Moo Deng, a two-month-old baby pygmy hippo, is Thailand’s unexpected new it girl. She’s now a viral sensation and is attracting huge queues at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi Province and even has her own 24-hour livestream.

The zoo says visitor numbers have doubled since her birth in July, boosting revenue that can be used for animal conservation efforts. But Moo Deng’s fame comes at a price: videos have emerged showing visitors throwing food at the plump hippopotamus so she’ll squeal for their cameras.

BBC Thai reporter Panisa Aemocha explains Moo Deng’s rise to fame — and criticisms that have been levelled at the Thai zoo.

We also hear from Simon Watt, author of the book “We Can’t All Be Pandas, the Ugly Animals”. He discusses the link between cuteness and conservation — and how less attractive species are being left behind.

And Moo Deng superfan Ashley Calloway, a teacher from Atlanta, explains why her students can’t get enough of the adorable hippo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Zofia Louise and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

On Tuesday night, Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. The Iranian military said it was in response to Israel’s assassinations of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, both whom had links to Iran.

What’s behind this long standing conflict between Iran and Israel? Who is in charge there? And what do Iranian people think about their leaders’ actions? Ghoncheh Habibiazad, a journalist from BBC Monitoring, gives us a basic guide to Iran, to understand what’s happening in the Middle East right now.

We also break down the different military capabilities of Iran and Israel, including nuclear and cyber warfare.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Rosanna La-Falce

You’ve probably seen people drinking matcha everywhere lately. It really seems to be a case of matcha this, matcha that. But does all the hype match what’s actually in your mug? Is it that healthy? And does this boom impact Japan at all?

BBC reporter Megan Lawton tells us why she started looking into this matcha trend and we hear some of her interview with Max Ando, a Japanese model who set up his own matcha brand. We also hear from Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, looks into how healthy the tea really is.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams with Benita Barden Producers: Emily Horler and Zofia Louise Editor: Rosanna La-Falce

According to the International Labour Organisation around 1 in 150 people globally, are trapped in modern slavery.

While some may think of slavery as a faraway evil from our past, a recent BBC investigation discovered a gang operating in the UK that forced people to live in an unheated attic and work up to 100 hours a week at a McDonald’s.

As global crises like COVID-19, conflict, and climate change fuel the rise of modern slavery, we’re asking what forms it takes today – and how you can spot it.

BBC Investigations reporter Jon Ironmonger details the findings of the UK operation and Chloe Cranston from the charity Anti-Slavery International tells us which sectors are most guilty of exploitation.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

On Friday, Israeli fighter jets dropped dozens of bombs on Lebanon’s capital Beirut, killing Hezbollah’s long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Other key figures in the militant group have also been killed in recent weeks.

Officials in Lebanon say more than 1,000 people have been killed there in the past two weeks and a million could now be displaced

Hamas says the leader of its Lebanese group has also been killed by Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon.

Our BBC Monitoring reporter, Hesham Shawish, explains what’s been happening and what it means for Lebanon. Also, BBC Persian Correspondent, Jiyar Gol, takes us through how the wider Middle-East region is reacting and Iran’s relationship with Hezbollah.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Emily Horler and Zofia Louise Editor: Verity Wilde

More than 2,700 stars are embedded into the pavement on the Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, in Los Angeles in the US.

Marilyn Monroe, Zac Efron, Scarlett Johansson, Ludacris and (just very recently) Batman are all part of the Walk of Fame. Thousands of tourists visit it daily, but there have been questions about who is and isn’t included and if this star-studded road is diverse enough.

BBC reporter Sam Granville speaks to us from the Walk of Fame and explains what it takes to get a star and whether it’s still regarded by celebrities as an important legacy.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Gabriela Boccaccio and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

An indigenous red-feather cloak was recently returned to Brazil from a museum in Denmark - where it had been on display for hundreds of years. There are other examples of historic and precious artefacts being returned to their countries of origin. And this is leading to a growing pressure to return more, like the Hoa Hakananai'a, originally taken from Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

The BBC’s Zeinab Dabaa in Cairo talks us through Egypt’s calls for the repatriation of three items: Queen Nefertiti’s bust, the Rosetta Stone and the Dendara Zodiac. Ashley Lime, a BBC journalist in Nairobi, explains the significance of the Benin Bronzes - and why some museums are reluctant to let them go.

Alongside the campaigns to get valuable and historic items returned, there are also efforts to digitise treasures. Chidi Nwaubani is the founder of Looty, a radical art collective which wants to use augmented reality to create digital versions of artefacts and, in their words, “loot back” treasures. He was speaking to BBC Click.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison Editor: Emily Horler

Twenty-four-year-old Yu Hyuk is a North Korean defector who is about to make his debut as an idol in 1VERSE, the first K-pop band to include North Korean members.

Before defecting to South Korea at the age of 13, Hyuk was so poor that he had to beg on the streets to survive. He initially had a hard time adjusting to the new environment but eventually found solace in music and song-writing.

Can music bridge the divide between North and South Korea for defectors like Yu Hyuk? He shares his journey into the competitive K-pop industry. And Yuna Ku, our reporter in Seoul, explains the challenges defectors face in their new country.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Emily Horler

Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has just been elected as president in Sri Lanka’s first election since its economy collapsed in 2022. The National People's Power, the coalition alliance he ran for, drew support by promising to stamp out corruption and improve living conditions. But he faces the challenge of trying to sort out the country’s $92 billion debt.

We speak to the BBC’s South East Asia Regional Editor, Anbarasan Ethirajan about what shape the Sri Lankan economy is in and what challenges Dissanayaka’s incoming government may face.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

Time capsules preserve artefacts and memories so that people in the future can learn about a particular time in the past. Now scientists at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have come up with an innovative memento: a “memory crystal” that fits in your hand and contains the entire human genome. It’s essentially a manual that defines what makes us human. How could future generations use the genetic information in the crystal? Nimesh Pinnamaneni, the CEO of Helixworks, the company behind this technology, explains. We also hear from the founder of Memory of Mankind, an archive of human memories that’s located in a salt mine in Austria. It aims to preserve a back-up of human civilisation, including the crystal, in case we disappear. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

Two years ago, rapper and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs threw a lavish 53rd birthday party at his $61m mansion in Beverly Hills. A host of stars lined up to toast his career with a guest list that included Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Mary J Blige, Kehlani, Tinashe, Chris Brown and Machine Gun Kelly.

The party coincided with his 30th year in the music industry - three decades in which he formed his own entertainment empire and changed the sound of hip-hop, both as an artist and a producer for the likes of Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and The Notorious B.I.G. Fast-forward to 2024, and everything has changed.

This week, P Diddy was arrested and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He’s pleaded not guilty. The BBC’ Sam Granville explains the case, and if this could be hip-hop’s #MeToo moment. And William Lee Adams from the What in the World team reminds us of Diddy’s career and dominance.

This episode contains discussion about sexual assault and harassment. If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode please contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

This week thousands of pagers and walkie talkies exploded all at once in Lebanon. Dozens were killed and thousands injured. These gadgets were used to communicate by members of Hezbollah, a designated terrorist group in Lebanon. Israel is widely believed to be behind these attacks, but Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement. There are fears this could make the ongoing conflict in the Middle East even worse.

Speaking from Beirut, the BBC’s Rami Ruhayem talks us through the aftermath of the attack and explains what Hezbollah is and how it started. He also discusses why Israel may have done this.

Why was Hezbollah using these old-fashioned devices and how did they explode? The BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy tells us more (and explains what a pager is). And Gordon Corera, the BBC’s security correspondent, gives us a short summary of other covert operations - and why this one is different.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde