Israel starts 'a prolonged and powerful campaign' in Gaza. What might be the consequences? BBC World Affairs editor John Simpson analyses the fallout. Also in the programme: diplomatic correspondent James Landale examines why European leaders are changing the way they tackle mass migration; senior North America reporter Anthony Zurcher explores why the United States has become increasingly ungovernable; and a BBC Eye Investigations team uncovers deadly loan apps in India and beyond. Reporter Poo...
Oct 14, 2023•27 min
Short-term politics gets in the way of dealing with an ever-warming planet. The BBC's climate editor, Justin Rowlatt, discusses the problems with how democracies tackle climate change with the BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson. With no victory in sight, are some leaders in Europe growing weary of supporting Ukraine? The BBC's Europe editor, Katya Adler, outlines the growing tensions inside the EU. What next for Niger now the military is in charge, and what might it mean for the region? We...
Oct 07, 2023•27 min
Now Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, can anyone in Russia challenge President Putin’s power? BBC Russian news editor Famil Ismailov gives us his vision of the future for Ukraine. Machismo in Mexico is alive and kicking, but it looks like the country’s heading for its first female president. South America correspondent Katy Watson analyses what this might mean for women’s rights and society as a whole. Plus, after more than a decade in South Africa, BBC correspondent Andrew Harding reflects on the high...
Sep 30, 2023•27 min
What next for the notorious Wagner group after the plane crash that wiped out its leadership? The Russian private military group that’s left boot prints in Europe, the Middle East and Africa is facing an uncertain future. We look at official movements and narratives - in Russia and abroad - to lift the deliberate veil of murkiness and find the clues. Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Sep 29, 2023•41 min
Iranian women are still fighting for freedom, despite government crackdowns. World Service correspondent Faranak Amidi speaks to the BBC’s world affairs editor, John Simpson, about the fight for equality. They also discuss what has changed since Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. We also ask BBC Ukrainian editor Marta Shokalo what life is like now in Ukraine, with the war showing no sign of ending anytime soon. And how much of a threat are Chinese spies to the West? The BBC’s security corres...
Sep 23, 2023•27 min
Russia and Turkey failed to reach an agreement to bring Ukrainian grain to countries that desperately need it, at a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. What are the obstacles - and the implications for global food security? The Global Jigsaw team brings together Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Middle East and Africa experts to assess what could happen next.
Sep 09, 2023•27 min
As a US territory, Puerto Rico uses the dollar, its people are US citizens and they can move freely back and forth. However, it isn’t a US state, and its residents can’t vote in presidential elections or for members of Congress. The country has a deep debt crisis, high unemployment and has experienced devastating hurricanes and earthquakes. As a result, migration to the US is common, with almost a million more Puerto Ricans in the US than on the island. In 2020, a non-binding referendum resulted...
Aug 23, 2023•18 min
After unilaterally declaring independence in 2008, Kosovo has been recognised by many countries, but not Serbia, which still claims it as one of its provinces. After the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Serbia cracked down on Kosovo separatists, resulting in a NATO military intervention in 1999. Tensions have remained high and have begun to flare up again in recent years. The majority Albanian population mostly supports independence, but in the northern areas of Kosovo, Serbs are ...
Aug 16, 2023•19 min
Nato members agree to support each other if they come under attack. That’s the fundamental purpose of Nato, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed in the wake of World War II. But how has its remit changed in the seven decades since its foundation? Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more states have sought to join Nato, but its expansion is perceived as a threat by President Putin. James Landale, the BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent, explains how Nato works and what challenges lie ahea...
Aug 09, 2023•19 min
How has Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, become crippled with food and medicine shortages, hyper-inflation, violence and corruption? Hugo Chavez promised a socialist revolution in the 1990s, using high oil prices to fund his economic developments. However, during his time in power, he became increasingly autocratic and the economy slumped. Following Chavez’s death, Nicolas Maduro, also from the socialist PSUV party, became President but global oil prices began to plummet. The...
