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Unspun World with John Simpson

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The BBC's world affairs editor examines the most important international stories

The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, uses his experience and expertise to examine the most important international stories.

The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, uses his experience and expertise to examine the most important international stories. Drawing on the unique local knowledge of the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, he goes beyond the headlines to get to the unspun truth about the world.

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Unspun World with John Simpson: Is Ukraine's counter-offensive a turning point?

Factual

Is Ukraine's counter-offensive a turning point?

20/05/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Unspun World with John Simpson, Is Ukraine's counter-offensive a turning point?

Ukraine prepares a renewed offensive. Plus, what is a pangenome and how will it help us?

Will Ukraine's counter-offensive be a decisive moment? And, after 12 years of brutal civil war in Syria, is President Assad being welcomed back by Arab neighbours?

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 correspondent, Pallab Ghosh, about the pangenome. What is it and how can it help humanity?

Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Italy, Rome, 13 May 2023. Credit: Photo by ANGELO CARCONI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Produced by Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt

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Is Ukraine's counter-offensive a turning point?

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