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The Fifth Floor: 09/10/2015 11:06 GMT: Russia and Syria: Inside the Friendship

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Assad (L) shaking hands with Putin (R)

09/10/2015 11:06 GMT

09/10/2015 11:06 GMT: Russia and Syria: Inside the Friendship

Russia and Syria: Inside the Friendship

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Russia and Syria: Inside the Friendship

As Russia aligns more closely with Syria we unpick their historical cultural ties

The cultural links between Russia and Syria, the treats language service journalists bring home, election peculiarities in Myanmar, and violence in Burundi.  With David Amanor.

As Russia steps up its attacks in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, we take a long look at relations between the two countries. Soumer Daghastani of BBC Arabic and Famil Ismailov of BBC Russian share impressions and memories of a political friendship which started in the 1950s. Beyond military hardware and Cold War alignment, how did it impact on ordinary people in both countries?  

Kenyan Country Music
Country music is booming in Kenya, with a tv station devoted to country and lots of home-grown stars. BBC Africa's Kim Chakanetsa is a big country fan and she has been in Kenya to meet some of the top names.

Holiday Treats
It's the time of year when people are returning from home leave, bringing with them delicious snacks to share with colleagues. We take a walk round the Fifth Floor to find out where peanuts are king, where biscuits combine taste and tradition, and where it's the bread from home that means the most.

A day in the life of reporting Burundi
Prime Ndikumagenge is the BBC's reporter in Burundi, a country that has seen nearly half a century of violence. Just last week Prime became witness to one of the most shocking attacks he's seen in all those years - the murder of two money changers in the heart of the city. But what does that event tell us about the state of life in Burundi today?

Myanmar Election
It's a month until the first openly contested election in Myanmar, also known as Burma, for 25 years.  So how free and fair does the election look, and how are the ruling party responding to requests to become more media friendly? Soe Win Than is an editor in BBC Burmese and has been following the campaign.  

And Fifi picks her favourite stories from the web this week.

Picture: Syria's President Assad (L) shakes hands with Russia's President Putin (R)
Credit: Getty Images

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