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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: Chernobyl: Lyudmila's story

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Lyudmila Ignatenko and husband

20/12/2019 GMT

Chernobyl: Lyudmila's story

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Chernobyl: Lyudmila's story

BBC Russian speaks to the woman whose life was shown in the TV series ‘Chernobyl’

BBC Russian speaks to the woman whose life was shown in the TV series ‘Chernobyl’.

The 1986 nuclear reactor explosion was dramatised this year in the HBO/Sky series Chernobyl.  It includes the story of Lyudmila Ignatenko, whose husband was one of the firefighters who tackled the blaze at the nuclear plant.  The series has brought her back into public view, with many people critical of her behaviour at the time.  Lyudmila tells her side of the story to Olga Malchevska for BBC Russian.

My Home Town:  Mumbai
Kinjal Pandya of BBC Indian languages takes us to her hometown, Mumbai, to ride the train and take a trip to the fish market. 

Myanmar's mystery missing ruby 
What happened to the former Burmese king's famous royal ruby, Nga Mauk?  It disappeared in 1885, when the country was annexed by the British, but a descendant is keen to trace the missing gem, as BBC Burmese journalist Bo Bo explains.

After Somalia's floods 
Bella Hassan of BBC Somali has been to the Beledweyne region near the Ethiopian border, the epicentre of Somalia's recent floods, which have displaced thousands of people.  

Hong Kong's cardboard grannies 
Hong Kong is one of the world’s richest cities, but many live in poverty, including the elderly women known as ‘cardboard grannies', who collect cardboard to sell to recycling plants.  Yashan Zhao of BBC Chinese talked to ‘Granny Orchid’ about her life. 

Image: Lyudmila and husband on their wedding day
Credit: Lyudmila Ignatenko

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