Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

November 17, 2023 Eagles helping locate Israel's dead
Following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7th October, conservationists have been using unconventional methods to locate the bodies of the dead. Its civilian Nature and Parks Authority is using tracking devices on rare migratory birds to help locate the missing, passing information on where they stop onto the authorities. It says one eagle has helped recover four bodies, as BBC Arabic’s Michael Shuval reports.
Indonesia's village influencers
Two young village women in Indonesia have become surprise social media stars for their video posts about simple village life. BBC Indonesian's Trisha Husada spoke to Lika and Nia to find out more about their lives.
The life and legacy of Iranian singer 'Golpa'
Many Iranians have been mourning the loss of one their most prominent vocalists, Akbar Golpayegani who has died, aged 90. His performances on Tehran's 'Radio Golha Programmes' between 1953 and 1979 helped popularise traditional Persian music, but his career stalled after the Islamic Revolution when, like many artists, he was forced into silence. Faraj Balafkan has been covering the story for BBC Persian.
Freeing Luis Díaz Sr: Colombia and the ELN
It's a week since the father of Liverpool FC player Luis Díaz was handed over by Colombian guerrilla group the ELN after being held for twelve days. BBC Monitoring in Miami's Luis Fajardo is Colombian, and explains what the story reveals about the difficult situation in Columbia right now.
Tree planting in Kenya
Kenyan's were granted a special tree-planting holiday on Monday as part of a government initiative to plant 15 billion trees over ten years. BBC Africa journalist Kenneth Mungai spent some time at a site near the river Athi meeting residents involved in the project.
(Photo: A white-tailed eagle. Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
41 min
November 10, 2023 A lifeline for Gaza
Presented by Andrea Kennedy
BBC Arabic has begun an emergency radio service for Gaza in response to the conflict in the region. Adel Soliman tells us about providing news and information, and also key lifeline advice on access to medical care, food and water.
The floating duck farms of Bangladesh
Low-lying farmland in north east Bangladesh is flooded every year during the monsoon, and local people used to survive by fishing as well as farming. But climate change and over-fishing have ruined their livelihoods, and, as BBC Bangla's Shahnewaj Rocky found out, many have turned to duck farming instead.
Theatre in wartime Russia
The war in Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to Russia’s rich theatrical scene. Directors, actors, playwrights, choreographers and musicians have been sacked for opposing the war, and many theatre professionals have left the country. Amaliya Zatari of BBC Russian tells us about the impact.
China's Belt and Road, 10 years on
Ten years after China unveiled its Belt and Road Initiative, creating energy, industry and transport projects across the world, Chen Yan of BBC Chinese tells us about its successes and failures. We also get the perspective from Central Asia, from Akbarjon Musaev of BBC Monitoring.
(Photo: A man holds a portable radio receiver in the southern Gaza Strip on October 31 2023. Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
41 min
November 03, 2023 What's happening in Ukraine?
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
The intense focus of the world’s media on events in the Middle East has taken attention away from the war in Ukraine. We ask what's the latest on the war, and what important stories are being reported from the region? Answers from Diana Kuryshko of BBC Ukrainian and Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring and co-presenter of Ukrainecast.
Factories versus fishermen: the story of Rempang Island
A small Indonesian island off Sumatra has been in the news because of a threat to evict local residents to make way for industrial development. Villagers on Rempang Island mostly make a living from fishing, and they have been protesting against the plan. BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri went to Rempang Island to investigate.
Pakistan bump shaming
Pictures of the cute babies of celebrities are popular on social media in Pakistan. But it seems Pakistanis are not so keen on images of the previous stage: pregnancy. Women have been trolled or banned from the screen for proudly showing their fully-covered baby bumps. BBC Urdu's Shumaila Khan has been asking why this is so shocking.
Pre-hispanic Latin America
Gender equality, tolerance of same-sex relations, no extreme poverty and sustainable lifestyles: these are all areas in which indigenous cultures in Latin America were ahead of their time, according to research done by BBC Mundo. It's a story which really caught the imagination of the Spanish-speaking audience - reporter Jose Carlos Cueto tells us more.
(Photo: A resident is seen after shelling in the Ukrainian frontline city of Avdiivka on October 17, 2023. Credit: Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
41 min
October 27, 2023 Meet the BBC Korean team in Seoul
The Fifth Floor visits the BBC's Seoul Bureau to meet the journalists working for BBC Korean, serving audiences across the whole of the Korean peninsula, with different output for both North and South Korea. Journalists David Oh, Hyunjung Kim and Yuna Ku talk about the stories they've been working on for the domestic audience, from the growing global interest in Korean popular culture to what divides, and unites, Koreans.
