China’s cosmetic surgery industry has exploded over the past decade and in turn, put even more pressure on young women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. On Chinese social media there are hundreds of filtered faces, extreme weight-loss hacks, and even apps that scan your face and let you book cosmetic surgery as easily as ordering a taxi.

BBC reporter Natalia Zuo, takes us through the culture in China and what she found out when working on a documentary for the BBC about the boom.

You can watch the documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaYSEWlHrGw

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Many economists have warned that the world is poised for an economic downturn. The warnings come after President Trump's recent changes to America’s tariff policies. Changes in consumer spending — including their fashion choices — are one potential “recession indicator.”

Erin Delmore, the BBC’s North America business correspondent, explains what a recession is and discusses how people’s purchasing decisions — regarding everything from clothes to salon visits — offer clues to what’s going on with the economy.

We also hear from Caroline Stevenson from the London College of Fashion. She explains how trends come about and unpacks recent trends like the “clean girl” look and the “office siren”.

Plus content creator Leah Holme discusses how she makes mindful purchasing decisions based on the long-term.

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Finding the right shade of makeup can be a struggle, especially if you have really fair or dark skin. But things are changing. Some brands, including Korean ones are looking at their shade ranges and making them more inclusive.

Soo Min Kim, a BBC reporter, takes us through the K-beauty industry and what’s changing.

We also hear from two beauty influencers - May Akhtar and Oceanne Comtois. Have they seen much change and could K-beauty be what the market needs?

Gloria Achieng is a BBC reporter in Kenya - how popular are products there?

And Adam Triantis from Dcypher walks us through why brands having a huge shade range can be hard logistically and whether AI could help.

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The title of Ed Sheeran’s new single ‘Azizam’ means ‘my love’ in the Persian language. The track and accompanying music video includes references to Persian culture and features famous Iranian pop star Googoosh. She’s been banned from singing in Iran since the 1970s.

The song has received an outpouring of support from Iranian communities worldwide for its positive and heartfelt representation of Iran. But Googoosh’s featuring role has also shed light on the restrictions that women face in Iran, including a ban on singing in public places. We speak to Ghoncheh Habibiazad from BBC Persian about what inspired the song and what it tells us about music culture in Iran.

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Pope Francis led the Catholic church for more than a decade. He was the first Latin American pope, and the first non-European in more than a thousand years.

Many saw him as a more liberal pope than his predecessors - he talked about things like climate change, migration and LGBTQ rights but there are also those who felt he should have been more progressive.

After his funeral, a conclave will begin and his successor will be chosen. We explain what this process involves and we hear young voices from around the world speaking about the death of Pope Francis and their hopes for the future of the Catholic Church.

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Over the past few weeks social media has been flooded with TikTok videos of people claiming that expensive European designer goods are actually made in China, and that you can buy the same luxury handbags and clothes for a fraction of the usual price. Many of these videos have since been taken down, but it’s led many to wonder if any of these claims are true. Are consumers being ripped off? And does President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on Chinese imports have anything to do with these videos?

We speak to Jake Horton, a reporter at BBC Verify, who’s been analysing these viral Chinese supplier videos. He’s reached out to both designers and copyright law experts.

Plus: we hear from Blythe Milligan, a supply chain expert and the host of the Everything is Logistics podcast, about why some products are manufactured in Asia. She also explains how supply chains work.

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It’s 2025 and Katy Perry has officially gone to space. On Monday 14th April, she strapped herself into the Blue Origin rocket and blasted off like a “Firework” with five other well-known women. The rocket is owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancé Lauren Sanchez was also on board. The women claimed this all-female mission was to “take up space” but the reaction to the trip has been “Hot N Cold“. Some argue this wasn’t a win for feminism, only for the “Roar“ of capitalism.

But what is space tourism? And are regular people going to start flying to space and become “‘E.T.“?

The BBC’s Science correspondent Victoria Gill explains what the reaction has been and the impact space travel can have on the environment.

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‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem is an Afrobeats song which criticises Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu and calls on his son, Seyi Tinubu, to let his father know that "people are dying" because of hardship and insecurity, and that there is "hunger" in the country.

After its release, Nigeria’s National Broadcast Commission (NBC) ordered TV and radio stations not to play the track. They classed it as "inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature", adding that it falls short of public decency standards.

Neither Nigeria’s president nor his son have commented on the song or the ban.

The BBC’s Makuochi Okafor explains the reaction to the song’s ban and describes what life is like for Nigerians right now.

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A pet can bring so much joy to a person’s life. Usually, the owner will outlive their pet. But advances in modern veterinary care has made more treatments available to keep animals alive for longer. It can be expensive, with owners spending thousands of dollars to keep their beloved pet alive. But are these treatments worth it? And when does medical care for pets cross a line?

BBC Brasil journalist Julia Braun joins us in the studio to discuss animal euthanasia and why pet owners face such difficult choices. We also speak to Springer Svenja, a veterinary medicine professor at the University of Vienna and we hear from a vet in California, Sarah Cortright, on the work veterinarians do in navigating people through these sad times.

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An enormous fifty-year-old ocean liner, the SS United States, is set to be sunk and become the world’s biggest artificial reef, off the coast of Florida in the US. The area already has over 500 artificial reefs. These are manmade structures that may mimic some of the characteristics of a natural reef. The people behind it say it’ll improve biodiversity, local tourism and fishing.

And it’s not just old ships; people have sunk oil rigs and subway carriages. They don’t always have a positive effect; in the 1970s two million tyres were dropped into the ocean to try to create an artificial reef (also off the coast of Florida), but they released lots of toxins.

Climate and science reporter Georgina Rannard explains how ships like this get turned into artificial reefs and whether old ships are good for marine life. We talk about other kinds of artificial reefs and ask what benefits they can have for our oceans.

Archive courtesy of British Pathé and CBS News.

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