Aug 02, 2023•19 min
With its foundations in the ashes of World War II, the European Union was initially formed to avoid further wars and remove trade barriers. It grew from a six-nation club as the ECC in 1957, to today’s 27 members that covers much of the continent and has evolved to tackle contemporary issues such as mass migration, a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In recent years, it survived a wave of Euroscepticism that led to Britain leaving (Brexit), but other member states have looked to reform fro...
Jul 26, 2023•19 min
In 2017, a deadly crackdown by Myanmar's army resulted in the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh. Years later, many of those who fled are still in refugee camps. But why have the Rohingya people become stateless? And will they ever return to Myanmar, which is now run by a military junta after a coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi and her government in 2021. The BBC’s Burmese Editor, Soe Win Than, explains how tensions grew in the Rakhine State and explores if the Rohingya...
Jul 19, 2023•19 min
What is the difference between a war crime, a crime against humanity and genocide? And who holds those responsible to account? Anna Holligan, the BBC's correspondent in The Hague, gives an insight into how the International Criminal Court works. She shares some of the cases of those who have been charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, from Congolese warlord Thomas Lubang to Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak. Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen Mc...
Jul 12, 2023•18 min
What should we done with stolen treasures? The BBC's culture editor, Katie Razzall, confronts colonialism's legacy with world affairs editor John Simpson. John also finds out if victory is finally in sight for the Ukrainians. Security correspondent Frank Gardner thinks it might be if they can push past the Russians' strong defences - but not all Ukrainians are up for fighting. Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe has been on the trail of those who risk life and limb to escape the front line....
Jul 08, 2023•27 min
Since Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010, the country has been in turmoil. Some 200 gangs have taken control in the absence of a functioning state, with murder, kidnapping and rape becoming commonplace. President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021 and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the violence. Harold Isaac, a Port-au-Prince based journalist, explains how Haiti has descended to this point, and if there’s any hope of a more stable future for the country. Presenter: Claire Gr...
Jul 05, 2023•19 min
President Putin's days might well be numbered, BBC Russian service editor Famil Ismailov tells world affairs editor John Simpson. John also hears from Ukrainian journalist Olga Malchevska about how united Ukrainians are as the war drags on, and finds out why President Biden rolled out the red carpet for India’s prime minister - and what it says about China - with BBC Hindi reporter Zubair Ahmed. Plus, is populism in politics finally on the way out? Diplomatic correspondent James Landale gives hi...
Jun 30, 2023•27 min
Protests, power cuts and bank hold-ups – Lebanon was already struggling before the 2020 port explosion that devasted its capital, Beirut, but now it’s in a desperate economic collapse. The Lebanese people are struggling to buy basic food and medicine. And the country also hosts the highest number of refugees per capita worldwide. BBC correspondent in Beirut, Carine Torbey, tells us how Lebanon got here and how it might recover. Presenter: Claire Graham. Producer: Owen McFadden.
Jun 28, 2023•19 min
Chinese service editor Howard Zhang speaks to world affairs editor John Simpson about Xi Jinping's growing ambition and what it means for China - and the rest of us. We also speak to Olga Ivshina, BBC News Russian correspondent, to find out how many Russian soldiers have really died so far in the war - a figure that's a lot higher than the Kremlin will admit - and we find out why the Saudis are so keen to get their hands on major sports tournaments with sports editor Dan Roan. Plus, the seas aro...
Jun 24, 2023•28 min
The Wagner group has been linked to military conflicts around the world, but who are they? The Russian mercenary organisation is believed to have been founded nearly 10 years ago, but ramped up recruitment in recent years, particularly since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, it now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine alone, but is said to have links to other parts of the world, particularly in many African nations. BBC Russia’s Andrei Goryanov has...
Jun 21, 2023•19 min
The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, asks defence correspondent Jonny Beale where the war in Ukraine is heading and what victory might look like; finds out from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher if any of the Republican presidential candidates will give Donald Trump a run for his money; analyses a new era in relations in the Middle East with Baran Abbasi from BBC Persian; and explores why South Africa is in so much trouble, and what can be done about it, with South Africa corr...
