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: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Benita Barden and Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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

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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Benita Barden and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

Malaysia has the highest obesity rate in South East Asia, and experts say that by 2035 two in every three children could be overweight. On our recent trip to Kuala Lumpur we wanted to find out why obese rates are so high, and what’s being done to address the issue.

We’re joined by nutritionist Fatin Keri, health and fitness coach Kevin Zahri, and two women who he trained - who’ve both been on their own weight loss journey.

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

Dugongs are grey sea mammals, also called “sea cows”, partly because of how they look and because they graze on seagrass. The dugong can be found off the coast of 48 countries between East Africa and Vanuatu in Oceania. They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

There used to be common sightings off the coast of Thailand but now, at least 70 dugongs have been found dead along the southern coast of the Andaman Sea over a period of 22 months. In October 2024 alone, 30 dugongs were reported dead in Thailand. What’s behind this?

Panisa Aemocha from BBC Thai, explains the importance of dugongs to local eco-systems and why their numbers are declining. We also hear what the Thai government is trying to do to save them.

Numbers have also gone down in East Africa. Evan Trotzuk from the African Parks NGO, explains why and tells us about the measures being taken to protect dugong in Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Mozambique.

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

There are about 12 million Uyghurs, mostly Muslim, living in Xinjiang. China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against them. This includes the use of ‘re-education camps’ to eradicate Uyghur identity and culture. China denies any human rights abuses.

Many Uyghurs have fled to countries including Turkey and Thailand. But once they get there they face new challenges. Shawn Yuan, a journalist from the BBC’s Global China Unit, joins us to explain why. We also hear why some Uyghurs in Thailand could face being sent back to China.

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