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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: Love Thy Neighbour: Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine child at EU rally.jpg

29/11/2013

Love Thy Neighbour: Ukraine and Russia

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Love Thy Neighbour: Ukraine and Russia

Exploring sibling rivalries and a long history between the two countries

Reporting protests in Ukraine; Friendship tips for Iran and the west; Investigating Afghanistan's local police; Pakistan's new army chief; and a Chinese Nobel Laureate

It's been a long week for Ukraine with passions running high over the issue of whether the country should cosy up to western Europe with the offer of a historic free trade and political association agreement, or remain in bed with Russia. BBC Ukraine's Svyatoslav Khomenko sends a postcard from the protests in Kiev. While in London BBC Ukraine's Irena Taranyuk and the Russian Service's Janina Litvinova discuss the love hate rivalry between the two countries.

Tips for Iran-US Friendship
Tehran and Washington seem to be talking a similar language these days, with positive talk on the nuclear issue and sanctions. So does Iran's new foreign affairs minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, have something that his predecessors did not? BBC Persian's Siavash Ardalan imagines what might have been running through Mr Zarif's mind during negotiations.

Afghan Local Police
BBC Afghan's Khoshal Taib tells us about his hard won interview with the head of the Afghanistan Local Police. Will his force be ready to take more responsibility when Nato withdraws next year, despite a number of them being arrested on suspicion corruption, murder and kidnapping? 

Pakistan: New Chief in Town
As Pakistan's new army chief, General Raheel Sharif, is sworn in BBC Urdu's Aamer Ahmed Khan tells us the three things we need to know about the top job. 

Chinese Nobel Laureate
Award-winning Chinese writer, Gao Xingjian talks about writing in secret and having to burn his own books during China's cultural revolution. He also describes trying to cope with fame after receiving the Nobel Prize for literature.  

Online Greatest Hits
Fifi Haroon whizzes around the World Service language sites to bring us some of the best stories of the week, including: hoof salads, Brits having less sex and finding 24 bars of gold in an aeroplane toilet. 

The Fifth Floor is presented by David Amanor.

Picture: Ukrainian child on a pro-European rally 
Picture Credit: Getty Images

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