Phones have become an essential part of most people’s everyday lives, and debates about them in schools - as well as teenagers’ access to social media - are internationally hot topics.

BBC journalist Hayley Clarke joins us in the studio to talk through different approaches to social media and phone bans in schools around the world. We also hear from students in France and the US about how they would feel about potential bans.

Hannah Ritchie, a BBC journalist, explains the situation in Australia, where the government says it will introduce "world-leading" legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.

Plus we hear from two professors on opposing sides of the debate, and ask what is the scientific evidence that shows phones and social media are bad for us?

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Hayley Clarke and Emilia Jansson Video journalist: Adam Chowdhury Editor: Verity Wilde

South Korea's president Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the country on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the country. It’s the first time such an order has been passed there in nearly 50 years. Yoon cited "anti-state forces" and the threat from North Korea. But it soon became clear that the move may have been politically motivated.

Within hours thousands of people gathered in protest, and opposition lawmakers rushed to remove the measure. Julie Yoonnyung Lee, a BBC World Service reporter, talks us why the announcement was so shocking - and how it could impact South Korea’s democracy.

Plus, Emilia Jansson from the What in the World team shares which other countries have used martial law, and why.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

For the past few nights, thousands of Georgians have been out protesting the government in Tbilisi. It’s because the ruling party, Georgian Dream, says it’s pausing negotiations to join the European Union until 2028. Many Georgians see the move as a betrayal of achieving the long-standing ambition of joining the EU, and some fear the country is inching closer to Russia’s influence.

The BBC’s Rayhan Demytrie takes us through the political situation in the country and explains why many Georgians are unhappy.

We also hear from two women, Nutsa and Nini, about why they’ve decided to join this round of protests.

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

Rage bait is social media content that's designed to elicit anger and frustration. Those feelings can encourage people to engage with the content, often by replying. It’s a process that helps content creators earn a lot of money.

BBC reporter Megan Lawton discusses the reasons that social media users engage with this type of content and offers tips to identify it.

And BBC tech reporter Tom Gerken explains how our online behaviour dictates what social media posts appear in our feeds.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Hayley Clarke, Emilia Jansson Editor: Rosanna La-Falce

The world’s most expensive banana has been sold at an auction for more than $6 million. It’s Maurizio Cattelan's 2019 work Comedian and it’s literally just a banana duct-taped to a wall.

The new owner bought the right to display the installation along with a guide on how to replace the fruit (it doesn’t stay fresh for long!).

But what makes it art? And why would someone eat a multi-million dollar banana? BBC arts reporter Yasmin Rufo takes us through the story and helps us decide if us taping a banana to a wall in our studio counts as art. We also hear from two people in the art world - artist Maddie Exton and critic Hakim Bishara - for their thoughts on this infamous banana.

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

Intra-continental travel is huge, and borderless agreements between countries make trips easier. For instance, Europe has the Schengen Zone and South East Asia has ASEAN. But for Africa, it’s still a work in progress. The UN tourism boss Natalya Bayona says she wants to make borderless travel for tourism in Africa a reality within ten years.

Daniel Dadzie, from the BBC Focus on Africa podcast, explains the benefits it could bring and why it could be difficult to achieve. And Zubaida Abdel-Rahman, a Ghanaian travel blogger, tells us about her experiences.

In January 2024, the Kenyan government introduced a new system called Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). It doesn’t require African nationals to obtain visas to enter the country for tourism and business travel. We hear from BBC reporter in Nairobi, Jewel Kiriungi, about how it works.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Video Journalist: Beatrice Guzzardi Editor: Verity Wilde

There has been intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah for over a year. More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, over a million people displaced, and many homes destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Israel says 60,000 of its citizens will now be able to go back to their communities along its northern border, safe from Hezbollah rocket fire from Hezbollah.

In this episode, we speak to Carine Torbey, our BBC correspondent in Beirut, who explains the basics on Hezbollah, why it has been fighting Israel and what this ceasefire means.

We hear from other BBC correspondents on the ground in the region to get a sense of how the ceasefire deal is being received. And Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s International Editor explains what might happen to Hezbollah now - and whether a ceasefire in Gaza could be next.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Hayley Clarke Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

The town of Van Vieng in Laos is a popular stop for backpackers traveling through Southeast Asia. But after six tourists died earlier this month following suspected methanol poisoning, many tourists are re-thinking their itineraries and how they drink. We hear from some of them. Also: William from the What in the World team tells us about the victims in Laos and looks at alcohol poisoning around the world. And BBC Digital Health Editor Michelle Roberts explains how methanol affects the body and what symptoms people my experience after consuming it. Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Benita Barden Editor: Rosanna La-Falce

The annual United Nations climate change conference ended on Sunday but not everybody was happy. This year, the main focus was on getting richer countries, who have contributed more to climate change, to pay poorer, developing countries so that they can better deal with the impacts of climate change.

COP29 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the talks were meant to end on Friday. The negotiations ran over into the weekend and a deal for $300 billion was finally agreed on Sunday at 3am.

However, the African Group of Negotiators described the final pledge as "too little, too late" and India said that “the amount that is proposed to be mobilised is abysmally poor. It's a paltry sum.”

BBC climate reporter Georgina Rannard was in Baku and takes us through the final deal. Georgina also speaks with two climate activists who were campaigning at COP29.

Plus, Jordan Dunbar from the BBC’s Climate Question podcast gives us three success stories of how climate change is being tackled around the world.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Rosanna La-Falce

According to a major government survey, more than 70% of young people in Malaysia are in debt. Officials say shopping addiction is the number one reason why.

Social media feeds that addiction by promoting “flex culture” — the desire to flash your wealth in person and online. Leeloo Larcombe, a fashion and lifestyle influencer, tells us about Malaysia’s shopping culture and her complicated relationship with it. Bryan Chen, the co-founder of Malaysia's biggest streetwear convention, Sneaker-LAH, explains how his shoe addiction has at times left him in debt.

The rise of buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes also encourages people to live beyond their means. Doris Lieu, an economist at the IDEAS Malaysia think tank, explains how these schemes grew in popularity during the pandemic and why young people are attracted to them.

Finally, Pete Yong, the financial literacy expert behind the popular Mr Money TV YouTube channel, offers some practical tips to help people pull themselves out of debt.

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

Thailand has become the first country in South East Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. The new law means that LGBTQ+ couples will have the same legal rights as other couples when it comes to adoption, inheritance and medical decisions. It’s taken activists years of campaigning to get to this point, and in September 2024 Thailand's king signed it into law. It will come into force in January 2025.

BBC Thai journalist Panisa Aemocha, in Bangkok, explains the same-sex marriage legalisation in Thailand and attitudes towards LGBTQ+ in the country. This includes how Thailand has embraced boy love (BL) and girl love (GL) TV series - which show same-sex couples.

We also hear from Best Chitsanupong Nithiwana, an activist who co-founded the Young Pride Club in Chiang Mai, who tells us what this new law means for same-sex couples in Thailand. And we ask, could other nearby countries do the same?

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

A video of an Iranian student in her underwear at a university campus in Tehran has gone global. It shows Ahoo Daryaei walking around grey concrete buildings in a purple bra and knickers before being forcibly detained. Authorities were quick to claim that she was suffering from poor mental health, but many have seen it as an act of defiance against the hijab.

Faranak Amidi, a BBC journalist and presenter, tells us what life is like for women in Iran right now, and how they are bravely fighting for more rights. Azam Jangravi, an Iranian activist who now lives in Canada, shares her experience of being being arrested following her protest in 2018.

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