What in the World

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 of one of the men had a dream she was being chased by the woman. The death penalty is rare in Nigeria and it has opened up a discussion on why people are being attacked for supposedly using witchcraft.Olaronke Alo is a BBC journalist working in the disinformation unit in Lagos. She explains why people are still being accused of being witches, and what authorities are doing to stop it.We also hear about Dr Leo Igwe who set up his own business to protect those accused of sorcery.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Josh Jenkins, Emily Horler and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

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?Women make up less than 7% of world leaders, and last year in 2024 the number of women in parliament globally fell. However, Mexico, Namibia and North Macedonia all elected their first female presidents, and as more women get elected to the top jobs, there’s an ongoing debate about whether female leaders do things differently to men.Laura Garcia from BBC Mundo breaks down some common misconceptions about women in power with a game of true or false.We also hear from Professor Rosie Campbell from the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King’s College London, about why it’s so hard to draw conclusions about the effects of female lawmakers. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Benita Barden and Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

The potential shutdown of USAID raises alarming questions about global health and humanitarian efforts. From halting medical supplies in Sudan to slashing funding for HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, the impacts could be disastrous. The role of USAID in conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of Congo is vital for peace and recovery. Additionally, crucial programs in the Caribbean rely on this funding, highlighting a broader dependency on U.S. foreign aid. The discussion frames USAID as essential in addressing both immediate crises and long-term development.

More young men are inquiring about and getting vasectomies. It’s a trend that’s been observed informally in several countries, and has particularly spiked in the United States since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade. But what exactly does the procedure involve? Dr Jeff Foster specialises in men’s health. He talks us through the procedure, and debunks some common myths about pain, semen and erections. We also hear from two men - in the US and Kenya - about why they chose to have ‘the snip’. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

Forget dating apps or meet cutes... marriage matchmaking is back. Young people in South Korea have been signing up to professional agencies to find love, and sales are booming. Birth and marriage rates in South Korea remain at record lows and now even the government is playing Cupid by organising speed-dating events. Our reporter Rachel Lee has been speaking to young people in Seoul to find out more. We also run around our global office and ask: would you use a matchmaking service? (The reaction was surprisingly mixed…)Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producer: Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde

Kenya’s government has launched an ambitious initiative to vaccinate all livestock in the country. Following misleading claims about the vaccines, the initiative has been met with fierce resistance from some farmers. Peter Mwai, a BBC reporter from Nairobi, explains how misinformation is driving a series of conspiracy theories.Plus: BBC disinformation reporter Jacqui Wakefield explains why so many conspiracy theories refer to Bill Gates — one of the best-known figures in health philanthropy.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Elena Angelides Editor: Emily Horler and Simon Peeks

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 so much more aware of allergies now but there is also evidence that more people than ever have allergies. BBC journalist Frances Mao talks us through what allergies are - and why more of us are suffering with allergies. She also tells us about some new treatments being tested to treat them.Australia is now described as the allergy capital of the world. Frances (who grew up in Australia) explains why. And Professor Kirsten Perrett, Director of the Australian National Allergy Centre of Excellence, tells us about the role of Vitamin D.If you’ve got a serious allergy, it can be really stressful managing it and making sure the stuff you eat and come into contact with isn’t going to harm you. We hear from Mia Silverman (@AllergieswithMia) who is based in the US and allergic to 50 different food types. And Maria Clara from the What in the World team tells us what it’s like to have immunotherapy for an allergy. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Video journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

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 creators of the app say that it cost just $6 million to make compared to the billions spent by giants like Microsoft and Google. Amid the buzz surrounding this new chatbot, there are concerns about security, personal data and censorship.BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains what DeepSeek is and assesses the impact it’s had so far.We also hear from Benny Lu, a BBC Chinese reporter based in Hong Kong. He tells us about the concerns that people in Taiwan have over the use of Chinese technology.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producer: William Lee Adams, Maria Clara Montoya and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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 eastern part of the country. UN aid agencies say there are hundreds wounded, bodies in the streets, and an increase in rape and gender-based violence. The UN has long said M23 is backed by Rwanda, but the Rwandan government has always denied this. The DRC is not unfamiliar to violence. The conflict has roots stretching back at least three decades. The country has huge amount of natural resources, with many trying to take advantage of it, including armed groups. BBC Monitoring journalist, Sam Lando in Nairobi takes us through the background to what’s going on. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

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 population, and almost one million of those who died there were Jews - but Poles, Roma and Russian prisoners of war, among many others, also perished at the camp. Memorials, historical documentation and testimony from survivors help preserve this troubled history. But disinformation and cultural amnesia mean many people deny that the Holocaust happened. We hear from BBC presenter Jordan Dunbar, who visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Poland for a BBC documentary. He has been speaking to survivors of the Holocaust. He tells us about how this disinformation is spreading online, and what’s being done to preserve accurate accounts of history.Plus, we also hear from Andy Pearce, an associate professor and historian at University College London’s Centre for Holocaust Education, about how to approach conversations where Holocaust misinformation or denial is present.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Benita Barden and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde