A quick warning before listening: in this episode we’re talking about female genitals, in quite a lot of detail.

Brazil has the highest number of plastic surgery operations in the world and it’s where the BBL, Brazilian Butt Lift, comes from. It’s also seeing a spike in demand for another procedure: labiaplasty; where the labia minora (the folds of skin either side of the vulva) are reduced in size.

There’s been a 15% rise in this kind of surgery in the last 4 years, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. And Brazil comes top in terms of the number of labiaplasties carried out - over 28,000 last year. Why are women getting this procedure done? Giulia Granchi from BBC Brasil explains.

The idea of a “perfect vulva” is not new - it’s been portrayed a certain way since sculptures in ancient Greece. Zoe Williams from the Vagina Museum in London explains the history of this idea - and why porn and social media has made it worse.

And we hear about two projects; the Labia Library in Australia and the Great Wall of Vulva (formerly the Great Wall of Vagina) by British artist Jamie McCartney, both with the aim of demonstrating the huge range of shapes and sizes of women’s genitalia.

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Ten years ago, in 2014, militants belonging to the Islamic State group in Iraq killed and captured thousands of Yazidi people in what would later be called a genocide. It’s understood that hundreds of women are still missing, and are being held as sex and domestic slaves across the Middle East. One was recently found in Gaza.

Since then there have only been a handful of court cases - mostly in European courts - but survivors are still fighting for justice. Caroline Hawley, a BBC diplomatic correspondent, talks us through the detail. We also hear from Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad who, at 21, was abducted into sexual slavery when IS militants surrounded her Yazidi community in the Sinjar region. Since her miraculous escape she has been advocating for survivors of genocide and sexual violence through her organisation Nadia’s Initiative.

Trigger warning: the material in this episode can be disturbing and quite hard to hear. If you are sensitive to content about physical and sexual violence, or if you believe that you might find the discussion to be triggering, this episode may not be right for you.

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The Ivorian government has announced the dissolution of all student unions following the killing of two students, a crime attributed to the powerful Student and School Federation (Fesci).

The group has long been accused of terrorising university campuses across the country, operating a cartel-like system and charging extortionate rents to over 5,000 unregistered students for university accommodation.

During their investigation, authorities claim to have uncovered an underground tunnel used for torture and a secret brothel within Félix-Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan, the nation’s capital.

Multiple senior Fesci members have now been arrested in connection with the murders of students Khalifa Diomandé and Zigui Mars Aubin Déagoué, which occurred in August and September.

The BBC's Nicolas Négoce reports on the union’s vice grip on university campuses and students speak out for the first time about the culture of violence and fear.

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India’s caste system, one of the world’s oldest social hierarchies, has shaped lives for centuries, granting privileges to some while oppressing others. Although caste based discrimination was banned in 1948, its influence hasn’t gone away and is now spilling into our social media feeds, with some young women asserting pride in their caste identities.

We’re joined by correspondents from Delhi, Umang Poddar and Divya Arya, who explain the complexities of caste and unravel this new trend on Instagram.

We also hear from two Indians, Sachin and Christina, who come from different ends of the system. Their insights help us explore the ongoing impact of caste in India today.

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The death of One Direction star Liam Payne has shocked the world, and there’s been a huge outpouring of grief. Many details about the British singer's death still remain unclear, but information from emergency services and other authorities has started to build a picture of the events. We know that he was in Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and died after falling from a hotel balcony.

Liam rose to fame after competing in the singing competition the X Factor. It was here that he first met fellow One Direction members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. Entertainment reporter Bonnie McLaren reminds us of his journey to fame, and his solo projects.

We also hear why he meant so much to fans globally, including 22-year-old Bintelmran in Pakistan. Plus Joshua Miles, a psychotherapist based in London, talks us through why we grieve celebs, even if we don’t know them directly.

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/actionline.

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We’re bringing you an extra episode of What in the World.

Israeli troops have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. He is described as the mastermind of the 7th October 2023 attacks and Israel’s most wanted man.

We explain who Yahya Sinwar was and how he was killed and what the Israelis have said about him. Shaina Oppenheimer from BBC Monitoring goes through some of the reaction to his death, including from Palestinians and Arab social media.

And with the help of the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, we get answers to the big questions like what does this mean for the hostages taken on 7th October and the possibility of a ceasefire? Does this mean the war in Gaza will come to an end? And what will happen to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, UK and European Union?

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Tensions between Israel and the United Nations over its peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon have escalated in recent weeks. UN peacekeepers say Israeli forces fired at one of their positions and that tanks forced entry into another of its compounds, injuring 15 peacekeepers. Israel says that Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) has failed to prevent Hezbollah establishing itself in southern Lebanon, which is one of its main responsibilities, and has ordered Unifil to leave. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, European Union, Israel and Gulf Arab states.

BBC Middle East correspondents Hugo Bachega and Wyre Davis, in Beirut and Jerusalem respectively, explain what exactly has been happening in Lebanon and the history of the row between Israel and the United Nations.

We also hear from Major Shubham Thuwal, a UN peacekeeper from India who is stationed in Lebanon, to learn about what a peacekeeper actually does.

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It’s less than three weeks until the US election where voters will decide who they want their next president to be: either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. Overall, voters under 35 will make up about a third of the electorate, so the youth vote is an important one. But which issues matter most to them?

BBC reporter Nathalie Jimenez in New York explains why the economy is at the front of everyone’s minds. And The Climate Question’s Jordan Dunbar, who’s just back from a road trip across the US swing state of Georgia, shares what matters to voters there.

Credit: Clips of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump come from the White House (May 10, 2023 President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics), and ABC News Presidential Debate (2024).

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On Monday after Hurricane Milton forced a delayed launch, a spacecraft that will hunt for signs of alien life on one of Jupiter’s icy moons blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Europa Clipper will now travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Europa, a deeply mysterious ice moon orbiting Jupiter. It won’t arrive until 2030 but what it finds could change what we know about life in our solar system.

BBC Climate and Science reporter Georgina Rannard details the ambitious mission and Dr Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at MIT, explains how we can detect signs of life beyond earth.

We also hear from Britney Schmidt, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, who played a pivotal role in designing an ice-penetrating laser for the space mission. Plus, Planetary Microbiologist Mark Fox-Powell, shares the profound implications of potentially discovering life beyond our planet.

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For decades, Ghana has been Africa's leading producer of gold. Most of its mining takes place legally. But small-scale, illegal gold mining — known locally as “galamsey” — has become a major problem.

Toxic chemicals from the process are polluting Ghana’s water - 60% of its waterways are now contaminated. But as the country’s economy struggles, many involved in the practice say they lack an alternative to get by.

BBC Reporter Favour Nunoo in Accra explains how illegal mining is impacting the environment and people’s well-being. We also hear from two protestors who recently took to the streets demanding government action ahead of elections in December.

And Jewel Kiriungi, a BBC Business reporter in Nairobi, explains where gold produced in Ghana actually ends up.

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