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‘Spermageddon’: what’s going on with male fertility? Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Wearing loose cotton boxer shorts. Icing your testicles. Doing blood transfusions to ‘clean’ your body of microplastics. Eating raw garlic. These are all unproven methods to boost sperm count being promoted by wellness influencers.

On TikTok and Instagram, hashtags such as #malefertility, #semenanalysis and #sperm attract hundreds of millions of views, while, in the White House, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has claimed that men’s fertility is in drastic decline, partially due to unhealthy diets.

What scientific evidence is there to claims that the average sperm count and quality is falling? And how do these claims play into men’s anxieties about their masculinity? On today’s show, the BBC’s global health reporter, Jacqui Wakefield, speaks to men across the world concerned about their fertility, and to reproductive experts who help explain what’s really going on.

Read Jacqui’s article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8921982pgzo

Producers: Hannah Moore and Mhairi MacKenzie

Executive producer: Sam Bonham

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Simon from Miami, who is trying to boost his sperm count by wearing ice packs in the sauna. Credit: BBC.

Is Iran really trying to kill Trump? Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Last month, President Trump secretly swapped planes via a catering truck as he left a Nato summit in Turkey. The elaborate ruse, first reported by the Washington Post, was in response to a possible threat from Iran.

But how serious were the US administration’s fears of an assassination attempt? And does the Iranian regime have the capability to carry out such an operation beyond its borders?

We speak to Parham Ghobadi, a senior reporter at the BBC’s Persian Service, and Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post, to understand more about what transpired on Air Force One, the history of Iran’s alleged assassination plots, and why the Iranian regime’s prime target might be its own citizens.

Producers: Mhairi MacKenzie, Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin

Executive producers: Martine Powers and James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Sam Gruet

Studio manager: Mike Regaard

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A catering truck is parked on the other side of Air Force One, before U.S. President Donald Trump's departure from Ankara en route to Washington after his participation in the NATO leaders' summit, at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. Credit: Reuters/ABC-TV/Pool/File Photo

Is Trump trying to influence foreign elections? Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

The Trump administration is embroiled in a diplomatic standoff after Brazilian President Lula da Silva accused the US of sending officials to “meddle in Brazil’s elections”, an allegation the US called, "baseless".

Throughout its history, the US has been accused of trying to influence political events outside its borders – from offering subtle incentives for its preferred political outcome to secretly sponsoring coups against foreign governments. In recent years, President Trump has pursued a more overt strategy, publicly endorsing candidates who align with his politics. So are we seeing a new blueprint for US foreign policy?

We speak to BBC Brazil correspondent Leandro Prazeres about the US-Brazil fallout. We also hear from Politico correspondent Nahal Toosi about the long history of US interference in foreign elections, and how the Trump administration compares.

Producers: Xandra Ellin, Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Sam Gruet

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 26, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

China is a robot superpower – but are the people being left behind? Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has had a distinct economic bargain with its people — obedience in exchange for economic prosperity. China continues to lead the world in sectors like green technology and robotics, but in recent years, economic growth has slowed. Signs of unrest and unease have appeared. So what happens when the government struggles to hold up its end of the bargain?

The BBC’s China correspondent Laura Bicker speaks with Asma Khalid about the Chinese citizens who feel they are being left behind.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Cat Farnsworth

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Employees work on a production line at a garment factory in Guangzhou, China, July 27, 2026. Credit: Go Nakamura/Reuters

AI goes on a hacking spree Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

In the last few weeks, three separate tech companies - OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta - have all disclosed that their AI models went rogue and hacked into another company during controlled cyber-security tests.

The revelations have raised big questions about whether artificial intelligence is becoming more autonomous and unpredictable. We’re joined by Marc Cieslak, the BBC’s first ever AI correspondent, to unpack how these breaches were possible and how worried we should be.

Producer: Valerio Esposito and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: James Shield Sound engineer: Tom Bage Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Open’s AI, ChatGPT. Filip Singer/EPA/Shutterstock)

Is it OK to talk about Ariana Grande's body? Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Ariana Grande’s appearance in a new music video has sparked speculation, commentary and intense debate over the question of when — if ever — the public should weigh in on a woman's body.

The pop star and Wicked actor is not the first woman in the public eye to come under intense scrutiny, so how has the way we talk about celebrities’ bodies changed over time?

We ask Monica Hesse, screens critic for The Washington Post, and Sarah Ditum, journalist and author of Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s, whether it’s ever OK to talk about a woman’s appearance.

(Photo: Ariana Grande at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in January 2026. Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie and Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Will Hamas actually disarm? Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

It has been a week since President Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached an, "historic agreement” in Gaza for the, “complete disarmament” of Hamas.

But in the days since, the situation has become more uncertain. Hamas has said that it will only disarm when Israel withdraws its forces from Gaza, but Israeli officials insist they will not withdraw until the weapons are handed over. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the plan.

To explain what comes next, we turn to the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, and the BBC's Gaza correspondent, Rushdi Abualouf.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem/File Photo

Why some Westerners are moving to Russia Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

A group of prominent, controversial influencers made a visit to Russia this summer. They included Andrew Tate, Candace Owens and British far-right anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson. They argue that Russia is upholding the traditional conservative values they fear are in decline at home.

It is certainly an image Vladimir Putin is keen to project. Two years ago Russia set up a special “shared values” visa, which makes it easier for Westerners to move to the country if they align with its supposed ‘traditional spiritual and moral beliefs’. Russia claims thousands of Westerners have applied.

We speak to the BBC’s Dan Hardoon, whose documentary ‘The Russian Dream’ follows Westerners who have moved to Russia, and to Russia expert Mark Galeotti, host of the podcast In Moscow's Shadows.

Listen to Dan Hardoon’s BBC documentary, The Russian Dream: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ns9jp8

Producer: Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: Bridget Harney and James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin winks during his annual televised year-end press conference. Credit: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Who is to blame for the chaos on Spain’s border? Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Why did tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco suddenly attempt to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by sea last week? In the days since the sudden border crisis left at least 72 people dead, a variety of theories have circulated.

The Trump administration blamed the incident on “radical left-wing globalist policies”, and many European leaders condemned what they say is Spain’s lax immigration policy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denied those claims and blamed trafficking gangs. Others have blamed Morocco, and accused it of ‘weaponising’ migrants for political purposes.

We speak to the BBC’s Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, to find out how and why the Ceuta crisis happened.

(Photo: Hundreds of migrants swim across to Ceuta, Spain from Morocco. Credit: Reduan Dris/EPA/Shutterstock)

Producer: Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Iran school strike: Will the truth come out? Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

On February 28th, in the opening hours of the first day of the US-Israel war against Iran, an attack on a school in the southern city of Minab killed 156 people, including 120 children. To date, it is the deadliest single incident for civilians during the Iran war.

Experts say the school was hit by a precision guided Tomahawk missile - a weapon that neither Israel nor Iran are known to possess. Yet five months on, the US government has not formally accepted responsibility.

We speak to the BBC’s senior international investigations correspondent, Nawal Al-Maghafi, who recently returned from Iran where she visited Minab and met with survivors of the strike and the families of those who were killed. We also hear from the BBC’s State Department correspondent, Tom Bateman, about his attempts to get answers from US officials.

Producers: Xandra Ellin, Cat Farnsworth, Lucy Pawle and Aron Keller. Executive Producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: The Minab school damaged by a strike on February 28, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters.

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