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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: Kerala: Reporting the Floods

Documentaries

Indian volunteers and rescue personal evacuate a local resident in Ernakulam Kerala August 2018 (AFP/Getty Images)

24/08/2018 GMT

Kerala: Reporting the Floods

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Kerala: Reporting the Floods

Burst dams, landslides, rooftop rescues, and king pythons: stories from Kerala

Reporting Kerala floods; cosmetic surgery in Brazil; singing a hajj farewell in Egypt; my home towns: Kinshasa and Brazzaville; Nepal's beads of marital bliss.  With David Amanor.

As the Indian state of Kerala struggles to cope with the worst floods in a century, Pramila Krishnan of BBC Tamil and Salman Ravi of BBC Hindi tell us how they've reported on the disaster, and how they came uncomfortably close to the floodwaters.

Brazil's love affair with cosmetic surgery
A celebrity cosmetic surgeon in Brazil, Dr Denis Furtado, known as Dr Bumbum, has been charged with murder after the death of a patient. BBC Brasil's Paula Idoeta and Luis Barrucho say the case has put a spotlight on the Brazilian obsession with the perfect body. 

Egypt's songs for the hajj
This is the week of the hajj pilgrimage, when millions of Muslims make the spiritual journey to Mecca.  Some pilgrims get a special send off, and for some Egyptians, the farewell is sung. Marwa Nasser from BBC Cairo explains.

My home towns: Kinshasa and Brazzaville
In this week's episode of my home town, we hear from Raissa Okoi of BBC Afrique. She has two hometowns: Kinshasa and Brazzaville, capitals of Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, separated by the Congo River.

Red beads, red saris and fasting: Teej festival in Nepal
The period between July and August is a Hindu festival in Nepal, Teej, when many women carry out ritual fasting in the hope of marital happiness.  It's a time associated with a type of bead necklace, the pote, mostly sold by Muslims. Shreejana Shrestha from BBC Nepali tells us more. 

Image: Indian volunteers rescuing a local resident in Ernakulam Kerala August 2018   
Credit: AFP/Getty Images

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