Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

July 16, 2021 Women fighting to inherit
Why is it that so many women in the Arab world are deprived of their inheritance rights, even though local laws should protect them? Shereen Nanish of BBC Arabic has been looking at the pressures they face, and she’s met one Jordanian woman who is fighting back.
South Sudan’s first decade
The world's youngest country turned 10 this month. Nichola Mandil of BBC Africa reported from Juba in 2011, and again for the tenth anniversary. He reflects on his hopes and dreams as a brand new South Sudanese citizen back then, and how he feels now.
7,000 Chinese restaurants and counting!
BBC Chinese journalist Zhaoyin Feng shares the story of David Chan, a Chinese American who has eaten in over 7,000 Chinese restaurants since the 1950s, and has the whole thing logged on a spreadsheet!
School's out
Covid restrictions have had a devastating impact on children's education around the world. We hear from Aamir Peerzada in Indian-administered Kashmir, Shahnewaj Rocky of BBC Bengali in Bangladesh and Ishaq Khalid of BBC Hausa in Nigeria about the issues facing children and teachers in their countries.
It's a Hong Kong dog's life
Hong Kong is experiencing a rise in emigration after the introduction of the national security law, and it's had an unexpected knock-on effect - a rise in pet dogs being abandoned by their owners. But BBC Chinese journalist Eunice Wang met one owner determined to bring her dog with her, whatever the cost: she booked a private jet.
Image: Signing a document
Credit: A Martin UW Photography/Getty Images
42 min
July 09, 2021 Burkina Faso gold: A mixed blessing
Gold is now Burkina Faso’s most valuable export, but it’s come at a price. Last month the government announced the closure of small mines in the northern province of Sahel following a deadly attack by Islamic extremists. BBC Africa's Lalla Sy has been following the story from neighbouring Ivory Coast.
Remembering Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar, one of India’s earliest and most famous film actors, died this week at the age of 98. We hear some of the many reasons why he was so special from Vandana at BBC Delhi, who has admired Dilip Kumar all her life.
Ukrainian heels
High heels and marching soldiers - not a natural pairing perhaps, and one that directed outrage towards Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. BBC Ukrainian's Irena Taranyuk shares the story.
Afghan resistance
Stories of territorial gains by the Taliban have been extensively covered by BBC Uzbek, which has a big audience among ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan. Firuz Rahimi is from Jowzjan province, where news outlets have reported that women are joining militias to resist the Taliban.
Cuba's Jewish community
BBC Mundo's Jose Carlos Cueta is Cuban, but only discovered by chance that the island had a small Jewish community. He got digging, and traces its history from Christopher Columbus in 1492, to its peak after the First World War and its presence today.
Image: Gold panning in a Burkina Faso artisan mine, 2006
Credit: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
42 min
July 02, 2021 Lebanon: A web of corruption
BBC Arabic's Moe Chreif tells us about the biggest corruption investigation in the history of Lebanon’s energy sector, which resulted in allegations involving multi-million dollar agreements, bribery, and shipments of substandard oil.
The women pushing boundaries in Pakistan’s rural milk market
In rural Pakistan women milk cows, but male relatives take the milk to male-run collection centres. Shuja Malik of BBC Urdu visited a village where women have been hired to work in the milk centre. The development has had mixed reactions.
Word in the news: black rain
Children love it, businesses hate it – Pody Lui from BBC Hong Kong explains the rain warning system, and why black rain warnings are taken so seriously.
Mango madness in India
South Asia diaspora reporter Gaggan Sabherwal shares the story of the Indian couple who’ve employed security guards after discovering they had planted an extremely rare mango tree by mistake – at $50 a mango they aren't taking any chances!
My journey to journalism: Elodie Toto
Elodie Toto of BBC Afrique tells the story of what inspired her to become a journalist, and takes us on a journey from the suburbs of Paris to Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Image: Cables of the electric generators in the Lebanese capital Beirut
Credit: ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images
42 min
June 25, 2021 Hotel Rwanda hero on trial
Paul Rusesabagina became internationally famous after the film Hotel Rwanda told the story of how he helped save over a thousand Tutsis during the 1994 genocide, sheltering them in the hotel where he worked. But many inside Rwanda dispute his heroic portrayal, and he's currently standing trial in Rwanda accused of terrorism offences. BBC Great Lakes journalist Prudent Nsengiyumva has been following the case.
World's oldest alligator
BBC Serbian had a big hit on its website last week with a story about probably the world’s oldest alligator. His name is Muja, he’s at least 85 years old, and lives in Belgrade zoo. BBC Serbian's Petra Živić was the lucky person who landed herself a daytrip to the zoo.
Vaccine inducements
Cars, gym membership, eggs and hand-blenders: global solutions to persuading the vaccine hesitant to take the jab, with BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev, Nisrine Hatoum of BBC Arabic and BBC Gujarati's Roxy Gagdekar.
Back to the country in South Korea
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to many in South Korea to leave the built up, super-competitive cities, and relocate to the country. BBC Korean's Julie Yoonnyung Lee follows the story of Yun Sihu, whose family moved from Seoul to a remote village, where he now attends a tiny school, and spends his days playing in rivers and fields.
Connecting the favelas
They call it “the Favela LinkedIn,” a database that neighbours from Paraisopolis and volunteers have created to connect people looking for jobs with local companies in the second largest favela in São Paulo. BBC Brasil’s Thais Carranca went to see this and other innovative initiatives to fight the effects of Covid-19.
Image: Paul Rusesabagina at the Supreme Court in Kigali, Rwanda
Credit: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty Images
41 min
June 18, 2021 Finding treasure inside a whale
A group of Yemeni fishermen recently found a sperm whale carcass floating in the Gulf of Aden, with $1.5 million dollars' worth of ambergris inside its belly. Afra Ahmed of BBC Arabic is from Aden, and tells us about the fishermen, ambergris and memories of Aden.
The hit Turkish TV shows tackling mental health
Turkish TV dramas are famous for their sweeping historical and romantic themes, but in recent years, several top shows have focussed on mental health issues. Dilay Yalcin of BBC Monitoring is a fan and explains the appeal.
Words in the news - watermelons and sea snot
Sometimes words in the news jump out and grab your attention. This week the BBC's Kennedy Gondwe tells us why watermelons have become political in Zambia, and Onur Erem of BBC Turkish elucidates the murky waters of the Sea of Marmara, covered in 'sea snot'.
The problem with women’s underwear in Pakistan
Many Pakistani women have problems buying underwear. It can be expensive, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to buy, often from male market traders. Even talking about it is taboo. Saher Baloch of BBC Urdu tells us about one man who is trying to change things.
Emiliano Mundrucu: Brazil’s forgotten anti-racism pioneer
The first known legal action against racial segregation in the United States was taken in 1834, by a black Brazilian immigrant. BBC Brasil’s Mariana Schreiber shares the story of Emiliano Mundrucu, and asks why this ground-breaking pioneer has been forgotten in both Brazil and the USA.
Image: Yemeni fisherman on the beach with boats in Aden
Credit: BBC
42 min
June 11, 2021 Germany's apology to Namibia
The German state has formally recognised that its colonial troops committed genocide in what's now Namibia at the start of the twentieth century. It is also paying $1.3 billion towards development projects in affected communities, but as BBC Africa's Pumza Fihlani reports, the offer has not been welcomed by descendants of the Nama and Herero survivors.
South Korea's 'flower prescription' tattooist
A tattoo artist in South Korea is using her art to help clients who have struggled with their mental health. She works with them to design flower tattoos which cover self-harm and traumatic scars. BBC Korean's Julie Yoon has been to meet her.
A Fifth Floor guide to Cornwall
Leaders from the G7 nations are meeting in the Cornish holiday resort of Carbis Bay to discuss the world's biggest issues. It's a packed agenda, but should they have a few hours off, we asked our colleagues on the Fifth Floor for their tips on where to go, what to do, and what to pack. Suggestions from Issariya Praithongyaem of BBC Thai, BBC Brasil's Eric Camara, Janina Litvinova of BBC Russian and Dahami Ranaweera of BBC Sinhala.
Returning cheetahs to India
Cheetahs are set to make a comeback in India, where they became extinct more than half a century ago. They have a rich history in the country, and were bred for sport under the Mughals. BBC correspondent Soutik Biswas tells us about the efforts to get the world’s fastest cat back into the wild.
Israeli, Jewish and Moroccan
BBC Arabic’s Fethi Benaissa recently made a short film about Israeli Moroccan singer Neta Elkayam. Her music gives a clue to her background, born in Israel to Jewish Moroccan parents, and with a grandmother from Morocco’s indigenous Amazigh community. It’s a rich cultural mix – one that appealed to Fethi.
Image: Graves next to the Swakopmund Concentration Camp Memorial in Namibia
Credit: Christian Ender/Getty Images
42 min
June 04, 2021 Visiting Russia’s Arctic military base
Russia's northernmost military base, in the remote archipelago of Franz Josef Land, demonstrates its ambitions for the Arctic, as melting ice opens up new opportunities. The BBC Moscow news team were given rare access to the base, and Liza Shuvalova tells us what she saw there.
Venezuela and Trinidad
Between the 1960s and 90s, many people from the island of Trinidad made the 11 kilometre sea crossing to Venezuela in search of better lives. Today, the migration has reversed, with Venezuelans heading to Trinidad and Tobago. BBC Mundo’s Norberto Paredes tells us more about long-standing bonds between these two countries.
Saving Kenya's turtles
Watamu, on the Kenyan coast, is famous for its wildlife, including four species of sea turtle. But turtle numbers have declined due to poaching and habitat loss. Njoroge Muigai of BBC Nairobi visited Watamu to meet the people working hard to save them.
What two new buzzwords tell us about broken dreams in China
Chinese internet users have been using two buzzwords – which translate as “lying flat” and “involution” – to express growing frustration with competitiveness and powerlessness. Fan Wang of BBC Chinese explains the economic changes behind these terms.
My journey to journalism: Shekiba Habib
As part of our occasional series about our language service colleagues' routes into their jobs, we hear from Shekiba Habib of BBC Afghan. She was studying in Kabul to be a doctor, the career she had always dreamed of, when the arrival of the Taliban changed everything.
Image: Russia's Arctic military base in the Franz Josef Land archipelago
Credit: BBC
41 min
May 28, 2021 First days of freedom in Yuma
Yuma, a small city in the middle of the desert in Arizona, is receiving an overwhelming number of asylum seekers who have crossed the US border from Latin America. BBC Mundo's Patricia Sulbaran follows the journey of one particular family, from their first "free" days after they were released from detention until reunited with family in Miami.
Belarus plane forced landing
Confusion and shock surrounded the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk this week, and the subsequent detention of passenger, and Belarussian opposition journalist, Roman Protasevich. Vitaliy Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring has been following how the story has been reported in the region.
Myanmar coup: a Nepali view
It’s four months since the military coup in Myanmar. For the BBC’s Media Action team in Yangon it meant a sudden halt to their programming, and for producer Dipak Bhattarai the events brought back memories of another coup in 2005, in his home country of Nepal.
MHT: São Paulo
We join Thomas Pappon of BBC Brasil for a trip to his home town of São Paulo to check out the record stores and visit the Japanese quarter.
Image: Adrian and Veronica Meza with their children
Credit: Angelica Casas/BBC
41 min
May 21, 2021 I left Gaza, but Gaza did not leave me
The flare-up of violence in Gaza and Israel brought back difficult memories for Shahdi Alkashif. He was BBC Arabic’s Gaza correspondent during the 2014 conflict. Now based in Turkey, he tells us what it was like to be an observer of the recent hostilities.
Uzbek salute shambles
An Uzbek mayor and four military men found themselves the butt of social media jokes after they were filmed at Remembrance Day commemorations, clearly uncertain whether to salute, wave or put their hands on their hearts . BBC Uzbek's Ibrat Safo was amused, but many back home weren't.
The cleric taking on kidnappers in Nigeria
A Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has risen to prominence for his intervention in Nigeria's growing kidnap-for-ransom crisis. Beverly Ochieng of BBC Monitoring has been looking into his controversial attempts to create dialogue with some bandit groups.
Why is Cali the epicentre of the Colombian protests?
The protests in Colombia started in opposition to proposed tax rises, but now encompass much broader demands. Cali is the epicentre, with road blockades and petrol shortages bringing everyday life to a standstill. Luis Fajardo of BBC Monitoring, who's from Cali, explains why the city is so affected.
Cape Town library fire
It's a month since wildfires on Table Mountain destroyed the University of Cape Town’s Jagger Reading Room, and much of its unique African Studies collection. BBC Africa's Mohammed Allie was a student at the university in the 1980s, and shares his memories of the library.
Image: Destroyed house in Jabaliya refugee camp northern Gaza Strip, 20 May 2021
Credit: EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
42 min
May 14, 2021 Mexico's apology to the Mayans
Last week, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador apologised to the indigenous Mayan people for abuses committed against them since independence. But with elections looming, some are questioning the timing of the apology. The BBC's Lourdes Heredia discusses this historic moment.
Targetting Afghan girls
Zuhal Ahad of BBC Afghan shares her experiences of reporting on the bomb attack outside a girls' school last weekend which left more than 80 dead, many of them schoolgirls. It happened in her childhood neighbourhood in Kabul, which has seen several devastating attacks in recent years.
America's 'green gold rush'
Zhaoyin Feng, who reports from Washington for BBC Chinese, tells us about her trip to Oklahoma to report on the latest frontier in America's so-called marijuana gold rush. It's attracted many Chinese American investors and Chinese immigrant workers.
Who becomes an Islamic extremist?
BBC Indonesian's Silvano Hajid investigates the role of social media in recruiting young Indonesians to commit terrorist attacks through the story of a young man called Akbar. He was only 16 years old when he tried to join a group affiliated with so-called Islamic State in Syria.
Bengali kitchen divide
Bengalis are united by a love of good food, but divided over who cooks it. West Bengalis love poppy seeds and sugar, while Bangladeshis go for dried fish and chilli. BBC Bangla journalists Manoshi Barua from India's West Bengal state, and Masud Khan from Bangladesh, shed light on the Bengali kitchen divide, with David Amanor.
Image: The festival of Valle del Maiz in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Credit: Kobby Dagan/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
41 min