Last week, during their opening match of the AFC Asia Cup football tournament, Iran’s women’s football team refused to sing the national anthem. The move was seen as an act of defiance, as it came shortly after American and Israeli strikes had killed Iran’s supreme leader. The players were subsequently called “wartime traitors” on Iranian state television.

After being knocked out of the tournament on Sunday, several players decided to stay in Australia. Despite heavy surveillance from Iranian authorities, they escaped their hotel and were issued humanitarian visas by the Australian government.

BBC Persian reporter Ghoncheh Habibiazad explains why the players took this action and the consequences the decision may have for them and their families. We also find out more about the significance of football to Iran’s leaders.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

Military-style weight loss camps in China are getting popular. You sign up voluntarily for a month and follow a strict daily routine, with intense exercises, mandatory trips to the scales and rules on snacking. Some people have called them “fat prisons”. So what’s it like to go to one? TL Huang from Australia tells us about her experience. We hear about the downsides of these kinds of “fat camps” from British nutritionist and personal trainer Luke Hanna. And Wanqing Zhang from the BBC’s Global China Unit explains why more people in China are signing up to them.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Iran’s state media has announced that Mojtaba Khamenei will be the country’s new supreme leader. He’ll replace his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint American and Israeli strike last week.

The 56-year-old has largely kept a low profile. He has never held government office and only a limited number of photos and videos of him have ever been published.

In this episode, you’ll hear what we know about Iran’s new supreme leader, and what this change in leadership could mean for the future of the war between Iran, Israel and the US.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow gap of water in the Middle East between Iran and the Arabian peninsula. About 3,000 or so ships sail through the Strait each month - that’s about 80 ships a day. About 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through it. But now, it’s an active war zone.

As the US and Israel continue strikes on Iran, and Iran launches missiles at Israel and nearby Gulf states in retaliation, key shipping routes are being disrupted as well as oil and gas production in the region.

Iran says it has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that it would "set fire" to any ships trying to pass through it.

In this episode we explain how this war could affect the wider world and why closing the Strait of Hormuz could lead to higher prices for petrol, food and electronics for us all.

Kayleen Devlin from BBC Verify tells us what’s happening to ships in the Strait of Hormuz and BBC business reporter Nick Marsh describes why parts of Asia are already feeling the effects.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Maria Clara Montoya and Ash Mohamed Editor: Verity Wilde

Wild bee species at risk of extinction in Europe have more than doubled in the last decade. And that matters more than you might think.

Bees pollinate 75% of the crops we eat, from apples and tomatoes to carrots and raspberries. So if bee populations decline, our food system feels it too. So what’s actually driving the drop in wild bees? BBC climate & science correspondent Georgina Rannard breaks it down for us. We also hear from a beekeeper in Sierra Leone about protecting bees on the ground – and what simple changes could help them thrive closer to home.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Baldeep Chahal, Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Audio for this episode was updated on 30 March 2026.

The conflict between Israel and the US against Iran continues to escalate. At least one thousand civilians have been killed in Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began on Saturday, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

There is uncertainty about what happens next. As Iran enters its fifth day into the conflict, how do Iranians feel about it? Ghoncheh Habibiazad, who is a journalist for the BBC Persian Service, tells us how people who she’s spoken to in Iran are feeling. And we hear from Iranians outside the country for their hopes for Iran.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler, Chelsea Coates and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde

For centuries, people have lived side by side with animals in harmony. But with habitats shrinking, animals such as lions and elephants are having to travel further to find food, sometimes stumbling into human territory. Crops and property are destroyed as farmers lose their livelihoods. And when their path crosses with humans it can get violent - even leading to death. As humans are killed by the animals, their communities go out to get revenge on the species.

The BBC’s reporter Shingai Nyoka in Zimbabwe tells us about the situation in her country, and what governments across Africa are doing to ensure communities can live in harmony with the animals. Plus, we hear from WWF, an independent conservation organisation, and find out how it is dealing with human-wildlife conflict in Tanzania.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Emilia Jansson Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

The US and Israel have launched a massive military operation in Iran, carrying out a series of strikes that have killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as hundreds of Iranians.

Iran has also launched strikes in response, targeting Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other countries and killing several civilians - and American military personnel - in the process.

In this episode we answer some of your most searched questions on this developing conflict - including why the US and Israel have attacked Iran, who Iran has attacked in response, whether petrol prices will go up and how long this conflict could last.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Chelsea Coates Editor: Harriet Oliver

Emperor penguins are icons of the penguin world. They are only found in the wild in Antarctica and breed and raise their babies on the ice. Because the Antarctic is so massive and difficult to explore, scientists rely on satellite images to detect colonies and the penguins’ activities.

Once a year penguins shed all their feathers on the ice and replace them with new ones. The feathers they leave behind can also be seen on satellites - but now scientists are worried. Recently they haven’t seen much evidence of this “mega moult”. BBC climate and science correspondent Georgina Rannard explains what this could mean for the Emperor penguin populations.

And finally, Ash from the What in the World team brings a few more animal stories she’s spotted this week, including an update on viral sensation Punch the Monkey, in Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, William Lee Adams and Ash Mohamed Editor: Verity Wilde

Vogue and Business Insider have declared 2026 the ‘year of the cabbage’. The vegetable has gone viral amid the rise of ‘fibremaxxing’ - with young people posting reels praising it for its versatility and trying to glamourise it with healthy gourmet-style meals. So, why has the humble vegetable had a rebrand? And what does it tell us about Gen Z finances?

BBC reporter Basma El-Atti explains the trend - and tells us about the fibre gap. And Zara Hiridjee, a nutritionist in the UK explains how much fibre we need, whether you can have too much and the different types of fibre you need in your diet.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Benita Barden, Chelsea Coates and Emilia Jansson Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

On Sunday Mexican security forces killed El Mencho, one of the country’s most wanted drug lords and the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). In response, members of the feared cartel have unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states.

Jack Burgess, a BBC reporter who covers international affairs, explains what’s been happening. And Laura Garcia, a BBC reporter from Mexico, explains how cartels recruit young people and how everyday Mexicans have had to adapt to the threat of cartel violence.

The uptick in violence comes as Mexico prepares to host the World Cup, alongside the U.S. and Canada, between 11 June and 19 July. BBC Sport reporter Daniel Austin tells us how fans have been reacting and what it might mean for the football tournament.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

The gig economy is booming. This is where people get paid per job - and use an app to get their work. Most commonly it’s used for food delivery and taxis. India's gig workforce is 12 million strong and expected to double to 24 million by 2030.

But recently thousands of gig workers in Delhi led massive protests over their pay and working conditions. They were also upset about the pressures of having to deliver products within 10 minutes - a guarantee some companies had initiated to try to get an edge in a very competitive market. Meghna Kanwar, a Brut journalist in India, explains some of their complaints - and how the government and companies responded.

And it’s not just India; there have been gig worker protests all over the world in the last few years, including in the US, UK, Brazil, South Africa, China and Indonesia. Nathalia Jimenez, our BBC business reporter in New York, tells us what some of them were about - and whether they made a difference.

We also hear from Mu'nisah Ujima, a food delivery driver in Atlanta, USA, on some of the upsides and downsides she experiences.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross Roy, Benita Barden, Ash Mohamed and Chelsea Coates Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde