Fifth Floor

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South Africa and the Land Question Jun 30, 2017

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Audrey Brown's documentary Give Back the Land tells the story of a white Western Cape vineyard owner attempting to make reparations for the land his family "stole" 6 generations ago. Land rights and reparations remain contentious in South Africa 23 years after the end of apartheid, and are close to the heart of Audrey, whose family come from this area.

Image: Solms winery in South Africa Credit: Solms Delta Estate

Kashmir: Letters across the Divide Jun 23, 2017

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BBC Hindi recently brought together two schoolgirls, one from Delhi and one from Indian-administered Kashmir, to became penfriends. What they have in common is music and youth, but they're divided by regional loyalties and religion in the long-running dispute over Kashmir. So the question is: can the two teenagers find common ground? The reporter behind the project is Divya Arya.

Image and credit: Teenage penfriends Duaa (L) in Indian Administered Kashmir and Saumya (R) in Delhi, India

Life Under The Afghan Taliban Jun 16, 2017

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BBC Afghan's Auliya Atrafi is just back from his home province, Helmand, where for the first time he had access to areas under Taliban control. He visited the de facto Taliban capital of Musa, and found much to surprise him.

Image: Auliya Atrafi with the Taliban Credit: BBC

Pyramid Challenge: Sudan Versus Egypt Jun 09, 2017

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Rumours of a film project about Sudanese ancient history have been raising hackles in neighbouring Egypt. The dispute is over which country had the most significant ancient civilisation on the Nile. BBC Africa's Mohanad Hashim, who's from Khartoum, puts the case for Sudan.

Camel riders in front of the Sudanese pyramids Credit: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images

Hunger in Venezuela Jun 02, 2017

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The images coming out of Venezuela show a country in turmoil. The economy is failing, violent protests on the streets have left nearly 60 dead, and figures recently released show that child mortality has also increased in a country that was once the wealthiest in the region. Vladimir Hernandez is a Venezuelan journalist with the BBC and recently came back with a troubling report from his home country about child malnutrition.

Image: Venezuelan girl Credit: BBC

Stories from the Silk Road May 19, 2017

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The news has been full of China's One Belt One Road mega-infrastructure project to connect Asia, Europe and the Horn of Africa. It's a sort of modern day version of the ancient Silk Road - and what better opportunity to take a trip of our own. The Fifth Floor follows those famous caravan routes with Rustam Qobil of BBC Uzbek, Venera Koicheva of BBC Kyrgyz, Temtsel Hao of BBC Chinese and Daud Junbish of BBC Afghan.

Image: Catalonian merchants on the Silk Road from the 'Catalan Atlas' of 1375 Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

War and Manhood: Breaking the Silence May 12, 2017

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Natalia Guerrero of BBC Mundo has tackled a taboo issue in her home country, Colombia. Thousands of soldiers have lost limbs due to land mines during the country's 50 year conflict with rebels, but what's seldom talked about are the numbers who've experienced genital injury, or the 'silent wound'. Natalia talks to soldiers and doctors keen to break that silence.

Image: Soldier Stivinson Mena Rivas lost a leg, a finger and had genital injuries due to a mine. Credit: Gregorio Mariño

Who are India's Naxalites? May 05, 2017

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Last month 25 soldiers were killed in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh by Maoist or Naxalite rebels. It's the latest episode in a 50 year conflict which has left thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless. So who are the Naxalites? BBC Hindi's Salman Ravi explains the movement and its origins.

Guyanese rodeo Grab your Stetson and pull on those cowboy boots: it's rodeo time in Guyana. This unexpected slice of the wild, wild west takes part in the small ranching town of Lethem and Carinya Sharples went along to join the fun.

The gangs of Japan - and Brazil A big business group in Japan had a recent internal disagreement, leading to a splinter group forming. Interviews were given and statements made. What's unusual about the story is that it's about a yakuza or crime syndicate. Ewerthon Tobace reports for BBC Brasil from Tokyo.

Umaru and the diamonds Next week a 709 carat rough diamond from Sierra Leone will go under the hammer. It was found in the Kono region, where BBC Africa's Umaru Fofana grew up, and it turns out he's no stranger to diamond mining.

China's TV dating show A new TV show called Chinese Dating has captured the hearts of viewers across China. What makes it unusual is that here it's the contestants' parents who make the choices. Suping from BBC Chinese has been viewing.

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web

Image: Arms seized from Maoists in Orissa's Malkangiri district following a fierce gun battle with police Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Militias, Magic and Wooden Guns Apr 28, 2017

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a long history of instability and conflict. Trouble recently flared up in the central Kasai region, and the BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga got rare access to the area, meeting the rebel militias fighting in this little-known uprising.

Keep Your Distance! When it comes to personal space how close is too close? We get up close and personal with our Fifth Floor colleagues to find out why there's so much variation worldwide.

Brazilian borders This week's audacious bank robbery in Paraguay was made possible by the relatively porous borders between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. BBC Brasil's Fernanda Odilla has visited the area, popular with tourists visiting the Iguazu Falls, as well as with criminals keen to shift loot.

The Mother of all Bombsites News that America had dropped a Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), also known as "the mother of all bombs", on caves used by Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan made headlines worldwide. Auliya Atrafi of BBC Afghan was surprised by what he found at the site.

All aboard Lenin's train It's 100 years since Vladimir Lenin set off from exile in Switzerland to join the revolution in Russia. BBC Russian has followed his train journey from Zurich looking for answers to questions which are rarely asked in Russia itself. Answers from Anastasia Uspenskaya.

And Fifi Haroon shares the odder moments from the web this week.

Rebel militias in the DR Congo Kasai conflict. Credit: BBC

Who is Yogi Adityanath? Apr 21, 2017

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If India's Uttar Pradesh were a country it would be the fifth largest in the world. The state's new chief minister is Yogi Adityanath of the BJP party, which won a sweeping victory in last month's elections. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi has been analysing his popularity and following the controversies that surround him.

Goodbye Krushchyovkas... Around 1.5 million people in Moscow are waiting anxiously to hear more about plans to tear down the outdated Soviet blocks they live in. Hundreds of so-called Krushchyovkas have already been demolished, and 8,000 more are about to be flattened. BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev shares memories of growing up in one.

Ending the hunt for Kony Ugandan troops have called off the search for Joseph Kony, the notorious leader of the Lord's Resistance Army known for the destruction of rural communities in northern Uganda. The violence, enslavement and abduction of children also affected South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. We get the response of BBC Africa's Paul Bakibinga.

We don't have that word! Fifth Floor journalists are constantly translating complex news stories from English, a task which can be fiendishly difficult as often their languages lack the word or entire concepts. There are some surprising omissions.

Making a hit out of corruption China has been gripped by a new tv drama about corruption investigators. 'In The Name of the People' goes behind the scenes in Chinese politics to reveal greed, immorality and violence. Yashan Zhao of BBC Chinese tells us why she's a fan.

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web.

Image: Yogi Adityanath Uttar Pradesh's new leader Credit: SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP/Getty Images