What in the World

• Boy bands vs girl bands: Who makes better music?

  Stray Kids or BlackPink? Spice Girls or Westlife? Music executives - like Simon Cowell - have been creating girl bands and boy bands for decades. And he’s about to launch a brand new competition on Netflix to find “The Next Act”. When we talk about these groups, we generally mean good-looking young women or men who’ve been brought together, and who don’t tend to write their own songs or play their own instruments. Their fans are stereotyped as being teenage girls and their mums. Is there any truth to the belief that girl bands make better music because they are held to higher standards? The BBC’s music correspondent Mark Savage explains how pop bands have evolved over the decades. We look at the different pressures and stereotyping that girl and boy bands face and we hear from some of our BBC friends - do they prefer girl bands or boy bands and why?Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Verity Wilde

  --------  

  12:58

  --------

  12:58
• Why Cambodia and Thailand are fighting

  More than half a million people have been forced to leave their homes in Cambodia and Thailand. This follows rising conflict over the two countries’ shared border. Now, this is not a new dispute. In fact it’s been going on for decades. But this year things have gotten worse. A ceasefire was negotiated by US president Donald Trump in October. But it hasn’t held. Trump now says he will ‘make a phone call’ to stop the fighting. BBC reporter Panisa Aemocha, in Bangkok, chats us through the humanitarian needs of hundreds of thousands of evacuees. We also from the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head who’s at an evacuation centre, and from two young people who have fled their houses. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

  --------  

  8:57

  --------

  8:57
• Venezuela and the US have a tense relationship

  The Trump administration says it has killed dozens of people in strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which it says are from Venezuela and are carrying illegal drugs bound for the US. The US hasn’t provided any evidence or details about those who have been killed. Experts have questioned the legality of these strikes. President Trump has alleged the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro runs a criminal group called Cartel de los Soles. Maduro denies this and has accused the US of using its "war on drugs" as an excuse to try and remove him from power to access Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.Mimi Swaby, a BBC Global Affairs Reporter who focuses on Latin America, explains the history between the US and Venezuela and why the US is launching strikes on boats. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

  --------  

  12:32

  --------

  12:32
• How a social media ban would have changed my teens

  Australia is banning social media for everyone under 16. The government says it’s to protect children from cyber bullying, harmful content and online predators. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) - they’re some of the platforms that are going to be banned. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has already started kicking under-16s off its apps. An estimated 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram accounts are expected to be affected. The social media ban will come in to effect from December 10. Lots of teenagers are unhappy about this social media ban. But what about Australians who are now over 16? Do they wish they’d had something similar? We chat to Felix, 20, Lia, 19, and Habibat, 21, to find out.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Mora Morrison and Julia Ross-Roy Researchers: Natalia Makohon and Rio Rennalls Editor: Verity Wilde

  --------  

  16:01

  --------

  16:01
• Footballers are getting younger

  Across the world, footballers are hoping to be picked for their national team to play at FIFA World Cup 2026, but in Europe's top leagues, teams are picking younger players. In the Premier League this season, just over half of players are 25 and under. The average age of footballers starting matches is now 26 years and 217 days, the youngest in Premier League history.Being a young footballer is nothing new. But the amount of young footballers is rising. For some, like Arsenal’s Max Dowman, they are setting records. He’s the youngest Champions League player ever, debuting this season at 15-years-old. So why is football getting younger? BBC Sport reporter Jonty Colman gets into the game, the pressures, and why clubs are chasing down young talent. We also hear from Chifundo Mbofana, a young semi-professional footballer in Malawi, who explains how young players can inspire others.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Imogen James, Mora Morrison and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

  --------  

  10:52

  --------

  10:52

Más podcasts de Noticias

Podcasts a la moda de Noticias

Acerca de What in the World

What in the World: Podcasts del grupo