

Fifth Floor
BBC World Service
Faranak Amidi takes a fresh look at the stories of the week with journalists from our 40 language sections.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 26, 2018 • 11min
My Friend and Musician Hugh Masekela
Legendary South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela has died at the age of 78. One person who knew him well was Focus on Africa's Audrey Brown, who's also South African. She discusses the laughs, the conversations and the man behind the music.Image: Hugh Masekela
Credit: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images

Jan 19, 2018 • 10min
The Pope in Chile
Pope Francis was in Chile this week, but he wasn't received with as much enthusiasm as the late Pope John Paul II thirty years ago. Chilean radio host Paula Molina reports regularly for BBC Mundo, and shares her impressions of both visits.Image: Pope Francis in the northern city of Iquique, Chile
Credit: VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images

Jan 12, 2018 • 12min
Sharing Secrets From the Red Carpet
The Golden Globes and Oscars are synonymous with fashion and glamour. But for those who cover the ceremonies, they also mean long hours in high heels or tuxedos in a tiny space, trying to get good quotes and pictures from superstars. Beatriz Diez from BBC Mundo and Bahman Kalbasi from BBC Persian share secrets, tricks and anecdotes from the red carpet.Image: BBC Persian's Bahman Kalbasi with "The Crown" stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith on the red carpet at the 2018 Golden Globes
Credit: BBC

Jan 5, 2018 • 8min
Indian Voices From The First World War
The British Library holds several recordings of soldiers from South Asia who fought for the British during the First World War. One of them, Punjabi soldier Mall Singh, was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1915, who used the latest technology to record his voice. Ishleen Kaur of BBC Hindi tells the story behind the recording.Image: Indian infantrymen on the march in France during World War I
Credit: Hulton Archive/Stringer/Getty Images

Dec 29, 2017 • 10min
My Name, My Identity
What does your name say about your identity? Can it define or influence your personality? In many languages a name can be very revealing about culture, ethnicity and religion. Stories from Famil Ismailov of BBC Russian, Janay Boulos of BBC Arabic and Cagil Kasapoglu of BBC Turkish - after some examples in the Kinyarwanda language.Image: David Amanor and members of the BBC's language services
Credit: BBC

Dec 22, 2017 • 9min
Witch-hunting in Rajasthan
The north Indian state of Rajasthan has registered 50 cases of witch-hunting since 2015 even though it has banned the practice. BBC Hindi's Sumiran Preet Kaur has been to one district and met women whose lives have been changed forever.Image: 80 year old Ramkanya Devi, branded a witch
Credit: BBC

Dec 15, 2017 • 9min
Mozambique's 'Ghost' Airport
No passengers and no planes - Nacala International Airport in Mozambique cost millions and was meant to help the economies of both Mozambique and Brazil. Instead, it has proved an expensive white elephant. Amanda Rossi of BBC Brasil went to Nacala to find out more.Image: Mozambique's "ghost" airport
Credit: BBC

Dec 8, 2017 • 11min
Fleeing Home: An Iraqi-Kurdish Story
Roj Ranjbar has experienced displacement three times in his life. Roj is an Iraqi Kurd with BBC Monitoring, he's covered the recent referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, and subsequent developments as Kurds face renewed civil conflict with Baghdad. Watching the images coming out of Kirkuk of families fleeing their homes has triggered memories of his own family's experiences in the 1990s.Image: Families fleeing Kirkuk, Iraq in trucks
Credit: MARWAN IBRAHIM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Dec 1, 2017 • 11min
Living with Mugabe
After 37 years of the Mugabe regime, Zimbabweans are adjusting to life without him. Most of the population have only known his rule, and he had become part of the fabric of the country. Two BBC Africa Zimbabweans - Kim Chakanetsa and Stanley Kwenda - share memories of the Mugabe era and the moment when it ended.Image: School children holding an image of Robert Mugabe’s face
Credit: JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/Getty Images

Nov 24, 2017 • 7min
Commuting in the Skies of Medellin
Medellin in Colombia was one of the first cities in South America to integrate cable cars into its metro transit system. The Metrocable links the affluent valley with poor neighbourhoods in the hills. Arturo Wallace of BBC Mundo explains how it's also affected social attitudes.Image: Metrocable car in Medellin, Columbia
Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA /Stringer/Getty Images