Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

April 29, 2022 One country, two refugee experiences
Denmark has some of the toughest immigration rules in Europe but the government has welcomed thousands of Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion. Hanan Razek of BBC Arabic has been to Denmark to investigate what looks like a mismatch between the treatment of Syrian refugees, who've been there since 2015, and the policy towards Ukrainians.
The tree that becomes a spring
A mulberry tree in Montenegro has become famous for the spring that gushes out of its trunk at the end of winter, when the snow melts and streams are full. Katarina Stevanovic has made a video of the tree for BBC Serbian, and tells us about this strange phenomenon.
Nigeria's traditional dye pits
Dye pits in Nigeria’s Kano state have been producing beautiful indigo-dyed fabrics for more than six centuries. But insurgency in the region and changing modern tastes mean the dye pits are facing an uncertain future. BBC Africa’s Salihu Adamu visited and met some of the dyers.
KwaZulu-Natal: after the floods
More than four hundred people died and thousands were left homeless earlier this month when floods devastated South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani describes the aftermath and its impact on local people.
An encounter with the most venomous snakes of Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s first venom research centre has opened in Chittagong. Venom is extracted from captive snakes to produce anti-venom, which will be used to treat the thousands bitten every year. A nervous Shahnewaj Rocky of BBC Bangla returned to his hometown to see inside the centre.
(Photo: Demonstrators, friends and relatives protest against the deportation of Syrian families in Copenhagen on November 13, 2021.Credit:Thibault Savary /AFP)
41 min
April 22, 2022 Why women vote for Modi
Narendra Modi’s BJP party won four out of five Indian states in recent elections, with polls reporting that more women than men voted for them. Geeta Panday of BBC News Delhi explains BJP’s appeal to women, from Prime Minister Modi’s strongman image, to the party's development schemes to improve women’s lives.
Space Kebab
A kebab shop owner in Adana, known in Turkey as the capital of kebabs, attempted to deliver the world's first kebab into outer space. Özge Ozdemir from BBC Turkish tells us more about the not entirely serious space mission.
Rio Alligators
From bus stations to door mats, alligators have been seen in Rio de Janeiro's most urban areas. Disorganised urban expansion, pollution and human feeding appear to have caused the population boom. Brazilian Ricardo Senra grew up in Rio, and made a video about Rio's wild inhabitants.
Shanghai's Covid lockdown
Shanghai has been in lockdown for a month. What began as a 5 day intervention is still in place as omicron defies the measures, and government’s zero-Covid policy shows no sign of changing. BBC Chinese journalist Benny Lu has been finding out what life is like under arguably the world’s strictest lockdown.
Omani dishdashas
How would you feel if your government made laws about what you could wear? That’s what’s happened in the Gulf state of Oman, with laws relating to the traditional robe the dishdasha and how it can and can’t be worn, as BBC Arabic's Nisrine Hatoum reports.
(Photo: Indian Prime Minister Modi visits Allahabad, India in 2021. Credit: Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)
42 min
April 15, 2022 Celebrity vlogger or traitor?
Wang Jixian is a computer programmer from Beijing who was relocated to Odessa shortly before the Russian invasion. He started sharing videos of war-torn Ukraine and ended up being labelled a traitor by Chinese nationalists. BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang tells us more.
Economising during Ramadan
With rising food prices across the Arabic-speaking world, many families are having to scale down the Ramadan traditions of special meals and generous hospitality at the end of a day of fasting. Reem Fatthelbab of BBC Arabic has heard from women from Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia as they shop for the evening meal.
Brazil’s neglected superfoods
Brazil is home to almost a fifth of the world’s plant species, and yet its farmers rely on just a few commercial crops, nearly all originating from outside the country. The BBC’s Joao Fellet tells us about his investigation into the many native plants which could feed people cheaply and sustainably.
The World Cup fortune-teller
When Pooria Jafereh of BBC Persian correctly predicted, live on air, Iran's opponents at the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage, it went viral. He tells us how he made his predictions, and describes how the story then took on a life of its own.
Pioneering teachers in Papua
An Indonesian couple have made a new life for themselves in a remote village in the province of Papua. Adit and Putri are teachers, and they wanted to provide education in a place which has been without a school for many years. Nicky Widadio of BBC Indonesian has been hearing their story.
(Vlogger Wang Jixian. Credit: Wang Jixian)
42 min
April 08, 2022 Who’s advising Zelensky?
Since the invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a familiar face on the world stage speaking to parliaments and the UN, as well as a constant presence in the lives of his own people from front lines to his nightly broadcast. So how much of this sure-footed campaign is down to Zelensky himself, and how much to his advisors? BBC Monitoring journalist Vitaliy Shevchenko has been looking at what's known about who's advising President Zelensky.
The $200 jackfruit
When BBC Brasil reported earlier this year that a large jackfruit was on sale in a London market for the equivalent of $200 dollars, there was disbelief. Jackfruit is widely grown in Brazil and sells for a fraction of that amount, with much ending up rotting on the street. Luis Barrucho has been investigating the international jackfruit market.
A haircut for a war hero
One of Kenya's most prominent women independence fighters has had her locks cut by a former first lady after more than 60 years. Her hair had been seen as an enduring mark of defiance, and when it was cut by Mama Ngina Kenyatta, mother of the current president, there was uproar online, as Beverly Ochieng of BBC Monitoring in Nairobi reports.
Women in Iranian film fighting sexual harassment
Hundreds of women working in Iranian cinema have launched a powerful protest against sexual harassment, bullying and even rape. They are demanding action to protect women and make offenders accountable, as well as an independent body to investigate allegations, as Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian TV reports.
Nigerian teenagers who became sci-fi sensations
Using a parent's smartphone and tripods made of wood, a group of nine teenagers began making their own sci-fi movies in 2016. When one of their movies went viral on social media it caught the attention of millions, including many celebrities, and now they have global ambitions, as Damilola Oduolowu of BBC Lagos reports.
(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the press in the town of Bucha, Ukraine on 4th April 2022. Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)
42 min
April 01, 2022 Why Afghan girls remain out of school
Last week the Taliban regime in Afghanistan reversed its promise to allow girls to return to secondary school after the ban 7 months ago. It's a story that has a particular resonance for BBC Afghan's Shazia Haya, who covered it for BBC Pashto. She was evacuated from Kabul last August and now works with the team in London.
Ukraine seen from Hong Kong
In Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy protests, mass screenings of a documentary about the Ukrainian protests of 2013-4, Winter on Fire, gave encouragement to Hong Kongers to continue their fight, and forged an unlikely connection between Hong Kong and Ukraine. Benny Lu of BBC Chinese reports on how the war in Ukraine is being seen in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Sri Lanka’s deepening crisis
Sri Lankans are becoming increasingly angry and frustrated about an economic crisis which has brought empty fuel stations, long power cuts and even delayed school exams because of paper shortages. BBC Sinhala’s Ranga Sirilal explains the causes, and describes the impact on daily life.
(Photo: Afghan women protesting with banners for education rights in Kabul, 2022. Credit: Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images)
34 min
March 25, 2022 Ukraine: Reporting war at home
How does it feel to report on the world's biggest story when it also happens to be about your home? We hear from BBC Ukrainian's Irena Taranyuk and BBC Monitoring's Vitaliy Shevchenko about the challenges of reporting and living the story, sifting truth from sophisticated misinformation, and the impact of protests and support from around the world.
Sexism in Somalia
BBC Africa Eye's recent film, 'Somalia, sexism and me', shows the everyday sexism and harassment Maryama Omar, a female camerawoman in Mogadishu, faces. It's something that BBC Somali's Bella Sheegow can relate to from her own experiences of reporting in Somalia.
Let's play AlWird!
Wordle became an international hit, with millions trying to guess the daily 5-letter word in only 6 attempts. Now there are equivalents in other languages, including Arabic. BBC Arabic's Yanita Georgieva tells the story of how AlWird came about.
(Photo: Ukrainian flags alongside a British Union Jack outside a London pub, March 2022. Credit: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
42 min
March 18, 2022 How Russia makes war: Syrian memories
BBC Arabic: perspectives on the war in Ukraine from across the Middle East and North Africa.
Dima Babilie of BBC Arabic is from Damascus in Syria. She compares the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the Russian intervention in the Syrian conflict, and tells us about the pro-Assad Syrians who want to fight alongside the Russian forces.
Hanan Razek tells us about her investigation into Russia's recruitment of mercenaries. She spoke to a serving fighter with the secretive Wagner organisation who says he was in Kharkiv at the beginning of the invasion. She also found some recruitment ads on social media inviting mercenaries to a "picnic in Ukraine".
Mehdi Musawi works on the BBC Arabic TV and radio phone-in programme Talking Point. Its focus has been entirely on the war since the Russian invasion, and Mehdi tells us about some of the topics they have covered, and which have attracted the greatest response.
