Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

September 16, 2022 Global perspectives on the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Today we take a global perspective on the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
We hear about some of the affectionate names by which the Queen was known by around the world, from 'Dear Granny' to 'Boss Lady', with BBC Burmese's Soe Win Than, BBC Africa Southern Africa Correspondent Pumza Filhani and BBC Chinese's Vivien Wong.
Presenter Irena Taranyuk speaks to language service colleagues about the unique perspectives and relationships their audiences and countries have with the British monarchy, and how this has shaped their coverage. With BBC Chinese Editor Howard Zhang, BBC Vietnamese Editor Giang Nguyen, BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem and Iranian Ali Hamedani.
We also explore some of the controversial issues re-ignited by the Queen's death, regarding Britain's post colonial legacy and the future of the Commonwealth. With BBC Monitoring in Nairobi's Beverly Ochieng, BBC Hausa's Fauziyya Tukur, Masud Khan from BBC Bengali.
Photo: Global newspapers after Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th.
Credit: Jaber Abdulkhaleg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
42 min
September 12, 2022 The forgotten protesters of Belarus
Two years ago, Belarusians took to the streets in mass protests after elections in which President Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory. His main opponent was driven into exile, and thousands of protesters were jailed. Some, who have now been released, have told BBC Russian's Tatsiana Yanutsevich about their shock at discovering that Belarusians are no longer hailed as heroes, but seen by many as citizens of an aggressor country.
The lake that came from nowhere
Lake Rgotsko in eastern Serbia has famously clear water and is popular with holidaymakers. What’s unusual about it is that it just appeared, back in the 1970s, when a sand mine suddenly filled with water. Among recent visitors was Sandra Maksimović from BBC Serbian.
Vietnam's banned TikTok reviewers
High profile TikTok food reviewers have been banned from some restaurants. It came about after one reviewer posted harsh criticism of a crab stall vendor, leading to some restaurants refusing entry to other famous TikTok reviewers. Bui Thu of BBC Vietnamese has followed the saga.
A family reunion, after 32 years
BBC Afaan Oromo shares the story of an Ethiopian man who went missing from his family more than three decades ago, after he was forcibly recruited into the army and sent straight to the battlefield. Asili Galgalo explains the twists and turns of Dima Doyo’s life, and the remarkable way in which he finally returned home.
The chimpanzee which went viral
Kharkiv in Ukraine has suffered relentless bombardment by Russian forces since the start of the invasion. But a very different story came out of the city recently - about a chimpanzee which escaped from the zoo, and was filmed being gently recaptured and then wheeled back to the zoo on a bicycle. BBC Russian's Yevgeniy Kanevsky, who's from Kharkiv, tells us more.
(Photo: Belarusian protesters in August 2020. Credit: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
40 min
September 02, 2022 Reporting Pakistan's floods
BBC Urdu’s team of reporters has travelled across Pakistan to report on the impact of the recent floods, which have killed more than 1,200 people and displaced many more. Umer Draz Nangiana went to Rajanpur in southern Punjab to meet the farmers who’ve lost their homes and crops.
Egypt gets serious about dominoes
In Egypt dominoes is mostly an old-fashioned game played by men in local cafes. But now the Minister of Youth and Sports wants to give it a new image and get Egyptians competing at international level. BBC Arabic’s Aya Hashim, herself a player, attended the country's first national dominoes championship.
"Small eating" in South Korea
“Mukbang” videos became famous in South Korea with viewers watching hosts eat enormous quantities of food online. But now it's being challenged by “small eating," showing people apparently full after eating only a small bite. So what's behind the change, and is it any healthier? BBC Korean's Yuna Ku finds out.
Watermelons in Ukraine
Why have watermelons become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance? BBC Monitoring journalist Margaryta Maliukova remembers watermelons from Kherson, and unpicks the watermelon-based social media memes.
Colombia's new anti-drugs proposals
The newly elected left-wing president of Colombia has proposed an overhaul of the country’s anti-drugs policy, ending the US-supported ‘war on drugs’. Gustavo Petro wants to stop the eradication of coca crops and the extradition to the US of traffickers, as Luis Fajardo of BBC Monitoring explains.
American Uzbeks and the American Dream
Ibrat Safo of BBC Uzbek has travelled across the United States to make a documentary series about Uzbeks who've made new lives in America. He tells us about the stories and dreams he discovered, from pursuing business success, to finding religious freedom, to becoming the person you want to be.
(Photo: Floods in South Punjab Pakistan. Credit: BBC)
44 min
August 26, 2022 Russia’s colonial past, and present?
The Russian Foreign Minister recently wrote that Russia had ‘never stained itself with the bloody crimes of colonialism’. It’s not a new theme for Sergei Lavrov but it did surprise many Russian historians. BBC Russian’s Grigor Atanesian wrote an article testing Mr Lavrov’s claims.
