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What in the World

What in the World

By: BBC World Service
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Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, Monday to Friday.

(C) BBC 2025
Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Made in Vietnam: Why its homegrown fashion is having a moment
    Jun 4 2025

    What do Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and Jennie from Blackpink have in common? They have all been spotted wearing Vietnamese fashion brands. You might have noticed that your clothes and shoes have labels saying ?Made in Vietnam?. The garment and textile industry in Vietnam is massive - it?s the second biggest exporter in the world, after China. And it employs three million people, most of them women. Global brands like Nike and Uniqlo make their clothes there.

    But recently, Vietnamese brands are being celebrated in their own right and finding new fans. Thuong Le from the BBC Vietnamese Service talks to us about the Vietnamese fashion industry and why their brands are becoming so popular outside the country. What?s their appeal? Fashion influencer Joyce Ng from Singapore explains. Vietnamese fashion business consultant Quynh Nguyen, who works for the brand LSOUL, describes the impact foreign buyers have had on the industry. And Professor Kim Myung-hee from South Korea, a former stylist of Rain and Jun Ji-hyun, tells us why Vietnamese fashion isn?t just a short term trend.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Thuong Le, Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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    10 mins
  • Can refreezing Arctic sea ice help save polar bears?
    Jun 3 2025

    Polar bears are the biggest bears in the world and the only marine bear. There are estimated to be around 26,000 globally. They’re mostly found in Canada, but also in Russia, the US, Norway and Greenland. Their main prey is seal, specifically seal blubber, as they need a diet high in fat to survive the freezing Arctic conditions.

    Polar bears are great swimmers but they can’t outswim seals. So they hunt them on the Arctic sea ice, waiting for them to come up for air and then pouncing. But as the amount of sea ice decreases due to global warming, the polar bear populations that live in the more southerly, warmer parts of the Arctic are in decline.

    BBC Science correspondent Victoria Gill explains what it’s like to see a polar bear up close and the challenges they’re facing. Alysa McCall, a scientist at Polar Bears International, gives us her top facts about polar bears and Arctic sea ice.

    And we explore whether refreezing parts of the Arctic could be a realistic solution, with Kerry Nickols, from Ocean Visions, a non-profit organisation which looks at ways to protect and restore Arctic sea ice.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Benita Barden and Thuong Le Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

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    11 mins
  • Why some athletes and musicians are using OnlyFans as a side hustle
    Jun 2 2025

    OnlyFans is an online platform where people create content (photos, videos and live streams), which can be monetised. Although it hosts a variety of content across topics like fitness and cooking, OnlyFans is known widely for hosting adult content, much of it explicit. As its popularity has soared, so too has the controversy and stigma surrounding the platform. Last week, Kurts Adams Rozentals, a world-class British canoeist, revealed that he had been banned from competing by Paddle UK — the sport’s governing body — after they learned he was an OnlyFans content creator. He told the BBC he started posting content because Paddle UK’s annual grant of £16,000 was insufficient to cover rent, travel, food and other expenses associated with full-time training in London.

    BBC Business Reporter Charlotte Edwards explains exactly how the platform works and who owns it. She also gives us the latest on the embattled British canoer. Plus: Chimgozirim Nwokoma, a senior reporter for Tech Point Africa, tells us about All Access Fans — an African start-up that have taken inspiration from OnlyFans’ subscription-based business model — and the reaction to it.

    Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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    12 mins

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