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What in the World

What in the World

By: BBC World Service
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About this listen

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.

(C) BBC 2026
Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Can you steal another country’s rain clouds?
    May 1 2026

    Tensions are high in the Middle East, not just because of the US-Israeli war with Iran but also because the region has been dealing with a long period of severe drought. The social and economic consequences of these events has fuelled a lot of online misinformation. It’s led some people to speculate that the extreme weather is being caused by foreign interference. This theory has spread all the way up to senior officials, with an Iraqi MP even discussing cloud theft on TV.

    We unpack the possible roots of the ‘cloud stealing’ conspiracy with BBC climate disinformation reporter Marco Silva.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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    9 mins
  • Should schools ditch screens?
    Apr 30 2026

    After literacy levels started to fall in Sweden, the country’s government decided to ditch tablets and laptops…and focus more on good old pens and paper. Not everyone thinks this is the right approach though. Some tech bosses say getting rid of technology in classrooms will leave pupils less prepared for an increasingly digital world - and make it harder for them to find jobs in the age of AI.

    So - should more schools around the world follow suit and get rid of screens?

    In this episode, we unpack this education strategy and the research behind it with journalist Maddy Savage, who’s based in Stockholm. And we also hear from students across the globe, to get their take on whether going analogue improves how we learn.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Chelsea Coates Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

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    9 mins
  • Footballers banned from covering their mouths at the World Cup
    Apr 29 2026

    Under new rules brought in by Fifa, footballers who cover their mouths during verbal confrontations will be sent off at this year’s World Cup. It’s hoped that these measures will help prevent abusive behaviour.

    Some critics of the rule say that footballers speaking with their shirts raised or hands covering their mouths is a habit they’ve adopted to protect their privacy when they’re surrounded by cameras. But the behaviour became a high profile issue in February after an incident where Benefica’s Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. Prestianni was later banned for six matches for homophobic conduct after an investigation into what he said.

    BBC Sport reporter Sam Harris tells us how this new rule might work in practice.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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    9 mins
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