Murad Shishani was deployed to the Polish-Ukrainian border at the start of the war and interviewed Arabic-speaking refugees, many of whom had already fled war in their home countries. Murad is a Jordanian of Chechen origin, and he explained the negative reactions this sometimes provokes, on this and previous assignments.
(Photo: Composite image of destruction in Aleppo, Syria in 2017 (L) and the aftermath of shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine in March 2022. Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images (L), Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
41 min
March 11, 2022 Sunflowers, sanctions and state media
BBC Russian editor Famil Ismailov describes how his team has been covering the war, and the challenges they face from a regime which wants to stop them reporting and block their news. He tells us about the different ways that the news is still getting through to audiences inside Russia.
Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian TV contrasts the official Iranian media's support for Russian actions, while social media voice their support for Ukraine. One of the hits there was a video of a Ukrainian soldier reciting a Farsi love poem, revealing surprising links between the two countries.
Özge Özdemir of BBC Turkish reflects on the significance of President Erodogan's diplomacy, and explores the economic implications of the war for Turkey, which imports both food and fuel from Russia and Ukraine.
Howard Zhang, editor of BBC Chinese, explores China's reaction to the war in Ukraine. A month ago, President Xi Jinping declared there was "no limit" to Beijing's newly strengthened relationship with Russia. But after worldwide condemnation and sanctions imposed on Russia, will this relationship falter?
BBC Brasil's Daniel Gallas explains why President Jair Bolsonaro is a fan of Vladimir Putin, though his admiration has caused problems among his supporters. Plus we hear escape stories of the Brazilians playing for Ukrainian football teams, and learn about Brazil's Ukrainian community.
(Photo: Ukrainian sunflower. Credit: Serhii Hudak/Getty Images)
43 min
March 04, 2022 Ukraine around the world
We look at how the BBC’s language services are reporting the war in Ukraine, and the impact in their countries and regions.
Luis Fajardo of BBC Monitoring in Miami explains why there are fears in Colombia that the conflict with Venezuela could turn into a proxy war, and the impact it is having on Colombia's presidential election.
Shekiba Habib of BBC Afghan tells us that the conflict has prompted praise for President Volodymyr Zelensky for staying with his people, unlike former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
BBC Serbian editor Aleksandra Niksic explains the country's complicated approach to the current conflict, with ties to Russia, Ukraine and the EU. And she shares the story of Montenegro, which has the world’s highest density of luxury second homes owned by Russians and Ukrainians.
Giang Nguyen, editor of BBC Vietnamese explains Vietnam's long historical association with Russia, and looks at attitudes to the war across the region.
From Bangkok, Issariya Praithongyaem says BBC Thai has been reporting on why some men are so determined to join the fight on the side of the Ukrainians.
Janhavee Moole of BBC Marathi and Victoria Uwonkunda of BBC Africa Daily share stories of the many students from their areas who were trapped in Ukraine. We hear why they chose to study in Ukraine and the difficulties they faced trying to escape the war.
(Photo: A residential building destroyed by shelling in Borodyanka, north west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Maksim Levin)
41 min
February 18, 2022 A tale of two Olympians
As the Winter Olympics draw to a close, we take a closer look at two stars who have dominated the headlines. Zhijie Shao of BBC Chinese describes how China’s ‘frog princess’ Eileen Gu has captured the heart of the nation, and Elizaveta Fokht of BBC Russian charts the ups and downs of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Icon, rebel and feminist: a tribute to Forugh Farokhzad
It’s 55 years this week since the death of Iranian poet Forugh Farokhzad, but her popularity has never faded and she still inspires young and old. Maryam Zohdi of BBC Persian, who is herself a poet, has made a BBC radio documentary to introduce Forugh to non-Farsi speakers.
Goodbye Turkey, hello Türkiye
Why is Turkey trying to change its internationally recognised name to Türkiye? BBC Monitoring’s Ilgin Karlidag takes us into the history and geopolitics behind the move.
The brothers separated for 75 years
A story of two brothers – one in Pakistan and one in India – has gone viral in both countries. Sadiq and Habib Khan were separated 75 years ago during the Partition of India. Thanks to a Pakistani campaigner, they recently met face to face. The BBC’s Ali Kazmi, who’s based in Lahore, worked with BBC Punjabi colleagues in India to tell the brothers’ story.
(Photo: Composite image with Ailing Eileen Gu of Team China (L) and Russian Kamila Valieva. Credit: VCG via Getty Images (L), Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
40 min