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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: Russian mercenaries in Libya

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Two men in a pickup truck

13/08/2021 GMT

Russian mercenaries in Libya

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Russian mercenaries in Libya

The BBC investigation into the Russian mercenary group Wagner’s mission in Libya

The BBC investigation into the Russian mercenary group Wagner’s mission in Libya.

We hear how BBC Russian and BBC Arabic collaborated in a joint investigation into the role of mercenaries from Russia's secretive Wagner Group in the conflict in Libya. Kateryna Khinkulova and Nader Ibrahim explain how they identified Russian fighters and uncovered evidence of suspected war crimes. 

China's wandering elephants 
A herd of elephants have finally returned to their nature reserve in southern China after leaving it 17 months ago to trek over 500 kilometres. It is still unclear why the elephants embarked on the journey. BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang tells us about reactions to the wayward elephants. 

Why are South Korean women reclaiming short hair?  
When South Korean archer An San won three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, many online comments focussed on her short hair, not her sporting success. An was labelled a feminist, a loaded term in South Korea. Julie Yoonnyung Lee of BBC Korean explains the background to the controversy. 

Goodbye Lionel Messi  
After 21 years, the great Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi has left Barcelona to start a new career with Paris Saint Germain, amid tears from himself and his fans. Among those mourning his departure is BBC Mundo’s Enric Botella, who’s from Barcelona.

Image: Russian mercenaries in Libya
Credit: Wagner telegram group

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