What in the World

There’s loads of misinformation online about vaccines. For years, there have been false claims about the tetanus jab causing infertility. One of our listeners, Henry, got in touch to ask us if they were true. Fauziyya Tukur, a BBC Disinformation journalist in Abuja, looks into the claims with us. The BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh explains why vaccine hesitancy is on the rise around the world...

On Sunday night, a surprising exit poll was announced for France’s parliamentary election. It showed that the New Popular Front was about to win the second round, in a result that no-one was expecting. All previous predictions had suggested the far-right National Rally party would come out on top, but it came third. The New Popular Front, a brand new left-wing coalition, was formed as part of a st...

Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match have changed the way many of us date, offering convenience, choice and connection at your finger tips. They have millions of users worldwide. As many as one in three adults in the U.S. has used them, according to Pew Research Centre. But now, ten years after their boom, there’s endless chatter about deleting them. And it’s not because people are findin...

On Tuesday 2nd July, over 120 people died in a crowd crush at a religious event in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. According to police reports, the crush happened after 200,000 people gathered in an area that only had capacity for 80,000. The BBC’s Jugal Purohit has been to the scene of the tragedy - he describes what we know about it so far and the ongoing investigations. On Thursday, police s...

Hurricane Beryl has been tearing through the southeast Caribbean and is now moving towards Jamaica. It’s expected to reach Mexico after. Hurricanes form every year from June to November - with varying degrees of severity. There are also typhoons, cyclones and storms that rip through countries. But what’s the difference, when does a storm become a hurricane and are they getting worse? Esme Stallard...

A growing number of private companies are wading into the global race for space dominance. Space X, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Axiom, Vast and Boeing all have their sights set on the stars. But how ready are we for the new era of space exploration? Two space flight mishaps have recently made the headlines. On Sunday, a space rocket owned by a private Chinese company accidentally launched itself...

You might not live in the US but the value of America’s currency most likely affects how much you pay for stuff, wherever you are. In this episode we explain why the strength of the US dollar matters so much. The BBC’s Erin Delmore describes the picture stateside. Cuba Houghton, a graduate in Economics based in Nairobi helps us dig into the meaning of some economic terms that you need to be famili...

The East Africa crude oil pipeline - also known as EACOP - is facing ongoing backlash. The pipeline, which will pass through Uganda and Tanzania, is backed by a French and Chinese company. This week protesters have targeted several Chinese embassies to discourage further foreign support. They believe the pipeline is a human rights and environmental disaster. The BBC's Jewel Kiriungi explains the p...

Julian Assange, one of the world’s most notorious hackers and the face of the website Wikileaks, is now a free man. He’s been in a high security prison in the UK for the last five years, fighting extradition to the US, wanted for charges under the US Espionage Act. But who is he and what did he do? We talk you through Julian Assange’s hacker background, some of Wikileaks' biggest revelations and c...

A pair of beluga whales have been evacuated from the besieged city of Kharkiv in Ukraine. They were taken to Europe’s largest aquarium — the Oceanogràfic de Valencia in Spain. Mora from the What in the World team explains how the ongoing war in Ukraine put the belugas at risk. And Daniel Garcia-Párraga, director of zoological operations at Oceanogràfic, describes the complex rescue mission. The ev...

There’s been a lot of unrest in New Caledonia this year and it’s down to a proposed voting reform bill. Buildings have been set on fire, nine people have been killed and seven pro-independence activists have been detained and taken to France. New Caledonia is a French territory, even though it’s really far away from France. Many local people there want independence. The BBC’s Malu Cursino gives us...

Hajj — the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — took place last week during an extreme heatwave. Officials in Saudi Arabia say that at least 1,301 people died. Most of them had not obtained official permits to enter the country to perform Hajj, which all Muslims must do at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able. Without proper documentation, pilgrims cannot access...

Young Kenyans are leading demonstrations against a controversial finance bill, organising via TikTok and X. They are unhappy about proposals to raise taxes on sanitary pads and mobile money transfers, amongst other things. A protestor shares her motivation for taking to the streets. We hear from Anita Nkonge a BBC reporter in Nairobi, who tells us what the protests are about. And BBC business repo...

Hollywood has gone into overdrive trying to guess which celebrities are using weight loss drugs. Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Schumer, and Rebel Wilson have all talked openly about taking them - and there have been loads of rumours swirling around Kim Kardashian. These drugs are often known by their brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, made by the Danish company Novo Nordisk. Who are these drugs meant...

For decades China has used pandas as a way to improve diplomatic relations with other countries. Now, China’s Premier has offered Australia two, to replace the zoo's existing pandas. BBC Sydney Correspondent Katie Watson explains. We also speak to the BBC’s Jack Lau in Hong Kong about China’s history of panda diplomacy and the significance of the animal to the country. And we hear from Katharina M...

Nigeria is Africa’s economic powerhouse - so why are so many young people trying to leave and find opportunities in other countries? It’s become so common there’s even a word for it: Japa. Last year, Nigeria’s immigration service issued a record number of passports - almost 2 million. So when we were in Lagos we spoke to the BBC’s Faith Oshoko, who explained what drives young professionals to move...

Nuclear power counts for just ten percent of the world’s total power supply and only 33 countries currently have nuclear power stations. But those numbers could soon change as China rushes to build new nuclear facilities and as African countries consider building their own. Jordan Dunbar from the BBC podcast The Climate Question explains how nuclear power works, describes its benefits and drawback...

South Korea’s Buldak noodles are super spicy - and Denmark’s food regulator has now recalled some types of them, saying they could cause "acute poisoning". The company behind the noodles says there are no quality issues. They’re used in extreme food challenges that often go viral online. So we decided to try them ourselves and they were FIERY! The BBC’s Health and Science Correspondent, James Gall...

She may be one of music's biggest stars, but it turns out even Billie Eilish is not immune to being ghosted. The ‘Bad Guy’ singer recently opened up about her experience on a BBC podcast, and it got us thinking about why ghosting feels so pervasive and hurtful. So, in this episode, we’re chatting about all things ghosting: where the term came from, what it means, and why it makes us feel so bad. W...

Despite the latest data showing fewer women are dying in childbirth globally, maternal mortality remains a huge issue for women across Africa. The World Health Organization says that more than two thirds of maternal deaths across the world happen in the continent. Chad and South Sudan rank the highest for maternal mortality, followed by Nigeria, one of the richest countries in Africa. Dorcas Wangi...

Being a feminist in South Korea is often associated with being a man-hater. And people who are thought to look like feminists - by for example having short hair or not wearing makeup - can be ridiculed, or even attacked. Rachel Lee, a journalist based in Seoul, explains why anti-feminist sentiment is growing among young men, how this plays out online, and what the government is doing to protect wo...

Similar to the viral image "All Eyes on Rafah," the image "All Eyes on Papua" has been spreading across social media. It’s turning attention to Papua, a province of Indonesia. The slogan refers to the campaign of the indigenous people of Awyu and Moi in Papua, whose forest is at risk of being cleared for palm oil plantations. Abraham Utama, a BBC journalist based in Jakarta, explains how the campa...

In April, a top Nollywood star, Junior Pope, was killed in a boat crash, while being transported from a film set. He starred in more than a hundred Nigerian-produced films and his death has got the people who work in the industry asking questions about its safety record. We speak to Ruth Kadiri, an actor and screenwriter who knew Junior Pope. She tells us about her own experiences with dangerous s...

Phone theft is really common - but what happens to your phone after it’s stolen? Nowadays it’s not just about taking the phone to sell on, or strip for parts. Now thieves will try to scam you afterwards to get your data or bank details. BBC Journalist Zofia Louise’s phone was stolen in London and ended up in Dubai. She talks Hannah through her experience. Nigeria and Brazil also see a lot of phone...

For many, it’s a dream to fly to Nepal and reach the top of the highest peak in the world. But climbing Mount Everest is considered extremely risky even for experienced climbers and it can be deadly. On top of this, climate change is making the conditions even more dangerous. It’s thought that the bodies of nearly 200 of the 330 climbers who have died on the peak are still there, in hard-to-reach...