What in the World

For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, Ukrainian soldiers have advanced 30km inside Russia. President Zelensky says Ukraine is pushing the war onto "the aggressor's territory" in the Kursk region. What could this mean for the war? Vitaly Shevchenko, one of the hosts of Ukrainecast and the Russia editor of BBC Monitoring, explains. We also discuss a recent fire at the Zapori...

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have officially come to an end. Among the memorable moments are things like: that outstanding 100m photo finish, the debut of Olympic breakdancing, the refugee collecting their first medal and Snoop Dogg. To mark the occasion, we asked you what questions you had about the Olympic games - and reached out to two BBC journalists who’ve been in Paris: Isaac Fanin from...

IITERNITI, formerly Eternity, is a South Korean pop group created entirely by artificial intelligence. The group first launched back in 2021, and now has millions of views online. And they’re not the only ones. There are other AI K-pop groups around too. BBC reporter Iqra Farooq has been looking into how AI could change the genre; from ChatGPT messaging fans, to VR concerts. She talks us through h...

There are loads of podcasts about entrepreneurship, setting up a business or start-up, being your own boss and making money. According to the American business magazine Forbes, up to 9 in 10 start-ups fail, and the number is thought to be even higher in Africa. BBC Africa’s business reporter in Lagos, Nigeria, Nkechi Ogbonna, explains what a start-up is and some of the reasons why start-ups fail....

Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student, has been facing online abuse since becoming a finalist in Miss South Africa 2024. Chidimma is South African and grew up in Cape Town to a Nigerian father and South African mother with Mozambican roots. Some people think she shouldn’t compete because of this - even though she is eligible. BBC Africa journalist Danai Nesta Kupemba talks us through the d...

There are celebrations in Bangladesh following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation after weeks of violent unrest. Many have described the past month as one of the worst periods of violence seen in Bangladesh since the country formed five decades ago. Student protests against quotas in government jobs escalated into an anti-government movement after a violent crackdown by security forces and...

Animals are essential in maintaining ecosystem balance, but in some cases they can have the opposite effect. In the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya, authorities are looking to cull 1 million Indian house crows. Conservationists say they are becoming a nuisance and have significantly reduced the number of small indigenous birds in the region. So how will they be dealt with? The BBC’s Dorcas Wangira,...

Leg-lengthening surgery was once reserved for people with a serious injury or physical deformity. But now more people are undergoing the procedure simply because they want to be taller. BBC journalist Tom Brada explains what the operation entails, the risks it carries, and the costs that patients incur. We also hear from Daniel, a man who underwent the procedure. He describes why he wanted to be t...

Thousands of Venezuelans have been protesting after President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in the country's disputed election. The opposition says the results were fraudulent. There are reports of at least 11 deaths in protest-related violence, with lots more people injured. Our South America correspondent, Ione Wells, explains why the results are disputed and what protesters in Caracas have bee...

Dearest gentle listener: It’s our first birthday! To celebrate one year of our What in the World podcast, we asked you what burning questions you had — and we turned to the BBC’s global network of experts to get the answers. In this episode, you’ll hear… Digital health editor Michelle Roberts on how vaccines train the body’s immune system. Seoul correspondent Jean Mackenzie on what tourists in Nor...

Afrobeats originated in Nigeria and Ghana, starting to get popular in the 2010s. It’s generally seen as a blend of West African music styles with Western pop and rap. Artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Rema, and Davido have gone global. TikTok and Youtube have played a big part in the genre’s popularity, so have collabs with people like Beyonce and Drake. But some are turning away from A...

South Sudan — the world’s youngest nation — endured the longest civil war in Africa. Now, in their debut Olympic Games, its men’s basketball team is helping the country forge a new identity. BBC Africa Sport journalist Kelvin Kimathi explains South Sudan’s meteoric rise in basketball -- and how the national team almost beat the United States in an exhibition match a week before the Olympics. Luol...

