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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: Sunflowers, sanctions and state media

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Ukrainian sunflower

11/03/2022 GMT

Sunflowers, sanctions and state media

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Sunflowers, sanctions and state media

Sunflower oil diplomacy and Brazil's Ukrainians: global views of the war in Ukraine

Why sunflower oil tops Turkey’s political debate, the Ukrainian soldier reciting Farsi poetry, and Brazil’s Ukrainian community: a global view of the war in Ukraine.

BBC Russian editor Famil Ismailov describes how his team has been covering the war, and the challenges they face from a regime which wants to stop them reporting and block their news. He tells us about the different ways that the news is still getting through to audiences inside Russia.

Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian TV contrasts the official Iranian media's support for Russian actions, while social media voice their support for Ukraine. One of the hits there was a video of a Ukrainian soldier reciting a Farsi love poem, revealing surprising links between the two countries.  

Özge Özdemir of BBC Turkish reflects on the significance of President Erodogan's diplomacy, and explores the economic implications of the war for Turkey, which imports both food and fuel from Russia and Ukraine.  

Howard Zhang, editor of BBC Chinese, explores China's reaction to the war in Ukraine. A month ago, President Xi Jinping declared there was "no limit" to Beijing's newly strengthened relationship with Russia. But after worldwide condemnation and sanctions imposed on Russia, will this relationship falter? 

BBC Brasil's Daniel Gallas explains why President Jair Bolsonaro is a fan of Vladimir Putin, though his admiration has caused problems among his supporters. Plus we hear escape stories of the Brazilians playing for Ukrainian football teams, and learn about Brazil's Ukrainian community.


(Photo: Ukrainian sunflower. Credit: Serhii Hudak/Getty Images)

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