The Global Story

The polls suggest a tight race in Israel’s upcoming election. Candidates are doing all they can to win the approval of young and first-time voters, who are set to play an influential role.
Israel’s security is front and centre in the campaign, as are the events of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. And polls suggest that young Israelis are increasingly supporting right-wing and far-right parties. In an outcome that will likely be determined by fine margins, that’s important.
In this episode we speak to the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson, who has been following the candidates on the campaign trail and speaking to young voters.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle
Mix: Travis Evans
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, wave flags and cheer at Mahane Yehuda market, ahead of Israel's national election, in Jerusalem, October 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

The American journalist and former marine, Austin Tice, disappeared 14 years ago while covering the civil war in Syria. Despite the best efforts of US officials and Austin’s family, what happened to Austin has remained a mystery.
In a new podcast for the BBC and NPR’s Embedded, our colleague Josh Baker, along with his reporting partner Sara Obeidat, spend three years searching for answers - and discover information that provides the clearest account of what really happened.
(Photo: A poster of missing journalist Austin Tice at the National Press Club, May 2023. Credit: Getty Images)
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie
Executive Producer: Cat Farnsworth
Digital Producer: Charlie Firth
Studio Engineer: Jonathan Greer
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

“They've surrendered their country to vandals,” claimed Donald Trump this week, as videos of protests and looting across France spread across social media and TV news bulletins.

The US president has framed the unrest in France – and similar protests across Europe, as a migration problem. “They’re losing Europe”, he said, at a campaign rally in Kansas this week. But what is actually getting people out on the streets in their thousands?

The BBC’s Europe editor, Katya Adler, joins us to explain how years of discontent and disenfranchisement among young people have coalesced in this period of fiery protest.

(Photo: A protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with police at a demonstration against rising living costs and cuts to public services in Paris, France, 17 October 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Producer: Hannah Moore, Aron Keller, Lucy Pawle and Jo Casserly

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Can Ukraine still rely on America?
More than 80 years after the Yalta conference reshaped post-war Europe, some observers fear a new era of great-power diplomacy could once again shape the continent's future. Reports of a possible meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have prompted questions about what role Ukraine would play in any discussion about ending the war. 
The speculation comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Washington and Kyiv. From disputes over Starlink access to growing concerns about Trump's outreach to Moscow, Ukrainian officials worry they are losing influence with their most powerful ally. 
At the centre of the debate is a simple question: does Trump see Ukraine as an indispensable partner, or an obstacle to broader deals with Russia? 
The Global Story’s Tristan Redman speaks to Simon Shuster of The Atlantic about the state of the war, the future of US support and why Kyiv is increasingly worried about being left out of the room. 
(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at diplomatic talks in Norway, 20 October 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
Producers: Valerio Esposito, Josephine Casserly and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Sam Gruet
Studio engineer: James Piper
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Midterm elections in the United States are normally about domestic issues such as the economy and the cost of living. They’re often a pulse check on voter sentiment towards the party in power, or a reflection of local political battles and regional trends.
Midterms are rarely impassioned referendums on a specific foreign policy issue. But this year in Michigan, for some voters, the Senate race is shaping up to be just that.
Today on the show, The Global Story’s Asma Khalid shares her reporting from Michigan, where a debate among Democrats over the conflict in the Middle East has become a touchstone issue, especially among the state’s large Arab American and Jewish communities.
Producer: Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Mix: Travis Evans
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Technical producer: Ricardo McCarthy and Mike Regard
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Credit: Rebecca Cook/Reuters.