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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

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The Fifth Floor: Kenya's Casino Craze

Documentaries

Gambling

12/02/2016 GMT

Kenya's Casino Craze

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Kenya's Casino Craze

Abdinoor Aden of BBC Nairobi on the upsurge of gambling in Kenya

Does Kenya have a gambling problem?; Russia and Ukraine's confectionary wars; What are the policies of UAE's new Minister for Happiness?; A song to define Uganda

This week in Nairobi a gambler was stoned to death by fellow players after he killed two casino employees. Casinos have been growing in popularity in Kenya in recent years and online betting is booming, but Abdinoor Aden from BBC Nairobi says some gamblers do not fully understand the risks involved.

Pre-internet dating
The World Service language services are running a series about which dating websites and apps are popular where. But how did people around the world find love in the pre-internet age? We speak to BBC Bengali, Kyrgyz and Arabic. 

Creating a Minister for Happiness
The news that the United Arab Emirates has appointed a Minister for Happiness has prompted jokes and soul-searching around the region. Arabic social media has been full of suggestions for the new minister, while Egyptians have joked that they need a Minister for Depression. Doaa Soliman of BBC Monitoring in Cairo explains what the response tells us about the mood in the region.
 
African dancing in Karachi
We speak to BBC Urdu's Shamaila Khan who has been to Karachi to film leva dancers. The dancers are members of Karachi's Sheedi community who trace their heritage back to east African slaves and sailors brought to Pakistan around 200 years ago. The dancing involves fire breathing and dancers risk serious burns for their art. 

Uganda: hear my country
Can you pick a song to define your country? In the run-up to this month's elections, three Ugandan journalists from BBC Africa - Paul Bakibinga, Rachael Akidi and Alex Jakana - share the songs that they think capture the spirit of their country. 

Russia and Ukraine: confectionery wars
The president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is outspoken against Russia, saying there's a real war between the two countries. However, he runs a confectionery business which includes a factory in Russia that is still in production. Slava Khomenko of BBC Ukrainian recently visited the factory. He reflects on how tiny sweets can whip up anger in both countries. 

And Fifi's pick of the worldwide web.

(Photo: A fruit machine used for gambling
Credit: Getty Images)

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