What in the World

After literacy levels started to fall in Sweden, the country’s government decided to ditch tablets and laptops…and focus more on good old pens and paper. Not everyone thinks this is the right approach though. Some tech bosses say getting rid of technology in classrooms will leave pupils less prepared for an increasingly digital world - and make it harder for them to find jobs in the age of AI.
So - should more schools around the world follow suit and get rid of screens?
In this episode, we unpack this education strategy and the research behind it with journalist Maddy Savage, who’s based in Stockholm. And we also hear from students across the globe, to get their take on whether going analogue improves how we learn.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Chelsea Coates
Video producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

Under new rules brought in by Fifa, footballers who cover their mouths during verbal confrontations will be sent off at this year’s World Cup. It’s hoped that these measures will help prevent abusive behaviour.
Some critics of the rule say that footballers speaking with their shirts raised or hands covering their mouths is a habit they’ve adopted to protect their privacy when they’re surrounded by cameras. But the behaviour became a high profile issue in February after an incident where Benefica’s Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. Prestianni was later banned for six matches for homophobic conduct after an investigation into what he said.
BBC Sport reporter Sam Harris tells us how this new rule might work in practice.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden
Editor: Verity Wilde

Ube — a vibrant purple yam indigenous to the Philippines — has been a staple of Filipino cuisine for thousands of years. But only recently has it surged in popularity abroad. It is now appearing as an ingredient and flavouring in desserts, pastries and coffees, from small independent cafés to global chains. BBC reporter Becca Johns explains how social media is helping drive the trend and turning ube into the new matcha. She also discusses the consequences it could have for farmers in the Philippines.
We also hear from members of the Filipino diaspora about their concerns, from cultural appropriation to the trivialisation of an important symbol of Filipino culture.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Chelsea Coates, William Lee Adams and Ash Mohamed
Video producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy and Harriet Oliver

The White House Correspondents' Dinner is a swanky event - the famous journalists and politicians that go are all dressed in their best tuxes and gowns. Donald Trump and his wife Melania were sat on the very long top table. But on Saturday night’s event, a gunman tried to get into the ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel. He was stopped by officials after an exchange of gunfire and since then more details have been coming out about who he is.
Who is Cole Tomas Allen? And how did he get into the hotel? That’s what we’re going to get into today.
There’s also been loads of chat about a manifesto that has been linked to the suspect. President Trump has been speaking about it in that interview with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Ash Mohamed
Editor: Verity Wilde

American singer D4vd has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 14-year-old girl, Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Her body was found in his Tesla in Los Angeles in September last year. Prosecutors allege D4vd repeatedly sexually abused the teen before killing and dismembering her, but D4vd denies all the charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to murder, and his attorneys have said they will "vigorously defend” his innocence.
In this episode, we’re joined by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, the host of the BBC podcast Fame under Fire, to explain what we know so far about what happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez. And we also look at why it took so long for D4vd to be taken into custody.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: William Lee Adams, Benita Barden and Chelsea Coates
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy