Episodios

  • Tetanus Vaccines: What you need to know
    Jul 9 2024

    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 - and the impact vaccines have had on global health. And we hear from Sahar Baloch, a BBC journalist in Islamabad, who talks about efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan, amid misinformation about the jab (fuelled in part by a CIA fake vaccine campaign to seek out Osama bin Laden!).

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

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    14 m
  • Why France’s election result was a surprise
    Jul 8 2024

    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 strategy to block seats from the National Rally. And even though the plan worked, the National Rally still got its best result in history. But now no party has a majority, meaning France will have a hung parliament.

    BBC Journalist, Sara Menai, takes us through what happened and what it means for France.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler, María Clara Montoya and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

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    12 m
  • Are we falling out of love with dating apps?
    Jul 5 2024

    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 finding their Mr or Mrs Right. Some people are opting for advice online and paid coaching programmes instead.

    Özge Özdemir from BBC Turkish has looked at the research. She tells us how attitudes are changing about online dating. She’s spoken to psychologists, journalists and young daters about the cultural shift and gives us an overview.

    Some app developers have been accused of deliberately making their apps addictive. Elias Aboujaoude a psychiatrist from Stanford University, in the US, explains how some people get hooked.

    Also, we get some dating tips from Anwar White, an American dating and relationship coach who specialises in advice for professional women, and women of colour.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Emily Horler and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Simon Peeks

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    11 m
  • How do crowd crushes happen?
    Jul 4 2024

    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 said they had arrested six people who were part of a committee that organised the event.

    Sadly, people getting crushed in crowds isn’t that rare. In 2022, a Halloween crush killed 159 young people in Seoul. Yuna Ku, a BBC journalist in South Korea, tells us what happened.

    Why do crowd crushes happen, how can they be prevented, and is there anything you can do if you get stuck in one? Kevyah Cardoso from the What in the World team explains.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Kevyah Cardoso Editor: Emily Horler

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    14 m
  • When is a tropical cyclone a hurricane?
    Jul 3 2024

    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 is our Climate and Science Reporter.

    And Angelie Nieves-Jimenez is a graduate research assistant at Colorado State University, her department works on predicting and calculating storms and she’s actually flown into a hurricane! she tells us how predictions work.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and María Clara Montoya Editors: Verity Wilde

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    14 m
  • Space Jams: Why is it so tricky to blast off from Earth?
    Jul 2 2024

    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 during a test, before crash landing into a hillside.

    Last week, two NASA astronauts on a critical test flight for Boeing’s new commercial spacecraft were forced to delay their return home because of helium leaks and thruster issues. The flight, launched on 5 June, was meant to last 10 days and show that the Starliner spacecraft is ready to ferry crews to and from the International Space Station. But NASA announced that the astronauts will stay at the station well into the summer until the issues are resolved.

    More than fifty years after landing on the moon, why is space flight still so tricky?

    Space X parachute engineer Pele Collins explains what goes into a rocket launch and why space flight is still so complicated.

    And James Bruegger, co-founder of Seraphim Space, a SpaceTech investment company working to transform science fiction into science fact tells us about the wild wild west of the booming commercial space economy.

    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Benita Barden Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

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    14 m
  • Why the strength of the US dollar has a big impact on you
    Jul 1 2024

    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 familiar with - and the BBC’s Jewel Kiriungi looks at how Africa feels the impact when the dollar gets more valuable.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

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    14 m
  • Is Uganda and Tanzania’s oil pipeline worth the human impact?
    Jun 28 2024

    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 project’s pros and cons, as well as how it could impact ancestral graves in the area. And Nyombi Morris, a 26-year-old Ugandan activist, shares his concerns.

    Plus, the BBC’s Marco Silva tells us how fake social media accounts could be influencing the debate.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Mora Morrison, Olivia Briand and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

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    13 m