One of the biggest unions in the world representing a diverse range of creative professionals, including actors and voice artists, has filed a complaint against the makers of the video game Fortnite over its Darth Vader character. Epic Games used generative AI to recreate the voice of the Star Wars villain, after the late actor who played him in the film franchise signed over the rights in 2022. But Sag-Aftra says the gaming company should have negotiated with them first - and is worried the rise in AI could lead to job losses.

BBC tech reporter Liv McMahon tells us more about the row between the union and Epic Games and explains why the growing use of generative AI is being met with backlash in the entertainment industry. We also hear from Larry Cutler, the co-founder of Baobab Studios, a multiple Emmy-award-winning animation studio that has worked on games like Roblox and Fortnite, to find out how voice cloning technology works.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Chelsea Coates Editor: Verity Wilde

Skin-lightening is a multi-billion-dollar industry and impacts many women, and men, around the world. Within the African context, women in Nigeria use skin-whitening products the most: according to the World Health Organization 77% of women use them regularly. The situation is so bad that Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) declared a state of emergency in 2023.

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu has been speaking to a mother who has used skin-whitening products on all six of her children. Madina shares her story, and talks us through the cultural context of why people use these products. We also hear from aesthetician Zainab Bashir about the risks involved with skin-bleaching.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Maria Clara Montoya and Elena Angelides Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Hundreds of thousands of students in Nigeria have been told they can retake their JAMB university entrance exam. That’s after nearly 80 per cent of them failed the test in March amid power cuts and computer glitches during the exams. The low pass rate sparked a national outcry, especially after the Minister of Education initially claimed it was caused by students cheating. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has now apologised - but what does the incident say about Nigeria’s digital infrastructure?

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu explains what caused the technical issues, and why the exam board has now decided to allow retakes. We also hear from students across Nigeria about the impact the glitches have had on their hopes of getting into university.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

You might have seen videos on TikTok of guys with shaved heads and black sweatbands walking round Turkish airports, or sitting on planes on the way home. Turkey is becoming one of the most popular destinations to get a hair transplant. Turkish officials estimate the hair transplant market was worth $1billion in 2024. People travel there from all around the world, but especially the US and Europe, because it’s so much cheaper than getting it done in their home country.

Christopher Mizzoni, 22 (@chrishairjourney), travelled to Turkey in 2024 to get the first of two planned hair transplants. He explains what it was like and what difference it’s made to him. Özge Özdemir from BBC Turkish explains why prices are so much lower in Turkey than other countries and sets out some concerns about the industry.

And Chris D’Souza, a hair transplant surgeon and President of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery tells us what the procedure involves.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

More and more people are using snus. Maybe you’ve noticed this where you live: people walking around with circular plastic tubs in their pockets and slipping small white parcels into their gums? There are two types: brown snus and white snus. Brown snus has been around for a while, and contains tobacco, whereas white snus is newer and tobacco-free; it’s a nicotine pouch. Some of the biggest brands are Zyn, Velo and On! and they’re made by the big tobacco companies.

White snus is a booming market with “Zynfluencers” promoting it on social media. But it’s not only young people who are into it. According to one study in England, almost one in five professional male football players are using snus too.

BBC Health reporter Elena Bailey talks us through snus’s health impacts. Sweden has particularly high snus use among teenagers. According to Swedish government data, 27% of 15-year-old girls and 31% of 15-year-old boys have used it. Swedish radio journalist Matilda Skarehag explains why it’s so popular there. We also hear from Fanna Ndow Norrby who got addicted to snus.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

One of the world’s biggest sporting stars, Virat Kohli, has announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket via an Instagram post to his 270 million followers. It’s got people talking about his impact and many tributes to his career have been shared online. But what does this mean for Indian cricket?

The BBC’s Luke Wolstenholme talks us through why Virat Kohli is such a big deal and the legacy he leaves behind. We also hear from Virat Kohli fans Anwaya Mane and Tanisha Crasto, who played Badminton for Team India in the Olympics.

