What in the World
Episodes
Why China wants more foreign tech grads
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
What could the NBA, mafia, and X-ray glasses have in common?
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sport...
Not all antidepressants are the same
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Antidepressants have been prescribed to help people with depression for decades. While they help millions, they also come with potential side effects....
The video gamer who became a Catholic saint
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Catholic Church has appointed its first ever millennial saint — Carlo Acutis. A keen gamer and coder, the Italian teenager died aged only 15 bac...
No Snapchat?! Why the AWS outage was so big
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fortnite, Roblox, Snapchat, Zoom, Duolingo, Delta Airlines, Amazon Prime, HBO, Hinge, Hulu, Outlook, Reddit, Lyft, Slack, Strava… These are just som...
Why are people dying from fake alcohol in Brazil?
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Our recap on the Madagascar protests
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 mobi...
How do you win a Nobel Prize?
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious award in the world. Whether you win it for physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics - or, the most ...
How the One Piece flag became a worldwide symbol of protest
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Are we about to see more ‘Made in Nigeria’ leather goods?
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Could Taylor Swift’s reign ever end?
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ev...
Naked mole rats prove pretty privilege is overrated
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-...
Is the war in Gaza over?
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire, arranged by US President Trump. Under the agreement Hamas will release all Israeli hostages, alive and de...
How yaba swept across East Asia
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Golden Triangle, a border region of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos is the world’s most active production zone for synthetic drugs like methamphetami...
China’s renewable energy takeover
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Renewables are now the world’s leading source of electricity and China has boosted its solar and wind capacity more than the rest of the world combi...
Too young for cosmetic surgery?
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A teenager recently died in Mexico, reportedly after having cosmetic surgery. Paloma Nicole was just 14. Her dad claims he didn’t know she was havin...
Will the world’s oldest leader win again?
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cameroon’s president Paul Biya is 92-years-old. He’s been the president for decades. This weekend Cameroonians will vote in presidential elections...
How do you cut the internet for a whole country?
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Afghanistan has just come out of an internet blackout, which paralysed businesses, banks and airports and cut people off from their friends and family...
The multi-million dollar coral reef restoration project in Indonesia
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017 a cruise ship called the Caledonian Sky was sailing near the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia when it ran aground in the shallow waters and got...
Bad Bunny is taking Puerto Rican vibes to the Super Bowl
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio AKA Bad Bunny’s year. In January, he released Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, his sixth album, with great reception from ...
What is bride kidnapping - and why does it still happen?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, two countries in central Asia between Russia and China, there is a so-called tradition of bride kidnapping. Young women ...
No phones on the dance floor! Why artists don’t want you filming at gigs
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish may not have much in common, but they do share one thing: asking fans to put their phones away at their concerts. ...
If you’re listening to this, the Rapture didn’t happen
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#Rapture has been trending on TikTok. Some believe that the Rapture is when Christ’s followers will be taken up to Heaven, while those who do not fo...
Could a four-day work week become the new norm?
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A study published earlier this year showed that cutting the working week to four days instead of five significantly improved people's wellbeing. So wh...
Can you be fined for insulting virtual K-pop idols?
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
PLAVE is your average hit-making K-pop group, but with a twist: its members are virtual avatars. There are real-life performers behind the characters,...
How Australia is addressing its koala chlamydia crisis
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Australian koalas are having a hard time in the wild. As many as 80% of some populations in eastern Australia have chlamydia and it can be deadly. The...
How a Kenyan athlete became a soldier for Russia
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine if you took a trip abroad and in an effort to extend your stay, you unknowingly sign a piece of paperwork that makes you a front line soldier....
Are you obsessed with The Summer I Turned Pretty (like us)?
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t worry if you haven’t watched The Summer I Turned Pretty, this episode is a great introduction! And fear not, there will also be no spoilers ...
Teens in Rwanda get access to family planning without parental consent
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rwanda has made it easier for teenagers to access reproductive health services with a new law. If you’re aged 15 in the country, you’ll be able to...
Gimme GTA 6 now!
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Borderlands 4 is now out after a six year wait and Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to come out in 2026 after more than a decade. It’s one of the mos...
Is AI the reason graduates can’t get jobs?
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Applying for jobs is TOUGH. First you’ve got to find the adverts and openings, then there’s the mental energy and time required to put in an appli...
Nepal’s Gen Z don’t want #NepoKids or corruption
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Protesters in Nepal were demonstrating against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban which they said limited their freedom of speech. But the p...
Why was Charlie Kirk such a big deal for young Americans?
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday 10 September Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university campus in Utah. Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who founded the student ...
When a ‘dating safety’ app goes wrong
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Tea Dating Advice app blew up in the US earlier this year - it let women run background checks on men - to see if they were married, using fake id...
Why is everyone talking about Kim Jong Un’s daughter?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kim Ju Ae is reportedly around 13-years-old, but she could be the next leader of North Korea. There is huge speculation about why her father, Kim Jong...
Are we using the wrong world map?
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Mercator projection, a map that’s been around for over 450 years and which most people use, distorts size. It stretches land masses farther from...
Charli XCX Apple dance lawsuit: Can you copyright a dance move?
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok is full of people doing the choreography to Charlie XCX’s Apple dance - as well as many other dances. But can you get in trouble for copying ...
Why do tennis players smash up their rackets?
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve been watching the US Open this year, chances are you’ll have seen that there’s been some drama on the court. There was a heated exchan...
How to REALLY spot a narcissist and can they change?
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Am I a narcissist? Am I dating a narcissist? Is narcissism becoming more common? How do I spot a narcissist? Can narcissists change or be treated? The...
Why are protesters in Indonesia so angry with the government?
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There have been huge protests across Indonesia. They were sparked by cost-of-living concerns and discontent at politician wages and allowances. But af...
How does China control its internet?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
China has one of the world’s most sophisticated internet censorship systems - it’s so extensive that it’s been nicknamed ‘The Great Firewall o...
Kpop Demon Hunters is slaying charts and monsters
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The animated movie Kpop Demon Hunters is topping nearly every chart. Netflix says it’s become its most watched movie ever, and its songs are some of...
The Russian job scheme targeting young women in South Africa
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
South Africa’s government is warning young women not to fall for social media recruitment drives promoting job opportunities abroad. That’s after ...
What’s the ‘manosphere’ and why is it harmful?
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Toxic masculinity can be seen online - and IRL. Chads, Alphas and Stacys are some terms that are used in an online space known as the ‘manosphere’...
How did a meteorite from Mars end up at auction in New York?
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A chunk of the planet Mars - the largest ever found on Earth - recently sold for $4.3 million at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City. A meteori...
How TikTok and streaming changed pop music
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a question artists have been racking their brains over for years: how long is the perfect pop song? The rise of streaming platforms meant that ...
Dead white people’s clothes: How Ghana is dealing with its textile waste crisis
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ghana has been described as the fashion industry’s dumping ground. Around 15 million second-hand garments arrive every week, making Ghana the world’...
ID please! Why the UK is checking your age online
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the UK, if you want to watch pornography or see content on sites like X, Reddit and Discord that is deemed only suitable for people over 18 years o...
Why fake weddings are India’s latest party trend
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The big fat 'fake' Indian wedding is social media’s latest party trend. Fake wedding parties have taken the world and social media by storm with peo...
Why the world is divided on plastic pollution
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life is full of plastic, but it’s not always fantastic. We know that plastic is super useful: it helps keep food fresh and lets medicines, like vacc...
Why only Russians are allowed to holiday in North Korea
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
North Korea is one of the world’s most secretive nations. For years it’s been almost entirely closed to foreign visitors (apart from a few highly-...
Meet Ghana's first female world boxing champion Abigail Kwartekaa Quartey
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jamestown in Accra, Ghana, is famous for producing boxing world champions like Azumah Nelson. However, it wasn't until last year that a female boxer b...
Is it OK for fashion brands to take inspiration from other cultures?
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mexico's president is among those who have criticised Adidas for perceived cultural appropriation. The brand's Oaxaca Slip-On was inspired by traditio...
Can eco-tourism ever really be eco?
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Costa Rica is known as a world leader in eco-tourism. It has lush rainforests, tranquil beaches and protected wildlife and is famous for sustainable t...
Why Nigeria promised its women’s basketball team new apartments
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Players on Nigeria’s female basketball team will receive a cash reward of $100,000 each and a three-bedroom apartment following their win at the Fib...
How can we STILL be discovering new dinosaurs?
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Experts have discovered a new small species of dinosaur. It has been named Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, and scientists say it lived around 150 milli...
Has Ghana's ‘Year of Return’ been a success?
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2019, Ghana’s then president sent out an invitation to people with African heritage to come to Ghana. It was called the Year of Return - a c...
Why the DRC is sponsoring FC Barcelona
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re a Barca fan, you might want to look out for a small change to the players’ kits that’s coming soon. The Democratic Republic of Congo h...
Should we be eating more ‘forgotten foods’?
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At least 30,000 of the 350,000 known plant species on our planet are edible, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, but o...
Move over action films, I wanna watch a kids movie
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you look at the list of box office hits from the past year, you’ll see lots of live action versions of children’s and young adult films, and ev...
Are anti-wrinkle injections like Botox worth it?
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Botox - or Botulinum toxin injections - has become mainstream. It’s no longer for the super-rich and A-list celebrities. As it’s become cheaper an...
Discussing a Palestinian state
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of countries have said they could recognise Palestine as a state. What does a Palestinian state mean? And why is this one of the most...
Are attitudes to albinism changing?
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Albinism is a rare genetic condition that reduces melanin; that’s the pigment that gives colour to your skin, eyes, and hair. The condition can make...
The rise of Agronejo: Brazil’s flashy farmer music
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Agronejo is a relatively new genre of Brazilian music. It draws on Brazil’s ever-popular traditional country music, sertanejo but adds a modern twis...
The takedown of one of the world’s largest online drug markets
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In June 2025, a Europe-wide law enforcement operation shut down Archetyp Market, the longest-running illegal drug marketplace on the dark web. 300 off...
Sinkholes: Why the ground is collapsing beneath our feet
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sinkholes are holes that suddenly appear in the ground. They can be any size but some are enormous. Some have swallowed cars, parts of buildings and e...
Do we need more laws for space?
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Outer space is starting to get crowded. Private companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are launching rockets regularly, tho...
Did you know countries can now sue over climate change?
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if countries could sue each other for wrecking the climate? Well, that’s now a real possibility after a decision by the UN’s top court, the I...
Why are period tracking apps getting so popular?
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Period tracking apps help you track your menstrual cycle, so you know when to expect your period. They’re growing in popularity worldwide, with the ...
Syria: What’s behind the Druze-Bedouin conflict?
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Violence has flared up again in Syria, this time in the southern province of Suweida. Fighting has broken out between the government forces and two mi...
Why are some cities sinking?
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of coastal cities — from Jakarta to Manila — are sinking at a worrying speed. Climate change, too much water being pumped out of the ground...
Wafcon: How women’s football is changing in Africa
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wafcon — or the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations — is heating up. Ahead of the final this Saturday in Morocco, only four teams out of twelve remain...
Beggars can’t be Cubans, allegedly
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If someone talks about Cuba does it make you think of cigars and classic cars? Or maybe you think of limited freedom of speech and Che Guevara?We’re...
Struggling to fall asleep? Listen to this!
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find yourself tossing and turning for hours whilst struggling to fall asleep? Or are you out like a light the minute your head touches the pill...
From blobfish to goblinshark: Why do deep ocean creatures look so weird?
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oceans make up more than 99% of the Earth’s habitats by volume — yet less than 20% of them have been explored. Some even say it’s easier to send...
Why people in China are pretending to get married
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Across cultures, weddings are usually a big event. Lots of us look forward to dressing up and dancing the night away with the person we love — but ...
Feeling lonely? Come on a friendship date with us
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness is a feeling lots of us face from time to time… and it might be more common than you think. A new study from the World Health Organisatio...
Kenya’s Gen Z protests and claims of police brutality
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tension is rising in Kenya after a new wave of anti-government protests against alleged government corruption and police brutality. Dozens have been k...
Why water pistols are being used to fight overtourism
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Water pistols have become a symbol of resistance against overtourism in several cities around the world. This summer local residents in Barcelona, Spa...
Rare earths - The most important minerals you probably haven’t heard of
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rare earth minerals are vital to modern human life - but you probably haven’t heard of them. They’re in our phones, computers and cars. These mine...
‘I replaced my therapist with an AI chatbot’
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From drafting emails to planning trips, AI has become like a personal assistant for lots of people around the world. Now, the technology is playing a ...
Meet Velvet Sundown - the band that doesn’t really exist
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Velvet Sundown have become a viral hit. The band have over a million streams on Spotify and are generating much discussion across the music commun...
Why choosing the next Dalai Lama could be tricky
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama has finally put an end to years of speculation over what will happen after his death. The head of Tibetan B...
The Diddy trial and verdict explained
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After seven weeks of trial and 34 witnesses, a verdict has been reached: Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty of transportation for prostituti...
A Romantic Recession: How Gen Z isn’t settling for love
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recent data from the United States shows there’s a big political divide between Gen Z American men and women. For decades young Americans have mostl...
Why we are having fewer children than we want
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The United Nations Population Fund World has described the low fertility rates around the world as a ‘crisis’ . Their newest report shows that man...
What's the Land Back movement?
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, Indigenous people around the world have been fighting to reclaim lost land. In most instances, the term Indigenous is used to refer to ...
Why do female footballers get more ACL injuries?
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The women’s football European Championship kicks off next week in Switzerland. The Euros have thrust a recurring issue into the spotlight: ACL injur...
BBC Journalists SHOCKED By ADDICTIVE And SEXY Chinese TikTok Dramas
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You might have come across ads on your TikTok or Instagram feed for Chinese micro-dramas: short episodes lasting only a few minutes with highly addict...
Who is Iran’s Supreme Leader?
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After twelve days of intense fighting, Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire that, for now, seems to be holding.Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Kham...
Nitrous oxide: How dangerous is it?
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nitrous oxide or laughing gas as been used as a recreational and medical drug since the late 1700s. Dentists often use it as an anaesthetic. It’s be...
Help! My friend won’t stop using AI
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you’re struggling to write an email, planning a holiday, or wondering what to cook for dinner: increasingly more and more of us are turning ...
K-pop gets its first gay male idol
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The K-pop industry is known for being super strict and encouraging idols not to share details about their private lives, especially their relationship...
The young people fighting to save their culture from the climate
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change is one of the biggest issues of our time. Warmer weather and melting ice is forcing people and animals to migrate but it’s also threa...
Thinking Out Loud: What Ed Sheeran’s copyright trial means for the music industry
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Sheeran’s long-running copyright battle over his hit Thinking Out Loud is finally over. That’s after the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal to...
Why Elon Musk and JD Vance want a US baby boom
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is a small but growing group of people in the US who are concerned that civilisation might collapse if people don’t have enough children. They...
What do we know about Iran’s nuclear capabilities?
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Israel has launched a huge wave of attacks on Iran. They say the targets of their attacks are Iran’s nuclear facilities and important scientists. Ir...
Why was the Indian hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala murdered?
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala was at the peak of his fame when he was murdered in 2022. Goldy Brar, a gangster based in Canada, has said that he ord...
Degrowth explained: A radical idea for a sustainable future
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More money, more growth, more stuff. Can our economies keep on growing forever? And should they? A group of activists and academics are questioning th...
Who let the dogs out? Not Iran
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dog walking has been banned in at least 20 cities across Iran, after it was first outlawed in the capital, Tehran, six years ago. It’s the latest re...