BBC reveals rift at top of Taliban regime
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A year-long investigation by the BBC Afghan Service has found that two groups are competing for power within the Taliban leadership. One is aligned to the supreme leader and his hardline policies. The other is said to favour more international engagement and giving women wider access to education. Also: Elon Musk's social media platform X has announced new measures to stop its AI chatbot, Grok, creating sexualised images of real people. This function will now be blocked, including for paying subscribers, if local laws demand it. Election officials in Uganda say logistical problems have delayed voting in presidential and parliamentary polls. Delays were blamed on failures in biometric identification kits and lack of equipment. And astronauts splash down to Earth after medical evacuation from the International Space Station. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.5 | We definitely do not have quiet days anymore in American politics. |
| 0:12.5 | Our podcast will help you cut through all the noise. |
| 0:15.9 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:20.8 | AmeriCast, Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:24.3 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:30.0 | I'm Celia Hatton, and at 16 hours GMT on Thursday, the 15th of January, these are our main stories. |
| 0:37.7 | An exclusive BBC investigation in Afghanistan reveals a split at the top of the ruling Taliban. |
| 0:44.4 | Videos and voice messages from Iran show the extent of the government's crackdown on protesters. |
| 0:50.9 | And the social media platform X announces new rules for its AI chatbot GROC over the creation of sexualized images of real people. |
| 1:01.5 | Also in this podcast, Uganda's general election faces widespread delays as President Meseveni seeks a seventh term. |
| 1:10.2 | And... |
| 1:10.9 | Dragon, SpaceX, we see Splash Down. |
| 1:14.1 | On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, crew Levin. |
| 1:18.2 | Four astronauts are back on Earth after the first ever medical evacuation of the International Space Station. |
| 1:28.5 | In the last edition of this podcast, we brought you an exclusive BBC report on a split |
| 1:34.4 | at the top of the Taliban in Afghanistan. |
| 1:37.4 | In a leaked recording, the group's supreme leader, Hybertullah Akanzata, warns that the |
| 1:43.0 | divisions could bring down his government. |
| 1:45.9 | The story is the result of a year-long investigation by the BBC's Afghan service, |
| 1:51.1 | and now we want to bring you more details from one of the journalists who worked on it, |
| 1:55.7 | Zia Sharir. He told us that while the Taliban has denied the split, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.