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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: Minefields, Vineyards and Flak Jackets: Reporting from the Turkish Syria Border

Syrian Kurds Fleeing Kobane

03/10/2014

Minefields, Vineyards and Flak Jackets: Reporting from the Turkish Syria Border

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Minefields, Vineyards and Flak Jackets: Reporting from the Turkish Syria Border

A letter from Urfa where refugees have been fleeing Syria and Islamic State militants

A letter from the Turkish Syrian border; Ebola pop songs; Afghanistan's new First Lady in a new role; Images from a week of protest in Hong Kong; and Chile's singing giant frogs

BBC Türkçe's Zeynip Erdim is in the Turkish-Kurdish town of Urfa where floods of refugees have been pouring in from across the Syrian border to escape the fighting between Islamic State militants and Turkish forces. She reflects on what it's like to report from the edge of war - how she heard the chanting of ISIS fighters before they rained down bullets on her group, and how her translator needed to stop and weep after some of their interviews.

Sierra Leone's Songs for Change - From Political Satire to Ebola Pop Music
Music has long been a tool for political debate and public information in Sierra Leone - from tunes satirising politicians to the Ebola pop songs of today, raising awareness about the virus. BBC Africa's Umaru Fofana in Freetown steers us through the tracks designed to mobilise a nation.

Afghanistan's New First Lady
As Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as President this week he did something no other Afghan President has done before - he turned to his wife and thanked her. This moment led to an intense debate on the role that Rula Ghani, a Christian Lebanese American will play as First Lady in the country. Previously, President's wives have stayed firmly behind the scenes. Sana Safi of BBC Afghan and Mariam Aman of BBC Persian take us through the debate.

Hong Kong in Pictures
Images of the protests in Hong Kong have dominated our screens this week - streets teeming with protestors, each with a phone in hand, banners, barricades and umbrellas - moments that captured some of the details of the rallies. Martin Yip in Hong Kong and Frank Ip in London talk us through the pictures that tell the story of a turbulent week.

Chile's Giant Singing Frogs
It is singing season for the Chilean giant frog. It is a sound that makes BBC Mundo's Paula Molina nostalgic for nights spent outdoors on the farm in southern Chile where her mother was raised. The Chilean giant frog has been around for millennia, but now it is under threat due to water scarcity, pollution and the long-standing tradition amongst Chileans of eating frogs.

(Photo: Syrian Kurds fleeing Kobane. Credit: IMG)

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