The Global Story

The 2026 World Cup kicked off last night in Mexico, after a series of controversies in the lead up, including over visas for foreign teams, fans, media and officials hoping to go to the host countries: US, Canada and Mexico. The latest scandal involves FIFA dropping Somali referee Omar Artan, after the US refused him entry. FIFA‘s president Gianni Infantino said “we don't control everything”, and asked critics to ‘chill’. US Customs and Borders protection said in a statement that “derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organisations” was discovered after Omar Artan landed at Miami International Airport to attend the tournament. Artan says he told border officials he knows nothing about the Somali militant group Al Shabab. Today, we speak to Charles Gitonga, senior journalist and host of the BBC’s Focus on Africa podcast, about how Africans are reacting to the news, and whether the controversies will have long-term consequences for US-Africa relations.Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Cat Farnsworth Executive producer: Bridget Harney Video editor: Matt Pintus Mix: Travis Evans Senior News Editor: China CollinsPhoto: Somali referee Omar Artan. Credit: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Fifa World Cup kicks off this week. Beginning Thursday, football - or soccer - matches, depending on your preference, will be played in the US, Mexico, and Canada, with a record 48 nations competing for the trophy.However, the tournament has been beset by controversies over ticket prices, travel bans that affect fans and officials, and security concerns. We answer questions from the audience about what to expect from this year’s World Cup, with BBC Sports football issues correspondent, Dale Johnson.Producer: Cat Farnsworth and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: Bridget Harney Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins(Photo: A Fifa soccer ball in a locker room at Kansas City Stadium ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Credit: Denny Medley/Reuters)

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has announced plans to expand the country's nuclear arsenal at ‘an exponential rate’, according to state media reports. His announcement comes as China’s president, Xi Jinping, is making his first visit to Pyongyang this week since 2019 – the same year Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un several times for failed talks on denuclearisation. We speak to the BBC’s Celia Hatton about why China might now be trying to keep North Korea in check. Producers: Xandra Ellin, Sam Chantarasak and Aron KellerExecutive producer: James ShieldMix: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China CollinsStudio manager: Mike RegaardDigital producer: Tom BagePhoto: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the fifth session of the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, February 23, 2026. Credit: KCNA/ReutersClip: Team America: World Police/Trey Parker/Scott Rudkin/Trey Parker/Matt Stone

Casting is finally underway for a new James Bond. But why has it taken five years to even begin the search? Since Daniel Craig retired as Bond in 2021, there have been reports of a behind-the-scenes David and Goliath battle between the family business which has held creative control of the franchise since the 1960s and its new owners, Amazon. It is now up to Jeff Bezos’s tech giant to decide who will play 007 – and how to run the series.In an era when Hollywood studios are desperate to eke out every last dollar from movie franchises, can James Bond retain its mystique and appeal to a new generation of cinema goers? We speak to Wall Street Journal enterprise reporter Erich Schwartzel.Producer: Lucy Pawle and Xandra EllinSound engineer: Travis EvansExecutive producer: James ShieldSenior news editor: China Collins(Photo: Daniel Craig at the world premiere of the Bond film, No Time to Die, London, 28 September, 2021 Credit: Neil Hall/European Pressphoto Agency)

***This episode includes details of alleged sexual offences and misconduct and includes descriptions which some listeners might find distressing*** Married at First Sight UK is one of the UK’s biggest reality TV shows. The dating format sees complete strangers marry in a mock-wedding, before moving in together and sharing a bed. Cameras follow what happens next. The BBC has uncovered allegations that raise serious concerns that welfare procedures on the reality show have failed contributors, leaving them at risk. Three women have told the BBC they were victims of sexual assault, and misconduct, by their former on-screen husbands. The men deny all the allegations against them, and both Channel 4 and CPL - the independent production company that makes the series - say the welfare protocols are robust and comprehensive.Following this investigation, Channel 4 has announced an external review into contributor welfare and has removed all previous seasons of MAFS UK.Noor Nanji, BBC culture correspondent, tells the story behind her investigation which has shaken the reality TV industry. And she discusses whether a scandal like this could provoke a new reckoning in the genre.(Photo: Shona Manderson, a ‘bride’ on Married at First Sight UK)

At the Vatican on Monday, Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical, a letter issued to the world’s bishops. In it, he criticised artificial intelligence and what he called the “culture of power” fuelling its rise, urging world leaders to regulate the technology more forcefully.The Pope’s scepticism towards AI does not exist in a vacuum. It comes after several weeks in which numerous commencement speakers championing artificial intelligence on US college campuses were booed by Gen Z graduates.Is a backlash to AI brewing? We speak to BBC religion editor Aleem Maqbool about the Pope’s AI-critical encyclical, and to Rachel Janfaza, founder of the Gen Z research firm The Up and Up, about why Gen Z’s relationship with AI is far more complicated than many think.Producer: Xandra Ellin, Cat Farnsworth, and Valerio EspositoExecutive producer: James ShieldSound engineer: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China Collins(Photo: Pope Leo XIV during a meeting with Italian bishops in Vatican City, 28 May 2026. Credit: Vatican Media/EPA)

This week President Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said negotiations with Iran are going well and suggested a deal could be days away. Iran has disputed this.Donald Trump says he wants “a great deal for all or no deal at all” but leaked details of a possible plan have some wondering if one side might be coming out on top.We speak to the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, and ask if this might be the week Donald Trump loses the art of the deal – and the perhaps the whole war – with Iran.CREDITSProducers: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy PawleDigital Producer: Matt PintusExecutive producer: James ShieldStudio Director: James PiperSound engineer: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China CollinsPhoto: An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran. (Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

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)

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 EspositoExecutive producers: James Shield and China CollinsMix: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China CollinsPhoto: 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.

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 KellerExecutive producer: Bridget Harney Sound engineer: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China CollinsPhoto: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Choukine, Lebanon (Reuters)

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

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 EllinExecutive producer: Bridget HarneyMix: Travis EvansSenior News Editor: China CollinsPhoto: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in 2019.

At the outset of the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump suggested that regime change was one of its goals. He later said it had been had achieved, a claim that is disputed by critics who point out that the same repressive forces in Iran still hold power.American attempts at regime change in Iran have a long history. In 1953 the CIA, assisted by British intelligence, led a deadly coup that toppled Iran’s last democratically elected leader. It’s a moment in history that poisoned US-Iranian relations, and helped launch the theocratic revolution to come. But the immediate success of ‘Operation Ajax’ would convince the CIA to carry out a wave of similar plots around the world. We get the full story from Scott Anderson, author of King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah and the Revolution That Forged Modern Iran.Producers: Viv Jones and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Supporters of the Shah of Iran in Tehran, 1953. Credit (Getty/Bettmann)