What in the World

Coral around the world is turning white and even dying as recent record ocean heat takes a devastating toll. It has triggered the fourth “global mass coral bleaching event”. Hannah chats to What in the World producer Kevyah Cardoso about the magical life of coral. BBC climate reporter Georgina Rannard explains what’s causing this bleaching and whether the coral can recover from it. And we hear from two parts of the world where people are trying to monitor and revive their coral reefs. The BBC’s Alfred Lasteck in Tanzania tells us about his visit to the Mnemba Island, Zanzibar where they are restoring the coral reefs. And 19 year old environmental activist and divemaster Emma Batty Sukerta, whose family are from Bali, Indonesia, talks about why she is recording the sounds of the coral reefs there. Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Kevyah Cardoso & Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

Thousands of young people have been out protesting in Georgia. But this isn’t organised by the opposition or a political party - these demonstrations are being driven by the 20 year olds themselves. It’s all because of a “foreign agents” law the government there is trying to bring in. There’s a fear that this law will suppress dissent and prevent Georgia from eventually joining the European Union. This law will require non-governmental organisations and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as an "organisation serving the interests of a foreign power". Don’t worry, we’ll go through it all in the episode.The government says the law aims to increase transparency. Critics refer to it as the “Russian law” because it mirrors similar legislation introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his country.Nutsa Dzandzava (22) and Dato Dolaberidze (23) have been spending their spare time on the streets of Georgia’s capital Tblisi. We hear why they’re protesting and what they hope to achieve. The BBC’s Rayhan Demytrie explains a bit about Georgia’s history with Russia - and the details of the controversial law that started the protests. Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Maria Clara Montoya, Julia Ross-Roy & Alex Rhodes Editor: Emily Horler

This year’s Olympics will, for the first time, feature breaking – a style of street dance that originated in 1970s New York City. It’s characterised by acrobatic movements, speedy footwork and a hip-hop soundtrack. More than 30 breakers from all over the world will compete. Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, from Australia, is one of them. Raygun explains the rules and tells us what she loves about the sport, and why it’s so physically demanding. William Lee Adams from the What in the World team chats about the sport's history. And BBC Sport Africa reporter Isaiah Akinremi explains what else to look out for this year — including an Opening Ceremony on the River Seine. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Adam Chowdhury Producers: William Lee Adams and Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde

As India votes in the general election, it is impossible to avoid the wealth of AI-generated content being created - from campaign videos, to personalised audio messages in a range of Indian languages, and even automated calls made to voters in a candidate's voice.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also already made the best of the emerging technology to campaign effectively - addressing an audience in Hindi which, by using the government-created AI tool Bhashini, was then translated into Tamil in real time.But as the tools get more sophisticated, experts worry about its implications when it comes to making fake news appear real. In April, two viral videos showed Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan campaigning for the opposition Congress party. Both filed police complaints saying these were deepfakes, made without their consent.The BBC’s Meryl Sebastian, who is based in Kochi in southern India, explains how the election is playing out amidst the wave of AI and deepfake content.Plus we get advice on how to deal with AI and deepfake material as a voter from Divyendra Jadoun, founder of The Indian Deepfaker, who creates this exact content.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Verity Wilde

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, and several other officials, including the foreign minister, have died in a helicopter crash. Mr Raisi was widely tipped to eventually become Supreme Leader, the most powerful role in the country.The BBC’s Shayan Sardarizadeh explains who Mr Raisi was, how power works in Iran, what the reaction has been, and what this could mean for the future of the regime. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Simon Peeks

The Premier League may vote to scrap the use of video assistant referees (VAR) from next season. Adam Chowdhury, from the What in the World team, explains how VAR works, why the technology is so controversial (including THAT Luis Diaz disallowed goal), and how it’s used in major leagues, including the Bundesliga and La Liga. BBC Africa Sport Mimi Fawaz also shares how VAR is used in Africa, and AFCON. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

The electric car industry is sending mixed signals. On one hand, sales of electric vehicles in Europe overtook diesel vehicles for the first time last year and annual sales of electric vehicles in China now make up 30% of total car sales in the country.On the other hand, Elon Musk’s company Tesla and Chinese manufacturer BYD, two of the biggest electric vehicle makers, have both reported significant drops in sales this year. Plus, industry heavyweights General Motors, Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Ford have all revealed that as a result of a loss in momentum for electric cars, they are increasing their investment in hybrid vehicles, which partly use fossil fuels like petrol or diesel that harm the environment.Confused? BBC business correspondent Erin Delmore explains what exactly is going on.Plus, we take a closer look at how the electric vehicle industry is doing in Africa - and why the future is all about e-motorbikes instead of cars. Prosper, a 24 year old courier in Uganda tells us why she likes using an electric motorbike to get around. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Daniel Dadzie Producers: Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

Open AI has just revealed the latest version of the AI chatbot ChatGPT. It’s called GPT-4o and is faster, more friendly, and even flirtatious. Tech journalist Rhiannon Williams explains how it differs from previous versions, and what this means for the future of AI technology. But not everyone has equal access to ChatGPT. Grace Kejo, a 17-year-old student in Tanzania, shares why. Plus, Maria Clara Montoya describes how AI voices have changed over time: from the 1950s speech recognition systems to Siri and Alexa, and the present day. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Laura Cress Producers: Mora Morrison and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

Several nations have suffered flooding in just the last few months. Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia and China are just some of those that have been hit. Many people have died and thousands have been forced to move away from their homes.Floods are common and can happen at any time during the year. However, are we seeing more than usual these days? And how much impact is the El Nino weather system having? BBC Climate Reporter Georgina Rannard explains what’s been happening and why.We hear from listener Leandro who sent us a voice message from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where more than half a million people have been displaced from their homes.And eight months on from floods which hit Eastern Libya, the nation is continuing to rebuild from its catastrophic event. The BBC’s Amira Fathalla describes what it’s like on the ground today.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Beverly Ochieng Producers: Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Simon Peeks

The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music competition in the world. Countries from all over Europe, and some from outside (we’re looking at you Australia), compete to reach the Grand Final and win the iconic glass microphone trophy. The winner also gets the honour of hosting next year’s event, which brings big crowds and parties galore to the host city.This year’s event was held in Malmö, Sweden on the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s victory in the event. This year Switzerland’s Nemo won with their song ‘The Code’. They are the first non-binary artist to win the competition. However, there was plenty of controversy beyond the celebrations.In the build-up to Saturday’s Grand Final, there were protests against Israel’s inclusion because of the war in Gaza. Eden Golan performed the song ‘Hurricane’ which earned fifth place for Israel. Several acts ended their performances with messages such as "love will triumph hate" and "peace will prevail."What in the World’s William Lee Adams was in Malmö reporting from the event and tells us everything we need to know about Eurovision 2024.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Adam Chowdhury with William Lee Adams Producer: Mora Morrison Editor: Simon Peeks*This podcast was amended on 16th May 2024 to remove a reference to Celine Dion being Swiss at 00:33. Celine Dion is Canadian but won Eurovision for Switzerland.*