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BBC World Service

Where the world and America meet, with episodes each weekday. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption.

The Global Story

The promise of pore-free, glassy, youthful-looking skin has made Korean beauty products a global phenomenon. Americans spent as much $1.7bn (£1.3bn) on K-beauty in 2024, according to industry estimates, and the US now imports more cosmetics from South Korea than any other country. 

How did the South Korean government help K-beauty ride the soft power wave that has also brought us TV shows like KPop Demon Hunters, and pop groups such as Blackpink and BTS? And what are the risks of buying into the ‘perfect’ beauty ideals that the industry promotes? 

Today, we speak to Elise Hu, the host of TED Daily Talks host and author of 'Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital'. 

Producer: Hannah Moore 

Executive producer: Bridget Harney 

Mix: Marty Peralta 

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Model Lee Hyun-yi attends the photocall event celebrating the launch of AHC’s new product ‘Full Lift Eye Cream for Face’ at the FKI Tower Conference Center in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu. Credit: iMBC/Imazins via Getty Images.

Why K-beauty is everywhere

After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Australia tightened its gun laws, and has since been considered a world-leading example by gun control advocates of how to lessen the chances of mass shootings occurring. 

However, the mass murder of at least 15 people in an antisemitic attack at Bondi beach on Sunday has again raised the issue of gun access, and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said he is “ready to fight” to strengthen the laws again. 

On today’s show, Ariel Bogle, an investigations reporter with Guardian Australia, explains why the number of guns in Australia has been rising, and how stricter laws might be received in the country. 

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Mix: Marty Peralta 

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Photo of unregistered handguns that were returned to police, near Smederevo, Serbia. Credit: Dimitrije Goll /EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Why Australia’s gun laws aren’t as strong as you might think

President Trump says a Ukraine peace deal is ‘closer than ever’ following talks in Berlin with European officials and a delegation from Ukraine. But is it? 

As the fourth anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion approaches, no peace deal can be agreed without Vladimir Putin’s support. Can he be persuaded to accept anything short of a Russian victory? We speak to the BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg.

Producers: Valerio Esposito, Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin.

Executive producer: James Shield.

Senior news editor: China Collins.

Mix: Travis Evans.

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Pool via Reuters.

What would it take for Putin to stop fighting in Ukraine?

Australia is reeling after its deadliest mass shooting in decades, in which gunmen opened fire on Jewish people gathered for a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney. At least 16 people have been killed – among them a 10-year-old and a Holocaust survivor. The massacre has triggered a reckoning in Australia and beyond.

While some are asking how this horror could have happened, others believe an attack like this was grimly inevitable after a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia in the past few years. 
 
In today’s episode, we speak to the BBC’s Religion Editor Aleem Maqbool and the ABC’s Hamish Macdonald to explore why antisemitism has surged since October 7th 2023, and why many Jewish communities feel their governments aren’t doing enough to keep them safe. 

Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Lucy Pawle 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

Photo: Rabbi Yossi Freidman at a memorial for shooting victims at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Mark Baker /AP

The Bondi Beach massacre and the rise of antisemitic violence

Fighting broke out last week on the Thai-Cambodian border, despite a US-brokered ceasefire in July. The conflict was one of the eight wars that President Trump claimed to have ended, so why did this peace deal unravel? 

We speak to Jonathan Head, the BBC’s southeast Asia correspondent, from Surin on the Thai side of the border.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Senior news editor: China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans

Photo:

Why Trump’s Thailand-Cambodia peace deal unravelled

**This episode contains descriptions of abuse and violence**

In November, the Italian parliament voted unanimously to introduce the term “femicide” into the country’s legal code. The murder of a woman – on account of her gender – is now a distinct crime, punishable with a life sentence.

The United Nations reported that last year nearly 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members.

Italy is the latest country to adopt a specific law in an effort to curb violence against women following a string of brutal murders of young women.

One of the most publicised was Giulia Tramontano, who was repeatedly stabbed by her partner while seven-months pregnant. Her murder - along with another case – sparked fierce outrage across Italy, culminating in the new law being passed.

In this episode, we hear from Giulia’s sister, Chiara Tramontano, and the BBC Southern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford. 

Producer: Valerio Esposito

Executive Producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: A framed photo of Giulia Tramontano at her funeral. Credit: Alessandro Memoli/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The murders that moved a nation: Italy’s new femicide law

Europe is facing the prospect of ‘civilizational erasure’. That is the official view of the Trump administration, as put in a radical policy document that was released late last week. 

The US government’s new National Security Strategy paints the most complete picture yet of who the administration sees as its allies and its adversaries, and it has left Europe’s leaders reeling. 

Today, we speak to the BBC's State Department correspondent, Tom Bateman, about how Trump has turned traditional US foreign policy on its head. 

Producer: Viv Jones, Lucy Pawle and Hannah Moore 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Sound engineer: Travis Evans 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

(Photo: US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, 9 December, 2025. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Why the US says Europe is facing ‘civilisational erasure’

This week, Syrians have been celebrating the first anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and the end of almost 14 years of civil war. In the year since, the former jihadist turned leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been on an international charm offensive. But has life improved for ordinary Syrians back home? And has Sharaa proven himself to be the reformer the west wants him to be? 

Today we’re joined from Damascus by the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak 

Executive producer: James Shield 

Senior news editor: China Collins 

Mix: Travis Evans 

Photo: A young girl sits on her father's shoulders during a parade marking the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Idlib, Syria. Bilal al-Hammoud/EPA/Shutterstock

How Syria is rebuilding after the fall of a dictator

**This episode contains discussion of bullying and suicide**

Australian teens are bracing for a new law coming into effect this week that will ban social media accounts for anyone under the age of 16. The Government says the legislation is designed to protect the mental wellbeing of Australian children and teens – but it’s already proving controversial, not least among American tech companies and some politicians who see the ban as a threat to free speech. 

In today’s episode, we are joined by Katy Watson, the BBC’s Australia correspondent, to discuss how the country became a global test case for a bold new policy – and crucially, whether it will succeed. 

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Aron Keller and Xandra Ellin

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

 
Photo: A teen using her phone ahead of social media band for users under 16. Hollie Adams/Reuters

Will a social media ban for Australian teens work?

After an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington DC, President Donald Trump called for sweeping changes in immigration policy and pledged to "permanently pause migration" from all "third world countries". 

Afghan nationals, especially those who worked with the US mission in Afghanistan, may now find themselves in a particularly precarious position. 
Asma and Tristan discuss these rapid recent policy changes, and the BBC’s Mahfouz Zubaide shares recent reporting on how Afghans in America are getting caught up in the crackdown.

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin 

Executive Producer: Bridget Harney

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Mix: Marty Peralta

Photo: People leave flowers at the scene where two National Guard members were shot in Washington DC. Credit: Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock

What would it take for Putin to stop fighting in Ukraine?

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