Schedule

Harry Fear is in Gaza, where he reports on protests in the West Bank against Israeli violence. In Ukraine, Roman Kosarev attends a press-conference with a rebel commander to learn more about the BUK missile system blamed for the Boeing 777 tragedy.

More than 400 applicants are competing for just eight places in a cosmonaut recruitment campaign by Roscosmos. The Russian space agency is looking for future crews to take new-generation spaceships to the moon. Civilians Irina, Konstantin and Andrey are among the hopefuls going through a rigorous selection process, that includes thorough medical checks and intense interviews. For almost two years, RTD follows the contenders to see how hard they are willing to work and which ends up with their dream job.

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.

Water shortages, movement restrictions, and the constant presence of the Israeli military – this is what life looks like for millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. With no end in sight to the decades-long conflict, protests and clashes continue. RTD travels to the occupied territories to meet people of the Palestinian resistance, from members of the Tamimi family to activists expressing their anger and pain through art.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

In peaceful Nepal a sinister black market is flourishing. Kavre province has become infamous for the shocking numbers of people who have sold a kidney. Poverty and lack of education about the potential impact on health mean villagers are easy prey for unscrupulous dealers. Tricked into undergoing risky surgery and paid a pittance, donors are often left with debilitating consequences.

Russian paratroopers aren’t called the “winged infantry” for nothing – their forte is surprising the enemy from above. Anna and Pavel join the servicemen at an airborne training complex for pre-jump training and to learn parachuting safety skills. 

Billy, Rene, and Walt were born and raised as men, but they felt uncomfortable with their birth sex. After years of confusion, they each underwent surgery to change into what they thought were their true selves. However, sex change brought no relief to what they had believed was gender dysphoria. While Billy and Walt decided to go back to being men, Rene remained a transsexual woman. I Want My Sex Back! tells their stories of change and disappointment. 

Harry Fear is in Gaza, where he reports on protests in the West Bank against Israeli violence. In Ukraine, Roman Kosarev attends a press-conference with a rebel commander to learn more about the BUK missile system blamed for the Boeing 777 tragedy.

Mahmoud is an elementary school music teacher, Marei a bank software engineer. Both share the same dangerous pastime – defusing hidden explosives in their home town, Benghazi. ISIS left many Libyan cities littered with mines, bombs, and other improvised explosive devices. In Mine Country on RTD, these heroes risk life and limb to make the city safe for the children again.

In the shadow of an active volcano, crushing poverty, and sporadic wars, Charlie Makongo founded a cycling club in the Congolese city of Goma to give its youth a beacon of hope. Concentrating on training distracts the boys from their harsh everyday lives and keeps them from joining armed groups. But a menacing cloud hangs over the project: Nyiragono is due for another eruption. 

The Great Silk Road once connected China with the Mediterranean, joining East and West. The Chinese government is now reviving the trade route with its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Join us as we see how ancient trading centres, including X’ian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and QorGhas, are evolving into high-tech metropolises.

The creative vision of one man transformed a community of farmers into a centre of modern art. Russian artist Nikolay Polissky turned his village into an artistic colony, where residents are the co-authors of his monumental nature-inspired sculptures. Twice a year, the village holds the largest Land-Art festival in Russia - Archstoyanie.

Some call it, “The Mine”, to others, it’s “the beast”, an infamous rubbish dump in Guatemala City, Central America’s biggest capital. For thousands of poor people it provides a livelihood. Raw sewage flows through the massive landfill and twice a year, floods cause deadly landslides.

2,100 kilometres across Kamchatka’s vast, snowy wilderness in a month! It’s the annual Beringia dog sled race that pits 15 teams against each other on grueling terrain in subzero temperatures and ferocious winds. The mushers and dogs are nevertheless ready to face off and fight for a prize of nearly $50,000. Ready, steady, mush mush!

Thousands of indigenous Brazilians live in remote villages scattered along the Amazon River with no access to modern medical care. Government support is scarce. But now, one of the country’s top neurosurgeons, Erik Jennings, has taken it upon himself to fill this gap. His family has lived on the Amazon for generations, and he pays ‘house calls’ to these isolated tribes out of a sense of affinity with the native peoples that live in the rainforests along the river.

It's said that Shamans are conduits between the spirit world and our own. Shamans can heal, protect from evil and advise on important decisions. They work through rituals, offerings, animal sacrifice and a trance. No one can decide to become a shaman; they must be chosen by ancestors.

An RTD crew visits the Republic of Buryatia in Siberia, where shamanism is undergoing a revival with a growing number of shamans. Exclusive access is granted to an initiation rite for a would-be shaman, as locals explain the meaning of a trance and communication with the spirits. We also learn of how the shamans' lives have changed since consecration.

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.

Café Sheroes, in the Indian city of Agra, is more than just a tea shop: it’s a place that brings acid attack victims together, helping young women start new lives after their faces have been ruined maliciously, often by unsuccessful suitors.

Russian paratroopers aren’t called the “winged infantry” for nothing – their forte is surprising the enemy from above. Anna and Pavel join the servicemen at an airborne training complex for pre-jump training and to learn parachuting safety skills. 