Rural schools in Azerbaijan
A plea by a 13-year-old Azerbaijani schoolgirl has put the spotlight on rural education in the country, with too few schools in some regions and badly maintained buildings. BBC Azerbaijani filmed Zahra walking the 4 kilometre return trip to her classroom, and editor Könül Khalilova shares the story.
Military service for K-pop superstars
Members of the K-pop band BTS may soon have to complete their military service, but this may not mean they have to stop performing. The band had already been given a 2 year deferral, and parliament is debating radically shortening their service, as Julie Yoonnyung Lee of BBC Korean explains.
Five years of the Rohingya crisis
BBC Bangla has been marking the fifth anniversary of the Rohingya crisis, which sent more than a million refugees from Myanmar into the Cox's Bazar refugee camp. Journalists Akbar Hossain and Shahnewaj Rocky heard from Rohingya refugees and the local Bengali community about their perspectives.
A travelling heart
The embalmed heart of Brazil's first emperor, Dom Pedro I, has arrived in the country as part of celebrations for its bicentenary. Dom Pedro is remembered as a hero who led Brazil’s independence from Portugal, but he also allowed slavery to continue. BBC Brasil’s Nathalia Passarinho tells us about the man behind the heart.
(Photo: An official of Bukhara Emirate, a Russian protectorate. Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorskii/Getty Images)
42 min
August 19, 2022 Ukraine's stolen sunflowers
In parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, sunflower farmers report having their crops seized. Maria Korenyuk from BBC Ukrainian and Andrei Zakharov from BBC Russian have been investigating who is taking the sunflowers and where they end up.
Cool tips for hot work!
BBC Persian's Middle East correspondent Nafiseh Kohnavard shares creative solutions to reporting with a mobile phone in Baghdad, when temperatures approach 50°C: just add ice-blocks and a supermarket freezer cabinet.
Venezuela's Tren de Aragua criminal gang
What began with a few railway workers demanding bribes in Venezuela’s Aragua State has evolved into one of the largest criminal gangs in South America. Tren de Aragua, or Aragua Train, now operates in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, as BBC Mundo's Norberto Paredes reports.
The treasures of a sunken Spanish galleon
The Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Las Maravillas sank off the Bahamas in 1656, laden with treasure. BBC Monitoring’s Luis Fajardo in Miami tells us about the most recent exploration of the wreck, and explains why so many Spanish ships sank in that area.
In search of my mother
Widya is a Dutch Indonesian adoptee who, like many, wants to find her birth mother. Ayomi Amindoni and Dwiki Marta of BBC Indonesian traveled with her across Indonesia, uncovering a history of fake documents, false mothers and criminal networks.
(Photo: Ukrainian sunflower field. Credit: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
42 min
August 12, 2022 The end of the 'eternal' glacier?
Indonesia's famous 'Eternity Glacier' in Papua province is shrinking fast, and experts say it could disappear by 2024. Meanwhile many of the glaciers of the Andes in South America are also on the retreat. Valdya Baraputri of BBC Indonesian and BBC Mundo's Alejandra Martins share this story of climate change in their regions.
Black and Arab
How are black people across the Arab region affected by racism? For BBC Arabic, Nareeman Dosa reports from Tunisia, the first Arab country to make racial discrimination a criminal offence. Nareeman is a black woman of Sudanese heritage and her documentary, Black and Arab, also led to discoveries about her own identity.
India and Pakistan: 75 years after Partition
To mark 75 years since India and Pakistan’s independence and the Partition, BBC Hindi and BBC Urdu have collaborated to make a podcast series called Baat Sarhad Paar or Conversations Across The Border. Big names from music, art and literature in both countries discuss their shared culture and how this chapter of history affects people today. Asif Farooqi of BBC Urdu and Rupa Jha from BBC Delhi explore the connections.
Goodbye to Bangkok's 'fast and furious' Number 8 bus
The buses operating on Bangkok's Number 8 route are famous for their sometimes alarming speed and reckless driving, earning them the nickname 'fast and furious'. But the authorities have decided to remove them from the roads. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisamritpol was a frequent traveller on the Number 8 and shares his stories.
(Photo: Carstensz Glacier. Credit: Gr8ph1cs via gettyimages)
42 min
August 05, 2022 What next for women in football?
What are the victories - and challenges - for women's football around the world? After a video of the England women's victory dance went viral, we hear from Laura Garcia from BBC Mundo and Alma Hassoun from BBC Arabic about how football has empowered women players in their regions.
Kashmir, three years on
It has been three years since the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces were deployed, and the region was cut off from most lines of communication. Aamir Peerzada of BBC Indian languages is from Kashmir and was reporting from there at the time. He shares his memories.
The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara
In northwestern Nigeria, ultra-violent bandit gangs raid villages, attack drivers, abduct schoolchildren and kill anyone who resists. Hausa villagers have formed vigilante militias to defend themselves, but have allegedly killed innocent people. BBC Africa Eye's Yusuf Anka takes us into the heart of Nigeria’s worst security crisis.
