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The Fifth Floor

Factual: Life Stories

Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

The Fifth Floor: 30/06/2012

30/06/2012

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, 30/06/2012

How a search for genocide survivors led to the start of the Great Lakes radio service

Burundi roadtrip and lifeline radio in the Great Lakes; Iranian hooch; Egyptian army's parallel economy; and presidential promises - broken or kept?

A fresh look at the week's global news from the World Service's 27 language sections, with David Amanor.

POSTCARD FROM BURUNDI
Hausa service journalist Naziru Mikailu is on a roadtrip across Burundi, travelling with a band of other BBC Africa reporters to mark the country's 50th year of independence. He sends a postcard with his impressions.

GREAT LAKES: LIFELINE RADIO
As both Rwanda and Burundi mark 50 years of independence, on the Fifth Floor we delve into history and look at the very beginning of the Great Lakes service that serves those two countries. It started in 1994 as a lifeline to reunite families separated during the Rwandan genocide. Head of the section Ally Mugenzi was a producer at the time trying to find missing persons - including members of his own family. 

DRINKING IN TEHRAN
"Wine is in our culture, in our blood." Arash Ahmadi recalls his drinking days in Tehran - and explains why reports about a rise in the consumption of smuggled alcohol and home-made hooch in Iran shouldn't come as a surprise.

ARMY CAKES IN ARMY OVENS
Egypt's armed forces are not just Africa's largest band of men in arms but also a huge ongoing business - so why are they so interested in beach resorts, pasta and mineral water? From Cairo Shaimaa Khalil - who spent her childhood as an army kid - explains why. 

PRESIDENTIAL PROMISES
Promises, promises, promises - Mohammed Mursi, Egypt's new President gave 64 of them during his election campaign. Are leaders prone to over-promise on their promises? Safaa Faisal from BBC Arabic, Artyom Liss of the Russian Service and Carolina Robina from BBC Mundo swap stories on the pledges made by their presidents.

ONLINE GREATEST HITS
Our internet guru Thomas Pappon is away this week so his distant cousin Marco Silva gives a rundown on the big-hitting stories across the World Service language sites this week - including an Iranian dog, an Argentinian turtle and a silent president.

(Image: Photos of victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Credit: Getty)

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