#IAMCARTOONIST: The dangers of being a cartoonist in the Middle East

Paracale in the Philippines’ is also known as “Goldtown”. RTD visits its illegal goldmines where child labour is rife and health and safety virtually non-existent. To extract gold, miners dive into a mud-filled shaft, sometimes never to come back. 

Russia’s Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Arctic is the first to produce a new type of oil, known as ARCO. Almost 200 people work around the clock to ensure the production flow never stops. Explore life on an Arctic oil rig with RT Doc.

These ladies put on bright bouffant skirts and arrange their long hair in neat plaits. Then they go into the ring and beat the hell out of each other! Meet the Bolivian fighting cholitas, the female wrestlers of lucha libre, a free fight that marries a choreographed show with a full-on punching match.

This is not a battlefield and they are not at war. But these are boys that wish to become men. To achieve this, they have to go through difficult challenges that will put their abilities and determination to the test. Their goal is to earn the right to wear the symbol of the Russian Special Forces – the crimson beret.

Meet China’s 'makers': inventors, engineers and visionaries whose innovations have the potential to shape the future of their country and the whole world. They let their imaginations fly and have fun with their creativity, making the process of building a business seem easy. 

In Israel, where serving in the army is compulsory, there is a special military unit whose sole task is to inform relatives when a soldier is killed in action. RT Doc meets some of the officers who knock on doors to deliver the most devastating news any parent can hear. They have come to be known as, Angels of Death.

Russia’s Air Force can boast some of the best fighter jets and pilots in the world. What does it take to be a Top Gun? Russia’s elite fighter pilots discuss falling in love with aviation and showcase their aerobatic, targeting and reconnaissance skills.

At the end of the earth, there’s a lonely weather station on the shores of the freezing Barents Sea. It is staffed by three people, each working a year-long work shift.  They are waiting for a ship – their only connection to the mainland. Until it comes, they must try and stay sane. 

Sara is Afghanistan’s first and only woman taxi driver. Some people admire her, others condemn and a few even threaten but she doesn't care about what people think. This strong-willed woman is used to having no one to rely on but herself.

The reindeer herders of the Yamal tundra live in rawhide tents like their ancestors did hundreds of years ago and have hardly any contact with the outside world. However, when they urgently need medical treatment, they must rely on air rescue helicopters for their very survival.

She’s not afraid of the elements, and not discouraged by men who think she doesn't belong.This is the story of a girl who threw herself into a tough-man’s job, as the captain of a riverboat.

Take a step into the circus ring with RTD to meet the famous animal training Zapashny brothers and some of their new arrivals. Knowing how to handle a potentially deadly beast is a secret that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

Every year, the shepherds of Dagestan take their flocks to cool, distant mountain medows so that the sheep may graze; RTDoc gives you a look at these hearty men and their families, as well as the sheep, the dogs, the clothes and  the food.