Living in the Shadow of Boko Haram

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The international community is finally taking action on the abduction of more than 200 school girls by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria three weeks ago. This comes as more abductions in the region are being reported. The Hausa Service's Bilkisu Babangida knows Boko Haram and their tactics very well, she lived amongst them as a journalist in Maiduguri for 10 years and interviewed their leaders and followers. She tells us about her own personal experience of the extremist group, the fear it exerts and the characteristics of its leaders. Spotlight on Egypt The campaign for the Presidency in Egypt is in full swing as the two election candidates took to the TV this week to perform for votes. Though there are two men in the running the spotlight has focused heavily on Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Egypt's former army chief and the man who removed President Mohammed Morsi from power last July. It was his first ever televised interview as a civilian and Egyptians were glued to their televisions. Angy Ghannam from BBC Monitoring, along with many of her country folk, was watching and assessing performances. Also, BBC Persian's Mehrdad Faramand talks about Egypt's uneasy ties with long time foe Iran, and BBC Turcke's Selin Gerit breaks down the ever-changing relationship between Cairo and Ankara. Online Greatest Hits Fifi Haroon gives the low down on the top-hitting stories across the Language Service websites, including fish falling from the sky in Sri Lanka and throwing tables on Jordanian TV. Gujarat Ghettos Hindi service reporter Divya Arya has been on India's election trail for five weeks visiting different states to get under the skin of the issues affecting voters lives. Her final destination was front-runner Narendra Modi's patch, Gujarat. While this region is seen as a poster child for economic development under Modi's management, it also still bears the open wounds of communal violence between Hindus and Muslims 12 years ago, in riots which left more than 1,000 people dead. Divya found that one legacy of those riots has been the rapid growth of a ghetto, Jahupura, in the state capital Ahmedabad. Drinking Ayahuascar in Colombia Ayahuascar is a traditional Latin American hallucinogenic drink mixed and dispensed by Colombian shamans. BBC Mundo's Hernando Alvarez explains the origins of the potion, the rituals involved and some of the dangers behind it. Sea Shanties Does your country have a tradition of songs about the sea? This week the Fifth Floor mic takes you for a musical voyage on the open seas - with a playlist of songs about the ocean, pirates and nautical adventures from Somalia, Brazil, and Russia. (Photo: Boko Haram poster in Nigeria. Credit: Getty Images)