The Global Story

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From welcome to wary: Europe's divide on migration Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

A decade of migration through the eyes of a German city. Ten years ago Germany opened its borders to more than a million people at the height of Europe’s so-called migrant crisis. A decade later, that warm welcome has cooled as issues of culture, integration and national identity spark fierce debate across the continent. With German elections just days away, the BBC has revisited one migrant family and the city they landed in, to see how life has changed since 2015 – and what their experience says about the way Europeans now view migration.

On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC’s Berlin correspondent Jess Parker, and Mark Lowen, the BBC’s former southern Europe correspondent who covered the refugee crisis for years.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineers: Hannah Montgomery and Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Is Rwanda backing rebels in the DRC? Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

The mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Violence has once again seen an uptick in recent months as the M23 rebel group has captured a number of key cities and towns. Led by ethnic Tutsis, the militia has long been associated with the Rwandan government by the UN and others, but President Paul Kagame has consistently dismissed the links. But, as international attention on the humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC grows, is this a line he can sustain?

On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Deputy Africa Editor, Anne Soy. They track the origins of the conflict, and consider the incentive behind Rwanda's alleged involvement.

Producers: Laurie Kalus and Beth Timmins

Sound engineer: Dafydd Evans

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

How can Europe defend itself without the United States? Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

With the Trump administration threatening to redirect America's foreign defence spending from Ukraine and Europe to other parts of the world, European leaders are grappling with what the future of their security could be without US support.

Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale. They discuss the threat of Russia and how Europe could defend its borders if the United States were to withdraw its money and manpower from the continent.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts, Eleanor Sly and Laurie Kalus

Sound engineer: Gareth Jones

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Has one phone call sealed Ukraine's fate? Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

In a surprise move this week, US President Donald Trump announced that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The pair held what Washington described as a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call, ending an effective boycott of high-level diplomatic dialogue with the Kremlin by western leaders. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke separately with President Trump, has emphasised his scepticism about Russia's readiness for peace. So, does this moment mark the first step towards formal talks?

On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet. She dialled in from the Munich Security Conference, where Ukraine looks to be high on the agenda.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Tom Kavanagh

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Antibiotics: A casualty of war? Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

Antimicrobial drugs like antibiotics have saved countless lives and transformed the health of humanity. Before these drugs were discovered, even something as simple as a papercut could be life-threatening. Some of the greatest advances in the development of these drugs have been forged in wartime. But now those same wars threaten the progress that has been made.

Host Jonny Dymond speaks with the BBC's Global Health correspondent Dominic Hughes about the hidden threat that wars around the world pose to modern medicine. And also the BBC’s Abdujalil Abdurasulov who has been speaking to soldiers and hospital staff in Ukraine to see how antimicrobial resistance is affecting their ability to treat casualties.

Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editors: Alice Aylett Roberts and Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

El Salvador: Defeating the drug gangs, but at what cost? Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

President Bukele has offered to house US criminals in El Salvador's mega-jail, built as part of his crackdown on drug gangs. Since taking office he has arrested thousands of people, but many remain in jail without facing trial.

Host Jonny Dymond speaks to BBC Mundo's Leire Ventas who is one of the few journalists to have been inside the mega prison. Our correspondent in Central America, Will Grant, tells us the story of two mothers - one who welcomes President Bukele's approach and another who says it has torn her family apart.

Producers: Richard Moran and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineer: Ben Andrews

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Are the US and Canada still friends? Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Will Canadians sour on this special relationship amid Trump’s tariff threats? Canada and the US share the world’s longest undefended border and one of the closest alliances in the world. But President Trump’s new tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium, and his comments about making Canada the 51st US state, have strained those longstanding ties. Can the friendship last?

On this episode, presenter Jonny Dymond speaks to Jayme Poisson, host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation podcast Front Burner, and The Global Story’s reporter Peter Goffin.

Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineer: Jack Graysmark

Assistant editors: Sergi Forcada Freixas and Richard Moran

Senior news editor: China Collins

The World Cup kiss that's gripping Spain Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

Luis Rubiales, the former president of Spain's football federation, is on trial accused of sexual assault for kissing the player Jenni Hermoso at the 2023 World Cup medal ceremony.

Hermoso told the trial last week that the incident "stained one of the happiest days of my life". Rubiales, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to give evidence in the coming days.

Host Lucy Hockings speaks to The Global Story's very own Sergi Forcada Freixas about how the incident stole headlines from the World Cup win. And our gender and identity correspondent Sofia Bettiza explains how the case has fuelled a conversation on sexual assault and consent that has been simmering in Spain for years.

Producers: Richard Moran and Beth Timmins

Sound engineers: Stephen Bailey

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Is the working from home era over? Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

Many companies are calling staff back to the office for more or all of the working week. When the Covid-19 pandemic upended the usual way of doing business around the world, most firms were forced to change their typical operating practices, allowing employees to work remotely where possible. But what may have looked like a permanent revolution at one stage is becoming a distant memory for some workers.

Host Caitríona Perry talks to the BBC’s employment correspondent Zoe Conway and Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom about whether working remotely for all or part of the week is better for business efficiency, and why some employers are calling time on the practice.

Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Peter Goffin and Laurie Kalus

Sound engineers: Mike Regaard, Stephen Bailey and Annie Smith

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

Trump’s Gaza plan: The end of the two-state solution? Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

President Donald Trump wants to take over Gaza and rebuild it as an international hotspot for business and tourism. The plan could drastically change the future of the Middle East. For decades, US presidents have said that establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, to exist alongside Israel, is the only way to achieve a permanent peace. But can that ever happen if Gazans are moved out of Gaza, as President Trump has suggested?

On this episode, presenter Jonny Dymond speaks to the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams and the longstanding – if distant – diplomatic hopes for two-state solution.

Producers: Peter Goffin and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Annie Smith

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

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