Plus Baldeep Chahal from the What in the World team gives us a crash course in the history and rules of cricket.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Adam Chowdhury, Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

Big Ocean are the world’s first K-Pop boy band with hearing loss. Each of the three members; Jiseok, PJ and Chanyeon, has a different level of hearing. They use hearing aids and cochlear implants to hear sounds and use lip reading for communication.

The band use metronomes that display lights and smartwatches that communicate the beat through vibrations to help them when dancing. And they have used AI technology trained with the members' voice data to help them hit the correct pitch.

As part of their first European tour, they came into the What in the World studio to chat to us about the challenges they’ve faced and overcome and how the deaf community has responded to them.

We also hear from Big Ocean fan or PADO (which means wave in Korean) Jade Dunne who is a musician and has progressive hearing loss, on how the band has inspired her.

Big Ocean incorporate Korean Sign Language, American Sign Language and International Sign into their choreography. Gavin Songer from the UK charity the National Deaf Children’s Society explains what other tech there is to help people with hearing loss experience music.

You can also watch the video of this interview on YouTube - search for What in the World or click here for our playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4eMOlGZclzdcHmv7s8BFQE6

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Video Journalist: Beatrice Guzzardi Editor: Verity Wilde

India and Pakistan have largely seen each other as rivals since they got their independence from Britain in 1947.

Recently, tensions have erupted there again, and over the past week both sides have launched cross-border military strikes.

It’s been over Kashmir - a Himalayan region which both India and Pakistan claim as theirs. Each administers part of it, and they’ve fought wars over it before. With this latest flare up, many are worried it could lead to another- and both sides have nuclear weapons.

Now, India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire.

What’s the background to it all? We ask a load of BBC journalists, like Lyse Doucet and Arunoday Mukharji, to break down the history of it all.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Adam Chowdhury, Rosabel Crean, Emily Horler, Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

White smoke from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Thursday 8th May announced that a new Pope had been elected. Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope to be exact and the first American. He also has Peruvian citizenship.

In this episode we’re going to explain what we know about the new Pope, Robert Prevost, and his views. We find out what a Pope actually does. Also why are people so surprised that an American Pope has been elected?

And we hear from young Catholics around the world - who tell us what they want to see from Pope Leo XIV.

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

True crime series are hugely popular around the world. These are non-fiction TV shows and podcasts which look at victims of crimes and investigate the motives of the perpetrator, often covering grim topics like assault and murder. You might have heard of some of them like Serial, American Manhunt: OJ Simpson, The Menendez Brothers, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and My Lover My Killer.

Why are they so popular? And what positive and negative effects can they have on the cases they’re covering - and the people involved? Jacqui Wakefield from the BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit explains.

And Dr Julia Shaw, criminal psychologist and host of the BBC podcast Bad People, talks to us about how true crime might affect our brain and behaviour.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee-Adams Producers: Emily Horler, Josh Jenkins and Benita Barden Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Election season in Australia is drawing to a close with the re-election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. Around 18 million people in the country are eligible to vote, and many of them turned up to the polls as it is a legal obligation to do so. If you fail to turn up, you can face a fine. So what’s it like to vote in an election, when you have to? And how is enforced? BBC’s Australia correspondent Katy Watson tells us how it all works.

Compulsory voting is popular across many countries in Latin America, with 13 out of the 33 countries in the region enforcing it. BBC reporter Maria Clara Montoya gives us the details.

We also hear from Shane Singh, a professor at the University of Georgia in the US, about the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory voting.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

When you picture Bali, you might think of sandy beaches, laid-back surfers, ancient temples and lush green rice paddies. As a tourist hotspot, single-use plastic is common and it has a problem with disposing of plastic waste. A study from 2021 ranked Indonesia as the fifth biggest contributor of marine waste in the world.

Now, Bali’s governor has set an ambitious goal: to make the island waste-free by 2027. But how realistic is that? And what would it actually take to make it happen? Hanna Samosir, a reporter for the BBC in Jakarta, takes us through the story.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Adam Chowdhury Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde