russia, May 2026. Credit: Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Pool via Reuters

Dave Ramsey: Iran, tariffs and affordability Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

As the midterm elections in America approach, the economy is one of the deciding factors for how people will vote.

Before his second term started, President Trump promised to tackle the so-called affordabilty crisis. But since then, the war in Iran has led to soaring gas prices and a range of tariffs have made some goods more expensive.

How do global events impact people’s finances and in turn how they vote in elections? The talk show host and financial expert Dave Ramsey joins us to discuss.

(Photo: Talk show host Dave Ramsey sitting in front of a microphone smiling, wearing a black shirt, black jacket. He has a grey beard and behind him is a blue background)

Producer: Cat Farnsworth

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, and the politics of staying silent Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

One of the most successful songwriters of all time is facing the biggest controversy of his nearly two decades in the public eye. Where does pop star Ed Sheeran go from here?

On Tuesday, every support act for Sheeran withdrew from his US stadium tour, following a decision to drop rapper Macklemore from the tour for his on-stage pro-Palestinian comments. In a statement, Sheeran declined to take a political stance on Macklemore’s comments, and stressed that he was not responsible for the decision to remove the rapper from the roster.

Is it possible for pop stars to stay out of the political fray? We speak to BBC music correspondent Mark Savage about the controversy, and what it reveals about the conversion of pop culture and politics.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Digital producer: Sam Gruet

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

PHOTO: Singer Ed Sheeran exits the Manhattan federal court for his copyright trial in New York City, U.S., April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Will the Houthis tank the global economy? Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Over the last week, the Houthis - an Iran-backed militant group in Yemen - have captured two strategic islands along the Red Sea coast, consolidating its control of a key international shipping route known as the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Saudi Arabia has relied on access to the strait for exporting it oil to customers in Asia. With the Strait of Hormuz already closed due to the Iran war, the Houthis’ control of this vital waterway threatens to deepen the global oil supply crisis.

Tristan Redman is joined by the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner to unpack who the Houthis are, what they want, and how they have come to hold so much influence on the world’s economy.

Producers: Aron Keller and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Houthi fighters in Sana'a, Yemen, 10 September 2026. Credit: EPA/ Shutterstock / Yahya Arhab

The Canadians who want out of Canada Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

As Canada continues to wage a trade war with the US, an internal battle is being fought over the country’s identity. Next month, voters in Alberta, the country’s wealthiest province, face a referendum on whether they want the opportunity to explore a separation from Canada.

Supporters say Alberta would thrive on its own, because of its rich reserves of oil and natural gas. Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that independence would lead to years of economic and political turmoil, “right at a time the world is fundamentally uncertain.”

How might the Trump administration leverage this Canadian identity crisis? And how is the Alberta separatist movement complicating Carney’s “Canada Strong” messaging? Nadine Yousif, the BBC’s senior Canada reporter, explains.

(Photo: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with the news media after he suspended trade negotiations with the United States, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada August 22, 2026. Credit: Chris Tanouye/Reuters)

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: Martine Powers Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Can the US and China stop AI from killing us all? Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

China’s President Xi Jinping will meet Donald Trump later this month with the issue of AI governance high on the agenda. In recent weeks there has been increasing concern around the risks that AI might pose to humanity, after a safety researcher at Anthropic suggested the technology could, "kill all humans” within the next decade.

Washington has long framed the United States’ development of AI as a race against China – one that it considers vital to its national security. But does China see it the same way? And if so, what are the chances of these rival superpowers cooperating to reign in the risks of AI?

Asma Khalid is joined by Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institute and an expert on Chinese tech development, to understand how China's AI ambitions differ from the US, and what‘s really at stake if these two countries fail to find common ground on this era-defining technology.

Producers: Aron Keller and Xandra Ellin

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Mix: Travis Evans

Editor: James Shield and Martine Powers

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected