The Explanation

After a lull in activities, in 2024 the Islamic State Group claimed to be behind several major attacks, showing the world they haven’t gone away. Among them was the storming by gunmen of a Moscow concert hall. Ten years after the Islamist extremists declared the establishment of a caliphate, our Jihadist Media Monitoring Team considers the current capabilities and ambitions of the group that once ruled over a large territory in Iraq and Syria. Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines whether the Israeli government will survive the resignations of two leading cabinet members, explores why US economic growth isn’t having a having a greater impact on the presidential election, and assesses why Narendra Modi’s BJP party failed to win an absolute majority in India's critical elections.

The art of interviewing political leaders with a journalist who recently interviewed Rishi Sunak. Also in the programme, as the alleged subject of the Netflix drama Baby Reindeer sues the streamer for defamation, negligence and privacy violations, we weigh the legal arguments. And the future of reality TV as YouTube stars the Sidemen break records for their new show. Presenter: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines the new threats to peace and security on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day campaign to liberate Western Europe, asks why the African National Congress Party has failed to win a majority in the South African parliament after 30 years in power, and considers why immigration is a key issue in elections this year in many countries.

In the age of social media, how easy is it to get people to pay for news? Editors from some of the world’s biggest news brands explain their strategy for turning a profit. Also in the show, after Google’s use of AI to generate search results went viral for all the wrong reasons, meet the journalist who followed its advice to put glue on her pizza. Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Guests: Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief, The Atlantic; Katie Notopoulos, Senior Tech Correspondent, Business Insider; Andrew Neil, Chairman, The Spectator; Caroline Waterston, Editor-in-Chief, The Mirror.

John Simpson, BBC's expert in international affairs, discusses the potential impact of the UK's snap general election on its global position. The podcast also explores the political landscape in Iran post-Raisi and analyzes the dynamics of the Middle East, including shifts in Saudi Arabia and regional power dynamics.

This week we look at Big Tech and its role in a crucial election year around the world. Baroness Martha Lane Fox, who sat on the board of X (formerly Twitter), assesses the platform’s changing attitude towards political content. Also in the programme, as the general election campaign heats up in the UK, will TikTok help the candidates reach younger voters? Presenter: Katie Razzall Guests: Shona Ghosh, Senior Editor, Bloomberg; Martha Lane Fox, former board member, Twitter/X; Sean Topham, Co-Founder, Topham Guerin; Timandra Harkness, author of Technology is Not the Problem; Sam Jeffers, Executive Director, Who Targets Me

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines how the relationship between Russia and China has changed, analyses the state of European politics in the wake of the attempted assassination of Slovakia’s prime minister, and looks at whether the idea of a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians has any future after the Gaza War.

On Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury to become boxing's undisputed heavyweight champion. The high-profile match was held in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of ‘sportswashing’. Alex Pattle from The Independent reveals what it was like reporting from the event, and Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business school, analyses the Saudi sports investment strategy. The actor Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of deliberately copying her voice for its latest chatbot ‘Sky’. OpenAI said that it would remove the voice, but insisted that it was not meant to be an "imitation" of the star. Lawyer Susan Aslan of ACK Media Law, assesses if the actor has a case, and tech journalist Takara Small gives us the latest updates on the latest AI releases. Plus an update on the furore surrounding the Netflix series Baby Reindeer, as the British MP John Nicolson asks Netflix to substantiate what it told a Parliamentary committee about the woman alleged to have inspired the character Martha. Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's range of experts across the world, analyses why Israel’s government is deliberately flouting the wishes of its closest ally, the United States. Plus, the extent of China’s infiltration into western countries, and why there have been mass protests in Georgia over a new law.