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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: Stories from the Frontline: Sectarian Violence in Central African Republic

Stories From the Frontline: Bossangoa

22/11/2013

Stories from the Frontline: Sectarian Violence in Central African Republic

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Stories from the Frontline: Sectarian Violence in Central African Republic

'It feels like a zombie movie. A silent, empty, spooky landscape' - reporting Bossangoa

Sectarian violence in CAR; Reporting assassinations; Colombia's first narco bounty auction; Iranian asylum boat survivor; and a song to define Ghana.

This week the UN Security Council warned that the violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) was spiralling out of control. It was affirmation of what some journalists had seen recently - like Laeila Adjovi reporting from the town of Bossangoa for BBC Afrique. She was there earlier this month, and had been there before - in January when the loose alliance of rebels known as Seleka were about to take control.

Reporting Assassinations
Today marks 50 years since President John F Kennedy was assassinated and the world's media went into overdrive. What are the challenges of reporting the assassination of your country's leader? It's a tough beat if you're a reporter on the day - we go to DR Congo, Pakistan and Lebanon to talk to the language service journalists covering the deaths of Laurent Kabila, Benazir Bhutto and Rafik Hariri.

Buying Bling at a Narco Auction
Ever wondered what a Colombian drug baron buys with his loot? Arturo Wallace from BBC Mundo will tell you. He has just been to the first public auction of goods collected in police drug raids.

Migrants at Sea
The shocking reality of migration - an 11-year-old Iranian boy describes the boat accident that killed all his family. BBC Persian's Fariba Sahraei reports this harrowing tale.

Hear My Country: Ghana
If you had to pick one song to define your country what would it be? This time we're going to Ghana - a tricky question for Komla Dumor and Vera Kwakofi, not to mention David Amanor himself.

The Fifth Floor is presented by David Amanor.

(Image: Civilians fleeing violent attacks by armed rebels seek refuge in the yard of a church in Bossangoa, Central African Republic. Credit: AP)

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