Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

February 10, 2023 Reporting the earthquake
We hear from some of the language service journalists reporting on the catastrophic earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Fundanur Öztürk from BBC Turkish travelled to Hatay, one of the worst hit cities, while BBC Arabic's Nisrine Hatoum was on holiday in Turkey at the time and quickly switched to reporting the disaster. Meanwhile her colleague Dina Waqqaf is Syrian, and plans to travel to the earthquake zone in northern Syria.
Fear, boredom or nostalgia? Why did so many older Brazilians take part in the January riot?
The prevailing age group among the more than 1,000 people arrested for storming government buildings in Brasilia a month ago was between 50 and 59 years old. So why was it this age category specifically who felt motivated to act in this way? Paula Adamo Idoeta of BBC Brasil tells us about her investigation.
Not quite the world's tallest man
29-year-old Ghanaian Sulemana Abdul Samed was diagnosed with gigantism a few years ago. BBC Pidgin's Favour Nunoo met him to hear about the difficulties of living with this condition, and to help Sulemana find out exactly how tall he now is.
Making change in India
BBC Marathi reporters Janhavee Moole, Mayuresh Konnur and Amruta Durve have travelled across the state of Maharashtra to tell the stories of people inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi to change lives around them. The resulting projects include a women-only bank in a rural town, and a school for city street children who beg at traffic lights.
(Photo: A man walks down the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, close to the epicentre. Credit: ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)
42 min
February 03, 2023 The Myanmar coup, two years on
Since the 2021 coup in Myanmar, many Burmese have taken up arms against the military and thousands more have fled. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us about life in the country now, and the challenges he and his team face in reporting it.
What's in a name?
People in Thailand take naming very seriously. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisomritpol explains the meanings behind his many names - from birth, through renaming, and onto his nicknames too!
Prague's Little Hanoi
Vietnamese people are the third largest ethnic community in the Czech Republic. Khue Luu Binh of BBC Vietnamese explains how they came to be such a significant community, and tells us about 'Little Hanoi', a large commercial hub outside Prague.
Iran: How your phone can land you in jail
An insight into how the Iranian regime is targeting people’s mobile phones to stifle protests and prevent images leaving the country, with BBC Monitoring’s Khosro Isfahani.
Triumph against the odds
Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi TV shares the inspiring story of rebuilding her career after a life-threatening illness, in our series celebrating the BBC's 100 years.
(Photo: Pro-democracy demonstrators in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
42 min
January 27, 2023 Ukraine’s corruption crackdown
Ukraine’s anti-corruption campaign is in the spotlight, with the recent dismissal or resignation of several top officials after a string of corruption scandals. Vitaliy Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring explains how the war with Russia has affected Ukraine’s long-running efforts to deal with corruption.
Iraq and the Gulf Cup
A recent sports story from Iraq provided a welcome change from conflict and political turmoil, when the country hosted football’s Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time since 1979 - and won the championship. Tragically, there was a crush of fans outside the stadium in Basra before the final, leaving two people dead and many injured. BBC Arabic's Haider Hadi, who’s based in Baghdad, shares his reflections.
VDGs return to Indian-administered Kashmir
A suspected militant attack in a village in Jammu on New Year's Day propelled Village Defence Groups back into the headlines. The original Village Defence Committees, set up in the 1990s, were disbanded in 2018 following illegal killings and accusations of other human rights abuses, but last August the Indian government announced the reintroduction of armed VDGs. BBC Urdu's Riyaz Masroor spoke to villagers in the latest attack, and the family of a victim from the previous era.
Disinformation for sale in Nigeria
A BBC investigation has discovered that political parties in Nigeria are secretly paying social media influencers to spread disinformation about their opponents ahead of general elections in February. Fauziyya Tukur of the BBC's disinformation unit in Abuja joins us to explain how this works.
A visit to the ‘Little Manhattan’ of Caracas
The economic crisis in Venezuela has left much of the population struggling to survive, and more than seven million people have left in search of better lives. But in one neighbourhood of the capital Caracas, there are casinos, restaurants and luxury stores. Norberto Paredes of BBC Mundo tells us about Las Mercedes, nicknamed “Little Manhattan”.
(Photo: Ukrainian hryvnia in a yellow envelope. Credit: Victoria Kotlyarchuk/ Getty Images)
42 min
January 20, 2023 Belarus language crackdown
It's becoming more and more dangerous to speak Belarusian in Belarus, with reports of people being sacked and even arrested for trying to conduct their work in Belarusian. The linguistic clampdown escalated after the 2020 pro-democracy protests against long-term leader Alexander Lukashenko, as BBC Russian journalist, and Belarusian, Tatsiana Yanutsevich reports.
Sri Lanka's education crisis
In Sri Lanka many parents are having to decide which children to send to school. It’s a consequence of the political and economic crisis and the dramatic rise in the cost of basics like food and transport. Delhi-based BBC Sinhala editor Ishara Danasekara returned to her home country to make this report.
