The Global Story

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)

A British immigrant backed by President Trump is running to be the next governor of California. Once a senior advisor to former prime minister David Cameron, Steve Hilton has since been on a journey – swapping Downing Street for Silicon Valley.
Having made his home in the US, Hilton is now running to become California’s Republican governor on a platform of cutting taxes and regulation.
We speak to Nicholas Watt, political editor of BBC Newsnight, who has known Hilton since his days advising Cameron.
Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller
Mix: Travis Evans
Video producer: Matt Pintus
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. Credit: Reuters /Mike Blake
Audio for this episode was updated on 9th June 2026 to clarify Steve Hilton's views on Brexit.

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 Keller
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Studio manager: Mike Regaard
Digital producer: Tom Bage
Photo: 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/Reuters
Clip: Team America: World Police/Trey Parker/Scott Rudkin/Trey Parker/Matt Stone

Scientists warn that a “super” El Niño could be on its way which, combined with the effects of human-caused climate change, could result in 2027 being the warmest year on record. Yet El Niño is not just a climate story - throughout history, this recurring weather pattern has helped shape global events, triggering everything from famines and revolutions to impacting the Cold War. In this episode, we speak to historian Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History at Oxford, to discuss what historical El Niños tell us about what cou be coming our way, and how we can collectively prepare.
Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller
Executive producer: James Shield and China Collins
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: A woman rides a bicycle in the rain in Yangon, Myanmar, 22 May 2026. Credit: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA/Shutterstock

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 Ellin
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior 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)