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Episode details

World Service,21 Dec 2018,49 mins

Can India Save the Taj Mahal?

The Fifth Floor

Available for over a year

What’s happening to the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous building? The beautiful white marble is becoming darker, cracks are appearing, and the foundations are weakening. Salman Ravi of BBC Hindi has been investigating the causes of its decline. Talking turkey Christmas is the traditional time to eat turkey. But why is this bird from North and Central America called a turkey in the first place? And what do Turks call it? It's a question that took us on a full circuit of the Fifth Floor. Thailand’s child boxers Kickboxing, or Muay Thai, is the traditional sport of Thailand. But following the death of a 13-year-old kickboxer there have been calls to ban children from taking part. Nanchanok Wongsamuth of BBC Thai visited some child boxing gyms to find out more. Why the fuss over Miss Vietnam? Miss Vietnam 2017, H’Hen Nie, made international headlines when she was mocked by a rival for her poor English during the Miss Universe competition. BBC Vietnam’s Thu Phan explains that it’s not the first time H’Hen Nie has provoked controversy. Peruvian Ekeko Many Peruvians keep a small figurine of a moustached man in their homes. This is Ekeko, who's believed to bring good or bad luck, according to how he's treated. BBC Mundo’s Pierina Pighi Bel is from Lima, and her Ekeko recently smashed. So did he dish out any punishment? My Home Town: Mahalla Maha El-Gaml of BBC Arabic takes us to Mahalla, in the Nile delta of Egypt. Image: Taj Mahal in Agra Credit: Jeff Overs/BBC

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