What in the World

Why is protein being added to everything?

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

‘High’ or ‘added’ protein foods are popping up everywhere - from ice cream to pizza and even coffee. The nutrient’s newfound popularity has ...

Why Morocco’s king has banned sheep for Eid

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For millions of Moroccans, Eid al-Adha means quality time with your family, eating delicious food - and the tradition of sacrificing sheep. But this y...

How to hack your flight luggage allowance

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Baggage fees have become part and parcel of international travel, with charges taking off in recent years. Globally, passengers spent $150 billion USD...

Is it possible to end new cases of HIV by 2030?

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

World leaders pledged to end the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030. And the World Health Organisation aims to reduce HIV infections from...

Made in Vietnam: Why its homegrown fashion is having a moment

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and Jennie from Blackpink have in common? They have all been spotted wearing Vietnamese fashion brands. You might have...

Can refreezing Arctic sea ice help save polar bears?

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Polar bears are the biggest bears in the world and the only marine bear. There are estimated to be around 26,000 globally. They’re mostly found in C...

Why some athletes and musicians are using OnlyFans as a side hustle

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OnlyFans is an online platform where people create content (photos, videos and live streams), which can be monetised. Although it hosts a variety of c...

It’s prom night in Uganda baby!

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

High school prom may have started off as an American tradition, but now, it’s spread across the globe. In Uganda, proms are often a super lavish eve...

The ongoing mysteries of Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Pyramids of Giza are among Egypt's most famous landmarks. The Great Pyramid is made up of 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing five million tonnes i...

How politicians use styling to win hearts (and votes)

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In South Korea, what presidential candidates are wearing is a hot topic.People use fashion to express themselves. Many of us think carefully about wha...

How do musicians make money?

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson, there’s been countless superstar musicians who have called out their record labels for how much they’re bein...

Why Trump’s ‘white genocide’ claim in South Africa is false

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

US president Donald Trump has claimed that white farmers in South Africa are being executed en masse. But this is simply not true. South Africa's Pres...

The difficulties of getting aid into Gaza

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After cutting off the supply of aid to Gaza for more than two months, Israeli officials have allowed some trucks to enter. But despite over a hundred ...

Would you turn down a $400m plane?

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If so, President Trump thinks you’re a “stupid person“.The royal family of Qatar wants to gift America a private jet. Critics say the gift is es...

Fortnite, Darth Vader and the use of AI voices in gaming

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest unions in the world representing a diverse range of creative professionals, including actors and voice artists, has filed a complai...

What’s being done to tackle skin-lightening in Nigeria?

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Skin-lightening is a multi-billion-dollar industry and impacts many women, and men, around the world. Within the African context, women in Nigeria use...

JAMB 2025: How Nigeria’s university entrance exams went wrong

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hundreds of thousands of students in Nigeria have been told they can retake their JAMB university entrance exam. That’s after nearly 80 per cent of ...

Why are young men getting hair transplants in Turkey?

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might have seen videos on TikTok of guys with shaved heads and black sweatbands walking round Turkish airports, or sitting on planes on the way ho...

White snus: Why are teens, Swedes and footballers getting hooked?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More and more people are using snus. Maybe you’ve noticed this where you live: people walking around with circular plastic tubs in their pockets and...

How did Virat Kohli become one of the world’s biggest sports stars?

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the world’s biggest sporting stars, Virat Kohli, has announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket via an Instagram post to his 270 mi...

Big Ocean: The world’s first K-Pop band with hearing loss

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Ocean are the world’s first K-Pop boy band with hearing loss. Each of the three members; Jiseok, PJ and Chanyeon, has a different level of heari...

Why are India and Pakistan clashing over Kashmir?

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

India and Pakistan have largely seen each other as rivals since they got their independence from Britain in 1947. Recently, tensions have erupted ther...

New Pope, who dis?

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

White smoke from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Thursday 8th May announced that a new Pope had been elected. Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope to ...

Why are we obsessed with true crime?

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

True crime series are hugely popular around the world. These are non-fiction TV shows and podcasts which look at victims of crimes and investigate the...

How does compulsory voting work?

