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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: Burundi: A Day in the Life of the News

Burundi Protest

15/05/2015

Burundi: A Day in the Life of the News

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Burundi: A Day in the Life of the News

Inside the BBC Africa Newsroom as news broke of an attempted coup in Burundi

Burundi: a day in the life of the news; what happens in Ghana when the power goes off and how pets are becoming popular in Afghanistan

This week reports broke of an attempted coup in Burundi as an army general sought to seize power from President Nkurunziza while he was out of the country. From one moment to the next, the news of who was in charge was constantly changing. The Fifth Floor stepped inside the BBC Africa newsroom to get a frame by frame view of how the news unfolded, through the journalists at the heart of the story and the sounds around them in the newsroom and on the airwaves. 

Kawoon's Kabuli Cat
Afghans are becoming pet owners, with pet food and toys and veterinary care all available in the capital Kabul. BBC Persian's Kawoon Khamoosh tells the Fifth Floor about his visit to the country's only rescue centre for cats and dogs. After negotiating with his family, he is now offering a home to Pluto the cat.  

What happens when the lights go out in Ghana?
A large demonstration is expected in Ghana on Saturday in protest at the ongoing energy crisis. Sammy Darko is BBC Africa's reporter in Accra and while he's been sitting in the dark he's been keeping track of some of the more surprising results of living without electricity.

An Ethiopian Armenian at Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest marks its 60th anniversary this year. There's one entry that BBC Africa's Hewete Haileselassie from Ethiopia is going to be following closely and that is the song from Armenia. Why? Because Vahe Tilbian, a member of the Armenian group Genealogy, is an Ethiopian Armenian and also her friend. Hewete linked up with Vahe to talk about the ties between Armenia and Ethiopia, and his journey to Eurovision.

The Prophet
Translated into over 50 languages and selling tens of millions of copies, The Prophet, by Lebanese author Kahlil Gibran, has inspired the Beatles, John F. Kennedy and Indira Gandhi. Now it's been made into an animated family film which recently opened in Lebanon. David Amanor spoke to reporter Carine Torbey from Beirut and BBC Arabic editor Edgard Jallad.

Ukraine's Changing Dictionary
Natasha Matyukhina of BBC Monitoring takes a look at how new words have sprung up in the Ukrainian and Russian languages since the start of the conflict in 2013.

And weird and wonderful stories from the world wide web with Fifi Haroon.

Picture: Burundi protests. 
Credit: Getty Images

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