The Global Story

At the inaugural Enhanced Games this weekend, something unprecedented is taking place; professional athletes from around the world will be encouraged to swim, lift, and sprint with the aid of performance enhancing drugs.
The competition — nicknamed the 'Doping Olympics' — has provoked enormous controversy in the world of sport. Enhanced runs counter to the many athletic organisations who have spent decades prioritising a crackdown on performance enhancing drugs. Many in the sporting world say that a competition that endorses doping will normalise unfair and possibly dangerous drug use. But supporters argue that the competition will facilitate the safe, open use of drugs that are often taken unsafely and without medical supervision at competitions elsewhere.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan joins us to break down all things Enhanced Games. His documentary, Enhanced Games: A Sporting Revolution or Dangerous Doping?, is available now on YouTube.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Valerio Esposito
Executive producers: James Shield and China Collins
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Olympic swimming medallist Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to join the Enhanced Games, an event which allows athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs. Credit: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.

In the decade since Britain voted to leave the European Union, the country has cycled through six prime ministers, victims of both their own decisions, and global pressures.
Now, Sir Keir Starmer, the current prime minister and leader of the left-leaning Labour party, could be the seventh leader to fall, under pressure from members of his own party who feel he has failed to tackle key issues like the cost of living, immigration, and sluggish economic growth.
To top it off, recent local elections across the country proved disastrous for Labour as it lost ground to populist parties on both the left and right, and only two years after a landslide victory some of Sir Keir’s own party members are calling for him to step down.
How did British politics become so volatile? BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale joins us to explain.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Aron Keller
Executive producer: Richard Fenton-Smith
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo:Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer makes a statement in number 10 Downing Street, Westminster. Credit: Jack Taylor/PA Wire

President Donald Trump has warned Iran the "clock is ticking" as talks to bring their war to an end have stalled. "They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
There are multiple thorny issues to be resolved between the US and Iran, but one of them concerns another country altogether: Lebanon. Iran has reportedly insisted on an end to the war in Lebanon before talks can continue with the US.
A ceasefire in Lebanon was announced back in April, but Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire since then and hundreds have been killed.
Hugo Bachega, Middle East Correspondent, discusses why the war in Lebanon is so hard to end, and what that means for the chances of a deal between the US and Iran.
Producer: Viv Jones and Aron Keller
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Choukine, Lebanon (Reuters)

The mayor of the Californian city of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to charges she acted as an illegal agent for China. Prosecutors say Eileen Wang was directly co-ordinating with a Chinese official to disseminate news stories downplaying human rights concerns in China, with the aim of trying to influence US government and public opinion.
US authorities say the extent of China’s covert activity and espionage in the United States goes well beyond this case. According to the FBI, Chinese counterintelligence and espionage efforts are a “grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States”.
We speak to Andrew Badger, former CIA case officer and co-author of The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets.
Producer: Viv Jones and Lucy Pawle
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
(Photo: Eileen Wang. Credit: City of Arcadia City Hall/ Reuters)

Donald Trump has concluded his final round of talks with Xi Jinping and wrapped up his state visit to Beijing.
Trade, oil, Iran and Taiwan were among the topics discussed over two days of meetings. The US president said the meeting was ‘’successful” and “unforgettable” – and said he expects the relationship will be better than ever. Does Xi Jinping see things the same way? We speak to the BBC’s senior China correspondent, Laura Bicker.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Trump and Xi. Reuters/Evan Vucci/Pool