Fifth Floor

BBC Afaan Oromo is sticking up for an ancient tradition in rural communities which is enjoying a revival among young urban Ethiopians. The "siinque" is a stick that offers protection to Oromo women. Yadeta Berhanu and Firaafoli Dhugasa tell us more. Image: Oromo women holding their siinques Credit: BBC

In Nicaragua, mass protests sparked by pension cuts have escalated into unprecedented social unrest. More than 130 people have been killed, and protesters are calling for President Daniel Ortega to stand down. The conflict has divided the country and set friends and families against each other. Arturo Wallace is from Nicaragua and has been covering the story for BBC Mundo. Image: An anti-governmen...

When Iranian activist Masih Alinejad posted a picture of herself driving without a hijab, she had no idea what she was starting. Five years later, thousands of women have joined her movement against the mandatory hijab, and they have become a force for the Iranian government to reckon with. The BBC's Nassim Hatam has been following the story. Image: Iranian woman with wind in hair, veil held aloft...

It's a bumper year for two lucrative flower crops in Afghanistan. Rose-growers are harvesting flowers for rose oil whilst at the same time, illicit opium production has reached a record high. BBC Afghan's Auliya Atrafi tells the stories behind the flowers. Image: (L) Damask Rose in Syria (R) and Poppies in Afghanistan Credit: (L) LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images Credit: (R) JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty I...

For the past 20 years, the Hazara ethnic group in Pakistan - who follow Shia Islam - have been targeted and attacked by militants. BBC Urdu's Musa Yawari, a Hazara himself, recently reported from his hometown Quetta on the lives of Hazara taxi drivers who make dangerous journeys ferrying passengers from one Hazara district to another, but he remembers happier times as well. Image: Hazara graveyard...

In 1999 Christians and Muslims in the Indonesian island of Ambon turned on each other. Thousands were killed, but one aspect of the conflict never reported before is the involvement of child soldiers. As part of the Crossing Divides season BBC Indonesia's Endang Nurdin went to the island to meet Ronald and Iskander, former child combatants from opposing sides, now working together for peace. Image...

Lagos is Africa's most populous city stretching from the Atlantic seaboard and lagoons from where the city gets its name to the Nigerian mainland. Over 20 million people live there - around 100 working as journalists at the BBC Lagos bureau. It's through their lives that we're getting to know another side of Nigeria today. Image: BBC Lagos staff Credit: BBC

Forty years ago the Afghan Communist party overthrew President Mohammad Daoud. Abdullah Shadan from BBC Afghan Service was a journalist at the state broadcaster at the time, and watched events unfold. Image: Afghan communist supporters in Kabul 1979 Photo credit: S Sobolev/AFP/Getty Images

After six decades Cuba is no longer ruled by a Castro. Fidel Castro, succeeded by his brother Raul, influenced some of the world's most powerful nations. We hear from Jinxi Cao of BBC Chinese, Audrey Brown of BBC Africa and Irena Taranyuk of BBC Ukrainian. Image: Irena Taranyuk, Jinxi Cao, Audrey Brown and David Amanor in The Fifth Floor studio Credit: BBC

40 years ago Manoshi Barua inherited a notebook with an old newspaper clipping inside. It was in Chinese, and showed a photo of her father as a young Indian doctor working in China. So what did it say? When chance brought Manoshi together on the fifth floor with BBC China's Yuwen Wu she finally had the opportunity to crack the mystery. Image: Manoshi Barua holding a newspaper cutting Credit: BBC

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who's facing a lengthy prison term for corruption, stirs high passions both in those who support him and those who don't. The BBC's Fernando Duarte gives us insights into a charismatic leader he reported on for many years. Image: Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Credit: Igo Estrela/Getty Images

BBC Serbian went live this week with a big challenge: reporting Serbian stories and issues without always getting drawn back into the 1990s Balkans conflict. Then there's the unresolved issue of Kosovo, which declared itself independent of Serbia ten years ago, a move Serbia rejects. So maybe a story about a women's handball competition in Belgrade would be a safe one to launch with. BBC Serbian e...

This month violence erupted in the Sri Lankan city of Kandy. It started when a group of Muslim youths beat a Sinhala man following a minor traffic incident, but his death sparked days of rioting, the destruction of hundreds of Muslim properties, and at least two deaths. Azzam Ameen of BBC Sinhala sheds light on the role of social media, rumours and fake stories in raising inter-community tension....

Since last August, around 700,000 Rohingyas have fled their homes and sought refuge in Bangladesh. Many now live in the huge Kutupalong camp, where Rocky Shahnewaj, a photojournalist with BBC Bangla, was surprised to come across a love story. Image credit: Rohingya couple reunited in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Credit: BBC

BBC Russian has been at the heart of this week's reporting on the mysterious poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury. Olga Ivshina tells us that a complex investigation in a quiet English city is just as difficult in its own way as frontline reporting from eastern Ukraine. Image: Salisbury Cathedral in the mist Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Eastern Ghouta has suffered intense bombardment as Syrian government forces attempt to oust rebel groups. But behind the name is a place with its own history and aspirations, and home to a defiant group of women blogging even as the shelling intensified. Lina Shaikhouni has been following their posts for BBC Monitoring. Image: Syria's Eastern Ghouta under attack Credit: Hamza Al-Ajweh/AFP/Getty Im...

Renaming the block outside the Russian Embassy in Washington DC, and the streets outside the United Arab Emirates and US embassies in Turkey. Political point scoring with names, with Natalka Pisnia of BBC Russian and Aylin Yazan of BBC Turkish. Image: new street name installed Credit: ADEM ALTAN/Getty Images

Some of our language service journalists share not only an office with colleagues, but also a living room, kitchen and bedroom. BBC's Salim Kikeke, Kathy Harcombe and Valeria Perasso tell us what it's like to have a romance on the Fifth Floor. Image and credit: Kathy Harcombe and Salim Kikeke on their wedding day.

BBC Afghan recently published the results of an ambitious project to assess the Taliban's influence across the country. Helmand Province in the south is the most affected area, and also home territory for BBC Afghan reporter Auliya Atrafi. Image: Afghan soldier sits with gun on front line Credit: BBC

Could you live on 50 litres of water a day? That's the challenge facing millions of people in Cape Town, on the brink of becoming the first major city to run out of water. BBC Africa contributor Mohammed Allie tells us how normal life has changed in his home town. Picture credit: Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images. Description: Several people queueing at a standpipe to fill water containers

Legendary South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela has died at the age of 78. One person who knew him well was Focus on Africa's Audrey Brown, who's also South African. She discusses the laughs, the conversations and the man behind the music. Image: Hugh Masekela Credit: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images

Pope Francis was in Chile this week, but he wasn't received with as much enthusiasm as the late Pope John Paul II thirty years ago. Chilean radio host Paula Molina reports regularly for BBC Mundo, and shares her impressions of both visits. Image: Pope Francis in the northern city of Iquique, Chile Credit: VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images

The Golden Globes and Oscars are synonymous with fashion and glamour. But for those who cover the ceremonies, they also mean long hours in high heels or tuxedos in a tiny space, trying to get good quotes and pictures from superstars. Beatriz Diez from BBC Mundo and Bahman Kalbasi from BBC Persian share secrets, tricks and anecdotes from the red carpet. Image: BBC Persian's Bahman Kalbasi with "The...

The British Library holds several recordings of soldiers from South Asia who fought for the British during the First World War. One of them, Punjabi soldier Mall Singh, was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1915, who used the latest technology to record his voice. Ishleen Kaur of BBC Hindi tells the story behind the recording. Image: Indian infantrymen on the march in France during World War I Cred...

What does your name say about your identity? Can it define or influence your personality? In many languages a name can be very revealing about culture, ethnicity and religion. Stories from Famil Ismailov of BBC Russian, Janay Boulos of BBC Arabic and Cagil Kasapoglu of BBC Turkish - after some examples in the Kinyarwanda language. Image: David Amanor and members of the BBC's language services Cred...