The Global Story BBC Podcasts

Many Ukrainians are going into hiding to avoid mobilisation squads sending them to the front line. But as war with Russia continues, Kyiv is struggling to recruit enough men to defend their country. Conscription has become a divisive issue, and with the age of draft eligibility recently decreasing to 25, it is a topic which some believe could threaten national unity.
On this episode, Katya Adler speaks to BBC correspondent Jean Mackenzie, and BBC Monitoring’s Russia Editor Vitaliy Shevchenko. They examine some of the fears around enlisting, as well as the resentment of others who have served, and explain how conscription is changing the fabric of Ukrainian society.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories, and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Laurie Kalus and Eleanor Sly. The technical producers were Hannah Montgomery and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas, and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

As reactors and waste grow, Finland’s fix is a lone example. Sixty nuclear power plants are under construction worldwide, and a further 110 are planned. Yet no one really knows what to do with the lethal waste. It’s been piling up for decades. Now, in a giant network of tunnels 450m underground, the Finns say they have the world’s first permanent solution.
Lucy Hockings talks to the BBC’s Adrienne Murray, who has toured the tunnels, and Graihagh Jackson, from The Climate Question podcast.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories, and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was presented by Lucy Hockings. It was made by Pete Ross and Neal Razzell. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas, and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The question of when, or whether, to allow young children to have their own smartphones is a dilemma for parents around the world. One town in Ireland decided to take action to make it easier for parents to say no. Greystones made global headlines when the headteachers from all of the town’s primary schools came together to invite parents to sign up to a voluntary code, pledging not to buy phones for children until they reached secondary school.
Around a year after the ‘ban’ of sorts came into effect, the BBC’s Beth McLeod travelled to the town in County Wicklow to investigate the impact. Through conversations with teachers, parents, children and Ireland’s health minister, she tells us about the origins of a policy designed to minimise exposure to potentially harmful online content, and hears how some people want the big tech companies headquartered in nearby Dublin to do more to prevent young people from accessing damaging material on their platforms.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Tom Kavanagh and Alice Aylett Roberts. The technical producers were Hannah Montgomery and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The war in Ukraine has shifted the balance of power between Moscow, Pyongyang, and Beijing. As the geopolitical landscape evolves, new alliances and meetings come into focus. After Vladimir Putin's visit to China in May, there are now reports of an imminent meeting between the Russian President and Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader has recently hailed his country's ties with Russia, saying the two nations are "invincible comrades-in-arms."
Katya speaks to the host of the BBC’s Lazarus Heist podcast, Jean Lee, and the Financial Times’ Seoul bureau chief, Christian Davies. They discuss what North Korea's end game is and how worried the rest of the world should be.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Richard Moran and Rachel Hagan. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Millions of women around the world will start the menopause this year, but research shows that many are unprepared for it. For a long time, the menopause has been a taboo subject, a fact which both of our guests are seeking to change.
Kirsty Wark is perhaps best known for presenting the BBC’s Newsnight programme, but she also hosted the groundbreaking documentary ‘The Menopause and Me’ in 2017. Professor Joyce Harper of the Institute for Women's Health at University College London is an expert on the menopause, and author of the book ‘Your Fertile Years’.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts, Tom Kavanagh and Rachel Hagan. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Ever since Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October, it has also been exchanging fire over its northern border with the Shia militia group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Iran-backed Hezbollah are ideologically aligned with Hamas, and say they won’t back down until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza. Now, some in the region are concerned increasing tensions could lead to a full-blown ground war. On Wednesday, Hezbollah confirmed an Israeli airstrike had killed one of its senior field commanders, before responding with its own barrage of rockets.
In Israel domestic pressure to act is increasing, and arguments for the IDF to engage Hezbollah further have been bolstered in recent weeks by bushfires in the north of the country sparked by rocket-fire. As rhetoric ramps up, Lucy Hockings is joined by BBC correspondents Lina Sinjab and Hugo Bachega to discuss whether Israel can really afford a new ground operation, and those calling for de-escalation.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in 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 via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Laurie Kalus and Rachel Hagan. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.