Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

December 02, 2022 China protests
A fire in a residential block fire in Urumqi, which killed 10 people, sparked protests among citizens tired of living under China’s strict zero-Covid policy. As well as brave and vocal protests, many have adopted more creative ways to get their voices heard, as BBC Chinese Editor Howard Zhang reports.
India street girl update
BBC Marathi's Dipali Jagtap won India’s Laadli Award for her report into a footpath-dweller in Mumbai, Asma Shaikha, who struggled to continue her education during the 2021 Covid lockdown. We hear what happened after the report went out.
Afrikaans
The Hollywood star Charlize Theron recently joked that speaking her mother tongue Afrikaans was ‘not very useful’. Her comments unleashed an online backlash; Afrikaans has long been a contentious subject in the country. Audrey Brown is from BBC Africa and speaks Afrikaans and explains the history and context of the language.
The Thai monks suspended for taking methamphetamine
A small Buddhist temple in Thailand has been left without any monks after they all failed drugs tests. The BBC's Sucheera Maguire tells us more about this story, and how local villagers are now worried that without the monks, they will not be able to fulfil their usual Buddhist practices.
Holiday swindlers and the rise of digital travel scams
Social media is tempting people to sample the luxury holiday lifestyle, but what happens when it all goes wrong? Rafael Barifouse of BBC Brasil tells us about his investigation into one Brazilian travel agent, who has left a trail of unhappy clients around the world.
(Photo: Two protesters hold up blank pieces of paper during a demonstration in Hong Kong. Credit: Ben Marans/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
41 min
November 25, 2022 Unmasking a Russian police torturer
On March 6th, huge anti-war demonstrations across Russia led to the arrest of more than 5,000 protesters. Among them were at least 11 women who were taken to Moscow's Brateyevo Police Station, where they were questioned and subjected to verbal and physical abuse, which in some cases amounted to torture. The man overseeing this was an unnamed police officer they nicknamed 'the man in black'. Using a leaked database from a Russian food delivery company, archived social media accounts and old dating profiles, BBC Eye Investigations journalist Vickey Arakelyan tells the story of how they exposed the identity of their torturer.
2022 FIFA World Cup: the view from Qatar
The World Cup is underway with plenty of drama on pitch, as well as controversies off. While the developed world has focussed on alleged human rights abuses - as well as the lack of beer – many other nations say this focus is rooted in prejudice, stereotyping and western hypocrisy. But the tournament is also a time of great excitement as the Arab world hosts the World Cup for the first time. BBC Arabic’s Murad Shishani visited the small Gulf nation to capture the view from Qatar.
Saving Uganda's symbolic crane
The crested or grey-crowned crane is a national symbol of Uganda. But numbers are falling, with only around 20,000 left in the world. The BBC's Patience Atuhaire met communities in the south west of the country who are working to save the birds.
(Photo: Screen grab of chat group showing photo of Ivan Ryabov and saying 'found!' Credit: BBC)
42 min
November 18, 2022 Kherson: a presidential visit
President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit this week to Kherson, soon after the Russian withdrawal, prompted lively commentary on Ukrainian social media, and some comparisons with the Russian president. BBC Monitoring's Margaryta Maliukova tells us more.
Hell on earth: the Korean Japanese people persuaded to move to North Korea
In 1960, Eika Kawasaki left her family in Japan and moved to North Korea. She was one of 90,000 plus Korean Japanese who went to North Korea on a project called ‘paradise on earth’. What they found was the opposite, but they were trapped. Eiko escaped after 4 decades, and BBC Korean’s Jungmin Choi met her on a visit to South Korea to meet other survivors.
World Cup 2022: first female referees
For the first time ever three female referees will officiate matches at the World Cup. One of them is Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga, as BBC Kinyarwanda's Prudent Nsengiyumva explains.
Somaliland oil discovery
A group of villagers in the self-declared republic of Somaliland were recently drilling a borehole to improve their water supplies – when they struck oil. Bidhaan Dahir of BBC Somali tells us there's been a lot of excitement about the discovery.
The Ukrainians who can’t get their children home from Russia
A group of Ukrainian children are stuck in Russia after parents living under Russian occupation accepted an offer to send them to a summer camp on the Black Sea. Before the end of their holiday, their home towns were retaken by Ukrainian forces. BBC Russian’s Nina Nazarova tells us how some parents are still unable to get their children home.
(Photo: Ukrainian President Zelensky visits Kherson. Credit: Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency Getty Images)
42 min
November 11, 2022 Reporting COP27
BBC Arabic's Sally Nabil is one of the team in Sharm el-Sheikh reporting on the COP27 climate summit. She tells us how the conference centre and beach resort exist side by side, and why this choice of venue offers so many advantages to the host country, Egypt.
COP27: three stories from the language services
BBC Swahili's Anne Ngugi visited Kenya's Amboseli national park, where the worst drought in 40 years has left a landscape littered with animal carcases.
BBC Bengali's Shahnewaj Rocky met Mahfuz Russell who has restored 23 acres of clear-cut forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Six years later, it's lush and green and home to slow loris, civets and birds galore.
BBC Arabic's Carine Torbey visited Beirut's first green innovation exhibition, and met two women trying to make a business from turning food waste, which currently ends up in landfill, into biogas for cooking.
Hushpuppi: The rise and fall
This week the notorious Nigerian online fraudster was jailed in the US for 11 years. He rose to fame flaunting his wealthy lifestyle to his 2.8 million social media followers. BBC Africa’s Princess Abumere explains his rise and fall.
Hijab discrimination in Egypt
A BBC Arabic undercover reporter “Rana” shares the findings of their investigation into discrimination against some women who choose to wear the hijab, despite laws preventing discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race or class.
(Photo: Visitors photograph one another in front of a COP27 sign in Sharm el-Sheikh. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
42 min
November 04, 2022 Ethiopia: an end to the fighting
The BBC’s Addis Ababa correspondent Kalkidan Yibeltal tells us about the agreement just reached between the Ethiopian government and officials from the Tigray region, to stop fighting and to allow unhindered humanitarian access. He also reflects on the challenges of reporting the civil war over the last two years.
The centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb
It's 100 years since the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, almost intact and full of treasures, nearly 3-and-a-half thousand years after his death. Angy Ghannam of BBC Monitoring in Cairo tells us how the centenary is being marked in Egypt, and what ordinary Egyptians think of their most famous pharaoh.
Vietnam's forgotten veterans
Thousands of disabled Vietnamese veterans who fought for the South in the war are living in poor conditions without government support. A Catholic priest who is part of a programme which assists them was recently prevented from leaving the country. MyHang Tran of BBC Vietnamese reports on his problems with the authorities, and the plight of the veterans.
The impact of the Iran protests on regional neighbours
Since the start of protests in Iran, ethnic tensions have been exacerbated both inside the country and with its neighbours. Kurdish and Azerbaijani populations inside Iran are affected, as are relations with Iraqi Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. BBC Azerbaijani editor Könül Khalilova and Jiyar Gol from BBC Persian discuss recent developments.
The aftermath of the Indian bridge collapse
Roxy Gagdekar of BBC Gujarati has been reporting from Morbi, where the recent collapse of a pedestrian bridge left at least 135 dead. He shares impressions from two of his reports - one from the site of the bridge collapse, the other from a hospital which was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(Photo: Redwan Hussein (L), Representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda (R), Representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), shake hands on a peace agreement between the two parties in Pretoria on November 2, 2022. Credit: Phill Magakoe /AFP/Getty Images)
42 min
October 28, 2022 Ukraine's water wars
Russia is accused of deliberately cutting water supplies to the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, which has been without fresh drinking water since April. A BBC Ukrainian investigation reveals that the supply pipes, which travel through Russian occupied areas, were most likely deliberately sabotaged by Russian forces. Viktoriia Zhuhan explains the evidence behind this claim, and reveals how civilians in Mykolaiv have been managing.
Divided Brazil
Brazilians go to the polls this weekend to elect their next president. The BBC’s João Fellet has been reflecting on the deep divisions in the country for his podcast series Brasil Partido, or Divided Brazil, and has talked to people across society about the role politics has played in driving them apart.
The drought in Somalia
As parts of Somalia suffer the worst drought for 40 years, government officials and international agencies are warning of catastrophe unless more help arrives. BBC Africa’s Bella Sheegow, who’s from Mogadishu, tells us about the situation in south west Somalia, where thousands have lost everything and had to flee to camps.
Kashmir's cinemas reopen
Last month a cinema hall opened in Kashmir – the first since they were all closed having been targeted by insurgents in the 1990s. So why are they opening now, who is going, and will BBC Indian languages' Aamir Peerzada be one of them?
(Photo: People line up to collect drinking water in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, 23 October 2022.Credit: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
40 min
October 21, 2022 Iran protests: the ripple effect
The protests in Iran are now the longest and most widespread in the 43 years of the Islamic Republic. What began as a reaction to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish woman, arrested for allegedly violating strict hijab rules, quickly changed into a wider protest against the regime. What's happening in Iran has had a ripple effect for women across the region. To find out more we brought together Selin Girit from BBC Turkish, Mariam Aman from BBC Persian, who's from Afghanistan, and Lina Shaikhouni, a Syrian journalist with the BBC, who has an overview of the Arab region.
Eritrea's military call up
Military mobilisation has intensified in Eritrea. While the government claims a 'tiny number' of reservists are being called up, the picture on the ground suggests a much larger operation, with door to door searches for draft dodgers, and their families punished for concealment. BBC Tigrinya's Bekit Teklemariam shares their findings with us.
The changing portrayal of North Korea in South Korean film
Movies about North Korea are not new in South Korea. But over the years, the genre has shifted from hostile anti-communism to more nuanced depictions of the country, including romance and friendship. Hyunjung Kim of BBC Korean charts this evolution.
