Schedule

On 19 May 2021, the Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed one of the strictest and most scandalous abortion laws in the US, the Heartbeat Act. It prohibits abortion from the sixth week of pregnancy. Such a controversial decision sparked a wave of public unrest among pro-choicers supported by celebs like Uma Thurman and Lady Gaga. However, this outrage was not unanimous. Some women have other points of view. So what do both sides have to say?

More than 4,000 people with haemophilia in the UK have contracted HIV or hepatitis C, and in some cases both, from contaminated blood products imported from the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Patients who already lived with a rare and severe disorder received the infected drug derived from blood donations of up to 40,000 people, including prisoners and drug users. Only decades later, after hundreds had died as a direct result of contamination, were victims and their families given a chance to find the truth behind the contaminated blood scandal. In April 2019, a Public Inquiry opened, hearing victim testimonies around the country. RTD travels to the UK to hear from infected blood victims and campaigners seeking answers and desperate to know why, and how, the tragedy was allowed to happen.

The history of Donbass is deeply linked to World War II; the intense battles fought there and the heroism shown by the people continue to shape the region's identity and resilience to this day. Today, in the same locales where Donbass defenders fought against Hitler, their descendants continue the legacy, fighting against Ukrainian nationalists. Explore the chronicles of WWII's heaviest battles and delve into the stories of Donbass heroes, both from the past and the present.

Arseny had been a sports enthusiast for years when he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. Determined to hold on to his passion, he turns to a Zen surfing instructor in Bali for help, both spiritual and physical. He hopes learning to catch a wave will give him back the sense of freedom he always got from sport. Arseny’s persistence and surprising results even inspired his surfing teacher to work on overcoming fears in pursuit of his own dreams.

Over the years, Tatyana and Artyom Falin fostered 30 children. These kids came from dysfunctional families, children’s homes and even straight from the streets. For every one of them, the Falin family found food and shelter and the right words to heal their traumas. All children came to love Tatyana and Arten as their parents and even wanted to return to them. So what’s it like to be foster parents to 30 kids?

The people of Donbass have faced profound psychological traumas, and are now grappling with the torment of the aftermath. Psychologists from the People's Front arrived in Severodonetsk to help ease the process of recovery for them. Discover the techniques they use and find out whether overcoming PTSD is really possible.

What new habitat are we going to call home? As the world's population grows, architects are coming up with mind-boggling concepts, like urban city blocks floating on water, 300-meter deep "groundscapes" using geothermal energy, or soaring houses, perfect for seismic regions. What's even better is that most of the ideas just a few years from being implemented.

We meet Stas and Masha, an ordinary Russian couple who have taken on the extraordinary task of adopting six children from troubled backgrounds. The children have become the couple’s world and each has a particular place in their heart. It’s summer time and the family is at their dacha, where all the children get stuck into cleaning up the garden so they can put up the paddling pool.  

Over the past six years, some 120,000 bodies of missing WWII soldiers were recovered by Russian volunteers dedicated to bringing the lost fighters home. These groups of enthusiasts operate on land, and also at sea, looking for the wrecks of ships and submarines, to honour the crews’ memory. The RTD documentary Finding the Fallen tells the story of their work.

Aleksey has been a lion fan his entire life. So when an opportunity presented itself, he relocated to South Africa and sold his Moscow apartment to rescue 8 lions about to be put down. But now he is fighting another battle: in an attempt to put a stop to canned hunting — chasing lions in enclosures — the South African authorities threaten to close all farms, killing lions in the process. So Aleksey has to come up with a plan to save his pets for the second time. Will he be able to do it?

Oleg Suprun was in charge of the town hospital in Donbass when it was seized by Ukrainian nationalists in 2014. The man was struck by their level of cruelty. Eventually, Oleg discovered that Ukrainian troops used potent psychotropic drugs. ‘More than once, I saw syringes in their pockets with butorphanol’, Oleg recalls. These drugs are believed to suppress the fear of death and greatly increase endurance, but at what cost?

The biotech giants are promising cutting-edge traits in GMO seeds and weed killing chemicals, to feed the hungry and bring farmers bigger harvests of pest-resistant crops. From India to the UK and across the Atlantic, people question the safety of GMOs to both the environment and human health. RTD looks at the hidden dangers of the GM industry and agricultural chemicals.

