The Global Story

The Trump administration is embroiled in a diplomatic standoff after Brazilian President Lula da Silva accused the US of sending officials to “meddle in Brazil’s elections”, an allegation the US called, "baseless".
Throughout its history, the US has been accused of trying to influence political events outside its borders – from offering subtle incentives for its preferred political outcome to secretly sponsoring coups against foreign governments. In recent years, President Trump has pursued a more overt strategy, publicly endorsing candidates who align with his politics. So are we seeing a new blueprint for US foreign policy?
We speak to BBC Brazil correspondent Leandro Prazeres about the US-Brazil fallout. We also hear from Politico correspondent Nahal Toosi about the long history of US interference in foreign elections, and how the Trump administration compares.
Producers: Xandra Ellin, Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Mix: Travis Evans
Digital producer: Sam Gruet
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 26, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has had a distinct economic bargain with its people — obedience in exchange for economic prosperity. China continues to lead the world in sectors like green technology and robotics, but in recent years, economic growth has slowed. Signs of unrest and unease have appeared. So what happens when the government struggles to hold up its end of the bargain?
The BBC’s China correspondent Laura Bicker speaks with Asma Khalid about the Chinese citizens who feel they are being left behind.
Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Mix: Travis Evans
Digital producer: Matt Pintus
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Employees work on a production line at a garment factory in Guangzhou, China, July 27, 2026. Credit: Go Nakamura/Reuters

In the last few weeks, three separate tech companies - OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta - have all disclosed that their AI models went rogue and hacked into another company during controlled cyber-security tests.
The revelations have raised big questions about whether artificial intelligence is becoming more autonomous and unpredictable. We’re joined by Marc Cieslak, the BBC’s first ever AI correspondent, to unpack how these breaches were possible and how worried we should be.
Producer: Valerio Esposito and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Tom Bage
Senior news editor: China Collins
(Photo: Open’s AI, ChatGPT. Filip Singer/EPA/Shutterstock)

Ariana Grande’s appearance in a new music video has sparked speculation, commentary and intense debate over the question of when — if ever — the public should weigh in on a woman's body.
The pop star and Wicked actor is not the first woman in the public eye to come under intense scrutiny, so how has the way we talk about celebrities’ bodies changed over time?
We ask Monica Hesse,  screens critic for The Washington Post, and Sarah Ditum, journalist and author of Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s, whether it’s ever OK to talk about a woman’s appearance.
(Photo: Ariana Grande at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in January 2026. Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie and Sam Chantarasak
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

It has been a week since President Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached an, "historic agreement” in Gaza for the, “complete disarmament” of Hamas.
But in the days since, the situation has become more uncertain. Hamas has said that it will only disarm when Israel withdraws its forces from Gaza, but Israeli officials insist they will not withdraw until the weapons are handed over. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the plan.
To explain what comes next, we turn to the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, and the BBC's Gaza correspondent, Rushdi Abualouf.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Digital producer: Matt Pintus
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem/File Photo