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Election season in Australia is drawing to a close with the re-election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. Around 18 million peop...

Could Bali become waste-free in just two years?

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you picture Bali, you might think of sandy beaches, laid-back surfers, ancient temples and lush green rice paddies. As a tourist hotspot, single-...

Why shea butter production could dry up

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shea butter, a rich silky fat loved for its versatility, is under threat. It’s a key ingredient in everything from moisturisers to pharmaceuticals, ...

Axolotls: How the endangered amphibian is making a comeback

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Axolotls are only found in the wild in one place in the world; an area of wetland just outside Mexico City. They are one of the world’s most endange...

Everything you need to know about the Diddy trial

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sean "Diddy" Combs is one of the most successful music moguls in the history of rap. He has been arrested and charged with sex trafficking and rackete...

Why would someone try to smuggle 5,000 ants?

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two Belgian teenagers have plead guilty to trying to smuggle thousands of giant African harvester ants out of Kenya. The authorities said they were al...

How does going into space impact the human body?

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams recently returned to Earth after a longer-than-expected nine months on the International Space Station...

Why is plastic surgery so popular in China?

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China’s cosmetic surgery industry has exploded over the past decade and in turn, put even more pressure on young women to conform to unrealistic bea...

Are your fashion choices a ‘recession indicator’?

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many economists have warned that the world is poised for an economic downturn. The warnings come after President Trump's recent changes to America’s...

How inclusive is Korean make-up?

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Finding the right shade of makeup can be a struggle, especially if you have really fair or dark skin. But things are changing. Some brands, including ...

How Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Azizam’ started a conversation on women’s rights in Iran

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The title of Ed Sheeran’s new single ‘Azizam’ means ‘my love’ in the Persian language. The track and accompanying music video includes refer...

After Pope Francis, what do young Catholics want next?

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pope Francis led the Catholic church for more than a decade. He was the first Latin American pope, and the first non-European in more than a thousand ...

Are all luxury handbags really made in China?

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few weeks social media has been flooded with TikTok videos of people claiming that expensive European designer goods are actually made i...

Katy Perry went to space but does that make her an astronaut?

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s 2025 and Katy Perry has officially gone to space. On Monday 14th April, she strapped herself into the Blue Origin rocket and blasted off like a...

Why has Nigeria banned Afrobeats song Tell Your Papa?

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem is an Afrobeats song which criticises Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu and calls on his son, Seyi Tinubu, ...

When is the right time to put your sick pet down?

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A pet can bring so much joy to a person’s life. Usually, the owner will outlive their pet. But advances in modern veterinary care has made more trea...

Are artificial reefs good for our oceans?

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An enormous fifty-year-old ocean liner, the SS United States, is set to be sunk and become the world’s biggest artificial reef, off the coast of Flo...

Why North Sentinel island doesn’t want visitors

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

East of India is a small island called North Sentinel Island. It’s home to the Sentinelese people. But no one else is welcome to visit, and if they ...

Why do scientists want to bring back extinct animals?

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US company Colossal claim to have brought back the dire wolf from extinction after 12,000 years through genetic engineering. The three pups, calle...

South Sudan conflict: Explained

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions in South Sudan are rising, threatening an already fragile peace deal between President Salva Kiir and his rival First Vice-President Riek Mac...

Why Taiwan is deporting Chinese influencers and “mainland wives”

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taiwan’s government recently deported Liu Zhenya, a Chinese national who goes by “Yaya in Taiwan” on social media. It’s after Liu posted comme...

What is the International Criminal Court?

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The International Criminal Court has been in the spotlight recently after it issued several arrest warrants for both Hamas and Israeli officials invol...

Tariffs: Your super simple guide

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has introduced tariffs on imports to the US. This has caused a huge reaction across the world with many major stock markets in free fall ...

A rhino swinging from the sky? A secretly radioactive horn?

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rhinos are at extreme risk of extinction because of poaching and habitat loss. The work of conservationists has made sure that their numbers have cont...

Can reusable products solve period poverty?

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The average person who menstruates has their period for 2,535 days (nearly seven years) of their life, according to the UN. That’s A LOT of tampons ...

Why are international students being detained in the US?

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump and his administration is cracking down on international students who have been active in protests against Israel on university campus...

Shadow ships: What are they and why do countries use them?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we’re tracing the route of a shadow ship. These ships are part of a network carrying Russian oil around the world - in violation of ...

Myanmar earthquake: Why is it difficult to know the details?

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Myanmar is reeling following a powerful earthquake on Friday. The epicentre was near the second largest city Mandalay, home to about 1.5 million peopl...

Why does Trump want Greenland to be part of the United States?

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife Usha are scheduled to land in Greenland on Friday afternoon. Their visit comes as President Donald Trump conti...

Why the world buys India’s hair

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The global hair wig and extension market was valued at $7.5billion in 2024. Hair is big business - especially in India, which is the world’s biggest...

Who is protesting in Turkey and why?

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of people in Turkey turned out for a seventh night of protests which have so far seen more than 1,400 people detained, including students, j...

Fluoride: What you need to know

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fluoride has been in most American tap water for decades. It’s there to help to prevent tooth decay, especially in children. Scientists and health o...

Deepfake porn crisis: How it’s affecting schools in South Korea

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over 500 schools and universities in South Korea are dealing with a deepfake porn crisis. Explicit images and videos of classmates and teachers are be...

How do you become the happiest country in the world?

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The annual World Happiness Report is out and Finland has been named the happiest country for the eighth year in a row. What makes the Finns so joyful?...

How can you spot a TikTok wellness scam?

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Netflix has a TV show out called Apple Cider Vinegar - it’s a dramatisation of a real story of a real influencer who was popular online, and said sh...

Why were NASA astronauts ‘stuck’ in space?

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine going on a work or school trip for eight days, but ending up away from home for nine months. Now, imagine that journey was to space. NASA astr...

North Macedonia nightclub disaster: What we know so far

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday night, hundreds of people gathered at Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia to watch the popular hip-hop duo DNK perform. It ended in t...

Are more teenagers becoming terror suspects?

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor Swift fans were gathering in Vienna in August last year, when organisers announced her three-night run would be cancelled, due to a terror thre...

Why did Saudi Arabia capture Pokémon Go?

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has agreed to pay $3.5 billion to buy the gaming division of Niantic, the Pokémon Go publisher. It’s the lat...

Should zoos exist?

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An estimated 700 million people visit zoos every year. Some people see these facilities as a great way to teach people about nature and to save specie...

Why are students in Serbia protesting?

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In November, fifteen people were killed at the Novi Sad railway station in Serbia when a concrete canopy collapsed. Students in the country have been ...

The award for the world’s biggest crypto heist goes to North Korea

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two weeks ago $1.5 billion vanished from a cryptocurrency platform - it’s thought to be the biggest crypto heist ever. They had fallen into the hand...

Microplastics on the brain?

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Plastic pollution has been highlighted as an environmental issue for several years. But experts are now researching whether it poses a potential dange...

Can AI save dating apps?

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just like seemingly all aspects of life these days, AI is going to become more and more present in our dating apps. Match Group, the dating company th...

Why speaking multiple languages is good for your brain

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most people in the world speak more than one language and many countries have more than one official national language. But what is it like living as ...

Could China replace the US as a global aid giver?

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most eye-catching decisions by Donald Trump since becoming American President for a second time was to freeze foreign aid. USAID is the age...

How TikTok makes money from sexual livestreams in Kenya

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Half of the Kenyan population use TikTok everyday. But when the sun sets, darker content appears on the platform. Girls as young as fifteen are advert...

Could an asteroid hit the earth in 2032?

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of last year, astronomers detected 2024 YR4, an asteroid that could collide with Earth on the 22nd December 2032. It was dubbed the ‘city...

Why the trade of cocaine is booming in Europe

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The illegal drug trade is booming in Europe due to a growing and profitable demand for cocaine. It can be sold for almost double the price you can get...

Naomi Watanabe: The Japanese comedian on body image, sex and dating

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Naomi Watanabe is a Japanese comedian, fashion icon and social media powerhouse. She shot to fame in 2008 with her viral Beyoncé impression, earning ...

How have older reality tv shows aged?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s Next Top Model — the reality competition series hosted by Tyra Banks — continues to face criticism years after it stopped airing. And ...

Ne Zha 2: The Chinese film breaking the box office

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ne Zha 2 has just become the highest-grossing animated film of all time globally. It’s a fantasy film about a boy’s quest, fighting demons with ma...

Oscars 2025: What you need to know about this year's film awards

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Academy Awards take place this Sunday in Los Angeles concluding this year’s awards season. It’s been an unpredictable one with films Conclave,...

Ukraine: Where the war stands three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands more have been injured. N...

Fog harvesting: What is it?

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People should have access to around 50 to 100 litres of clean water per day, according to the UN. But this is not always the case, especially in count...

Why is space junk such a big problem?

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In December 2024, a huge, red-hot metal ring fell from the sky and landed in a small village in Kenya. It turned out to be a piece of space junk. Ther...

Why is a new land law in South Africa controversial, and why is Trump involved?

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

South Africa faced the wrath of US President Donald Trump recently when he incorrectly accused the country’s government of confiscating land from wh...

Do women in India face barriers in sports?

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even though cricket is a national obsession in India, many other sports struggle to find an audience. And in terms of performance in international com...

Are AI influencers the future of social media?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is becoming a normal part of our everyday lives and some people think it will even replace people’s jobs. One industry that’...

What’s the point of meme coins?

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump, the Pygmy hippo Moo Deng and the Central African Republic all have meme coins - but what are meme coins and how can you spend them? B...

Skincare trends: Are they causing harm to young people?

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not uncommon to see advice online on how to get beautiful glossy skin and what trendy skincare products can help achieve it. But some of the be...

Sudan: What’s life like two years into the civil war?

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In recent weeks the Sudanese army has been regaining control of areas in the capital, Khartoum, previously held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forc...

Guillain-Barre syndrome: What is it?

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

India is dealing with an outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome. It’s a rare condition where your immune system attacks nerve cells, causing muscle wea...

Why are people in Nigeria being accused of witchcraft?

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Five men in northern Nigeria were sentenced to death last week. Their crime? Murdering a woman they accused of being a witch. They said that the wife ...

Do female politicians do things differently from men?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is there any evidence that having a female leader actually changes a country? Do women make better politicians - or is it all based on stereotypes?Wom...

USAID: Can the world live without it?

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding ...

Vasectomies: Why men get the snip and how it works

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More young men are inquiring about and getting vasectomies. It’s a trend that’s been observed informally in several countries, and has particularl...

Why people are ‘swiping right’ on matchmakers in South Korea

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Forget dating apps or meet cutes... marriage matchmaking is back. Young people in South Korea have been signing up to professional agencies to find lo...

How cow vaccines sparked conspiracy theories in Kenya

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kenya’s government has launched an ambitious initiative to vaccinate all livestock in the country. Following misleading claims about the vaccines, t...

Why are more people getting allergic to stuff?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many foods and substances that people can be allergic to; peanuts, cows' milk, eggs, pollen, or animals. Even mangoes or bananas.We are s...

How DeepSeek is shaking up the world of AI

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot launched last week, has shaken up the tech world and fuelled a new AI race between China, Europe and the US. The creato...

The DRC conflict: What you need to know

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Huge clashes are taking place in the DRC, with the Congolese army facing the rebel group M23. M23 claims to have taken over the city of Goma in the ea...

Auschwitz: How Holocaust survivors are preserving history

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2025 marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. It was at the centre of the Nazi campaign to eradicate Europe's Jewish ...

How to solve Malaysia’s obesity crisis

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia has the highest obesity rate in South East Asia, and experts say that by 2035 two in every three children could be overweight. On our recent ...

Why are dugongs (or sea cows) dying out in Thailand?

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dugongs are grey sea mammals, also called “sea cows”, partly because of how they look and because they graze on seagrass. The dugong can be found ...

Why does China put Uyghurs in ‘re-education camps’?

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are about 12 million Uyghurs, mostly Muslim, living in Xinjiang. China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genoc...