Single girlies, put your hands up!!! Because haven’t you heard? It’s chic to be single. Think solo trips, personal growth for yourself and no one else, and as Miley Cyrus says, you can buy yourself flowers.

If you are single, you aren’t alone - by 2030, 45% of women in the US aged between 25 and 44 will be single according to US data.

Whilst getting into a relationship has historically been seen as the end goal, it seems that increasingly even if women are in one, they don’t post about their boyfriends. Attitudes to being single are changing - especially for women in heterosexual relationships - many are embracing the single life on social media a bit more

We hear from Chanté Joseph, the author of that viral Vogue article with the big question ‘is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?’.

Three single women tell us their takes on singledom and three BBC pals in China, Turkey and South Korea, tell us what the single stigma is like in their countries.

Plus, we should all have a bit more main character energy shouldn’t we? So some of the What in the World team tell you what they’re doing this year to take on a leading role.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Chelsea Coates and Emily Horler Editor: Verity Wilde

English is the most widely spoken language globally, both online and IRL. In fact, 1.5 billion people speak it. However, only around 25% of those are native speakers. So how did English become so dominant? Why do people learn it at school? And how have hybrid versions of English, like Spanglish (Spanish-English) or Hinglish (Hindi-English), developed? Georgie Thorman from BBC Learning English joins us to chat through everything we need to know.

English is also the most dominant language online and is the lingua franca (dominant language) of pop culture. AI is trained on vast amounts of information taken from the internet. So does this mean that as AI use increases, English will gain even more ground? We invited linguist and AI expert Linda Heimisdóttir onto the pod to explain.

Plus, we hear from three young people about why they chose to learn English. Are you learning English right now? We’d love to hear from you. All our details can be found below.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison, Natalia Makohon and Maria Clara Montoya Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Brick phones are making a comeback… but it’s not just down to Y2K nostalgia. There’s growing concern around how dependent we are on our smartphones - screen time apps are getting more popular, devices to lock you out of your apps are on the market and some people are even getting rid of their smartphones completely. So, why are so many of us doing a digital detox? And do we even need to?

BBC journalist Chelsea Coates explains where this growing trend is coming from, plus she takes us through the data on smartphones and young people. We hear from Elias Wachtel, who reported on this for The Atlantic after giving up his smartphone, and Veda (@Sakuraopal) in Hong Kong, who went viral online after swapping her smartphone for a flip phone to cut her screen time. And Professor Andy Przybylski, who specializes in Human Behaviour and Technology at the University of Oxford, debunks some of the misconceptions we have about phones and our health.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Chelsea Coates, Maria Clara Montoya and Emily Horler Editor: Verity Wilde

When you think of AI, you might think of funny generated pictures, help with your homework and dating advice. But, do you think of the effect using it might be having on the environment?

AI firms usually have huge data centres, which power the technology. And with that great usage, comes great amounts of energy zapped up by AI companies.

There’s long been a rumour that every ChatGPT query you make uses one pint of water. So is there any truth to the claim? And is it damaging the world around us? We speak to tech reporter Laura Cress, who explains the environmental impacts of the technology.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Imogen James, Benita Barden and Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde

Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are in custody in the US after President Trump has launched a series of strikes on Venezuela. It was all part of ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ - a mission the Trump administration had secretly been planning for months.

Both Maduro and his wife have been charged with a list of drugs and weapons offences and are due to appear in court in New York later on Monday. President Trump has said the US will run Venezuela until he can organise a “safe, proper and judicious” transition of power. But how will this work?

In this episode, we explain why the US went ahead with the attack, whether it is legal, and what the future could hold for people living in Venezuela after the operation.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Chelsea Coates Editor: Verity Wilde

Just an hour and a half after the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day 2026, a fire broke out in a bar in Crans-Montana, a ski resort in Switzerland. At least 40 people are confirmed to have died in the blaze and over 100 are injured. Most of the party goers were young people celebrating the start of the New Year. Patients as young as 15 are being treated for severe burns.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed, but authorities have said that the fire was likely an accident and an investigation is already underway. In this episode, we explain what we know about what happened and we hear from people who were in the bar that night as well as BBC reporters covering the story.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Chelsea Coates Editor: Julia Ross-Roy and Harriet Oliver

Women’s appearances have often come under heavy scrutiny, especially their weight. The ideal body type has changed again and again. But in the wake of the body positivity movement of the 2010s, it seems like super skinny models are more prominent once more.

There’s a lack of diversity being shown in the fashion industry and across social media. According to the Vogue business report for Spring/Summer 2026, there were fewer mid-size and plus-size models on the catwalks in 2025. So what’s behind it, and what could the effects be? Imogen James from the What in the World team gets into the trend.

We also hear from Norwegian model Karoline Bjornelykke, who has experienced working while very thin and being forced into diets, as well as being a curve model.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Imogen James and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

Gut health seems to be everywhere on social media right now. Top tips for healing your gut, diet advice including things like sea moss and bone broth, and lots and lots of supplements. But is there any truth to these suggestions, and should you care that much about your gut? Australian influencer Jade Chiang tells us why she works on her gut health. We get into what your gut microbiome actually is and whether you need to heal it with BBC science broadcaster Caroline Steel.

We also delve into trending food with microbiologist Alan Walker, who gives us some ideas on what actually works, and what you should skip.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producer: Imogen James Editor: Julia Ross-Roy