It’s not uncommon to see advice online on how to get beautiful glossy skin and what trendy skincare products can help achieve it. But some of the best-selling products contain ingredients like exfoliating acids or retinol that can cause damage if used incorrectly. Dermatologists are worried about the increasing number of children trying expensive serums, cleansers and creams promoted on social media that are not suitable for their age.

BBC Health reporter Annabel Rackham explains the health concerns around under 18s using anti-ageing products, and just how influential skincare content is online. We also hear from Blancah Catherine, a beauty content creator from South Africa, about how trends are driving young people’s interest in beauty products.

Plus, Dr Carol Cheng, a paediatric dermatologist at the University of California, explains what common anti-ageing ingredients like vitamin C, retinoids and hyaluronic acid actually do to our skin, and who should and shouldn’t be using them.

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

In recent weeks the Sudanese army has been regaining control of areas in the capital, Khartoum, previously held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These two forces have been at war for nearly two years and its having a devastating impact on civilians.

BBC journalist Mohanad Hashim grew up in Sudan, and recently returned to the country after three decades. He tells us how the country has changed and why its so hard to find a resolution.

The #KeepeyesonSudan hashtag has been used a lot online to talk about the war. Yassmin Abdel-Magied, a Sudanese writer, tells about the role of social media in raising awareness about the conflict.

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

India is dealing with an outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome. It’s a rare condition where your immune system attacks nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. There have been 160 reported cases since early January in Pune, hitting kids as young as six years old. Seven people are thought to have died.

Iqra shares her experience of having GBS as a child and she speaks with BBC health reporter Michelle Roberts to get the details on the disease. Plus, our reporter Vandhna Bhan takes us through what’s happening in India.

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

Five men in northern Nigeria were sentenced to death last week. Their crime? Murdering a woman they accused of being a witch. They said that the wife of one of the men had a dream she was being chased by the woman. The death penalty is rare in Nigeria and it has opened up a discussion on why people are being attacked for supposedly using witchcraft.

Olaronke Alo is a BBC journalist working in the disinformation unit in Lagos. She explains why people are still being accused of being witches, and what authorities are doing to stop it.

We also hear about Dr Leo Igwe who set up his own business to protect those accused of sorcery.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Josh Jenkins, Emily Horler and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

Is there any evidence that having a female leader actually changes a country? Do women make better politicians - or is it all based on stereotypes?

Women make up less than 7% of world leaders, and last year in 2024 the number of women in parliament globally fell. However, Mexico, Namibia and North Macedonia all elected their first female presidents, and as more women get elected to the top jobs, there’s an ongoing debate about whether female leaders do things differently to men.

Laura Garcia from BBC Mundo breaks down some common misconceptions about women in power with a game of true or false.

We also hear from Professor Rosie Campbell from the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King’s College London, about why it’s so hard to draw conclusions about the effects of female lawmakers.

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

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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

More young men are inquiring about and getting vasectomies. It’s a trend that’s been observed informally in several countries, and has particularly spiked in the United States since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

But what exactly does the procedure involve? Dr Jeff Foster specialises in men’s health. He talks us through the procedure, and debunks some common myths about pain, semen and erections. We also hear from two men - in the US and Kenya - about why they chose to have ‘the snip’.

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

Forget dating apps or meet cutes... marriage matchmaking is back. Young people in South Korea have been signing up to professional agencies to find love, and sales are booming. Birth and marriage rates in South Korea remain at record lows and now even the government is playing Cupid by organising speed-dating events. Our reporter Rachel Lee has been speaking to young people in Seoul to find out more.

We also run around our global office and ask: would you use a matchmaking service? (The reaction was surprisingly mixed…)

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producer: Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde

Kenya’s government has launched an ambitious initiative to vaccinate all livestock in the country. Following misleading claims about the vaccines, the initiative has been met with fierce resistance from some farmers.

Peter Mwai, a BBC reporter from Nairobi, explains how misinformation is driving a series of conspiracy theories.

Plus: BBC disinformation reporter Jacqui Wakefield explains why so many conspiracy theories refer to Bill Gates — one of the best-known figures in health philanthropy.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Elena Angelides Editor: Emily Horler and Simon Peeks

There are so many foods and substances that people can be allergic to; peanuts, cows' milk, eggs, pollen, or animals. Even mangoes or bananas.

We are so much more aware of allergies now but there is also evidence that more people than ever have allergies. BBC journalist Frances Mao talks us through what allergies are - and why more of us are suffering with allergies. She also tells us about some new treatments being tested to treat them.

Australia is now described as the allergy capital of the world. Frances (who grew up in Australia) explains why. And Professor Kirsten Perrett, Director of the Australian National Allergy Centre of Excellence, tells us about the role of Vitamin D.

If you’ve got a serious allergy, it can be really stressful managing it and making sure the stuff you eat and come into contact with isn’t going to harm you. We hear from Mia Silverman (@AllergieswithMia) who is based in the US and allergic to 50 different food types.

And Maria Clara from the What in the World team tells us what it’s like to have immunotherapy for an allergy.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Video journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot launched last week, has shaken up the tech world and fuelled a new AI race between China, Europe and the US. The creators of the app say that it cost just $6 million to make compared to the billions spent by giants like Microsoft and Google. Amid the buzz surrounding this new chatbot, there are concerns about security, personal data and censorship.

BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains what DeepSeek is and assesses the impact it’s had so far.

We also hear from Benny Lu, a BBC Chinese reporter based in Hong Kong. He tells us about the concerns that people in Taiwan have over the use of Chinese technology.

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

Huge clashes are taking place in the DRC, with the Congolese army facing the rebel group M23. M23 claims to have taken over the city of Goma in the eastern part of the country.

UN aid agencies say there are hundreds wounded, bodies in the streets, and an increase in rape and gender-based violence. The UN has long said M23 is backed by Rwanda, but the Rwandan government has always denied this.

The DRC is not unfamiliar to violence. The conflict has roots stretching back at least three decades. The country has huge amount of natural resources, with many trying to take advantage of it, including armed groups. BBC Monitoring journalist, Sam Lando in Nairobi takes us through the background to what’s going on. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde