205 episodes

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.

What in the World BBC World Service

    • News

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.

    Drake v Kendrick Lamar: What’s the beef?

    Drake v Kendrick Lamar: What’s the beef?

    Two of the biggest names in hip-hop right now, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, are certainly not friends anymore. Their beef is escalating as they release diss track after diss track. Lamar has dropped the likes of ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Meet the Grahams’ whilst Drake has released ‘Family Matters’ and ‘Push Ups’.
    The musical feud is spilling into real life as well. On Tuesday, police say a security guard was shot outside Drake’s home in Toronto, Canada. They’ve added that it’s too early to say who exactly was involved in the incident and that the victim is in a serious condition in hospital.
    Music journalist Nicolas-Tyrell Scott tells us everything we need to know about Drake v Kendrick.
    The beef isn’t just happening in hip-hop. Afrobeat stars Davido and Wizkid are clashing too. Culture journalist Nelson CJ explains the battle and what beef is like in the Afrobeat world.
    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
    Producers: Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 10 min
    Can social media apps help you save money?

    Can social media apps help you save money?

    Social media platforms, like Instagram and Xiaohongshu, are full of shopping tips to help you spend. But they can also help you save, partly by providing support and advice through groups of like-minded individuals - or, in China, da zi. This is a growing trend, especially among young women.
    The BBC’s Sylvia Chang explains why they’re joining, and how this could impact China’s economy. We also hear from Anita Nkonge, in Kenya, about a popular saving challenge there.
    Plus, if you’re currently on a budget we’ve got five top tips on how to save from Ashley Lee (@hermoneymastery on TikTok).
    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
    Producers: Mora Morrison, Maria Clara Montoya and Julia Ross-Roy
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 13 min
    Where’s all the sex gone in movies?

    Where’s all the sex gone in movies?

    Challengers. Poor Things. Saltburn. Three Hollywood movies released in the last six months which haven't held back on sex. However, the stats tell us movies in America are actually getting less steamy…
    A study from The Economist suggests that sexual content in movies has dropped by 40% since 2000. BBC Culture reporter, Annabel Rackham, explains what’s behind this Hollywood trend.
    Intimacy co-ordinators are a more regular sight on sets these days, helping people in front of the camera and behind it to navigate their way through a sensitive scene. Alicia Rodis, an intimacy co-ordinator who’s worked on Watchmen, And Just Like That and The Deuce, explains what the job entails.
    Plus, BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid describes how sex and romance is treated in Bollywood.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Alex Rhodes
    Producers: Emily Horler, Baldeep Chahal and Adam Chowdhury
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 15 min
    Why are so many people in gaming losing their jobs?

    Why are so many people in gaming losing their jobs?

    Epic Games. Microsoft. Riot Games; owners of the biggest computer game titles in the world and part of a gaming industry which has been valued at $200 billion. That’s more than the music and entertainment industry combined. It’s not all plain sailing though.
    Epic Games, which created Fortnite, recently cut 870 jobs. Microsoft, which now owns Activision-Blizzard; famous for the Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption series, announced 1,900 job losses earlier this year. League of Legends maker Riot Games reduced their workforce by 10%, which meant 530 job cuts. It’s estimated that 18,000 jobs have been lost over the past couple of years.

    BBC gaming expert Mel Ramsay explains what’s going on. Also, Harriet in the UK and Francis from Canada share their experiences of being laid off. They give their views on the impact on the gaming sector and how to improve things for employees.
    And we take a quick look at the computer game sector in Nigeria, where the demand for home grown mobile gaming is taking off.
    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Alex Rhodes
    Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 14 min
    Why is Zimbabwe launching a new currency?

    Why is Zimbabwe launching a new currency?

    Zimbabwe has a brand new currency; it’s called the ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold) and it’s backed by the country’s gold reserves. This is the third time they’ve launched a new currency in ten years and 80% of transactions in the country are now carried out in US dollars. Can the government persuade its citizens that this one will remain stable and not deflate?
    The BBC’s Zimbabwe correspondent Shingai Nyoka explains how people pay for stuff in the country and why the government has brought in a new currency.
    Two guys in Harare tell us what they make of the ZiG, and whether they’re using it instead of the US dollar.
    Also Baldeep Chahal from the What in the World team brings us some other examples of countries changing their currency and chats about whether it ever works.
    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Alex Rhodes
    Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Baldeep Chahal
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 14 min
    Why are student protests in the US spreading?

    Why are student protests in the US spreading?

    Demonstrations over the war in Gaza have taken place at several universities in the US over the past few weeks.
    They have spanned from Colombia University in New York, to universities in Chicago, Texas and California.
    In the last month, more than a thousand people have been arrested.
    The BBC’s North America Correspondent Nomia Iqbal explains what has been happening and how this might affect the upcoming US election.
    And Bernd Debusmann Jr tells us about the history of student demonstrations in America.
    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
    WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
    Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
    Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
    Producers: Emily Horler, Maria Clara Montoya, Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury
    Editor: Verity Wilde

    • 9 min

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