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The Fifth Floor

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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: Afghan Refugees: An Uncertain Future

Documentaries

Afghan refugee families wait to board trucks near Peshawar in July 2016

14/10/2016 GMT

Afghan Refugees: An Uncertain Future

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Afghan Refugees: An Uncertain Future

Three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been asked to leave by March next year

Afghan exodus from Pakistan, China's love affair with a 7th century judge, farewell to Venezuela, and who are the Nubians? With Paul Bakibinga.

What happens when a government tells 3 million refugees within its borders that they have to go home? Many Afghan refugees in Pakistan have spent all their lives there, and established homes and businesses. The Pakistani government argues that militants are hiding among them, and the departure of all refugees is a necessary part of its security strategy. BBC Urdu editor Haroon Rashid is from Peshawar in northern Pakistan, home to many Afghans. He tells us about his personal memories, and the impact of what's happening today.  We also hear from BBC journalist Zarghuna Kargar about the years she spent as an Afghan refugee in the city. 

Chinese detective with a British flavour
A new, big budget Chinese TV drama is being made with Chinese TV's biggest star in the title role. The significance of Judge Dee is that it's scripted by British screenwriters. To discuss the appeal of the Judge Dee stories in China and why they're being repackaged with a British flavour, Paul Bakabinga is joined by two BBC journalists - China analyst Kerry Allen and Yashan Zhao from BBC Hong Kong.

Farewell to Venezuela 
BBC correspondent Daniel Pardo is leaving Venezuela with mixed emotions. From the delicious smell of his neighbour cooking the traditional vegetable sauce sofrito, to the frustrating bureaucracy at the bank - he reflects on what he will and won't miss about the place he called home for three years.   

Egypt's Nubians, yearning for home 
The Nubian community in Egypt were forced from their villages in the 1960s when the Aswan Dam was built on their land. Many resettled in cities in the north of the country where they upheld their traditions and customs, whilst maintaining the hope that they would someday return home. However, a new restricted military zone  designated by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is part of the Nubian homeland. Angy Ghannam of BBC Monitoring in Cairo tells us how the Nubian community has reacted, and describes their place in Egyptian society.

75 this week
BBC Bangla celebrates its 75th birthday this week. For the first years, output was simply a translated newsletter. Then in 1944, the two founding staff members arrived by ship from India - in Glasgow! They had to make their own way to London and struggled to find hotel accommodation. Manoshi Barua tells us what she's discovered about those pioneering days.  

Fifi
Weird and wonderful stories from the world wide web curated by digital diva Fifi Haroon. 


Photo: Afghan refugee families wait to board trucks near Peshawar in July 2016.
Credit: A. MAJEED/AFP/Getty Images.

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