Jun 17, 2023•28 min
The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, asks Russia editor Steve Rosenberg what the mood is like in Russia as the war gets closer to home; finds out from South Asia editor Rebecca Henschke why no one is taking any notice of the brutal civil war in Myanmar; and asks Balkans correspondent Guy Delauney why tensions are flaring up again in Kosovo. John also speaks to former Beijing correspondent John Sudworth, to find out if Covid really originated from a lab in Wuhan after all. Produced by Pa...
Jun 10, 2023•28 min
Can the US transform the world's economy? We get the detail - and why it matters for the rest of us - from economics editor Faisal Islam. And our host, the BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson, asks Olga Robinson from BBC Verify how the new team goes about sorting fact from fiction in Russia's war with Ukraine. BBC Urdu's Farhat Javad examines what's next for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in Pakistan. And environment correspondent Helen Briggs marvels at thousands of newly discovered...
Jun 03, 2023•28 min
Unspun World provides an unvarnished version of the week's major global news stories with the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson and the BBC's unparalleled range of experts. This week, John finds out what it's like to report from the battlefield with Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse; Asia Pacific editor Celia Hatton on President Xi's gameplan; how worried should we be about artificial intelligence, with technology editor, Zoe Kleinman, and what is fuelling the political, economic and ...
May 27, 2023•28 min
Unspun World provides an unvarnished version of the week's major global news stories, with the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson and the BBC's unparalleled range of experts. This week John explores the ongoing war effort in Ukraine with BBC Monitoring's Vitaliy Shevchenko; the future of Turkey with international correspondent Orla Guerin; what President Assad of Syria's rehabilitation will mean for Syrians, with Middle-East correspondent Lina Sinjab, and he speaks to the BBC's science corr...
May 20, 2023•28 min
On a mission to make sense of the world. A new podcast, with hosts John Simpson and Claire Graham. Episodes released weekly from 20 May 2023.
May 17, 2023•1 min
This year marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, signed by politicians from Northern Ireland and the British and Irish governments in an attempt to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Over his 26 years at the BBC, Denis Murray reported extensively on the peace process, including this pivotal moment. He explains to Claire Graham how it came about, its legacy and how it's still discussed in today's political battles. Producer: Owen McFadden Presenter: Claire Graham
Mar 04, 2023•19 min
Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have historically been difficult. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war. A bitter border war between the two countries began a few years later. But by 2020, Eritrea sent troops to fight alongside the Ethiopian government against rebel forces in its northern Tigray region. Kalkidan Yibeltal is a BBC correspondent in Addis Ababa. He explains the complex history between the two countries, and looks at the tentative peace now emergi...
Feb 25, 2023•19 min
A military coup in 1989 brought Omar al-Bashir to power, until being overthrown by the military in the face of mass protests in 2019. During this time, war has raged in Darfur, South Sudan has gained independence and the Sudanese people demanded a return to civil government. BBC journalist Mohanad Hashim grew up in Khartoum and has reported extensively on the Middle East and Africa. He speaks to Claire Graham about Sudan’s journey from independence to revolution. Producer: Owen McFadden Presente...
Feb 18, 2023•19 min
After almost a decade of fighting, civil war in Yemen has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Nawal Al-Maghafi is a Special Correspondent with the BBC who has been reporting on the Middle East since 2012. She explains to Claire Graham how this complex war began between government backed forces and the Houthi rebels. Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden
Feb 11, 2023•19 min
China has been accused of the mistreatment of the Uyghur people in the north-western region of Xinjiang for a number of years. This Muslim ethnic group are distinct with different culture, language and history to China's ethnic majority, Han Chinese. But why did the government start this crackdown? And what’s really going on? Senior correspondent John Sudworth was based in China for nine years, and reported on the treatment of the Uyghur people. He speaks to Claire Graham to help us understand t...
Feb 04, 2023•18 min
