Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

February 26, 2021 Somalia's election impasse
Somalia currently has a president in name only. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed, who’s also known by his nickname Farmajo, should have ended his term of office on 8 February. But the parliamentary elections to begin the process of choosing a new president are yet to take place. It's a tense situation, and opposition protests last week in Mogadishu saw gunfire, with more protests planned. BBC Africa's Bella Sheegow in Mogadishu and BBC Monitoring's Ibrahim Aydid in Nairobi explain what's been happening.
Sri Lanka’s star of ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’
A Muslim teenager in Sri Lanka has become a household name after her star performance in the local version of the tv show ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’. Shukra Munawwar won the hearts of the audience, at a time of strong anti-Muslim rhetoric from some parts of society. Shirly Upul Kumara of BBC Sinhala went to meet her at her home in southern Sri Lanka.
Iranian kohl
BBC’s Nassim Hatam explores the history of kohl, or sormeh in Farsi, the black eye make-up that's been worn by Iranian women for millennia.
My Friend from a Care Home
Russia’s care homes house thousands of people behind high fences and closed doors. But the Covid-19 pandemic has provided a unique chance for a few residents to leave their institutions and start learning to live independently. In her BBC Russian documentary, Zlata Onufrieva follows Nina’s progress, as she adjusts to life outside with the help of her friend Arina.
Floods in southern Thailand
BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem shares the story of the fruit farmers in Thailand’s Muslim south who lost thousands of dollars’ worth of crops due to floods caused by water released from a hydroelectric dam.
Image: Supporters of different opposition presidential candidates demonstrate in Mogadishu in February 2021
Credit: Photo by AFP via Getty Images
42 min
February 19, 2021 Six years on: the murder of Avijit Roy
It’s six years since the secular blogger Avijit Roy was murdered outside the Dhaka book fair, where he'd been a speaker. This week, five men were sentenced to be hanged for their part in the killing. BBC Bangla journalist Akbar Hossain has been covering the story since 2015 and reflects on the story.
The "Switzerland of Africa"
Photos posted on social media this week show alpine vistas and snow covered houses in Morocco. It's not a surprise to BBC Africa's Nora Fakim, who visited the French-built ski resort of Ifrane several years ago. She shares her memories of the Switzerland of Africa.
Where gender can be a matter of life or death
‘Leila’ is a 64-year-old teacher, dancer and actor, and the only openly intersex person in Afghanistan. Living in such a conservative society, she has faced many verbal and physical attacks. She told her story to Mahjooba Nowrouzi of BBC Afghan.
First African to head the WTO
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala takes over as Director General of the World Trade Organisation this week. She's the first woman and first African to hold the role, and she's making Nigerians everywhere proud, including BBC Africa's Peter Okwoche.
Colombia's love affair with cycling
Cycling is the national sport of Colombia, but it went into decline during decades of armed conflict. Now Colombians are rediscovering their love of cycling and, at the same time, their own country. The BBC’s Daniel Pardo is one of them.
Image: Respects are paid to Avijit Roy in Dhaka, 2015
Credit: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images
42 min
February 12, 2021 Ethiopia's missing refugees
The Ethiopian government declared victory over the former ruling party of Tigray at the end of November, but information from the region is still sparse. One unanswered question is: what happened to thousands of Eritrean refugees living in camps there who went missing during the fighting? Bekit Teklemariam of BBC Tigrinya has been trying to find out.
Chinese New Year 2021
It’s officially Chinese New Year’s day today, usually a time when millions from outside and within China head home for the holidays. But this year China’s strict Covid-19 rules mean many won’t be making the journey, including BBC Chinese journalist Fan Wang. Fan is based in Hong Kong, and wrote an online story about some of the people who did decide to brave quarantine and isolation to spend the holidays with family.
Feasting without over-eating?
As China launches into two weeks of New Year’s self-indulgence, the internet is full of advice on how to feast without over-eating. This chimes with “Operation empty plate”, a national campaign against food waste launched last year and now being enshrined in a new law aimed at food outlets. BBC Chinese journalists Jeff Li, Yashan Zhao, Temtsel Hao and Suping share stories about China’s love of feasting, in history and in their own lives.
Colombia's cocaine hippos
Pablo Escobar has left a long legacy in Colombia, of which maybe the strangest part is the hippos. Once stars of his personal zoo, they were abandoned after his death and are now flourishing in their South American home, and presenting a serious environmental problem. Luis Fajardo of BBC Monitoring, who is from Colombia, tells us more.
Houbara bustard hunting in Balochistan
From November to February the houbara bustard overwinters in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Hot on their heels are the ruling families of the Gulf States. BBC Urdu's Saher Baloch visited the luxurious, sprawling hunting lodge of one of the families from the United Arab Emirates to meet the locals who look after the royal visitors.
Image: An Eritrean refugee child walks in front of a sign at Mai Aini Refugee camp, in Ethiopia
Credit: EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP/Getty Images
42 min
February 05, 2021 Myanmar: Reporting the coup
It’s less than a week since a military coup in Myanmar, staged as a new session of parliament was set to open. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us about events leading up to the coup, and reactions in Myanmar, where the transition to democracy has proved short-lived.
My Home Town: Changwon, South Korea
Julie Yoonnyung Lee of BBC Korean takes us to her hometown of Changwon in South Korea to ride bicycles and admire the cherry blossom.
Unwitching Assam
Birubala Rabha grew up in India's north-eastern state of Assam believing in witches and witchcraft. But after encounters with witch-doctors she lost her belief, and has become a campaigner, helping establish tough anti-witch hunting laws. Soutik Biswas of BBC Delhi tells her story.
Image: Pro-coup marchers in Naypyitaw
Credit: REUTERS/Stringer
23 min
January 29, 2021 Somalia: memories, identity and war
In January 1991, the Somali state collapsed into civil war after the fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre. For those living in what used to be British Somaliland, the violence began in 1988, when government forces bombed Hargeisa. Thousands fled to neighbouring Ethiopia, including Ismail Einashe, then a young boy, now a contributor to BBC Africa’s Letter from Africa. He reflects on his memories of that time, and Hartisheik refugee camp, to which he returned in 2019.
David Amanor has left the building!
All good things come to an end, and this is David’s last programme on The Fifth Floor. Friends from over the years bid a fond farewell, and remember some of his “best bits”. Expect Russian horses, songs and poetry, bees and the pungent stench of durian fruit.
Image: A memorial commemorating those killed in the aerial bombardment of Hargeisa in 1988
Credit: MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP via Getty Images
18 min
January 22, 2021 Ten years after Tahrir Square
It has been 10 years since the Egyptian revolution, which forced President Hosni Mubarak from office. But what has happened since? And are the people who were involved in the revolution satisfied with the ways in which the country has changed? Hanan Razek and Reem Fatthelbab of BBC Arabic have been speaking to former protesters to hear their reflections.
Nepal’s K2 heroes
Nepal is celebrating the success of a team of Nepalese climbers who have become the first to reach the summit of Pakistan's K2 mountain in winter. Krishna Acharya of BBC Nepali tells us about the significance of their achievement, after decades of Nepalese Sherpa mountaineers living in the shadow of the foreign climbers they guide and support.
Image: Thousands of Egyptians wave their national flag in Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 25, 2011
Credit: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images
25 min
January 15, 2021 Beirut port blast: five months on
On 4th August last year 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew up in a Beirut port warehouse. The explosion killed 200 people, injured thousands, and destroyed the port. Last month the public enquiry into the blast charged four politicians with negligence, including Prime Minister Hassan Diab. BBC Arabic’s Carine Torbey got an exclusive interview with him.
Cuba’s “sovereign” vaccine
Cuba has entered a new partnership with Iran to trial a new coronavirus vaccine. Its high hopes are summed up in the name, Soberana O-2, or "sovereign". BBC Monitoring's Luis Fajardo in Miami considers what the vaccine and its name mean to Cubans.
Kashmiri papier-mâché
Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir used to be famous for its papier-mâché artefacts. But decades of insurgency and lockdowns have left producers struggling to survive, as BBC reporter Aamir Peerzada discovered.
Image: Lebanese army member by damaged grain silo, Beirut port blast site (August 7, 2020)
Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
25 min
January 08, 2021 The abandoned Iraqi interpreters
Iraqis who worked as interpreters for British and US forces knew that their work was dangerous, but many did it from a sense of patriotism. But as coalition forces withdraw, many interpreters feel increasingly vulnerable to militias who see them as traitors. Nafiseh Kohnavard of BBC Persian recently met some interpreters in Baghdad to find out about their worries.
Chittagong's disappearing streams
In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of south-east Bangladesh, local people rely on forest streams for water. Now the streams are running dry because so many stones and rocks are being removed for construction projects. BBC Bangla’s Shahnewaj Rocky tells us about the impact this is having.
Thailand's New Year's nicknames
Every New Year the Thai government and its key players get nicknames, chosen by the Government House press corps. BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem has been considering this year’s and previous New Year’s nicknames for us.
Image: Nafiseh Khonavard of BBC Persian
Credit: BBC
24 min
January 01, 2021 Vaccines, violence and forests
We look forward to 2021 from the very different perspectives of three continental giants – China, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang, Ricardo Senra of BBC Brasil and BBC Africa’s Emery Makumeno tell us what their focus will be in 2021, and suggest some New Year’s resolutions for their countries.
23 min
December 25, 2020 Memorable journeys of 2020
Three journalists share stories of travels undertaken in the year of the pandemic. BBC Delhi's Neha Sharma went to Indian-administered Kashmir, a year after it was stripped of autonomy; Victoria Uwonkunda of BBC Africa covered the US election, finding voters from the African diaspora; and Olga Ivshina of BBC Russian went to Azerbaijan to meet families affected by the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Image: Olga Ivshina in Azerbaijan
Credit: BBC
25 min