The Global Story

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Path to the Presidency: Election security Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

The key election issues in the swing state of Arizona and America’s image abroad. On this episode, Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Katty Kay explore election security and the international focus on the 2024 US election.

Every weekend The Global Story brings you "Path to the Presidency," where we delve into the state of the race and examine what’s on the minds of those closest to it.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists around the world. 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: Aiden Johnson and Tom Kavanagh

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Why thousands of UK prisoners are being freed early Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

There is an overcrowding crisis in UK prisons. There are also problems with gang violence, drug abuse, self harm and a record number of weapons now being made in jails. To deal with the chronic overcrowding, the UK government has begun releasing thousands of prisoners early in England and Wales.

Katya Adler is joined by senior UK correspondent Sima Kotecha to talk about her time inside one of Britain's most notorious jails as they examine how the prison system in England and Wales has been stretched to breaking point.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineers: Matt Dean and Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

How damaged is Hezbollah? Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the long-standing leader of Hezbollah, represented a major escalation in its war with the Lebanese militant group. With the region on the brink of a widening conflict, we look at how Israel's attacks on Hezbollah's leadership have potentially weakened the organisation, and what that could mean for the course of the war. Host Katya Adler asks the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner how the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated and what each actor might do next.

Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Alice Aylett Roberts, Peter Goffin and Beth Timmins Sound engineers: Jonny Hall and Mike Regaard Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Could conspiracy theories and AI impact the US election? Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

How disinformation and advanced technology might influence the 2024 vote. Why do people fall for online conspiracy theories, and what happens when disinformation shapes real-world events?

On this episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by the BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, to explore how conspiracy theories and the rise of AI could shape the upcoming election in the United States. They discuss the role disinformation played in the 2020 vote, leading to real-world consequences, and how these conspiracies continue to undermine the US election system today. They also examine the growing influence of AI in generating and spreading false narratives, and what this could mean for the upcoming presidential race.

You can listen to Marianna Spring’s series ‘Why Do You Hate Me? USA’ on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Producers: Pete Ross and Alix Pickles

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

America and... the war in Ukraine Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Could the US election result threaten support for Kyiv? Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States has led the world in providing aid to Kyiv, with contributions totalling more than $175bn. But agreeing additional assistance in Congress has become increasingly difficult, with the attention of the Republican right fixed on domestic priorities. So, as November's presidential election approaches, what could victory for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump mean for the trajectory of the war?

For the latest in a series of episodes about how the impact of the US election will be felt worldwide, Sumi Somaskanda is joined by the BBC's Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, and news correspondent, Will Vernon. They discuss how delays to US aid have directly affected the war on the ground, and what we know about the policy positions of the candidates for the White House.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us 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: Laurie Kalus, Alix Pickles, Mariana Hernandez-Carrillo, and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineers: Hannah Montgomery, and Ricardo McCarthy

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

You can find more of this series in our feed - just look for episodes titled 'America and...'

A week on the open Atlantic, hoping to reach Europe Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

The BBC’s Africa Eye has been following one man’s journey as he travels hundreds of miles on the open ocean in the hopes of reaching Europe. Mouhamed is one of a growing number of people attempting to travel from Senegal to Spain’s Canary Islands. The journey is ten times longer than the boats crossing the Mediterranean, taking days and sometimes week across parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also riskier and more lethal.

You can watch the full documentary 'Dark Waters: Africa's Deadliest Migration Route' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajX6NaVks3w

Caitriona Perry speaks to Blanca Munoz and Efrem Gebreab who followed Mouhamed’s journey for the BBC’s Africa Eye.

Producers: Richard Moran and Tom Kavanaugh

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Path to the Presidency: Political storms Oct 12, 2024

Show notes

How Hurricane Milton and Middle East tensions may impact the US election. On this episode, the BBC’s Caitríona Perry, Sumi Somaskanda, and Katty Kay examine the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which has resulted in at least 16 deaths in Florida. They discuss the political implications of the hurricane and how escalating tensions in the Middle East are shaping the landscape of the upcoming US elections.

Every weekend The Global Story brings you "Path to the Presidency," where we delve into the state of the race and examine what’s on the minds of those closest to it.

Producers: Aiden Johnson and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineers: Darcy O'Bree and Jack Graysmark

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Hurricane Milton: Destruction, politics, and misinformation Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

Hurricane Milton has left millions of homes across Florida without power, less than a fortnight after hurricane Helene ravaged states across the south-eastern US. Misinformation surrounding both storms has become rife online, including the false narrative that the government is manipulating the weather ahead of November's election. Further debunked allegations that recovery funds were redirected towards illegal migrants have been adopted by mainstream Republicans, causing widespread political fallout, even as a bipartisan recovery effort continues.

On this episode, Azadeh Moshiri is joined by our correspondent in the US, Tom Bateman, and BBC Verify reporter, Marco Silva. They discuss what's happening both on the ground and online, and consider how these events could influence the presidential election. Additional reporting comes from Elizabeth Rizzini.

Producers: Laurie Kalus, Alix Pickles, and Mariana Hernandez-Carillo

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Three weeks that changed life in Lebanon Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Israeli air strikes have forced more than 1.2 million Lebanese to flee their homes in the past few weeks, and have killed more than 2,000 people in the country in the past year. While the fighting has escalated in recent weeks, there have been regular exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel since October 2023. Hezbollah initially began firing missiles into Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas, and continues to say that such attacks will only stop with a ceasefire there. Meanwhile, Israel has also launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, and there are fears of further escalation with key Hezbollah backer Iran, which recently fired rockets at several military targets in Israel.

Caitríona Perry talks to Beirut-based BBC Arabic correspondent Rami Ruhayem about how Lebanon is coping with the intensification of a conflict which had been simmering for months.

Producers: Richard Moran, Tom Kavanagh and Mariana Hernandez-Carrillo

Sound engineer: Mike Regaard

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

How vulnerable are the undersea cables connecting us all? Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

In our age of wireless technology, it might be hard to believe that we’re all connected by a few hundred cables running along the sea bed. From the memes we send to friends, to the intelligence used by the military, virtually all internet data between the continents travels along wires thinner than a human hair. If they sound vulnerable, it’s because they are. On average a hundred are accidentally severed each year. And security experts are warning they could be a target for military or terrorist sabotage.

Caitríona Perry speaks to Nicole Starosielski, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and author of The Undersea Network, who guides us through these secretive networks. And our security correspondent Frank Gardener helps us understand how vulnerable they are.

Producers: Richard Moran and Alix Pickles

Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Hannah Montgomery

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

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