Human trafficking from Vietnam to Cambodia
A new case of modern slavery has been revealed in Cambodia, where Vietnamese people are being lured with the promise of jobs in the gambling industry. Once over the border, their possessions are confiscated and they are made to work long hours and live in sub-human conditions. For BBC Vietnamese, Thu Bui spoke to victims and their rescuers.
(Photo: Mary Earp dances on the Press Conference table surrounded by the England team. Credit: Sarah Stier, UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
42 min
July 29, 2022 Iran’s recent crackdown
Women in Iran have been sharing videos of themselves taking off their hijabs in public in protest at the growing pressure regarding the mandatory headscarf. Meanwhile the Iranian parliament may soon approve a bill which will severely restrict pet ownership. Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian and Ali Hamedani discuss why the government seems to be enforcing stricter rules.
Reporting Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has experienced months of turmoil with mass protests over the island's economic crisis, leading to the flight of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this month. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe has imposed a state of emergency until mid-August. It's been one dramatic development after another for BBC Sinhala's Colombo-based reporters Ranga Sirilal and Shirly Upul Kumara.
A Nigerian world record
This week Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan broke the world record in the women's 100m hurdles, and won the first ever gold medal for Nigeria at the World Athletics Championships. BBC Africa's Peter Okwoche tells us more about her, and what the win means to Nigerians.
Drama Queen
Drama Queen is a ground-breaking podcast series presented in Hindi and Urdu by the BBC’s Samrah Fatima. It tells the stories of men and women who are accused of being ‘drama queens’ if they speak out about their struggles. Samrah explains why she wanted to tackle the deeply rooted social issues that are common to both India and Pakistan, and show how people have been able to forge new paths for themselves.
(Photo: A woman in Islamic dress walks past a shop window. Credit: Morteza Nikoubazi/ NurPhoto via Getty Images)
43 min
July 22, 2022 The cost of keeping Putin Covid free
Around $54.6m was spent on measures to protect President Vladimir Putin from Covid in 2020 and 2021, according to openly available data from Russian state sources. Sergei Goryashko of BBC Russian explains how this money was spent and why the measures seem to be continuing.
Afghan women
BBC Afghan's Pashto and Dari services have launched a new radio programme. It's called 'Women' and aims to provide information, inspiration and entertainment to Afghan women and girls now mostly confined at home. Presenters Shazia Haya and Aalia Farzan share their motivations, laughter, and memories of mothers back home.
Heatwave in Pakistan's Cholistan desert
Livestock herders and their flocks in Pakistan's Cholistan desert are used to extreme heat. But this year temperatures of 50 degrees were recorded months earlier than usual, and hundreds of animals have died. BBC Urdu's Umer Draz Nangiana visited farmers in remote villages to hear their stories.
Vietnam's hot weather surcharge
Consumers are used to companies adding on surcharges for this and that - but the ride hailing and delivery app Grab went just a bit too far for users in Vietnam with its recent hot weather fee. BBC Vietnamese journalist Thuong Le followed the story.
A trip to the Belgrade lido
Over the summer months, people in the Serbian capital Belgrade can cool off at a beach minutes from the city centre. The much-loved lido is on an island in the River Danube, and Slobodan Maricic recently joined regulars there for BBC Serbian.
(Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear March 2020. Credit: Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
44 min
July 15, 2022 Ukraine’s art and culture under attack
Artworks taken from collections, museums destroyed: Anastasia Soroka and Grigor Atenasian explore what's been happening to Ukraine's cultural heritage since the war began, in a special BBC Russian report.
From Venezuela to Peru
Guillermo Olmo is the first BBC Mundo correspondent to be based in Peru. Originally from Spain, he spent a couple of years reporting from Venezuela during a time of protests and economic crisis. So what's it like to shift to a new, quieter country?
A Somali perspective on the Mo Farah story
The British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah made headlines this week after revealing that he was illegally brought to the UK as a child. He said he was given the name Mohamed Farah, and made to work as a domestic servant. BBC Somali’s Sidiiq Burmad is based in Somaliland, where Sir Mo was born.
Why have so many Jordanians lost faith in their government?
A puppet, a prime minister and a pundit – they all feature in a report by BBC Arabic’s Murad Shishani from his home country, Jordan. He was investigating recent survey results showing that trust in the government is the lowest it's been for more than a decade. He tells us what he found out.
K-pop's plastic problem
In the age of online streaming, K-pop fans still buy multiple physical CDs to get the promotions and merchandise attached to them. But now many are voicing concern about the environmental impact, and demanding a change in the behaviour of bands and fans. BBC Korean's Bugyeong Jung looked into the story.
(Photo: Russian journalists remove portrait of Arkhip Kuindzhi, painted by his pupil Grigory Kalmykov, from Mariupul Kuindzhi Art Museum basement.
Credit: Screenshot from UNION TV Channel)
41 min