They also broadcast a daily radio programme to North Korea. Editor Woongbee Lee and journalist Rachel Lee explain how they keep this largely unknown audience informed about worldwide news, as well as stories about their own country unreported by their state broadcasters.
And on the first anniversary of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy in which 159 people became trapped in huge crowds and died, unable to breathe, we hear from Jungmin Choi who filmed on the scene in the days after the disaster, and Yuna Ku, who is working on stories to mark the anniversary, about the victims' families' fight for justice.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi and BBC Korean editor Woongbee Lee in central Seoul. Credit: BBC)
49 min
October 20, 2023 Israel Gaza conflict: the war of words
With constant new developments in Israel and Gaza, we find out how BBC Monitoring is reporting and analysing news from the heart of the conflict. Joel Greenberg from the team in Jerusalem tells us about the war of words between Israeli and Palestinian media; Kian Sharifi analyses what’s being said on Iranian state media and social media; and Alex Wright has been looking at online jihadist sources to see how they are exploiting the conflict.
Feeling the heat in Brazil
Parts of Brazil have just come through an intense heatwave and are braced for another – and it’s not even the summer season yet. For BBC Brasil, Julia Braun has been to two contrasting neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo to see how differently the heat is experienced, according to where you live.
Dars - the BBC's distance learning for children in Afghanistan
As a result of the Taliban exclusion of girls aged over 11 from education in Afghanistan, BBC Afghan decided to bring the classroom to their homes. Dars - which means lessons - is a multi-platform series in Pashto and Dari, and a second season has just been launched. We find out more from producer Mariam Aman.
The return from the brink of Kazakhstan's saiga antelope
The rare saiga antelope of Kazakhstan has turned into a success story - and caused a headache for farmers. Twenty years ago, numbers were critically low, but a successful rehabilitation programme has led to a population of close to two and a half million. Now the animals are moving onto farmland in search of food, and farmers are complaining. Elbek Daniyarov of BBC Monitoring shares the story.
(Photo: A map of the Gaza Strip under a magnifying glass. Credit: Pawel.Gaul/Getty Images)
41 min
October 13, 2023 Reporting the Israel Gaza conflict
A week after the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, we look at how some of the BBC’s major language services have been covering the conflict for their audiences, with William Marquez from BBC Mundo, Zubair Ahmed from BBC Delhi and Daniel Dadzie from the Focus on Africa podcast team.
Banking and slavery in Brazil
Brazil’s oldest bank, the Banco do Brasil, is facing a public inquiry into its alleged involvement in the slave trade during the 19th century. It's been a big story for BBC Brasil, and editor Caio Quero tells us it has started a national debate.
Indonesia's disappearing mangroves
Indonesia's vast mangrove forests are disappearing, with charcoal made from mangrove wood a valued commodity in China, Europe and Japan. Mangrove logging is illegal, but the number of charcoal furnaces continues to grow, as BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri discovered on a visit to the island of Borneo.
(Photo: Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023. Credit: Ibrahim Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
41 min
October 06, 2023 Pakistan and Iran: expelling Afghans
Presented by Sana Safi
Millions of Afghans living in Pakistan and Iran are facing growing pressure to return to Afghanistan. In Pakistan, around 1.7 million unauthorised Afghan asylum seekers have been ordered to leave by the end of this month. In Iran, the authorities say there are five million Afghans living without legal status, and forced removals are increasing. We hear from BBC Urdu’s Asif Farooqi and BBC Persian’s Zia Shahreyar about the latest developments.
Turkish beach towel revolution
Fences, fees for sun loungers and private beach clubs are on the rise in Turkey, and in many tourist areas it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a free place to lay your beach towel. But now some locals are protesting, as Mahmut Hamsici of BBC Turkish explains.
Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's iconic loincloth
BBC Indian marked the anniversary of Gandhi's birth this week with a story about the history of his iconic loincloth or dhoti, and why he chose to wear it, as Vandana in Delhi explains.
Flappy Bird and beyond: Vietnam's gaming industry
Vietnam today has become a regional hub for game app development, spurred on by the success of Flappy Bird, which 10 years ago took the world by storm. Thuong Le from BBC Vietnamese is a gaming fan, and tells us about the growth of the homegrown games development industry.
Sudan's all-female rap group
BBC Arabic's Sarah Magdy took her personal interest in conflict rap to report a story for their culture show about Sudan's first all-female rap group, 249 Gang.
(Photo: Afghan families on the road in Pakistan's Khyber district, returning to Afghanistan. Credit: Abdul Majeed/AFP via Getty Images)
41 min
September 29, 2023 Venezuela's extraordinary prison raid
Last week Venezuela sent 11,000 troops into the notorious Tocorón jail to retake control. For years it's been run by inmates, and was headquarters to the international crime organisation, the "Aragua Train", although its leader, Héctor Guerrero, escaped. BBC Mundo's Valentina Oropeza shares insights into the story and the prison, which boasted a pool, nightclub and even a mini-zoo.
Esports at the Asian games
The 19th Asian Games kicked off in the Chinese city of Hangzhou last Saturday. Esports made its debut as a medal winning event, and the high price tickets in the space-age stadium rapidly sold out. BBC Chinese Zhijie Shao sheds light on esports, and some of the regional geopolitics also on display.
Lebanon's celebration gun deaths
An average of 8 people a year are killed in Lebanon by stray bullets from celebratory gunfire, and despite widespread calls to end this deadly ritual, many seem unwilling to leave their guns behind for big events. Carine Torbey of BBC Arabic has been looking into the causes and social significance of this problem.
Syrian single mums in Turkey
Turkey has the world’s largest refugee population with an estimated 3.3 million Syrians living there. Attitudes to them have shifted, and many now face outright hostility from Turks wanting them gone. BBC Turkish journalist Fundanur Öztürk recently reported on the sexual harassment facing Syrian single mothers in this hostile environment.
Gurkhas in the Indian Army
For decades, Nepal has allowed its Gurkha soldiers to join the Indian army under a special agreement. The tradition has been passed down through the generations, but since India unilaterally changed its contracts to a short 4 year term the Nepali government has paused recruitment, as the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan explains.
(Photo: An armored vehicle drives near the Tocorón prison, Aragua State, Venezuela. Credit: Yuri Cortez/AFP)
41 min
September 22, 2023 Helping Libya’s flood survivors
In the aftermath of the devastating floods in Derna, following the collapse of two dams, we hear from Sara Alhouni, outreach officer for BBC Media Action's platform for Libyan audiences, about their response to the catastrophe and how they are providing lifesaving information for those affected.
India or Bharat?
Could India be officially renamed “Bharat”? The idea was reported in the press this week after invitations to G20 summit members asked them to join the “President of Bharat”, not India, for dinner. So what is Bharat and why might it replace India? Zubair Ahmed of BBC Delhi explains.
Indigenous protests in Argentina
Large protests have been taking place in the northern province of Jujuy as indiginous groups oppose lithium mining there. For the BBC Berta Reventós spent a week with protesters in the village of Purmamarca, high up in the Andes mountains, to find out more.
Africa Eye: Operation Dudula vigilantes in South Africa
South African anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula, has become notorious for targetting people they suspect are foreign nationals, forcing their businesses to close, and evicting tenants from their homes. Ayanda Charlie for BBC Africa Eye gained rare access to members of the country's most-prominent anti-migrant street movement.
(Photo: Arabic poster saying “do not go to Derna without coordination” from BBC Media Action. Credit: BBC Media Action for Libya)
41 min
September 15, 2023 Mahsa Amini: the woman behind the icon
As the world marks the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, we hear from journalist Farzad Seifikaran, who gained an exclusive interview with her mother, Mojgan Eftekhari, for BBC Persian. Farzad, who’s from Mahsa’s home town in Kurdistan, tells us what he learned from Mojgan about the young woman whose death led to protests that shook Iran.
Job-hunting in Africa and “full-time children”
A growing number of young people in China, especially recent college graduates, are struggling to find jobs. There’s fierce competition in the domestic market, and many of those who succeed in finding work get disillusioned with the long hours and constant pressure. Sylvia Chang from BBC Chinese has been talking to some who’ve opted for different solutions.
Vast destruction and vast need: Libya and Morocco
Rescue teams in Morocco are still struggling to get help to some of the areas worst affected by last week's earthquake in the Atlas Mountains. Meanwhile more details are emerging of devastation caused by flooding in the Libyan city of Derna. BBC Arabic’s Saida Badri tells us about the challenges of these stories for the news team, and reflects on the aftermath of the Moroccan earthquake. Her own town was affected, and she shares the same Amazigh heritage as the people of the Atlas Mountains.
Kim Jong Un's famous train
Earlier this week, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled on his private train to the Vostochny space centre in Russia's Far East for talks with President Vladimir Putin. BBC Korean's Yuna Ku tells us that the old Soviet-style green train has been the subject of much intrigue over the years, and we also hear from Suping from BBC Monitoring about the late Mao Zedong's passion for train travel.
(Photo: Protest sign showing Mahsa Amini at the Iranian consulate on October 24, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: Ozan Güzelce/Dia Images via Getty Images)
41 min