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The Fifth Floor: Forced to Flee:  Egypt's Copts

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Coptic Christian women refugees (credit: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)

12/01/2018 GMT

Forced to Flee:  Egypt's Copts

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Forced to Flee:  Egypt's Copts

Many Christians fled Sinai last year to escape militant attacks, so how are they faring?

Egypt's targeted Copts; South Korea's mukbang trend; Afghan bedtime stories; covering red carpet events; Sri Lanka's white elephants. With David Amanor.

Last Sunday Egypt's Coptic Christians were marking Christmas.  For many it was a muted celebration following a year of escalating violence. Much of the violence has been felt in North Sinai where militant Islamists have sought control for the past three years.  Hundreds have fled, and resettled in Ismailiya. BBC Arabic's Hanan Razek heard some of their stories.

'Mukbang' in South Korea 
"Mukbang", literally "eat broadcast", is a popular form of entertainment in South Korea.  Many young Koreans watch live videos of people eating their daily meals to stave off loneliness.  BBC Korean's Minji Lee says mukbang is part of everyday viewing habits, and a good video is nothing without some burping, gurgling and slurping.

Lallo Lallo
Large cuddly toys are not often seen at the BBC's international news centre.  But there are two which can sometimes be spotted being carried to a studio - a monkey and a koala bear.  They are co-presenters with Najiba Kasraee of a new digital series of bedtime stories in Pashto - Lallo Lallo, or Lullaby.  Najiba tells us how she gets ideas for the stories.

Reporting from the red carpet
The Golden Globes and Oscars are synonymous with fashion and glamour. But for those who cover the ceremonies, they also mean long hours in high heels or tuxedos in a tiny space, trying to get good quotes and pictures from superstars.  Beatriz Diez from BBC Mundo and Bahman Kalbasi from BBC Persian share secrets, tricks and anecdotes from the red carpet.

White Elephants
Australia's International Development Minister ruffled feathers in China this week, calling many of their infrastructure projects in the Pacific "white elephants".   China says their investments have brought real benefits to local people, but the story rang bells for Saroj Pathirana, a BBC Sinhala journalist from Sri Lanka. 

Image: Coptic Christian women refugees
Credit: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

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