What in the World

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
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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

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