(Photo: Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa Amini, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo)
47 min
October 14, 2022 TikTok begging in Syria
A BBC investigation has discovered that up to 70% of donations being sent to displaced families in Syria via TikTok was being taken by the social media platform. Families in camps in northern Syria said they only receive a fraction of the donations, as BBC Arabic's Mamdouh Akbiek reports.
Bangladesh’s matriarchal Garo people
The Garo people are one of the largest of Bangladesh’s indigenous communities. Their traditions are unique, and based on a matriarchal society. Shahnawaz Rocky of BBC Bengali recently visited the Garo people to find out about their culture, which is now under threat.
Kenya's divisive curriculum changes
A viral video clip showing two Kenyan primary school children killing a chicken caused uproar, and some hilarity, about the country's new school curriculum. From BBC Nairobi, Evelyne Musambi tells us about a new focus on practical skills, and the controversy it is causing.
Afghan women at university
Women applying to Afghan universities this term have discovered that their course choices have been severely restricted. BBC Afghan’s Sana Safi explains what is known about the changes, and their impact on women.
El Kul: bringing Libyans together
As Libyans continue to struggle after years of insecurity and hardship, a social media platform run by the BBC's international charity BBC Media Action is trying to bridge the divides. The project began in 2014 and is called El Kul - 'For Everyone'. Editor Libya Idres El Mesmary tells us about the challenges they face.
(Photo: A displaced Syrian mother and daughters livestreaming on TikTok. Credit: BBC)
42 min
October 07, 2022 Life in the Russian army
BBC Russian journalist Olga Ivshina shares the findings of her investigation into the reality of life for soldiers serving in Russia's armies, from crowd-sourcing to buy their own equipment, to why it’s so hard to leave.
Iran protest: 'For...’
The lyrics to 'Baraye', which translates as ‘for’ or ‘because’, by Shervin Hajipour were taken from ordinary Iranians posting on social media to explain why they are protesting, each line beginning "for...". BBC Persian's Saba Zavarei explains how the protest song has evolved.
Venezuelan migrants in Martha's Vineyard
The Republican governor of Florida staged a political stunt to confront politicians far away from the southern border with the reality of uncontrolled migration. They flew 48 undocumented Latin Americans from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, close to Boston, where many liberal and democrat politicians have summer houses. Luis Fajardo has been following the story for BBC Monitoring in Miami.
Afghan women chasing their Olympic dreams in Italy
BBC Uzbek's Firuz Rahimi, and producer Ivana Scatola, joined five women from Afghanistan’s cycling team who fled the country and are now training in Italy, pursuing their dream to represent their home country in the Olympics.
Pakistan floods and the karahi commute
Pakistan's catastrophic floods in the past month, have been challenging to report for BBC Urdu. When Rubab Batool saw an intriguing video of locals using karahis - essentially huge cooking vessels - as transport on the floodwaters, she has to use her own creativity to work out how to film it.
Presenter: Feranak Amidi
Producer: Caroline Ferguson
41 min
September 23, 2022 Mahsa Amini’s father speaks out
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died a week ago after being detained by Iran’s so called ‘morality police’, who claimed she was violating the country's strict dress code laws. Witnesses claim she was beaten, while the official explanations claim she had pre-existing health issues. We hear from BBC Persian's Jiyar Gol about his interview with her father Amjad Amini, who has spoken out at great risk to himself and contradicted the official version of events.
The women turning rice into wealth in Sierra Leone
Many Sierra Leoneans rely on subsistence farming to survive, but a group of single mothers and widows in southern Sierra Leone have formed a farming collective and turned their farm into a highly profitable business, as BBC Africa Women's Affairs journalist Azeezat Olaoluwa reports.
The BBC's Disinformation Unit in India
This year BBC News India launched a new Disinformation Unit to uncover, analyse and report on the spread of fake news. Jugal Purohit is part of the Delhi-based team, which highlights false information, debunks viral social media content and investigates how and why it spreads.
The impact of Lebanon's economic crisis
The recent sinking of a boat carrying many Lebanese migrants, which left dozens dead, has highlighted the economic crisis which has left much of the population in despair. People with money are also suffering, as they're unable to withdraw funds from their accounts. Some have even gone to banks armed with guns to try to get hold of their own money. Carine Torbey has been reporting both stories for BBC Arabic.
The story behind the Bayraktar drones being used to defend Ukraine
At the start of the invasion of Ukraine, videos of Russian vehicles being destroyed in drone strikes travelled round the world. For Ukrainians, the Turkish Bayraktar drones have become a symbol of resistance; they’ve composed songs about them, and named pets and even children after them. BBC Ukrainian’s Dzhafer Umerov interviewed the two brothers behind the drone, Haluk and Selçuk Bayraktar.
Photo: Mahsa Amini newspapers. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS (from Elvis)
42 min