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The Fifth Floor

Factual: Life Stories

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: Hotel Rwanda hero on trial

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Paul Rusesabagina at the Supreme Court in Kigali, Rwanda, Feb 2021

25/06/2021 GMT

Hotel Rwanda hero on trial

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Hotel Rwanda hero on trial

Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina faces terrorism charges

Portrayed as a hero in Hotel Rwanda Paul Rusesabagina is now on trial facing terrorism charges.  BBC Great Lakes has been following the story.

Paul Rusesabagina became internationally famous after the film Hotel Rwanda told the story of how he helped save over a thousand Tutsis during the 1994 genocide, sheltering them in the hotel where he worked.  But many inside Rwanda dispute his heroic portrayal, and he's currently standing trial in Rwanda accused of terrorism offences.  BBC Great Lakes journalist Prudent Nsengiyumva has been following the case.

World's oldest alligator
BBC Serbian had a big hit on its website last week with a story about probably the world’s oldest alligator.  His name is Muja, he’s at least 85 years old, and lives in Belgrade zoo.  BBC Serbian's Petra Živić was the lucky person who landed herself a daytrip to the zoo.  

Vaccine inducements 
Cars, gym membership, eggs and hand-blenders:  global solutions to persuading the vaccine hesitant to take the jab, with BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev, Nisrine Hatoum of BBC Arabic and BBC Gujarati's Roxy Gagdekar.  

Back to the country in South Korea
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to many in South Korea to leave the built up, super-competitive cities, and relocate to the country.  BBC Korean's Julie Yoonnyung Lee follows the story of Yun Sihu, whose family moved from Seoul to a remote village, where he now attends a tiny school, and spends his days playing in rivers and fields.  

Connecting the favelas
They call it “the Favela LinkedIn,” a database that neighbours from Paraisopolis and volunteers have created to connect people looking for jobs with local companies in the second largest favela in São Paulo.  BBC Brasil’s Thais Carranca went to see this and other innovative initiatives to fight the effects of Covid-19.

Image: Paul Rusesabagina at the Supreme Court in Kigali, Rwanda
Credit: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty Images

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