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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: The Uphill Battle For Hearts And Minds

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Afghan Shepherd Boy

15/09/2017 GMT

The Uphill Battle For Hearts And Minds

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, The Uphill Battle For Hearts And Minds

For coalition forces in Afghanistan, the information war hasn't always gone to plan.

Afghan information war; Thais who marry foreigners; explaining Françafrique; Russia's Matilda row; and Yu-Mex music in former Yugoslavia. With David Amanor.

Winning hearts and minds has always been a high priority for the US-led coalition which invaded Afghanistan nearly sixteen years ago.  But the campaign hasn't always gone to plan, as with a recent airdrop of leaflets that caused so much offence that people rioted in the streets.  Moheb Mudessir from BBC Afghan explains.

Thailand's course on marrying foreigners 
BBC Thai recently reported on a new course for local women about marrying foreigners.  It's less "how to" and more "is this a good idea?".  Nanchanok Wongsamuth of BBC Thai went to the village in north-eastern Thailand where the first workshop was held.  

Françafrique 
An activist in Senegal was recently arrested after setting fire to 5,000 West African Francs. He was protesting about the link between the local currency - also known as the CFA - and France, as well as the power many believe France still exerts over its former colonies.  Lamine Konkobo from BBC Afrique explains.

Russia's Matilda row
A new Russian film, Matilda, about the affair between Tsar Nicholas II and a ballerina has brought protests, even threats against those involved.  Opponents say Nicholas is a saint and any negative portrayal is blasphemy.  Olga Robinson of BBC Monitoring in Moscow explains why, to some Russians, the last tsar is beyond criticism. 

How Mexican mariachi became Balkan ballads
In the 1960s, the most popular music in former Yugoslavia was Yu-Mex - Mexican-style ballads with lyrics in Serbo-Croat, sung by Yugoslavs in sombreros.  For BBC Mundo, Pablo Esparza went to the Serbian capital Belgrade to discover the origins of this craze. 

And Fifi Haroon's selection of stories from the world wide web.

Image: Afghan Shepherd Boy
Credit: GETTY IMAGES/HOSHANG HASHIMI

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