The Global Story

The inside story of a wave of assassinations in Yemen, led by former US Special Forces. An investigation by BBC Arabic has found evidence that the United Arab Emirates hired American mercenaries to train Emirati officers to assassinate political enemies in Yemen. It's triggered a wave of killings that continues today and demonstrates the complex role foreign powers are having in Yemen's civil war. Former US servicemen who worked for the company, Spear Group Operations, have spoken to our reporter Nawal Al-Maghafi.The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Neal Razzell and Tom Kavanaugh. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The politics of prayer at a divine but divisive site that’s shaped modern India: Ayodhya. The opening of the new temple is widely seen as the unofficial launch of Mr Modi’s re-election campaign. His ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been agitating for a temple here since the 1980s. For his supporters, now is a moment of triumph. For Muslims, it’s a moment of trepidation. In 1992, a Hindu mob used bare hands to tear down a mosque where the temple now stands, triggering a national spasm of communal violence that left some 2,000 people – mostly Muslims - dead. With a national election looming, Katya asks two veteran BBC India correspondents, Yogita Limaye and Soutik Biswas, what the new temple means for Indian unity and for Mr Modi’s campaign for a third term. The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. This episode of The Global Story was made by Neal Razzell and Beth Timmins. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Ever since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th, the BBC has been reporting on the ongoing Israeli response through air bombardment and ground offensives. Leading our coverage from the ground in Gaza was our correspondent Rushdi Abualouf, a Palestinian who has lived in the enclave his entire life. After being forced to leave their home in Gaza City, Rushdi and his family fled south with hundreds of thousands of others attempting to reach safety. He continued to report on the conflict, even as it threatened the lives of those closest to him, before he secured his family’s escape to Turkey. Now covering the war from a distance in Istanbul, Rushdi caught up with Katya, to discuss the traumatic events he has lived through over the past three months. The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Laurie Kalus and Richard Moran. The technical producers were Matt Hewitt and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The American Library Association says attempts to ban books have reached a record high. Most of the books targeted are by or about members of the LGBTQ community and other minorities. The main battleground is in schools, with parents and teachers arguing about what’s appropriate for children and what’s censorship. To explain this chapter of America’s culture wars, Katya speaks with the BBC’s Annie Phrommayon, who’s based in Florida, where the debate over books is sharpest, and Lucy Proctor, who made the award-winning BBC podcast series The Coming Storm, about polarisation and conspiracies in the US. The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Alice Aylett-Roberts, Neal Razzell and Emilia Jansson. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, and the country's new prime minister, Donald Tusk, are locked in a power struggle that’s testing the very foundations of the state. Poland has gone through turmoil as the new government reverses changes made by its predecessor. As tens of thousands flood the streets in protest, the situation captures the attention of Brussels, Washington, and Moscow. In this episode, Katya Adler delves into the complexities of Poland's power struggle with the BBC's Eastern Europe Correspondent, Sarah Rainsford.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStoryThis episode was made by Neal Razzell, Tom Kavanagh and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Over the past week prisoner escapes, hostage taking and violence in Ecuador has made headlines around the world. Many people were shocked by the chaos in a country that was previously among the most peaceful in a turbulent region. Will Grant, the BBC’s Central and Latin America correspondent tells us what he found on the ground in Ecuador in the days after the attacks. Ana Maria Roura, from BBC Mundo, shares how the rapid rise of drug trafficking gangs has torn apart the country she grew up in. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists around the world. We want what’s happening where you are, to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory This episode was made by Richard Moran, Alix Pickles and Bethan Ashmead Latham. The technical producers were Jack Graysmark and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

We take a look behind the gilded gates of Mumbai’s one-percenters. The city is driving – and being transformed by – India’s incredible economic growth. The country is expected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2030. But can all Indians aspire to be part of Mumbai’s expanding mega rich?Teresa Watkins is executive producer of ‘Streets of Gold: Mumbai’, a BBC series that follows the super-rich in India’s financial capital. She introduces us to Shobhaa De, who has built a business empire as one of India’s bestselling novelists. Our Mumbai Business Correspondent, Nikhil Inamdar, helps us put it all in context.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStoryThis episode was made by Richard Moran and Bethan Ashmead Latham. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

In this special edition of The Global Story, Katya Adler talks to the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner about the strikes on Houthis and the strategy behind them. Who are the Houthis and how are they reacting? We hear how US and UK naval forces in the Red Sea have launched air strikes against Houthi targets across Yemen. They’re in response to repeated attacks by the Iran-backed group on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis in Yemen have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November, disrupting the global shipping trade and causing concerns about increased oil prices. The Houthis say the strikes on their positions in Yemen will not go without "punishment or retaliation". So what happens next? How is all of this directly linked to events in Gaza and how does it represent an escalation of the crisis that is gripping the region? The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Alice Aylett-Roberts, Neal Razzell, Tom Kavanagh and Emilia Jansson. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The Danish Queen abdicates, taking her country by surprise. The oldest monarchy in Europe will now have a King, and so will all other monarchies in continental Europe. The Global Story talks to the US Special Correspondent for BBC Studios, Katty Kay. Katty has travelled from Denmark to Belgium to explore how European monarchies have survived in the 21st century. Katya also discusses the state of European royal families with Roger Lundgren who’s a royal expert for Swedish National broadcasting, SVT. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Farhana Haider and Emilia Jansson. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Ketamine is licenced to be used as an anaesthetic and has a reputation as an illegal party drug. But after trials in the US and UK, many are calling for its wider use to treat depression. However, it is a powerful drug that can have dangerous side effects and was recently linked to the death of US actor Matthew Perry.Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, Celia Morgan joins Katya Adler to talk about her trials of the drug to treat addiction. And neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett, from the BBC’s Science Focus Magazine tells us what he learnt after legally experiencing ketamine therapy in the US. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStoryThis episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Beth Timmins. The technical producers were Jack Graysmark and Matt Hewitt. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.