What is it like to work in Jerusalem right now? BBC journalist Shaina Oppenheimer shares her experience of living in Israel and monitoring the conflicting narratives published on Israeli and Palestinian media. Plus, BBC Mundo's Alicia Hernandez explains why Equatorial Guinea is the only African country which has Spanish as one of its official languages and shares the unusual local Spanish words she discovered.Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia For future episodes of The Fifth Floor, you can now listen every week on The Documentary podcast. Just search for The Documentary, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a period of prayer, celebrations and community gatherings and Muslims worldwide observe it by fasting from dawn to sunset. As this year’s Ramadan draws to a close, Faranak Amidi is joined by three BBC World Service colleagues who share their personal experiences and the stories that made headlines in their countries during this year’s celebrations. Asif Farooqi, Aalia Farzan and Deena Easa have been looking at how conflict, natural disasters and the cost-of-living crisis are impacting people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza. Plus... Ramadan cricket, why do people want to get married during the Holy Month, and the TV series that everyone’s talking about.Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)

After an election held just days after his release from prison, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is set to become Senegal's next president, and at 44, the youngest in the country’s history. From Dakar, the BBC's Khadidiatou Cissé and Thomas Naadi tell us more about the new Senegalese leader.Banksy's new neighbour BBC Mundo's Carlos Serrano shares his experience of finding himself at the centre of a big news story, after a Banksy mural was painted outside his apartment. Kashmiri carpet weavers In Indian-administered Kashmir, an ancient code called 'talim' was traditionally used to pass on complex patterns to carpet weavers. BBC India's Priti Gupta reports on how computers and AI are changing this, and the impact on the traditional carpet industry. Brazil’s forest-friendly rubber tappers The growing interest in sustainable ways of exploiting the Amazon rainforest has created new opportunities for Brazil's traditional rubber tappers, who can get enhanced payments for preserving the areas where they work. Julia Carneiro reported for BBC Brasil on how the scheme works. The Big Korean Dictionary The Korean language has been diverging between North and South Korea since the peninsula was divided. To keep track of the changes, an inter-Korean dictionary project was set up in 2005, with linguists from both sides. But worsening relations mean the project was suspended in 2015, as BBC Korean's Seonwook Lee reports.Come with us! The Fifth Floor is moving and we would love it if you can join us. You can now find all our episodes on The Documentary, the home of original, global storytelling, from the BBC World Service. Search for The Documentary, wherever you found this podcast, and don’t forget to subscribe or follow.(Photo: Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Credit: Getty)

From empowering Afghan women through radio programs to unraveling the mysteries of the giant armadillo in Latin America, this podcast covers diverse topics. It also delves into the controversial tradition of Haji Firouz in Iran and the failed auction of Aung San Suu Kyi's iconic house. Each story presents a unique perspective on women's rights, wildlife conservation, cultural practices, and political struggles in different regions.

The war in Gaza is forcing Israeli society to confront a long-standing conflict over who serves in the army. Ultra-Orthodox Jews enjoy an exemption, but many Israelis now say this should end. Both sides took to the streets to protest, while the Israeli Supreme Court hears a case related to this matter, as BBC Arabic’s Michael Shuval reports. Ukraine's Ushanka hat sell off The Ukrainian government plans to auction 40,000 ushanka hats it bought in the early 2000s. The warm winter hats became popular after the 1917 Russian revolution and spread across the Soviet Union for leaders and civilians alike. BBC Ukrainian's Dmytro Vlasov explores the history of the hat, and why they're being sold now. Thailand's cannabis law reversal Thailand’s new government plans to reverse a law decriminalising the recreational use of cannabis which was passed only 18 months ago. BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol explains the societal pressures behind the switch, and met some of the growers who will be affected if the ban goes ahead. China’s looming pension crisis As China’s birthrate declines and a growing number of people reach old age and retirement, the country faces a looming crisis – the labour force will be smaller, and the cost of caring for the elderly will be higher. For BBC Chinese, Chen Yan explores the potential impact on the economy – and, in the words of one expert, on China’s destiny. Observing the 'Day of Silence' and Ramadan in Indonesia Nyepi or 'Day of Silence' is an important Indonesian public holiday, mainly observed in Bali. It's a day reserved for quiet self-reflection, and this year, the Hindu celebration coincided with the first day of Ramadan. BBC Indonesian's Amahl Azwar met some of those making sure the two forms of worship can run smoothly together.(Photo: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against proposed end to military conscription exemption. Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

The podcast covers the gang violence crisis in Haiti, with armed groups taking control and freeing inmates. Women in Bangladesh fight to save the Moyur river from land grabbers. Iraqi women face a ban from a race due to fears of losing their chastity. The podcast also follows the story of the first female mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The podcast explores the experiences of volunteers searching for missing migrants in the Sonoran Desert, controversial National Guard presence in Uzbek schools, Hindu identity complexities in India, and the resumption of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba after 65 years.

Two years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, we hear from colleagues in BBC Ukrainian about life in Kyiv. How different is the new normal from their old lives, and how have they adapted? Daria Taradai and Halyna Korba share their stories.Sri Lanka's cashew village Kajugama is famous for its cashew nuts, in fact its name means "cashew village" in Sinhala. Many local women depend on selling cashews to make a living, but the business is in decline and they're struggling to earn enough. BBC Sinhala's Shirly Upul Kumara finds out why.Searching for an identity – Chinese or Indonesian? BBC journalist Trisha Husada has been investigating her own identity as an Indonesian of Chinese descent. In the past, there was pressure on Chinese Indonesians to assimilate, changing their names and abandoning their culture. Trisha tells us what she discovered from talking to friends, relatives and experts about what it means now to be Chinese Indonesian.The women carpenters of the Hunza valley In the Hunza valley in northern Pakistan, there is an all female carpentry workshop. The work they've undertaken includes the renovation of two of Gilgit Baltistan's ancient forts. Nazish Faiz of BBC Urdu met the women to find out how they got into carpentry. (Photo: A mural in Kyiv's Podil neighbourhood. Credit: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)

BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline launched 3 months ago to provide life-saving information for citizens forced from their homes by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and struggling to find the necessities of life. Journalists Karim Moustafa, Amira Dakroury and Marwa Gamal tell us about the information they provide, and the stories they've covered.Kazakhstan’s school headscarf ban There's a dilemma for Muslim schoolgirls in Kazakhstan who want to wear the hijab. It violates the country's school uniform rules, and girls who refuse to take off the hijab have been expelled. BBC Russian's Aisymbat Tokoeva went to Kazakhstan to meet one of these students and her parents to find out more.The death of Alexei Navalny Following reports of the death in prison of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, BBC Russian editor Famil Ismailov explains what’s known about his death, and reminds us about his eventful life and political career.Senegal's election crisis Senegal's reputation as a stable democracy has been called into question after President Macky Sall's decision to delay this month's presidential election until December. Protesters took to the streets, and now the country's top court has ruled that the decision is against the constitution. Beverly Ochieng of BBC Monitoring in Nairobi has been following events.Photo: Palestinian Israel conflict camp. Credit: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

There have been concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which was seized by Russian forces in March 2022. Following this week's visit to the plant by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vitaliy Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring explains the findings of the team.The Year of the Dragon At the start of the Year of the Dragon, we look at the importance of the dragon in Chinese culture. We also find out why there's growing pressure to differentiate the Chinese dragon, or "loong", from the Western idea of a dragon. Our guide is Suping from BBC Monitoring.Indian labourers applying for jobs in Israel Israel has been dealing with a labour shortage since it revoked the work permits of thousands of Palestinians after the October 7 attacks. Large-scale recruitment sessions have been organized by the Israeli government in India, and BBC Hindi's Anant Zanane of BBC Hindi met applicants in Lucknow. The Turkish earthquake, one year on BBC Turkish journalist Esra Yalcinalp shares the story of Nurgül Göksu, a woman who lost her son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter when their apartment block collapsed, while those around it stayed standing. She hired excavators to recover evidence from the rubble, evidence now being used in prosecutions. The first lady, a pastor, and a designer handbag BBC Korean’s Yuna Ku explains why South Korea has been gripped by the story of a Dior bag given to the president’s wife by a Christian pastor. (Photo: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Credit: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images)