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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: Iran: Adieu to Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on wall poster in Paris.

02/08/2013

Iran: Adieu to Ahmadinejad

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Iran: Adieu to Ahmadinejad

From boogeymen and breasts to bottoms on fire - dissecting the language of 'Mahmoudisms'

The language of Ahmadinejad and the afterlife of Iranian presidents; Malawi comedy scene; On Homs watch; Reporting the Rwandan civil war; Vodka tales

All Change in Iran?
From boogeymen and breasts to bottoms on fire - what have been some of the fruity phrases used by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his time at the helm of Iranian politics? BBC Persian's Hossein Sharif and Ali Ahmadi recall some of their favourite 'Mahmoudisms'. And as Ahmadinejad leaves office to make way for Hassan Rouhani, reporter Rana Rahimpour reflects on what Iranian presidents go on to do after their stint at the top is over. Meanwhile her colleague Fariba Sahraei goes on a quest to find Iran's new First Lady.

The Malawi Comedy Scene
Daliso Chaponda - arguably Malawi's only stand up comedian - drops in on the Fifth Floor.

Syria Watch
For the last month BBC Arabic's Rafid Jabboori has been monitoring footage coming out of Syria's key battlegrounds - including Homs and Aleppo. It has been an intense and at times overwhelming experience. 

Rwanda: 20 Years On
This week marks 20 years since the end of the Rwandan civil war, which opposed the Hutu-dominated government to the mainly Tutsi rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. One man who watched the conflict unfold on his doorstep is Ally Mugenzi, head of BBC Great Lakes service. As fighting went on, Ally kept filing his reports for BBC Swahili - but he came to pay a very high price for his work.

Vodka Tales
Gay communities in the US and UK are boycotting Russian Vodka to show their anger at a new anti-gay law and other policies that discriminate against homosexuals. BBC Russian's Mark Grigoryan reflects on how it might not be so easy to give up that particular tipple.

Online Greatest Hits
BBC Brasil's Thomas Pappon gives the lowdown on the big-hitting stories across the World Service language sites this week, including sexist stickers in Cuban cabs and a self-taught javelin thrower from Kenya.

(Image: Poster of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Credit: Getty)

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