India and Pakistan have largely seen each other as rivals since they got their independence from Britain in 1947.

Recently, tensions have erupted there again, and over the past week both sides have launched cross-border military strikes.

It’s been over Kashmir - a Himalayan region which both India and Pakistan claim as theirs. Each administers part of it, and they’ve fought wars over it before. With this latest flare up, many are worried it could lead to another- and both sides have nuclear weapons.

Now, India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire.

What’s the background to it all? We ask a load of BBC journalists, like Lyse Doucet and Arunoday Mukharji, to break down the history of it all.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Adam Chowdhury, Rosabel Crean, Emily Horler, Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

White smoke from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Thursday 8th May announced that a new Pope had been elected. Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope to be exact and the first American. He also has Peruvian citizenship.

In this episode we’re going to explain what we know about the new Pope, Robert Prevost, and his views. We find out what a Pope actually does. Also why are people so surprised that an American Pope has been elected?

And we hear from young Catholics around the world - who tell us what they want to see from Pope Leo XIV.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Emily Horler, Maria Clara Montoya and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Verity Wilde

True crime series are hugely popular around the world. These are non-fiction TV shows and podcasts which look at victims of crimes and investigate the motives of the perpetrator, often covering grim topics like assault and murder. You might have heard of some of them like Serial, American Manhunt: OJ Simpson, The Menendez Brothers, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and My Lover My Killer.

Why are they so popular? And what positive and negative effects can they have on the cases they’re covering - and the people involved? Jacqui Wakefield from the BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit explains.

And Dr Julia Shaw, criminal psychologist and host of the BBC podcast Bad People, talks to us about how true crime might affect our brain and behaviour.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee-Adams Producers: Emily Horler, Josh Jenkins and Benita Barden Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Election season in Australia is drawing to a close with the re-election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. Around 18 million people in the country are eligible to vote, and many of them turned up to the polls as it is a legal obligation to do so. If you fail to turn up, you can face a fine. So what’s it like to vote in an election, when you have to? And how is enforced? BBC’s Australia correspondent Katy Watson tells us how it all works.

Compulsory voting is popular across many countries in Latin America, with 13 out of the 33 countries in the region enforcing it. BBC reporter Maria Clara Montoya gives us the details.

We also hear from Shane Singh, a professor at the University of Georgia in the US, about the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory voting.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

When you picture Bali, you might think of sandy beaches, laid-back surfers, ancient temples and lush green rice paddies. As a tourist hotspot, single-use plastic is common and it has a problem with disposing of plastic waste. A study from 2021 ranked Indonesia as the fifth biggest contributor of marine waste in the world.

Now, Bali’s governor has set an ambitious goal: to make the island waste-free by 2027. But how realistic is that? And what would it actually take to make it happen? Hanna Samosir, a reporter for the BBC in Jakarta, takes us through the story.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Adam Chowdhury Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Shea butter, a rich silky fat loved for its versatility, is under threat. It’s a key ingredient in everything from moisturisers to pharmaceuticals, and it has a huge global market. The shea trees where it’s extracted from grow from West to East Africa in a vast strip known as the "shea belt".

BBC Africa’s Anne Okumu has been to visit the Mount Kei Central Forest Reserve in Uganda, an area which used to be lush with wild shea trees, but has now been turned into a near-barren expanse dotted with stumps. She tells us why people have been cutting them down, and what this has to do with climate change. We also hear about what is being done to protect shea trees.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Adam Chowdhury and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

Axolotls are only found in the wild in one place in the world; an area of wetland just outside Mexico City. They are one of the world’s most endangered, and arguably most adorable, amphibians. Not just meme-worthy, they are also scientifically fascinating - they don’t really age and they can regrow body parts, including their brains. Very few are left in the wild, but now scientists have released captive-bred axolotls back into the wetlands and found that they not only survived, but even put on a bit of weight. BBC science correspondent Victoria Gill talks us through the study and explains what scientists can learn from these amazing creatures. And Assistant Professor Prayag Murawala from the MDI Biological Laboratory in the US, describes what we know about how axolotls regenerate their own body parts. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Harriet Oliver

Sean "Diddy" Combs is one of the most successful music moguls in the history of rap. He has been arrested and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors allege that he “abused, threatened, and coerced women” and that he created “a criminal enterprise” involving forced labour, kidnapping and bribery. Mr. Combs denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

Ahead of the trial later this month, Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the BBC podcast, Diddy on Trial, explains the charges and shares Diddy’s response. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producer: William Lee Adams and Mora Morrison Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Two Belgian teenagers have plead guilty to trying to smuggle thousands of giant African harvester ants out of Kenya. The authorities said they were allegedly planning to sell the ants on the growing exotic pet market in Europe and Asia, where ant keepers put the insects in special habitats and watch them build their colonies. BBC reporter Akisa Wandera talks us through this landmark case.

We also hear from two ant keepers, Kaden (Ender Ants) and Mauro (Bruma Ants) on why they love their pets.

And finally, a quick question for you, how many ants do you think there are for every person on earth? A) 10 ants B) 67 thousand ants C) 980 thousand ants D) 2.5 million ants

Listen to the episode for the answer!

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

Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams recently returned to Earth after a longer-than-expected nine months on the International Space Station (ISS). And when the astronauts emerged from their space craft they were helped on to a stretcher, which is standard practice after spending so long in a weightless environment.

The BBC’s Caroline Steel has been looking into how going into space impacts the body. She talks us through how muscles, bones and even vision are affected, and how astronauts can limit any long-term damage. Peggy Whitson holds the world record for the woman who has spent most time in space - 675 days. She explains the challenges of lifting weights while in zero gravity.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal and Kesewaa Browne Editor: Verity Wilde

China’s cosmetic surgery industry has exploded over the past decade and in turn, put even more pressure on young women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. On Chinese social media there are hundreds of filtered faces, extreme weight-loss hacks, and even apps that scan your face and let you book cosmetic surgery as easily as ordering a taxi.

BBC reporter Natalia Zuo, takes us through the culture in China and what she found out when working on a documentary for the BBC about the boom.

You can watch the documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaYSEWlHrGw

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

Many economists have warned that the world is poised for an economic downturn. The warnings come after President Trump's recent changes to America’s tariff policies. Changes in consumer spending — including their fashion choices — are one potential “recession indicator.”

Erin Delmore, the BBC’s North America business correspondent, explains what a recession is and discusses how people’s purchasing decisions — regarding everything from clothes to salon visits — offer clues to what’s going on with the economy.

We also hear from Caroline Stevenson from the London College of Fashion. She explains how trends come about and unpacks recent trends like the “clean girl” look and the “office siren”.

Plus content creator Leah Holme discusses how she makes mindful purchasing decisions based on the long-term.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Benita Barden, Abiona Boja, Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde