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PODCAST

What in the World

BBC World Service

Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, Monday to Friday.

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All Episodes

11:32

What’s being done to protect the Amazon rainforest?

What in the World ·

2025/11/06

The Amazon rainforest is home to billions of trees, animals and people. It’s spread across nine countries in South America - Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela - but the majority of it, almost 60%, is in Brazil. As well as being rich in biodiversity, the Amazon is also very important in the world's fight against climate change; as it absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. But the Amazon has been declining. In fact, in 2022 Brazil set a new

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8:57

Sudan: What’s happened in el-Fasher?

What in the World ·

2025/11/05

The RSF (Rapid Support Forces) have taken the city of el-Fasher, in Darfur, from the Sudanese army. The city had been under siege by RSF fighters for 18 months, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians and sparking a hunger crisis. Thousands are now trying to flee. And there are mounting fears of mass killings and sexual violence - some of which are feared to be ethically motivated. The civil war in Sudan has been going on since 2023. But some believe that this could be a turning point. Deka

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12:00

AI videos just got super real - here’s how to spot them

What in the World ·

2025/11/04

Sora and Vibes are making it easier than ever to make AI-generated videos. You may already be familiar with low-budget ‘AI slop’ which is creeping into TikTok and Instagram. Things like Will Smith eating spaghetti, dogs riding motorbikes, or the late Queen Elizabeth rapping. Or, maybe you enjoy POV videos - and imagining you’re an angel waking up in heaven, or the Pope in the Vatican. Now Sora, from the owners of ChatGPT, and Vibes, from Meta, are promising to take AI-generated video content to the

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8:57

Why is Australia deporting people to one of the...

What in the World ·

2025/11/03

Nauru is the third smallest country in the world. It’s located in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean and is home to around 12-thousand people. The tiny island has recently received its first transfer of foreign detainees from Australia - following a controversial deal between the two nations. The deal was struck after Australia's top court ruled that it could not indefinitely detain about 358 people, the bulk of whom have been convicted of crimes, forcing their release into the community. The

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8:57

The Andrew Formerly known as Prince

What in the World ·

2025/10/31

How does someone stop being a prince? The UK's King Charles has announced that his brother Andrew will no longer have this or any of his other titles after public pressure over his links with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He will also have to vacate his royal mansion in Windsor. This is a rare move in royal history. In this episode we break down the main points and take a closer look at the people key to the story: the former prince; the King; Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, a

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8:57

This is what it takes to be a sumo wrestler

What in the World ·

2025/10/30

Sumo is Japan’s national sport. Its origins go back more than 1,500 years, and it rarely leaves Japan. But some competitions are starting to tour - including The Grand Sumo Tournament, which recently happened in London. Wrestlers often start training from a very young age, and training is intense. It involves building strength and fitness - and eating. A lot. They consume around 10,000 calories a day. The BBC’s Mariko Oi is from Japan. She talks us through all we need to know about the sport. We

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9:40

Why is Trump giving the White House a makeover?

What in the World ·

2025/10/29

The White House, in the heart of Washington DC, has housed American presidents for more than two centuries. But now, the East Wing of the famous complex has been torn down by President Donald Trump. He says he’s replacing it with a huge ballroom to host events. The administration hasn’t revealed plans for it just yet, but the latest estimated cost its around $300m. So did President Trump have permission to partially demolish the building? What do people think about it? We speak to BBC reporter

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10:12

Why China wants more foreign tech grads

What in the World ·

2025/10/28

In August, China launched a new “K visa”, to attract young science and technology graduates. It came into effect on 1st October 2025 and although there isn’t a lot of information about what the visa will allow people to do, it’s getting a lot of media attention. Many people in China aren’t happy about it. That’s because millions of Chinese graduates can’t find jobs and there are worries over preferential treatment for foreigners. Mengchen Zhang, from the BBC’s Global China Unit, joins Hannah in the

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12:20

What could the NBA, mafia, and X-ray glasses have in...

What in the World ·

2025/10/27

If you’re an NBA fan, you’ll probably know that this season has gotten off to a rocky start. The FBI has revealed two major cases of illegal sports betting, involving two NBA stars and a coach. The allegations include faking injuries to influence matches, as well as working with the mafia to rig poker games.So, how did they allegedly get tangled up in the US organised crime world? BBC reporter Kayla Epstein joins us from New York to explain what the FBI’s investigation has found - and how the mafia

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13:25

Not all antidepressants are the same

What in the World ·

2025/10/24

Antidepressants have been prescribed to help people with depression for decades. While they help millions, they also come with potential side effects. These can include nausea, a change in sleep patterns and low sex drive. But now, for the first time, the side effects of different types of the drug have been compared and ranked in a study. What are the differences? And will it change how people are prescribed the drug? BBC Heath and science correspondent James Gallagher explains. Do antidepressants

