Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

February 02, 2024 Election symbols in Pakistan
Electoral symbols are crucial in Pakistani elections, helping illiterate voters find their party on the ballot paper. So when Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld a decision to strip the PTI party of Imran Khan of its cricket bat symbol last week, many cried foul. BBC Urdu editor Asif Farooqi explains the rich history of symbols, and how this relates to Pakistan's forthcoming elections.
The 63-year-old Pakistani going back to school
BBC Urdu's Azizullah Khan met the 63 year old man in north west Pakistan who’s enrolled in his local primary school after missing out on an education as a boy.
Thailand’s iguana village
BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol visits the village overrun by iguanas, believed to be the offspring of pets left behind by a family from Bangkok, and now numbering many hundreds.
Ukraine's ‘acoustic violence‘ ban
So-called ‘acoustic violence’ on public transport has been banned in Ukraine. New legislation prohibits bus drivers from playing music, with passengers now required to wear headphones when playing videos or music on their phones. Ilona Hromiluk from BBC Ukraine has experienced it herself, and explains how the war has hastened this shift.
The South Korean family seeking justice for a 1968 killing
BBC Korean’s Jungmin Choi tells the story of a South Korean man whose family were killed when North Korean guerrillas attacked his village in 1968. The story is back in the news after his son won a court case holding North Korea responsible, and awarding compensation, though whether this can be enforced remains doubtful.
(Photo: In a village outside Lahore, a voter puts his finger print on his ballot. Credit: Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images)
42 min
January 26, 2024 Balochistan: Iran Pakistan conflict
This month Iran launched a missile attack into Pakistan's Balochistan region, claiming to target an Iranian anti-regime militant group based there. Days later Pakistan retaliated with missiles it claimed were directed at Baloch-Pakistan militants in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province. BBC Urdu's Saher Baloch visited the border city of Turbat in Pakistan's Balochistan province to find out what impact this is having on cross border relations, and what these militants want.
Chinese students choose Thai universities
BBC Thai recently reported that more and more Chinese students are choosing to study in Thai universities, making up 60% of all international students. It's particularly common with private universities, so Thanyaporn Buathong visited Krirk university near Bangkok to find out why.
Shamans and Indonesian politics
Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, but many people are also very superstitious. So during elections, many politicians turn to shamans to give them the edge over their opponents, as Hanna Samosir of BBC Indonesian reports.
Nigeria's youth curling team
A group of Nigerian teenagers known as "The Broomzillas" have made history as the first curling team from Africa to appear at the Winter Youth Olympics which opened in South Korea last week. BBC Africa sports journalist Emmanuel Akindubuwa met the team to find out what obstacles they’d overcome to get there.
"Hunting" foreigners
A debate emerged in Vietnam about the term and practice of 'hunting foreigners'. Many students seek out English speakers to practice their linguistic skills on, and while many tourists are happy to oblige, others find it intrusive or inappropriate. BBC Vietnamese's Thuong Le explains the debate, while BBC Chinese's Yan Chen remembers his own English hunting days.
(Photo: Blue informal fuel trade trucks on Pakistani Balochistan border with Iran. Credit: BBC)
41 min
January 19, 2024 Bring them home: Israel's hostages
Since the 7th October attacks, BBC Arabic's Michael Shuval has interviewed many of the families of those abducted by Hamas and held captive in Gaza. The families held an event marking 100 days since their abduction, close to the Nova festival site, as part of their campaign to bring their loved ones home.
The new Ram temple and the transformation of Ayodhya
Next week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fulfil a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge by opening the Ram Mandir on one of India's most controversial religious sites. Nitin Srivastava of BBC Delhi is from the area and has been covering the event.
Ecuador’s war on the drug gangs
This week the violence in Ecuador linked to powerful drug gangs saw the murder of a leading prosecutor, following prison escapes, explosions, and even an attack on a TV station. BBC Mundo’s Ana Maria Roura, who’s from Ecuador, explains what the government is up against and how it's responding.
Journey to Journalism: BBC Urdu's Nazish Faiz
What motivates our language service colleagues to become journalists? We hear from BBC Urdu's Nazish Faiz, who grew up in a conservative family in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. She challenged cultural and family norms to become a journalist, and is now inspiring the next generation of village girls.
(Photo: Wall painting highlighting hostages in the Gaza Strip on November 22, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Credit: Amir Levy/Getty Images)
41 min
January 12, 2024 Discovering the real TB Joshua
A BBC Africa Eye investigation has found evidence of widespread abuse and torture by the late TB Joshua, founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, which has followers around the world. The team was supported by Nigerian investigative journalist Adejuwon Soyinka, who tells us when the pastor first came to his attention and what he discovered about him.
Secret trains and Russian prisoners
The disappearance of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and his reappearance three weeks later in the so-called 'Polar Wolf' Arctic penal colony, has shed light on Russia's long history of secret trains and penal colonies, as BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev reports.
Election protests in Serbia: the bigger picture
Serbia has seen weeks of protests after alleged voting irregularities during parliamentary and local elections last month, won by the ruling party. President Aleksandar Vučić has rejected calls for an international probe, but the opposition coalition Serbians Against Violence continues to dispute the results, as BBC Serbian's Aleksandar Miladinović explains.
Sindh's sibling rappers
Two siblings from Sindh in Pakistan have been using rap to tackle taboo topics rarely discussed in their communities, including menstruation, domestic violence and religion. Shumaila Khan of BBC Urdu met them.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk.
(Photo: Nigerian pastor TB Joshua. Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images)
41 min
January 11, 2024 Rushdi Abualouf: family, work and war
The BBC’s Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf reported from Gaza for more than 20 years, but last November he and his family left for the safety of Istanbul. He tells us about the challenges of his new life, and the chaos, death and destruction of his final weeks in Gaza, as Israel retaliated for the Hamas cross-border assault of 7 October.
The Brazilian bat rediscovered after 100 years
A bat discovered in part of Brazil's Atlantic Forest in 2018 has been officially confirmed as a species which hadn't been seen for more than a century. It was originally documented by an English zoologist in 1916. André Biernath of BBC Brasil tells us why its rediscovery is so important in understanding Brazilian biodiversity.
Building a future in Mozambique, five years after Cyclone Idai
In March 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique, killing over one and a half thousand people and affecting three million people across three countries. The BBC's Nomsa Maseko travelled to Beira, one of the worst affected areas, soon after it hit, and now she's returned for a documentary called Building a future for cyclone-hit Mozambique. She tells us what she discovered.
Taboo-busting women in Indian-administered Kashmir
A group of women in Indian-administered Kashmir have joined forces in order to break taboos. BBC Urdu joined them in a visit to a hareesa restaurant, a place usually only frequented by men. Riyaz Masroor tells us why these women formed the group, and what they thought of the hareesa.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk.
(Photo: The BBC's Rushdi Abualouf reporting from Gaza in November 2023. Credit: BBC)
41 min
December 29, 2023 Stories of hope and joy
BBC language service journalists share stories and experiences that lifted their spirits in a year with more than its fair share of tragic news.
BBC Russian's Nataliya Zotova explains how an imperious seagull named Agamemnon helped her settle in her new home in Riga, after leaving Russia.
BBC Delhi’s Divya Arya tells us about helping an interviewee who had shared her story of surviving domestic violence and living with significant facial burns, to become a guest presenter for BBC Hindi.
BBC Afghan's Aalia Farzan tells us about presenting a schools programme for Afghan children, and being able to return home and see her mother again for the first time since she was forced to leave in 2021.
BBC Brasil’s Joao Fellet shares the story of the Japanese Brazilian farmers in the Amazonian state of Pará, who have switched from mono-cropping to agroforestry, regrowing a forest of sorts and providing a profitable model for land cleared by logging.
And Ethiopian-based journalist Kalkidan Yibeltal shares the experience of travelling to the Simien Mountains in northern Ethiopia and experiencing the therapeutic quiet and stillness of the national park, in a year otherwise devoted to covering conflict.
(Photo: Seagull on windowsill in Riga. Credit: Nataliya Zotova, BBC)
42 min
December 15, 2023 Ukraine: ancient and modern
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
A stalled front line and diplomatic challenges - we look at the pressures on Ukraine with Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring. And Daria Taradai of BBC Ukrainian tells us about the return to Kyiv of hundreds of ancient Scythian treasures from Crimea, which were on loan to a European museum when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Their arrival in Kyiv follows almost 10 years of legal battles with Russia.
Pilgrimage to Aksum
Thousands of pilgrims recently made their way to Aksum in Ethiopia, for a religious holiday taking place for the first time since the end of the civil war in the northern region of Tigray. Aksum is a holy site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians who say it is home to the Ark of the Covenant. BBC Tigrinya’s Girmay Gebru, who’s based in the regional capital Mekelle, travelled to Aksum to talk to local people and visitors.
HIV and sterilisation: a legal victory in Kenya
After a nine-year legal battle, four Kenyan women living with HIV have shared their stories with BBC Africa, of how they were sterilised without informed consent. They have now received compensation, and the recognition that the procedures they went through at a public hospital were carried out because of their HIV status. Health correspondent Dorcas Wangira tells us about meeting them, and the legal significance of this ruling.
Lost and found: Indonesia’s rare echidna
Pristine forests, crystal clear water, and an ancient species of animal that was believed to be extinct - BBC Indonesian's Famega Syavira travelled to northeastern Papua to report on the rediscovery of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna. Previously, the only evidence of this rare species of the egg-laying mammal was a dead specimen in a Dutch museum, collected 60 years ago.
(Photo: A copy of the Scythian Pectoral exhibited in the Treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine. Credit: Pavlo Bahmut/Getty Images)
41 min
December 08, 2023 Somalia after the floods
Somalia is struggling with the aftermath of its worst floods for many decades, which have affected more than two million people. Some were already displaced, having lost their livelihoods in the acute drought which preceded the flooding. It’s a big story for BBC Somali, and journalist Fardowsa Hanshi tells us how they’ve been covering it.
Being a tourist in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Afghanistan has seen a reduction in violence. This has opened up the country to both local and foreign tourists. Shoaib Sharifi of BBC Media Action recently took a trip around his native country, and saw it in a way that he never had before. He shares some memorable moments from his journey.
North Korean hack
It's recently emerged that the notorious North Korean hacking group Andariel has stolen vast amounts of data from South Korea. Around 1.2 terabytes of information was taken from industries including pharmaceutical companies and defence firms as well as universities. Rachel Lee of BBC Korean tells us more about the hacking and how it was discovered.
A lifeline for Hong Kong's domestic workers
Foreign domestic workers have become indispensable for many families in Hong Kong. However, their physical and mental health are sometimes affected by busy schedules and lack of space and exercise. Now some have found a lifeline, thanks to a personal trainer who offers them free fitness classes. Benny Lu from BBC Chinese went to investigate.
Sri Lanka's doctor exodus
Huge numbers of doctors and other professionals are leaving Sri Lanka due to the economic situation and escalating taxes. BBC Sinhala's Sampath Dissanayake reports on what led to this crisis and the impact it is having on Sri Lankans.
(Photo: Extreme flooding in Somalia. Credit: BBC)
41 min
December 01, 2023 Breathless: the human cost of flaring
A BBC Arabic investigation has revealed that toxic pollutants released during gas flaring are endangering millions more people than previously feared. Flaring - the burning of waste gas during oil drilling - is taking place across the Gulf, including by COP28 hosts, the United Arab Emirates. Reporter Sarah Ibraham tells us what the documentary, Breathless, reveals about how the pollution can spread hundreds of kilometres, affecting air quality across the entire region.
Hong Kong city walks
Sampson Wong is the author of two books about walks around Hong Kong, and has been promoting the benefits of walking and watching since Covid. Meiqing Guan from BBC Chinese joined him to find out more.
Covering the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue
It took 17 days to free the 41 workers trapped in a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel in northern India. BBC Hindi’s Anant Zanane was reporting from the scene, and broke the story live on air.
The matriarchal herders of Shimshal
For the BBC's 100 Women season, BBC Urdu's Farhat Javed trekked to Pakistan’s Shimshal Valley with the Wakhi shepherdesses, a female-led community who have used the wealth from raising livestock at extreme altitudes to build roads, and educate their children.
Serbia’s multi-millionaire barber – myth or reality?
This year marks the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Nikola Bizumić, the Serbian barber reputed to have moved to London, changed his name to John Smith, and made piles of money from his invention: the hair clipper. BBC Serbian's Nemanja Mitrović has been digging into his mysterious story, particularly what happened to his missing millions.
(Photo: Gas flaring in the Rumaila oil field in Southern Iraq. Credit: BBC)
41 min
November 24, 2023 Sudan's IDP crisis
It's seven months since fighting in Sudan erupted between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Peace talks in Saudi Arabia have so far failed to secure a truce, leaving over five million Sudanese internally displaced, and a humanitarian crisis imminent without a ceasefire according to the UN. BBC Arabic's Mohamed Osman was forced to leave his home in Omdurman, but returned to Port Sudan, the country's de facto capital, to report on those made homeless by the war.
Kimchi Day in Little Korea
This week South Koreans celebrated Kimchi Day in honour of the famous national dish made from tangy and spicy fermented vegetables. And for the first time, this year Kimchi Day was also celebrated in Europe, and more specifically the London suburb of New Malden. BBC Korean's Yuna Ku explains why.
The Ukrainian teenager called up by the Russian army
Bogdan Yermokhin is a 17-year-old Ukrainian forcefully removed from occupied Ukraine to Russia. He recently received conscription papers from the Russian army, to fight against Ukraine. Nina Nazarova of BBC Russian shares his story.
Mumbai’s women cricketers
As cricket lovers in India grapple with the disappointment of losing to Australia in the men’s Cricket World Cup, BBC Marathi have been reporting a good news cricket story. Janhavee Moole of BBC Marathi visited a women’s cricket club in Mumbai, which has 300 members, the eldest of whom is 72, and the youngest 9.
Argentina's president-elect and the woman he calls "The Boss"
Meet Karina, sister of president-elect Javier Milei. She was by his side at every step of his presidential campaign, and presented him to his euphoric supporters when his victory was announced. But what do we know about her? Answers from BBC Mundo’s Fernanda Paul.
(Photo: Sudanese IDP camp in Port Sudan where those displaced by war live in makeshift tents. Credit: BBC)
41 min