Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, ...
Is Korea’s Suneung the world’s most stressful exam?
Can you imagine sitting all of the most important exams of your life on one day? That’s the reality for Korean students, whose university-entrance exam, the Suneung, sees students sit an eight-hour marathon of exams, all on one day. Juna Moon, our reporter in Seoul, tells us why a record number of students are resitting the brutal exam this year. Plus Koh Ewe, a BBC journalist in Singapore, tells us which K-pop earworm students are trying to avoid to stop it from distracting them.Julie Yoonnyung Lee, a BBC reporter from Seoul now in London, joins us in the studio, to give us her own experience of the exam, and the years of late nights and ‘cram schools’ preparing for it. We also discuss the mental health challenges that can come with such high academic pressure.Plus we hear from our China media analyst Kerry Allen, who explains the Gaokao, China’s university entrance exam, which might be even harder.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler and Hayley Clarke
Editor: Verity Wilde
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15:51
Why is CBD use on the rise – and are all the health claims true?
CBD products are everywhere. You can get the cannabis extract in oils, vapes, skincare products, even gummy bears, coffee and fizzy drinks. Videos recommending it are all over TikTok, and it’s so popular Kim Kardashian even had a CBD-themed baby shower.Fans and influencers say it can help improve your mood, help you sleep, get rid of anxiety and chronic pain. But are these claims true? BBC reporter Annabel Rackham explains what CBD is, where it’s legal and whether it can be addictive or have side effects. We hear from two people who take CBD. And Harry Sumnall, Professor in substance use at the Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, explains what we know from scientific studies on the health effects of CBD. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Hayley Clarke and Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde
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12:06
The South China Sea: What’s going on?
Disputes over the South China Sea are back in the news, with China and the Philippines both marking out areas they say are theirs. China has previously been accused of hitting Philippine boats with water cannon and both sides say the other have rammed boats into each other. Benny Lu from the BBC’s Chinese service in Hong Kong takes us through the background of it all and explains how the US’s relationship with China fits into it, especially with Donald Trump’s re-election. It’s not just China and the Philippines arguing over this area. BBC Vietnamese reporter Thuong Le explains Vietnam’s involvement in the ongoing disputes, which even led to the Barbie movie being banned in Vietnam last summer.Plus, we hear from people we spoke to in Manila when What in the World visited the Philippines, on why they feel strongly about the issue.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Hayley Clarke and William Lee Adams
Editor: Verity Wilde
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13:44
Why have hundreds of sex tapes been leaked in Equatorial Guinea?
Hundreds of sex tapes featuring Baltazar Ebang Engonga, the nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s president, have flooded social media. Many of the women seen in the tapes are the wives and relatives of people close to the centre of power.The scandal has shone an unflattering spotlight on the central African country, which is sometimes called “The North Korea of Africa”. Its President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in power for more than four decades and controls the majority of the country’s radio and television outlets, which are heavily censored. Following the sex tape leak, “Equatorial Guinea” was the top trending term in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa - even surpassing interest in the US election at times.BBC Monitoring journalist Ines Silva gives explains how the scandal unfolded. And activist and human rights advocate Nsang Christia Esimi Cruz discusses how the government could use the controversy to crack down on social media use in the country.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden
Editor: Verity Wilde
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12:51
Gaming disorder: What are the signs to look for?
The World Health Organisation now officially recognises gaming disorder as a mental health condition - when someone’s gaming behaviour becomes so severe that it takes precedence over other interests.Symptoms include losing control over the amount of time playing, prioritising gaming over other interests and responsibilities and continuing to game despite negative consequences.But how do you know when you’re addicted to gaming? And how can you overcome it?The Director of the National Centre for Gaming Disorders in the UK, Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones joins us to explain more about gaming disorder and how she helps patients overcome it, and two gamers in recovery share how much better they feel after getting help.Kerry Allen, our China Media Analyst, also takes us through how China is dealing with under 18s gaming.If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode please contact support organisations in your own country. Or, if you live in the UK, please check out bbc.co.uk/actionlineInstagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Kevyah Cardoso, Emily Horler and Hayley Clarke
Editor: Verity Wilde
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