What in the World

BBC World Service

<p>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.</p>

  • 11 minutes 36 seconds
    Wait, I thought Senegal won Afcon, now it’s Morocco?!

    Senegal has been stripped of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.

    Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January's final but Caf (the Confederation of African Football) has changed the result. It’s because Senegal's players walked off the pitch in protest when Morocco was given a penalty.

    We LOVE a bit of drama on What in the World and this truly feels like something out of our fave reality TV shows (think Big Brother, Traitors and America’s Next Top Model).

    Isaac Fanin, the guy with all the sports intel, was there on the night it happened and takes us through it - how are Africans feeling and what’s next? Will the Senegalese have to give up their medals?!

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Mora Morrison Editors: Verity Wilde and Harriet Oliver

    18 March 2026, 2:43 pm
  • 11 minutes 26 seconds
    Do LED skincare masks work?

    LED technology has been used to address a number of skin issues, such as eczema, mild to moderate acne and psoriasis in a medical setting. But now you can buy your own LED mask or device for use at home. Adverts are everywhere on social media, with lots of influencers promoting them. Mask developers make big claims that at-home LED masks can be used to treat acne scars, sun damage and fine lines - but what does the evidence show?

    BBC journalist Imogen James explains the trend and takes us through how and if these at-home LED masks work. Rio Rennalls from the What in the World team tells us why he uses one.

    Some dermatologists and experts have raised concerns about the efficacy of these masks. David Robert Grimes, a scientist and author in Ireland, gives us his views on the technology. And we hear from dermatologist Dr. Montserrat Fernández-Guarino.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Benita Barden and William Lee Adams Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editors: Verity Wilde and Harriet Oliver

    17 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 9 minutes 41 seconds
    Our Oscars 2026 faves and flops

    The 2026 Oscars are over, the red carpet has been rolled up and celebrities are polishing their golden awards at home in the quiet.

    The big winner of the night was political thriller One Battle After Another, which took home six wins including best picture.

    Other winners included Sinners star Michael B Jordan, who beat Timothée Chalamet to the best actor award, and Irish actress Jessie Buckley for her role in Hamnet.

    We’re sad the 98th Academy Awards are finished for another year, so we’re gonna dish out our own awards. Think ‘biggest flop’, ‘best roast’ and ‘woman of the year’.

    BBC Entertainment Reporter, Yasmin Rufo, announces our (not so) prestigious awards and gives us her ‘ins and outs’ for next year’s Oscars ceremony.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Harriet Oliver

    16 March 2026, 3:12 pm
  • 10 minutes 46 seconds
    Drone warfare between Iran and the US

    The US and Israel first launched strikes on Iran two weeks ago. In response, Iran has launched more than 2,000 drones at targets across the Middle East, towards Israel and Gulf countries with US military bases. We’ve seen attacks on oil tankers, airports, and even luxury hotels and banks.

    The drones are causing considerable damage across the region considering they have a simple design and are relatively cheap to produce. The Shahed 136 long-range drone, which is manufactured in Iran, is estimated to cost between $20,000 to $50,000. Iran is thought to have mass-produced tens of thousands of the Shahed drones before the war, but we don’t know how much of that stockpile remains intact after days of US and Israeli strikes.

    The BBC’s Bernd Debusmann Jr explains why Iran is using these drones and why they are expensive to counter. We look to Ukraine, which has developed its own cheap drones to down Russian ones. And we discuss how Iran’s stockpiles of these drones could play a big factor in how long the war lasts.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

    13 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 12 minutes 34 seconds
    Hey Timothée Chalamet, we do care about ballet and opera!

    Timothée Chalamet has come for ballet and opera. In an interview with Matthew McConaughey ahead of the Oscars he said…

    “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore.’”

    And, well, it turns out he was wrong, because lots and lots of people have been defending the industries with tons of passion.

    And it did get us thinking - how do ballet and opera sales compare to how they have done in the past? Do many people watch them? What are people in the industry, like Misty Copeland, doing to get more people into theatres?

    We get into it with Chelsea from the What in the World team (she’s also a ballet dancer, but sadly has never made it to a professional stage). And we hear from people who love ballet and opera, including two professional ballet dancers for The Australian Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler, Chelsea Coates and Ash Mohamed Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

    12 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 10 minutes 6 seconds
    Why some Iranian footballers have stayed in Australia

    Last week, during their opening match of the AFC Asia Cup football tournament, Iran’s women’s football team refused to sing the national anthem. The move was seen as an act of defiance, as it came shortly after American and Israeli strikes had killed Iran’s supreme leader. The players were subsequently called “wartime traitors” on Iranian state television.

    After being knocked out of the tournament on Sunday, several players decided to stay in Australia. Despite heavy surveillance from Iranian authorities, they escaped their hotel and were issued humanitarian visas by the Australian government.

    BBC Persian reporter Ghoncheh Habibiazad explains why the players took this action and the consequences the decision may have for them and their families. We also find out more about the significance of football to Iran’s leaders.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

    11 March 2026, 3:48 pm
  • 11 minutes 53 seconds
    China’s extreme weight loss camps

    Military-style weight loss camps in China are getting popular. You sign up voluntarily for a month and follow a strict daily routine, with intense exercises, mandatory trips to the scales and rules on snacking. Some people have called them “fat prisons”. So what’s it like to go to one? TL Huang from Australia tells us about her experience. We hear about the downsides of these kinds of “fat camps” from British nutritionist and personal trainer Luke Hanna. And Wanqing Zhang from the BBC’s Global China Unit explains why more people in China are signing up to them.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

    10 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 8 minutes 58 seconds
    Who is Iran’s new supreme leader?

    Iran’s state media has announced that Mojtaba Khamenei will be the country’s new supreme leader. He’ll replace his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint American and Israeli strike last week.

    The 56-year-old has largely kept a low profile. He has never held government office and only a limited number of photos and videos of him have ever been published.

    In this episode, you’ll hear what we know about Iran’s new supreme leader, and what this change in leadership could mean for the future of the war between Iran, Israel and the US.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

    9 March 2026, 3:04 pm
  • 9 minutes 28 seconds
    Why the Strait of Hormuz matters to us all

    The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow gap of water in the Middle East between Iran and the Arabian peninsula. About 3,000 or so ships sail through the Strait each month - that’s about 80 ships a day. About 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through it. But now, it’s an active war zone.

    As the US and Israel continue strikes on Iran, and Iran launches missiles at Israel and nearby Gulf states in retaliation, key shipping routes are being disrupted as well as oil and gas production in the region.

    Iran says it has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that it would "set fire" to any ships trying to pass through it.

    In this episode we explain how this war could affect the wider world and why closing the Strait of Hormuz could lead to higher prices for petrol, food and electronics for us all.

    Kayleen Devlin from BBC Verify tells us what’s happening to ships in the Strait of Hormuz and BBC business reporter Nick Marsh describes why parts of Asia are already feeling the effects.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Maria Clara Montoya and Ash Mohamed Editor: Verity Wilde

    6 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 11 minutes 59 seconds
    Why humans rely on bees

    Wild bee species at risk of extinction in Europe have more than doubled in the last decade. And that matters more than you might think.

    Bees pollinate 75% of the crops we eat, from apples and tomatoes to carrots and raspberries. So if bee populations decline, our food system feels it too. So what’s actually driving the drop in wild bees? BBC climate & science correspondent Georgina Rannard breaks it down for us. We also hear from a beekeeper in Sierra Leone about protecting bees on the ground – and what simple changes could help them thrive closer to home.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Baldeep Chahal, Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

    5 March 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 12 minutes 32 seconds
    Iran: How are Iranians feeling?

    The conflict between Israel and the US against Iran continues to escalate. At least one thousand civilians have been killed in Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began on Saturday, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

    There is uncertainty about what happens next. As Iran enters its fifth day into the conflict, how do Iranians feel about it? Ghoncheh Habibiazad, who is a journalist for the BBC Persian Service, tells us how people who she’s spoken to in Iran are feeling. And we hear from Iranians outside the country for their hopes for Iran.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler, Chelsea Coates and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

    4 March 2026, 3:38 pm
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