What do Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS and Olivia Rodrigo’s “world tours“ have in common?

…None of them are going to Africa. And only two of them are going to Asia.

Many international stars seem to skip huge parts of the world even though fans are desperate for them to come and perform. Why is this?

Four BBC reporters join us to paint a picture of pop concerts around the world: Faith Oshoko from Nigeria, Hyunjung Kim from South Korea, Trisha Husada from Indonesia and Giulia Granchi from Brazil.

Also, Osikhena Dirisu from The Beat 99.9 FM in Lagos gives us his take on why more artists aren’t performing across Africa.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Emily Horler and Alex Rhodes Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his government is investigating "credible" claims that Indian government agents may have been involved in the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

It’s soured the relationship between the two countries. But how much do we really know about the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) - India’s version of the CIA? Rupsha Mukherjee, a senior reporter in Delhi, gives us some answers.

(07:40) #JusticeforMohBad has been a top trend following the death of the Afrobeats musician. There have been protests and lots of speculation about the circumstances of his death. It follows a public spat with his record label. Yūsuf Akínpẹ̀lú, a reporter in Lagos, brings us five things you need to know about the story.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: Hannah Gelbart with Rupsha Mukherjee Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

People seem to be turning to social media influencers for advice on what birth control method to use. Some influencers are suggesting that their followers stop taking hormonal contraception due to rumoured side effects.

In Scotland, experts are worried that misinformation online may be contributing to record high abortion rates.

Two BBC reporters talk us through attitudes towards hormonal contraception in the areas they report on - Katie McEvinney in Scotland and Dorcas Wangira, our Africa Health Correspondent, in Kenya.

Laura Foster from our health team gives us some facts on birth control effectiveness, safety and explains where you can go for advice.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Alex Rhodes Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

Palm oil is found in everything from chocolate to shampoo, pizza, toothpaste and deodorant. It’s hugely popular with food and cosmetics companies because it’s odourless, tasteless and colourless, and does not alter the smell, taste or look of products. But palm oil — 85% of which is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia — is also a major driver of deforestation, which threatens the habitat of endangered species like the orangutan. That’s part of the reason scientists around the world have been trying to develop alternatives to palm oil. Esme Stallard, a BBC Climate and Science journalist, explains how some companies are trying to move away from palm oil and how it can be cultivated in a more sustainable way. Astudestra Ajengrastri, a BBC reporter in Jakarta, tells us what steps the Indonesian government has done to regulate the palm oil industry there. And conservation scientist Melvin Gumal, who has worked to protect orangutans since the 1980s, discusses how policies in the Malaysian state of Sarawak have helped protect orangutan habitats. (09:19) Also: Why has Canada warned its LGBTQ citizens about visiting the United States and how does that relate to bans on drag queen events? William from the What in the World team explains. We also hear from Dan Clay, who performs in drag as Carrie Dragshaw. He describes what it was like to lead a Drag Story Hour in Princeton, New Jersey — despite receiving a bomb threat just hours before. Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editors: Simon Peeks

A few days ago police in the United Arab Emirates intercepted a huge haul of illegal Captagon pills worth one billion dollars. It’s an addictive party drug that’s sweeping across the Middle East.

A BBC investigation has found that most of the world’s supply of the drug is coming from Syria - and the trade has links to the highest levels of the Syrian government, something the Assad regime denies. We speak to Emir Nadir, a BBC journalist, who helped expose the scandal around what’s sometimes called “the poor man’s cocaine”.

Plus, the Women’s Tennis Association returns to hosting tournaments in China. Has anything changed since it boycotted the country four years ago following the treatment of top player, Peng Shuai?

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Alex Rhodes, Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Emily Horler and Simon Peeks

One year ago Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Iran, died in police custody. The country’s “morality police” had detained her for wearing her hijab too loosely. It sparked defiant protests across the country and calls for greater respect for women.

Two Iranian reporters — Baran Abbasi from BBC Persian and Kian Sharifi from BBC Monitoring — explain what life is like for young women in Iran a year on and assess whether the protests made a difference.

Also: Mimi Swaby, a BBC reporter who has been in Morocco covering last week’s deadly earthquake, tells us three things that have brought her hope from the relief efforts.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart with Baran Abbasi and Kian Sharifi Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

Devastating flooding has washed away entire neighbourhoods, killing tens of thousands of people in Libya.

In this episode, BBC Monitoring’s Amira Fathalla explains how the country’s history and unique political situation has made everything far more complicated. And Esme Stallard, a BBC climate reporter, examines the role climate change could have played in the storm’s severity.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: Hannah Gelbart with Amira Fathalla Producers: Emily Horler, Alex Rhodes and Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

The professional wrestling company WWE and the Mixed Martial Arts company UFC have merged in a giant deal that has created a new organisation called TKO Holdings. The WWE and UFC are quite different and fans of the brands aren’t sure what this deal will mean for them or the future of the sports.

Alex from the What in the World team explains the differences between the UFC, which is a real combat sport, and the WWE, which is a scripted form of entertainment.

BBC business journalist Tom Gerken explains the incentives behind the merger, and BBC Sport reporter Paul Battison assesses whether the scripted and non-scripted formats will appeal to existing fans.

We also hear from Nicole Vaziri, the daughter of WWE wrestler The Iron Sheik. She tells us what it was like growing up with the former heavyweight world champion and explains how different he was from the villainous character he portrayed in the ring.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: Hannah Gelbart with Alex Rhodes Producers: Benita Barden and William Lee Adams Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

The new ruling legalises abortion across all 32 states. Mexico's Supreme Court said the denial of the possibility of a termination violated the human rights of women.

BBC Mundo's Beatriz de la Pava talks us through what abortion laws are like across Latin America and explains how this rule-change might need a cultural shift for it to have significant impact.

Also, the BBC's Mimi Swaby is with aid crews in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains - the area most affected by Friday's earthquake. She explains why the government hasn't accepted aid from all countries that have offered it.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: William Lee Adams with Beatriz de la Pava Producers: Alex Rhodes and Emily Horler Editor: Simon Peeks

Rescue efforts are continuing in Morocco following a deadly earthquake. The worst affected areas are remote villages in the Atlas Mountains. Aid workers are struggling to reach survivors due to its poor infrastructure, rubble and boulders. Mimi Swaby, a BBC reporter, tells us about the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.

Also on the pod - is 2023 India’s year of wins? They’ve just hosted the G20 summit and had a successful moon landing in August. BBC India correspondent Zubair Ahmed explains how the country prepared to host some of the world’s most powerful leaders.

Finally, Maria Clara Montoya tells us how Spain is reacting to the resignation of Luis Rubiales as president of the Spanish football federation in the wake of the Se Acabo movement.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenters: Hannah Gelbart with Benita Barden Producers: William Lee Adams Editors: Emily Horler and Simon Peeks

The number of climate cases being brought to court has doubled over the last five years (Source: UNEP). There are now over 2,000 cases being brought against states, governments and companies. Over 30 of these have been brought by and on behalf of people under 25. Are these an effective way to force governments and companies to reduce their emissions? BBC climate reporter Georgina Rannard joins Hannah to answer our questions.

Six young people from Portugal are bringing 32 countries to trial at a hearing before the European Court of Human Rights. One of them, Andre, 15, tells us why.

And what’s it like to win? We hear from one of the people at the centre of the Montana case in the US, Rikki Held, which made headlines in August. Plus - the BBC’s Waihiga Mwaura in Nairobi gives us an update from the first Africa Climate Summit.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart with Georgina Rannard Producers: Mora Morrison and Julia Ross-Roy Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

The German politician Hubert Aiwanger has admitted to carrying an anti-Jewish pamphlet that mocked the Holocaust when he was a schoolboy. But despite Germany’s tough laws against antisemitism and glorifying Nazism, he’s been allowed to keep his job as deputy premier of Bavaria, the biggest state in the country. Now some worry Germany’s stance against antisemitism is weakening.

BBC reporter Kristina Volk, who grew up in Bavaria, explains the scandal, how hate speech laws apply online, and how the Holocaust is taught in schools.

Also: Surbhi Kaul, a journalist in the BBC Delhi bureau, talks to Alex about why people are discussing whether India could be renamed Bharat.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams with Kristina Volk Producers: Alex Rhodes and Julia Ross-Roy Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks