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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: Mosul: One Year On

Peshmerga fighters near Mosul

05/06/2015

Mosul: One Year On

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Mosul: One Year On

How the City of Mosul Has Changed Under Islamic State

How Islamic State operates in Mosul; Notable banknotes; What's hot on Brazil's social media; 24 hours without politics in Venezuela; India's women rappers.

It's one year since the fall of Mosul into the hands of the so-called Islamic State. Since then, the militant organisation has dominated headlines and has reportedly taken control of territory across a region the size of Belgium. Mina Al-Lami of BBC Monitoring has been following the propaganda arm of Islamic State and Basher Al-Zaidi has reported on their operations in his home city. 

Notable Banknotes
As the Bank of England searches for a new face for the twenty pound note, the Fifth Floor hears some of the more surprising and unusual tales of currencies past and present. BBC language service journalists share stories of monarchs replaced by mountains, banknotes with secret messages and hidden meanings and bills that sell for many times their real value. 

#SalaSocial 
Ricardo Senra takes us on a tour of #SalaSocial, or 'the social room' - BBC Brasil's online coverage of what's trending on the country's social media. We hear about a new 14 year old fashion sensation who makes platform heels from bricks, learn the coded messages behind Brazilian prison tattoos and bust myths about a Brazilian town inhabited only by women. 

24 Hours Without Politics in Venezuela 
BBC Mundo's reporter in Caracas Daniel Pardo describes what happened when he tried to go a day without talking politics. Venezuela has always had a highly politicised society but Daniel tells how recent crises - inflation, security issues and public demonstrations - have made political chatter inescapable. 

India's Women Rappers
The music of Bollywood films has long dominated India's music scene and other newer genres have sometimes struggled to establish themselves. Now India has an emerging rap culture and some of its most celebrated stars are women. BBC Hindi's Vandana Dhand introduces us to Ish Kaur, the 18 year old rapper at the centre of the new scene.   

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

Picture: Peshmerga fighters near Mosul
Credit: Getty Images

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