The Philippines is racing to contain the oil from a tanker that sank on Thursday in the midst of heavy rains from Typhoon Gaemi. It was carrying 1.5 million litres of oil, and the spread of it could cause an environmental catastrophe. We hear the latest on the coast guard operation from Jhesset Enano, a journalist based in Manila. This incident has reminded people about the devastating impacts of...

The Olympics have a huge impact, in many ways. Whether that’s tears, screaming at the TV, or inspiring you to take up rhythmic gymnastics. There’s another impact though, that affects us all, and that’s on the environment and climate. The 2016 Rio Games had a total estimated footprint of 3.6m tonnes of carbon. Ahead of Paris 2024, we chat to BBC climate and sport reporter David Lockwood and Jordan...

White cast, nostalgic smell, never quite rubbed in enough. Yep, that’s sunscreen. It can be the stuff of nightmares when sand is involved. But recently, some TikTok influencers - and even celebrities - are telling their followers that it’s dangerous. They allege that chemicals seep into your skin, and cause harm, even cancer. But science says no. In this episode, biomedical scientist Judey Pretori...

Last year, Afghanistan attracted 7,000 tourists from abroad. That’s despite many governments warning citizens not to visit the country because it’s ruled by the Taliban, an extreme Islamic group. Since overthrowing Afghanistan’s government in 2021, the Taliban have banned women from attending university and working in all non-governmental organisations. They’ve also ordered the closure of beauty s...

After vowing that nothing could stop him from running for re-election, US President Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take over. He didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree, he exists in the context of what came before - so we explain how he got here. He made the announcement via a statement on social media, in which he said his deci...

A lot of us dream about becoming a professional athlete and the ultimate athletes in sport are at the Olympic Games. But what does it take? The Olympics officially start on 26th July in Paris, France. 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries will take part in 32 sports including athletics, swimming, and gymnastics, as well as BMX, surfing and climbing. Kishmala Talat (22), a shooter from Pakistan,...

Since the start of the month, university students have been protesting across Bangladesh, asking for quotas in government jobs to be removed. 30% of roles are reserved for the children and grandchildren of people who fought for the country’s independence back in 1971. The anti-quota protesters have clashed with members of a pro-government student group and police. Things have escalated this week a...

A new strain of the mpox virus is spreading quickly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and experts say it is the most dangerous variant they have seen. We chat to Makuochi Okafor, a BBC Africa health reporter, who explains the symptoms of mpox, why scientists changed its name, and how people can protect themselves. He also describes what we know about the new variant. In 2022, a global outbreak...

This weekend, traffic in a key part of Mumbai came to a standstill to make way for a convoy of VIP guests attending one of the year’s most talked about events, the wedding ceremony of Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani. The couple tied the knot in a 4-day wedding extravaganza with the likes of Kim Kardashian, John Cena and India’s PM Narendra Modi in attendance. It was the glittering finale to 4 mo...

On Saturday evening someone tried to kill Donald Trump. The former president was giving a speech at a political rally in Pennsylvania when a gunman took aim from a nearby rooftop. The bullet grazed Mr Trump’s right ear before he was rushed to safety. Images of the defiant presidential candidate, moments after the incident, standing with his fist raised, lines of blood streaked across his face, cou...

JailTime is a record label that aims to get prisoners away from crime and into the music industry. It operates from a studio in New Bell prison, a high security jail in Douala, Cameroon. They say they’ve brought reoffending rates down significantly. JailTime’s founders, Dione Roach and Steve Happi, tell us what they're trying to achieve and talk about one of their success stories; Moussinghi. Paul...

Over the last 18 months the world has gone pretty crazy about AI. Apple has been jumping into the space and Samsung is forecasting higher profits than ever from its advanced chips. Tech companies say it’s the future and may even put a lot of us out of a job. But a new report from one of the world’s top banks says that generative AI, things like ChatGPT or Gemini, might not prove to be the gamechan...

After the Covid pandemic, global tourism numbers have been on the rise again, but so are concerns about the impact of tourism. We will take you to Spain, Southern Africa and Hawaii to discuss the tension between the money that tourism brings in, and the price locals have to pay. Protesters in Barcelona have been showing their discontent with tourists by spraying them with water pistols, trying to...