The Global Story

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Putin’s new Eurovision Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

At the height of the cold war in the 1970s, the Soviet Union set up an international song contest to rival Eurovision. It was called Intervision, and like its western counterpart, featured a bevy of cheesy songs, sequins and highly flammable outfits – albeit with a different political message.

Intervision burned bright and fast – disappearing long before the fall of the Berlin Wall. But this weekend, with Russia still exiled from the Eurovision Song Contest because of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is reviving the competition, and the USA is due to compete.

In today’s episode, BBC Moscow correspondent and Eurovision superfan Steve Rosenberg explores the intertwined histories of Eurovision and Intervision, and the politics behind Putin’s decision.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: Annie Brown Sound engineer: Travis Evans Editor: China Collins

(Photo: The international music contest Intervision at Zaryadye Park in Moscow. Credit: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/Shutterstock)

Why Trumpworld is obsessed with free speech in Britain Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

President Trump is in the UK on a State visit, where he’s been hosted by the royal family and is set to meet with Prime Minister Starmer.

The two leaders appear to have a strong relationship. But there's one big issue that’s become a sticking point between them.

Increasingly, free speech in the United Kingdom is a hot button rallying cry among the conservatives in the United States. Why have Republicans in America become so obsessed with free speech across the Atlantic? Especially when a crackdown on speech is kicking off at home.

This programme includes language which some listeners find offensive.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: Annie Brown and James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: US President Donald Trump on second State Visit to the UK. Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA

Credit: Father Ted/Hat Trick Productions/Channel 4

Israel accused of genocide as Gaza City offensive begins Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

On Tuesday, as Israel launched its long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza City, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as "distorted and false".

The report is a major moment in the ongoing debate over whether the situation in Gaza meets the legal definition of a genocide. We speak with BBC Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes about the evidence.

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Displaced Palestinians evacuate Gaza City. Mahmoud Issa/ Reuters

The dark memes behind Charlie Kirk’s murder Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

The assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shocked America and exposed the depth of its political divides. Since a suspect has been arrested, the search for clear motive has only become more complicated.

In today’s episode, the BBC’s Social Media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring examines the meaning of the inscriptions on the bullet casings associated with the murder. The markings take us into the dark corners of the internet, but what do they tell us about why Charlie Kirk was killed?

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Aron Keller and Lucy Pawle Executive producer: Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Utah Governor Spencer Cox. Cheney Orr/Reuters

Why France might soon have a far-right government Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

France is in political turmoil. President Emmanuel Macron has just appointed his fifth prime minister in two years. But it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to form a government. There are calls for Macron's resignation amid nationwide protests and shutdowns. He is running out of options. Waiting in the wings is Marine Le Pen, whose far-right National Rally party has surged in popularity and seems poised to take power. On Sunday at a rally in Bordeaux, she repeated calls for new national elections.

So how did this party, with its controversial history, rehabilitate its image? And what would the first far-right government since World War Two mean not just for France, but for Europe and the rest of the world?

Producers: Lucy Pawle, Sam Chantarasak Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Marine Le Pen. Yoan Valat/EPA/Shutterstock

The Charlie Kirk blueprint Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

On Wednesday, the divisive conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on the first stop of his ‘American Comeback Tour’, where he invited students to engage him in political discussion. Kirk was the founder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Points USA and one of Donald Trump’s most powerful advocates, especially among young people. But his impact stretched far beyond the United States, as he leveraged social media to reinvent the right's image around the world.

Today, we speak to Semafor political correspondent, David Weigel, about the blueprint Kirk pioneered for winning young minds to the conservative cause. Then, we speak to Daniel Ogoloma, who partnered with Kirk for a debate while he was a student at Oxford University. He tells us about his plan to bring Kirk’s ideas into Nigerian politics.

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin, Valerio Esposito, Lucy Pawle, Sam Chantarasak Executive producer: Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo credit: Trent Nelson / The Salt Lake Tribune / Reuters

Russia and Israel put Steve Witkoff's diplomacy to the test Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump wants to broker peace in two of the world’s most intractable wars: Gaza and Ukraine. But this week, both crises have escalated – and the man he’s tasked with solving them has no previous diplomatic experience.

Steve Witkoff, a real estate mogul and Trump’s closest confidante, is now at the center of American foreign policy as the ‘envoy for everything’.

On today’s Global Story, we speak with the BBC’s State Department Correspondent, Tom Bateman, and ask whether Witkoff’s unconventional style is a weakness – or a strength.

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

Image: President Donald Trump and Steve Witkoff. Sarah Yenesel/EPA/Shutterstock

Trump blindsided as Israel strikes Qatar Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

On Tuesday, Israel carried out a series of unexpected bombings, targeting senior Hamas leaders. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it was a "precise strike" on those responsible for the October 7 attacks, but the Qataris have called the strike a "blatant violation" of international law. Qatar has been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza. In the US, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was notified about plans of the strike ahead of time, but said, “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States [...] does not advance Israel or America’s goals”. On today's Global Story, we talk to the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, about the impact this could have on future peace talks. Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept 8 2025. Menahem Kahana / AFP via Getty Images.

Why is the US government deporting people building factories? Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Hundreds of workers, most of them South Korean nationals, were detained last week at a Hyundai plant in Georgia after the largest immigration raid of Trump’s second term. The raid puts two of the administration’s key priorities to the test - cracking down on illegal immigration and bringing manufacturing back to America - but has it exposed a conflict between the two policy goals?

We speak to BBC Verify US Correspondent Nick Beake who has been to the site, and to Jake Kwon from the BBC Seoul bureau, about whether this has jeopardised relations between the US and one of its major trading partners.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin Executive producers: James Shield and Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: US immigration raid at Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia. Shutterstock/EPA

Brazil’s Jan 6: the ‘Trump of the Tropics’ on trial Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

In Brazil this week an alternate reality is unfolding: a former president, who allegedly tried to incite an insurrection to overturn an election, is on trial. A verdict is expected this week, and he may go to prison for the rest of his life.

On January 8th 2023, Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters broke into government buildings, demanding to overturn the result of the election Bolsonaro had lost. In the aftermath of those events, Bolsonaro was accused of masterminding a plot for a military coup. He denies these claims and says the charges are politically motivated.

President Trump has called the trial a “witch hunt” and gone to extreme measures to try to influence its outcome. But have his attempts to influence the trial backfired?

We speak with Ione Wells, the BBC’s South America correspondent, who has been reporting from inside the trial.

Producers: Viv Jones and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia on July 17, 2025. Mateus Bonomi / AFP via Getty Images

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