Impeachment, protests and deaths: what is happening in Peru?
The impeachment and arrest of Peru's former president Pedro Castillo brought thousands onto the streets, demanding new elections and the removal of his successor, Dina Boluarte. Violent clashes with the security forces have left dozens dead and scores injured. BBC Mundo’s Guillermo Olmo explains the background, and why Peru is so deeply divided.
South Korea and Ghana – the chocolate connection
For chocolate lovers in South Korea, the most familiar brand is probably Ghana. “Ghana” is written prominently on the wrapper but how much do South Koreans know about the country it’s named after? We brought together Bugyeong Jung from BBC Korean and BBC Africa’s Thomas Naadi, who’s Ghanaian to find out.
(Photo: 'Belarus is not Russia' placard and woman wrapped in old Belarus flag, at Kyiv rally in solidarity with Belarusian anti-government protest, September 2022. Credit: STR/ NurPhoto via Getty Images)
42 min
January 13, 2023 Why Kenyan pupils are burning schools
Why are students in Kenya burning their boarding schools? That was the question that inspired BBC Africa reporter Ashley Lime in the Nairobi bureau to investigate these sometimes deadly arson attacks which escalated after the covid pandemic. She spoke to students, relatives of teenagers who died in the fires and experts to better understand this decades old problem.
Russian 'Old New Year'
After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the calendar and date of the official New Year changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. But some people still choose to celebrate the 'Old New Year' which falls on the 14th January. Julia James of BBC Russian tells us how those Russians celebrate.
Brazil: flags and nationalism
The design of the Brazilian flag is supposed to represent the unity of the country, but in recent years the flag has become more associated with supporters of the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. BBC Brasil's Ricardo Senra explains the polarisation of Brazil's flag.
Where are pandemic Bali farmers now?
Tourism is Bali's main industry so when covid struck many people lost their jobs and returned to their home villages. In Tembok in northern Bali a local scheme sponsored many to go into farming, so what's happened to those 'covid farmers' now tourism's resumed? BBC Indonesian's Valdya Baraputri found out.
Afghan women fight for education
Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021 women's education has been dramatically curtailed. Secondary schools closed to women in March, and in December that ban was extended to university. Aalia Farzan is a journalist for BBC Dari who's been hearing about their experiences of protesting and imprisonment.
(Photo: People attend the requiem mass for nine young girls who died in the Moi Girls School dormitory fire, in Nairobi on September 14, 2017. Credit: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)
42 min
January 06, 2023 The decline of Ukraine’s oligarchs
For decades, Ukraine's super-rich oligarchs wielded enormous economic and political power. But in 2021, a new law was introduced to curb their influence, and the war with Russia has cost them billions in lost assets and revenue. Vitaly Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring tells us about the dramatic change in their fortunes.
The endangered pink iguanas of the Galapagos
Scientists have for the first time discovered a number of baby pink iguanas in the Galapagos Islands. The species is critically endangered with only a few hundred left, and previously only adult pink iguanas had been found. BBC Mundo’s Alejandra Martins tells us more about this discovery.
Nigeria's drive to go cashless
The Central Bank of Nigeria is implementing a controversial “cashless” policy next week, setting limits on the amount of cash Nigerians can withdraw from banks and ATMs. BBC Africa business reporter Nkechi Ogbonna tells us about the reasons behind the move, and how people are reacting.
The new first lady of Brazil
Rosângela da Silva, nicknamed Janja, became Brazil’s first lady last Sunday when her husband Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president. They married last May, just a few months before Lula’s election victory. BBC Brasil’s Leticia Mori has been finding out more about Janja, and the couple's unusual courtship.
Indian fables and fairy tales
Our colleagues at BBC Indian languages have been sharing their favourite fairy tales and fables, with Siddhanath Ganu of BBC Marathi, Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi, Venkat Prasad G of BBC Telugu, Saranya Nagarajan of BBC Tamil, Brijal Shah of BBC Gujarati and Khushboo Sandhu of BBC Punjabi.
(Photo: Shakhtar Donetsk FC owner Rinat Akhmetov carried by the players. Credit: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
42 min
January 03, 2023 Memorable interviews from 2022
In a year packed with big news stories, who are the interviewees whose stories have stayed with our language service colleagues?
BBC Ukrainian's Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells the story of the teenager forced to flee his home in Borodianka, who now dreams of becoming a journalist.
BBC Pashto's Shazia Haya shares the story of a mother of daughters now denied their secondary school education.
Parham Ghobadi from BBC Persian led the coverage of the death in mysterious circumstances of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami during the Iranian protests.
Olga Ivshina takes us on a trawl of the BBC Russian inbox where she discovered a plea for help, which she immediatley responded to.
BBC Africa's Bella Sheegow explains why reporting on the assassination of female Somali politician Amina Mohamed Abdi had such an impact on her.
BBC Indian languages' Nitin Srivastava tells us about a tea picker in Assam whose livelihood is dwindling because of climate change.