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10:00

The video gamer who became a Catholic saint

What in the World ·

2025/10/23

The Catholic Church has appointed its first ever millennial saint — Carlo Acutis. A keen gamer and coder, the Italian teenager died aged only 15 back in 2006, days after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia. Since then, he’s earned the nickname ‘God’s influencer’ and developed a devoted following for the work he did to spread Catholic teaching during his short life.Catholic followers believe he was behind two miracles and over a million people have travelled to Assisi to see his preserved remains

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8:52

No Snapchat?! Why the AWS outage was so big

What in the World ·

2025/10/22

Fortnite, Roblox, Snapchat, Zoom, Duolingo, Delta Airlines, Amazon Prime, HBO, Hinge, Hulu, Outlook, Reddit, Lyft, Slack, Strava… These are just some of the apps which were impacted by AWS’s recent outage. AWS stands for Amazon Web Services. It’s the biggest provider of internet support services in the world, meaning that millions of people rely on it for everyday apps like internet banking and social media. Luckily the issue has now been fixed. But the outage has reignited the debate around whether

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8:57

Why are people dying from fake alcohol in Brazil?

What in the World ·

2025/10/21

Methanol poisoning has surged in Brazil, mostly around São Paulo. At least three people have died, including a 30-year-old woman. Hundreds more have been poisoned. Methanol is a type of alcohol commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and antifreeze. It is highly poisonous, even in small amounts, and easily goes undetected - which makes it very dangerous. BBC Brasil’s Luiz Fernando Toledo has been investigating how Brazil’s methanol poisoning crisis started, and why it’s so widespread. He joins us

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13:08

Our recap on the Madagascar protests

What in the World ·

2025/10/20

Weeks of protests held in Madagascar drew to a close last week as a military leader was sworn in as the new president. It came after young people mobilised, demanding an end to power cuts and water shortages. The protests grew bigger, with the United Nations saying at least 22 people died, which the previous government disputes. BBC journalist Sammy Awami, who was in Madagascar during the unrest, joins us to explain what these protests were like and what the new leader is promising to young people

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8:57

How do you win a Nobel Prize?

What in the World ·

2025/10/17

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious award in the world. Whether you win it for physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics - or, the most coveted of all, the peace prize, the process of choosing a winner is extremely secretive. President Donald Trump has been pretty clear he thinks he deserves it. But this year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition in Venezuela.The BBC’s Mark Lowen has been to Oslo in Norway, to get rare access to the

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10:40

How the One Piece flag became a worldwide symbol of...

What in the World ·

2025/10/16

Gen Z protests have been happening all around the world. And you might have seen photos of some of these protestors waving the same anime pirate flag in countries from Indonesia to Morocco. It’s from the hit Japanese manga show, One Piece that recently got a live action makeover on Netflix.In this episode, LaNeysha Campbell, a podcast host and anime fan based in the US, explains why One Piece has become such a big deal and talks us through some of the political themes within it. Panisa Aemocha, a

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8:56

Are we about to see more ‘Made in Nigeria’ leather...

What in the World ·

2025/10/15

If you’ve checked out the label of your favourite leather accessories lately, you might see Made in China or Italy… but perhaps not Nigeria. The country exports nearly 90% of its hides, as part of a historic leather industry that feeds luxury labels around the world. But because the products are finished off abroad, you wouldn't know their origins. Now, Nigerian designers are working to change this and reclaim ownership. BBC reporter Elaine Chong explains how Nigerian tanneries make their leather -

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15:47

Could Taylor Swift’s reign ever end?

What in the World ·

2025/10/14

Taylor Swift has long dominated the world of music, but her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, had massive sales but mixed reviews. Could her reign ever come to an end or is she too big to fail?Mark Savage, the BBC’s Music Correspondent, chats through the new album with us and explains how views on Taylor Swift have changed over the years.Our BBC friend and Swiftie, Hayley Clarke, investigates some of the easter eggs on one of the album tracks (you’ll be into this if you’re a romantasy fan…) And we

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8:57

Naked mole rats prove pretty privilege is overrated

What in the World ·

2025/10/13

What’s small, sausage-shaped, wrinkly and pink? No… not that… Get your mind out of the gutter.It’s a naked mole rat!!! A new study of the odd-looking rodent shows that they’ve evolved a DNA repair mechanism that could explain why they live for so long. They have a max life span of nearly 40 years.Victoria Gill, our Science Correspondent and strange animal expert, explains why they live so long and what human science can learn from these quite wonderful critters.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworldEmail:

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11:20

Is the war in Gaza over?

What in the World ·

2025/10/10

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire, arranged by US President Trump. Under the agreement Hamas will release all Israeli hostages, alive and dead, and Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Israeli forces are expected to partially withdraw from Gaza, and humanitarian aid is to be allowed into the territory. This is described as the first phase of Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan”. We hear how it’s being received by people in Gaza and Israel.In this episode, with the help of

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