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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: ISIS, ISIL or IS: The Politics of a Name

Anti-ISIS Demo

12/09/2014

ISIS, ISIL or IS: The Politics of a Name

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, ISIS, ISIL or IS: The Politics of a Name

Why the media disagrees over what to call the militant jihadist group

Why has the militant jihadist group that came to prominence this summer generated so many different names?

The BBC are calling them Islamic State, or IS. In America, they're known as ISIL. But 'ISIS' seems to be the most ubiquitous name for the militant jihadist group that have taken control of parts of Iraq and Syria. The group has changed its name several times, and world leaders and news editors have been reluctant to call them by the name they've chosen - lending credence to their claim to being founders of an 'Islamic state' or 'caliphate'. BBC Arabic Editor Mohamed Yehia and BBC Monitoring's  Amira Fathalla discuss the dilemmas news editors and presenters face with the issue of the power of names and the naming of power. 

The Afghan Elections in Numbers
Remember back in April when Afghans went to the polls to choose a new president? Well it's now September and the wranglings over the final outcome of one of the world's longest-running elections continue. The whole process has cost the Afghan economy over $5billion, involved 22,828 ballot boxes that travelled thousands of miles on the backs of 3,473 donkeys and included 316 international election observers. The Persian Service's Daud Qarizadah tells the story of the troubled Afghan election in numbers.

Tezeta: How to Sing the Ethiopian Blues
It's a musical genre that isn't easy to define - it's a jazzy mixture of melancholy, nostalgia and love. The tune is tezeta and for many it represents the soul of Ethiopian music. BBC Africa's Hewete Haileselassie shares her passion for the blues with her three favourite tezeta tracks and what they say about Ethiopia. 

Letter From Yemen
BBC Arabic's Mai Noman is from Yemen. She recently returned to her home city of Sanaa to cover the growing protests from the Shia Houthi movement in the city to find that the place where she grew up has changed, people now stay indoors and the sound of gunfire no longer causes alarm. In her letter from Yemen she describes a changing city and a population who are nervous.

Stories from the Frontline: Punjab's Floods
Once again Pakistan is dealing with the aftermath of floods which have displaced thousands of people, left over 200 dead, and devastated large areas of Punjab and Kashmir. It's been a top story for BBC Urdu, and their reporter Amber Shamsi - being from Punjab herself - reflects on the challenges of reporting such a difficult assignment on her doorstep. From seeing a small boy desperately trying to clear the water using his toy bucket to her family home in Lahore inundated with friends seeking refuge from the rains.   

The Enduring Appeal of Hercule Poirot
Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Crime. She sold over two billion copies of her books worldwide and created one of the most famous and popular crime fighters in the world - the dapper Belgian detective with the waxed moustache: Hercule Poirot. Originally created 94 years ago in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, for the first time since Christie's death he's now back on the page, with a new writer and a new mystery to solve. Sri Lankan Priyath Liyanage from the Sinhala Service, and Pakistani Umber Khairi from BBC Urdu discuss the global appeal of this detective who uses his "little grey cells."

Online Greatest Hits 
BBC Monitoring's Emilio San Pedro gives the lowdown on the weird and wonderful stories across the web, including Indian impotency tests and the dog that ate 43 socks.

(Picture:  An anti-ISIS demo
Picture Credit: Getty Images)

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