Fifth Floor

Latest Episodes:

A tale of two Somalias Mar 22, 2019

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BBC Somali journalist Qalib Barud reports on Somalia for a living. His family left in the early 1990s when civil war erupted, and he'd never visited Mogadishu, so when the opportunity came to spend three months reporting in the capital, he jumped at the chance.

Image: Somali children playing on the beach in Mogadishu. Credit: MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP/Getty Images

Killed for seeking justice Mar 15, 2019

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BBC Urdu’s Humaira Kanwal has reported on the Kohistan video case for many years, and was helped by the man pursuing justice, Afzal Kohistani. In 2012 a video emerged showing five young women from Kohistan singing and clapping with two young men, behaviour forbidden is this region. The men were Afzal's brothers and although they escaped, three other brothers were killed in the name of honour. Afzal believed the women were also killed, and took the case to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. And now Afzal himself has been killed. Humaira remembers him.

(Photo: Afzal Kohistani, who fought for justice for the Kohistan video girls. Credit: Pam Constable/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Killed for his faith Mar 08, 2019

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Not everyone has a saint in the family, but very soon BBC Arabic’s Eli Melki might. His ancestor Leonard Melki grew up in Lebanon and became a Capuchin monk. But the First World War fanned fears of Christians collaborating with Turkey’s enemies, and in 1915 many thousands were killed, including Leonard. Eli retraced his final journey.

Image: Leonard Melki Credit: leonardmelki.org

What now for Syria's Kurds? Mar 01, 2019

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The so-called Rojava revolution brought radical social change in the Kurdish regions of northern Syria: equality and representation regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender. It was their armies which battled so-called Islamic State. But with IS largely defeated, US forces poised to pull out of Syria, and Turkey opposed to this political entity, Roj Ranjbar of BBC Monitoring and Jiyar Gol of BBC Persian, Kurds from Iraq and Iran, discuss the future of the Rojava revolution.

Image: Syria Kurdish woman in Rojava region of Northern Syria Credit: Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty

The Favourite Feb 22, 2019

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The British film The Favourite bagged ten nominations for this year's Oscars. David Amanor asked Ahmed Zaki of BBC Arabic, Yana Litvinova of BBC Russian and Ibrat Safo of BBC Uzbek what interest a costume drama about an 18th century queen holds for their audiences.

Image: Olivia Colman Credit: Searchlight Pictures

A Kashmir story Feb 15, 2019

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Aamir Peerzada is a journalist for BBC Indian languages. He grew up in Indian-administered Kashmir, during insurgency of the 1990s, and the violence reached his family. It was this tragic event which compelled him to become a journalist.

Image: Aamir Peerzada, video journalist today Copyright: Aamir Peerzada

Life in an Afghan Tea-house Feb 08, 2019

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There used to be a tea-house or chaikhana on every corner in Afghanistan. Today they're being displaced by coffee houses, but Auliya Atrafi of BBC Pashto has a soft spot for the traditional tea-house, where people chat and watch the world go by.

Image: Afghan man drinking tea in a tea-house in Herat Credit: Aref Karimi/AFP/GettyImages

Sudan: Bread, Doctors and Teargas Feb 01, 2019

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It’s been seven weeks since protests began in Sudan. Many have died, over a thousand have been detained, and what started with a rise in the price of bread has spiralled into demands that President Omar al-Bashir step down. BBC Arabic’s Omar El-Tayeb Ahmed is Sudanese, and has been following the news.

Image: Sudanese anti-government protesters in Omdurman Credit: Contributor/AFP/Getty Images

The Academy That Made Bolsonaro Jan 25, 2019

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Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro took office at the beginning of the year with a promise to bring military values to a country weary of political corruption scandals. Nearly a third of his cabinet are from the armed forces, all graduates from the Agulhas Negras Military Academy that Bolsonaro also attended. BBC Brasil’s Julia Carniero took a tour.

Image: President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil Credit: EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images

Embedded with US Troops in Iraq Jan 18, 2019

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The Americans plan to pull out of Syria but they are continuing the fight against so-called Islamic State from a newly-built base just inside the Iraqi border. Nafiseh Kohnavard of BBC Persian gained rare access and tells us about her experiences living alongside the troops.

Image: Nafiseh Kohnavard reporting from Iraq Credit: BBC