The history of Donbass is deeply linked to World War II; the intense battles fought there and the heroism shown by the people continue to shape the region's identity and resilience to this day. Today, in the same locales where Donbass defenders fought against Hitler, their descendants continue the legacy, fighting against Ukrainian nationalists. Explore the chronicles of WWII's heaviest battles and delve into the stories of Donbass heroes, both from the past and the present.

As most services transferred online, scammers did the same. So now thieves don’t have to risk breaking into people’s houses. Instead, they can steal from the comfort of their own homes. In 2021, the damage inflicted by phone fraud in the US was estimated at almost $30 billion. But not everyone falls victim to the scammers. Some bloggers deliberately talk to scammers, record conversations, and ultimately expose them. So how does this business work on both sides?

On 19 May 2021, the Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed one of the strictest and most scandalous abortion laws in the US, the Heartbeat Act. It prohibits abortion from the sixth week of pregnancy. Such a controversial decision sparked a wave of public unrest among pro-choicers supported by celebs like Uma Thurman and Lady Gaga. However, this outrage was not unanimous. Some women have other points of view. So what do both sides have to say?

Scattered around the island on the Dnieper River, the 126th Guards Coastal Defence Brigade faces constant threats from drones and mortar attacks. Their primary mission is to patrol the river and thwart potential enemy attacks. Every step from the shore onto the boat could be their last. Witness firsthand the bravery of the fighters and the demanding daily tasks of artillerymen, scouts, snipers, and sappers.

What new habitat are we going to call home? As the world's population grows, architects are coming up with mind-boggling concepts, like urban city blocks floating on water, 300-meter deep "groundscapes" using geothermal energy, or soaring houses, perfect for seismic regions. What's even better is that most of the ideas just a few years from being implemented.

We meet Stas and Masha, an ordinary Russian couple who have taken on the extraordinary task of adopting six children from troubled backgrounds. The children have become the couple’s world and each has a particular place in their heart. It’s summer time and the family is at their dacha, where all the children get stuck into cleaning up the garden so they can put up the paddling pool.  

The people of Donbass have faced profound psychological traumas, and are now grappling with the torment of the aftermath. Psychologists from the People's Front arrived in Severodonetsk to help ease the process of recovery for them. Discover the techniques they use and find out whether overcoming PTSD is really possible.

After starting the special operation in Ukraine, every day saw new sanctions against Russia. Sanctions as an enforcement tool have been used on our country and others. Sanctions are imposed on a country’s economy when neither political pressure nor military intervention is likely to succeed. What is the plausible outcome of the current economic situation? What will the long term effect of sanctions have on the world economy?

Brick factories in Bangladesh are where modern-day slavery thrives. Men, women and children of all ages make bricks by hand, risking their health and lives. ‘They treat us like dogs,’ says one brickyard worker. With its 160 million population, Bangladesh is undergoing a rapid urbanisation programme and construction boom driving demand for cheap building materials. This is a rare glimpse into Bangladeshi brick production, with workers sharing how it feels to be a slave in the 21st century.

Natalya Kuznetsova is a Russian bodybuilder who could easily be mistaken for an Amazon woman. Known as ‘Amazonka’, she can bench press 175 kilograms and deadlift 240. Her stunning muscles have earned Natalya the nickname ‘Amazonka’, as well as internet fame. She has half a million followers who enjoy checking out her selfies and intense training sessions on Instagram. Natalya is considered Russia’s heaviest female bodybuilder, and some refuse to believe she’s a woman when they see her. The powerlifting champion pays no attention to derogatory comments, however, and says everyone should follow suit and do what they’re good at.

More than 4,000 people with haemophilia in the UK have contracted HIV or hepatitis C, and in some cases both, from contaminated blood products imported from the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Patients who already lived with a rare and severe disorder received the infected drug derived from blood donations of up to 40,000 people, including prisoners and drug users. Only decades later, after hundreds had died as a direct result of contamination, were victims and their families given a chance to find the truth behind the contaminated blood scandal. In April 2019, a Public Inquiry opened, hearing victim testimonies around the country. RTD travels to the UK to hear from infected blood victims and campaigners seeking answers and desperate to know why, and how, the tragedy was allowed to happen.

Arseny had been a sports enthusiast for years when he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. Determined to hold on to his passion, he turns to a Zen surfing instructor in Bali for help, both spiritual and physical. He hopes learning to catch a wave will give him back the sense of freedom he always got from sport. Arseny’s persistence and surprising results even inspired his surfing teacher to work on overcoming fears in pursuit of his own dreams.

Over the years, Tatyana and Artyom Falin fostered 30 children. These kids came from dysfunctional families, children’s homes and even straight from the streets. For every one of them, the Falin family found food and shelter and the right words to heal their traumas. All children came to love Tatyana and Arten as their parents and even wanted to return to them. So what’s it like to be foster parents to 30 kids?

Oleg Suprun was in charge of the town hospital in Donbass when it was seized by Ukrainian nationalists in 2014. The man was struck by their level of cruelty. Eventually, Oleg discovered that Ukrainian troops used potent psychotropic drugs. ‘More than once, I saw syringes in their pockets with butorphanol’, Oleg recalls. These drugs are believed to suppress the fear of death and greatly increase endurance, but at what cost?

Over the past six years, some 120,000 bodies of missing WWII soldiers were recovered by Russian volunteers dedicated to bringing the lost fighters home. These groups of enthusiasts operate on land, and also at sea, looking for the wrecks of ships and submarines, to honour the crews’ memory. The RTD documentary Finding the Fallen tells the story of their work.

Aleksey has been a lion fan his entire life. So when an opportunity presented itself, he relocated to South Africa and sold his Moscow apartment to rescue 8 lions about to be put down. But now he is fighting another battle: in an attempt to put a stop to canned hunting — chasing lions in enclosures — the South African authorities threaten to close all farms, killing lions in the process. So Aleksey has to come up with a plan to save his pets for the second time. Will he be able to do it?

The biotech giants are promising cutting-edge traits in GMO seeds and weed killing chemicals, to feed the hungry and bring farmers bigger harvests of pest-resistant crops. From India to the UK and across the Atlantic, people question the safety of GMOs to both the environment and human health. RTD looks at the hidden dangers of the GM industry and agricultural chemicals.

Scattered around the island on the Dnieper River, the 126th Guards Coastal Defence Brigade faces constant threats from drones and mortar attacks. Their primary mission is to patrol the river and thwart potential enemy attacks. Every step from the shore onto the boat could be their last. Witness firsthand the bravery of the fighters and the demanding daily tasks of artillerymen, scouts, snipers, and sappers.

What new habitat are we going to call home? As the world's population grows, architects are coming up with mind-boggling concepts, like urban city blocks floating on water, 300-meter deep "groundscapes" using geothermal energy, or soaring houses, perfect for seismic regions. What's even better is that most of the ideas just a few years from being implemented.

We meet Stas and Masha, an ordinary Russian couple who have taken on the extraordinary task of adopting six children from troubled backgrounds. The children have become the couple’s world and each has a particular place in their heart. It’s summer time and the family is at their dacha, where all the children get stuck into cleaning up the garden so they can put up the paddling pool.  

As most services transferred online, scammers did the same. So now thieves don’t have to risk breaking into people’s houses. Instead, they can steal from the comfort of their own homes. In 2021, the damage inflicted by phone fraud in the US was estimated at almost $30 billion. But not everyone falls victim to the scammers. Some bloggers deliberately talk to scammers, record conversations, and ultimately expose them. So how does this business work on both sides?

After starting the special operation in Ukraine, every day saw new sanctions against Russia. Sanctions as an enforcement tool have been used on our country and others. Sanctions are imposed on a country’s economy when neither political pressure nor military intervention is likely to succeed. What is the plausible outcome of the current economic situation? What will the long term effect of sanctions have on the world economy?

Brick factories in Bangladesh are where modern-day slavery thrives. Men, women and children of all ages make bricks by hand, risking their health and lives. ‘They treat us like dogs,’ says one brickyard worker. With its 160 million population, Bangladesh is undergoing a rapid urbanisation programme and construction boom driving demand for cheap building materials. This is a rare glimpse into Bangladeshi brick production, with workers sharing how it feels to be a slave in the 21st century.

Natalya Kuznetsova is a Russian bodybuilder who could easily be mistaken for an Amazon woman. Known as ‘Amazonka’, she can bench press 175 kilograms and deadlift 240. Her stunning muscles have earned Natalya the nickname ‘Amazonka’, as well as internet fame. She has half a million followers who enjoy checking out her selfies and intense training sessions on Instagram. Natalya is considered Russia’s heaviest female bodybuilder, and some refuse to believe she’s a woman when they see her. The powerlifting champion pays no attention to derogatory comments, however, and says everyone should follow suit and do what they’re good at.