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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: Pistorius and South Africa's Media

Oscar Pistorius trial in media

28/03/2014

Pistorius and South Africa's Media

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Pistorius and South Africa's Media

Reflections on the Oscar Pistorius trial and South Africa's media

Court reporting Oscar Pistorius; Tamil comedy; On earthquake watch in Chile; Burma video journalist; Losing elections in India; and spinning the decks in Nigeria.

Even if you're not following it, it seems impossible to avoid the Oscar Pistorius trial currently being played out in technicolour in South Africa. One glamorous but troubled athlete accused of intentionally killing his model girlfriend, a charge which he denies. All the twists and turns of their relationship and the events of the fateful day are pinging onto phones and being beamed into sitting rooms around the world. But what does the trial tell us about South Africa?  BBC Africa's Nomsa Maseko gives us her thoughts from inside the court room.

On Earthquake Watch in Chile
The needle on the richter scale has been pretty busy in northern Chile recently. 300 earthquakes were recorded in one week.  Many were quite minor, but experts are shocked by this unusual amount of seismic activity, even in a country which is prone to tremors.  People are wondering if this could be a pre-cursor to something big, and it's feeding the country's earthquake paranoia.  BBC Mundo's Paula Molina is in the capital Santiago and will tell us what it's like living in a country that is constantly preparing for the next 'big one'. 

Nigeria's Hottest Sounds
This week the BBC's Focus on Africa programme linked up with BBC 1xtra in the UK to celebrate the hottest sounds coming out of Nigeria.  And they had some pretty big names on air too.  Focus On Africa's Peter Okwoche gives us the low down.

Burma VJ
In the last few years Burma has faced extraordinary changes.  One man who has witnessed those changes first hand is Min Htut Oo.  He was working as journalist in Burma at the height of the most recent tensions, filming protests and smuggling out tapes through a network of contacts who would ensure that the story of Burma would be told despite the risks.  He is now working with our Burmese language service and came to the Fifth Floor studio to tell his story.

Comedy in Tamil Films
This weekend a new 15-part weekly series kicks off on BBC Tamil, it's called The History of Tamil Film Comedy. It will look back at the origins and the evolution of comedy in an industry that's one of India's largest cultural institutions. Chennai-based presenter Sampath Kumar and editor of BBC Tamil Thirumalai Manivannan tell us about the stars, the plots and what makes a Tamil audience laugh.

Online Greatest Hits
Fifi Haroon gives the low down on the top-hitting stories across the Language Service websites, including a forgotten luxury boat and letterboxes stuffed with mysterious cash.

The Man who Loses Elections
It's election time in India and BBC Hindi has come across an independent candidate who's not scared to lose.  K.Shyam Babu Subudhi has contested every election since 1957 in Odisha in eastern India, and lost. Nitin Srivastava finds out why. 

Picture:South Africa's front pages covering the Oscar Pistorius trial
Picture Credit: Getty Images

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