And BBC Brasil's Nathalia Passarinho remembers her interviews at COP27 in Egypt, where Brazil announced a huge shift in environmental policy.
(Photo: Damage of Russian bombing of Borodiansk. Credit: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
43 min
January 03, 2023 Can saying fool land you in jail?
Last week Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was sentenced to two years seven months in jail and banned from taking part in politics. It’s not clear if his sentence will be ratified by two higher courts, but his crime was to call Turkey’s election officials ‘fools’ after the rerun 2019 mayoral elections, though many believe it has more to do with next year's presidential elections. BBC Monitoring journalist Dilay Yalcin in Istanbul unpicks the story.
Meeting Thailand's leading transgender business mogul
Thai transgender businesswoman and transgender advocate Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip has made history as the first trans woman owner of the Miss Universe Organisation. BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol has interviewed her about her ambitions for the pageant, and her own life experiences.
Reporting and running
BBC Arabic reporter Murad Shishani is often on the road, covering stories from conflict in Gaza to presidential campaigns in Iowa. But wherever he is, he keeps his spirits and energy levels up by running. Murad shares some of those runs with us.
Brazil and K-culture
If you’re a fan of K-pop or K-dramas you’re not alone. Award-winning films like Parasite, bands like BTS, and Korean dramas like Squid Game are global successes, part of what’s been called Hallyu, or Korean Wave. It's a big wave in Brazil, and BBC Brasil’s Shin Suzuki decided to take a closer look at the appeal of K-culture. We paired him with BBC Korean’s Julie Yoonnyung Lee to fill in the South Korean side of the equation.
BBC 100: Triumph against the odds
Yetunde Olugbenga of BBC Yoruba starts a new series of stories shared by journalists from our language services who’ve faced big challenges in their lives and careers. They have told their stories in schools in order to encourage and inspire the next generation, as a way of marking the BBC centenary. Yetunde tells us how she overcame sexual harassment from a college lecturer.
(Photo: People gather at Saraçhane in support of Ekrem İmamoğlu who has been sentenced to prison. Credit :Hakan Akgun /dia image via Getty Images)
41 min
December 16, 2022 Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, a role that he denied until September. Andrei Zakharov of BBC Russian has been investigating the story of Mr Prigozhin for many years, and he shares his insights.
Qatar cultural exchange
As the Arab world's first football World Cup concludes, the BBC's Lina Shaikhouni shares her impressions of the cultural exchanges the event has witnessed, from traditional local dress made up in team colours, to stadiums designed to echo desert tents.
New York's migrant crisis
New York City has extended the state of emergency declared in October to address an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" over an influx of migrants. Most of the migrants are Venezuelans who spent months making the difficult journey to reach the United States. BBC Mundo’s Analia Llorente went to New York to find out why the migrants have come to the city.
The freed Burmese prisoner and his cats
Burmese pro-democracy activist Mya Aye was among thousands of prisoners released a few weeks ago by the military. His return home was welcomed not only by friends and family, but by his 34 cats. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us his story.
The endangered saffron fields of Kashmir
The purple fields of saffron that used to blanket the landscape in Indian-administered Kashmir in the harvest season are under threat. The crop has been affected by climate change and modern farming methods. Riyaz Masroor went to the fields to report for BBC Urdu.
(Photo: Yevgeny Prigozhin attends a meeting with foreign investors at Konstantin Palace. Credit: Mikhail Svetlov/ Getty Images)
39 min
December 09, 2022 The Arab world and the war in Ukraine
Hisham Yezza of BBC Monitoring has been observing the impact in the Middle East and North Africa of the war in Ukraine since the invasion nearly ten months ago. He tells us how the war is reported and discussed in the region, and how at a political level, traditional alliances with the West are shifting.
A sweet treat that could help the Amazon
People from Brazil's Amazon region enjoy many dishes made with the local cupuaçu fruit, but they make less use of the seeds. These can be processed to make "cupulate", which has some similarities to chocolate. BBC Brasil's Monica Vasconcelos tells us how cupulate could help livelihoods and the environment.
Preserving Rai dancing
Essra Warda is an Algerian American dancer, working to preserve North African women-led dance traditions. Fethi Benaissa from BBC Arabic spoke to her about her love of these dances.
Life in Lulu
Lulu is a fictitious village in rural South Sudan, the setting for a popular radio drama created by the BBC’s international charity Media Action. For 10 years, it's been tackling a wide range of issues experienced by ordinary people, from violence against women to peace-building. Production manager Zuhur Noah and scriptwriter Kululu Elgebana introduce us to some of the characters and stories.
What is 'pancasila'?
Indonesia's national ideology, 'pancasila', or 'five principles', has been in the news this week. Parliament approved a revised criminal code, which covers many areas of life - from sex and relationships, to insulting the president or criticising state ideology. Endang Nurdin of BBC Indonesian explains more about the meaning of pancasila.
(Photo: Sixth CICA Summit. Credit: Getty Images)
42 min