Water shortages, movement restrictions, and the constant presence of the Israeli military – this is what life looks like for millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. With no end in sight to the decades-long conflict, protests and clashes continue. RTD travels to the occupied territories to meet people of the Palestinian resistance, from members of the Tamimi family to activists expressing their anger and pain through art.

Harry Fear is in Gaza, where he reports on protests in the West Bank against Israeli violence. In Ukraine, Roman Kosarev attends a press-conference with a rebel commander to learn more about the BUK missile system blamed for the Boeing 777 tragedy.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

In peaceful Nepal a sinister black market is flourishing. Kavre province has become infamous for the shocking numbers of people who have sold a kidney. Poverty and lack of education about the potential impact on health mean villagers are easy prey for unscrupulous dealers. Tricked into undergoing risky surgery and paid a pittance, donors are often left with debilitating consequences.

Around 2 million refugees have entered Europe since 2015. One of the countries was the Netherlands. Boasting a liberal culture, Dutch society presented the newcomers with an environment strikingly different from what they were used to. However, despite the challenges, Holland seems to be making the integration work. We travel there to find out how the refugees are adapting to their new realities and who is helping them.

Billy, Rene, and Walt were born and raised as men, but they felt uncomfortable with their birth sex. After years of confusion, they each underwent surgery to change into what they thought were their true selves. However, sex change brought no relief to what they had believed was gender dysphoria. While Billy and Walt decided to go back to being men, Rene remained a transsexual woman. I Want My Sex Back! tells their stories of change and disappointment. 

Mahmoud is an elementary school music teacher, Marei a bank software engineer. Both share the same dangerous pastime – defusing hidden explosives in their home town, Benghazi. ISIS left many Libyan cities littered with mines, bombs, and other improvised explosive devices. In Mine Country on RTD, these heroes risk life and limb to make the city safe for the children again.

Like most students in rural Nepal, Durge Kami is a diligent pupil who tries to listen to his teachers.  He differs from his school mates in just one respect, he is 69! At such a ripe old age, he was determined to realise his life’s ambition to complete his education. Not everyone supported him at first but by doing what he loves he’s become an inspiration for kids and adults alike.

It's said that Shamans are conduits between the spirit world and our own. Shamans can heal, protect from evil and advise on important decisions. They work through rituals, offerings, animal sacrifice and a trance. No one can decide to become a shaman; they must be chosen by ancestors.

An RTD crew visits the Republic of Buryatia in Siberia, where shamanism is undergoing a revival with a growing number of shamans. Exclusive access is granted to an initiation rite for a would-be shaman, as locals explain the meaning of a trance and communication with the spirits. We also learn of how the shamans' lives have changed since consecration.

In the shadow of an active volcano, crushing poverty, and sporadic wars, Charlie Makongo founded a cycling club in the Congolese city of Goma to give its youth a beacon of hope. Concentrating on training distracts the boys from their harsh everyday lives and keeps them from joining armed groups. But a menacing cloud hangs over the project: Nyiragono is due for another eruption. 

The Great Silk Road once connected China with the Mediterranean, joining East and West. The Chinese government is now reviving the trade route with its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Join us as we see how ancient trading centres, including X’ian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and QorGhas, are evolving into high-tech metropolises.

Sweden has a long history of welcoming refugees from military conflicts all around the world. The current refugee crisis is no exception. However, its scale is unprecedented and the country is still dealing with previous migration issues. Many are now asking if it’s all too much, even for Swedish hospitality.

Russian paratroopers aren’t called the “winged infantry” for nothing – their forte is surprising the enemy from above. Anna and Pavel join the servicemen at an airborne training complex for pre-jump training and to learn parachuting safety skills. 

The creative vision of one man transformed a community of farmers into a centre of modern art. Russian artist Nikolay Polissky turned his village into an artistic colony, where residents are the co-authors of his monumental nature-inspired sculptures. Twice a year, the village holds the largest Land-Art festival in Russia - Archstoyanie.

Harry Fear is in Gaza, where he reports on protests in the West Bank against Israeli violence. In Ukraine, Roman Kosarev attends a press-conference with a rebel commander to learn more about the BUK missile system blamed for the Boeing 777 tragedy.

Café Sheroes, in the Indian city of Agra, is more than just a tea shop: it’s a place that brings acid attack victims together, helping young women start new lives after their faces have been ruined maliciously, often by unsuccessful suitors.

Some call it, “The Mine”, to others, it’s “the beast”, an infamous rubbish dump in Guatemala City, Central America’s biggest capital. For thousands of poor people it provides a livelihood. Raw sewage flows through the massive landfill and twice a year, floods cause deadly landslides.

A cartoonist’s vocation is to draw attention to what’s wrong in society, at least as he sees it! What happens though, if the most important issues are taboo and any kind of public criticism might cost him his life?

Colombia has been in a state of civil war for over half a century. The biggest and most influential of the rebel groups that oppose the government is the FARC-EP. Since 2012, it’s been in peace talks with the government. We met with the rebels (almost half of whom are women) to find out why they joined the fight and what their hopes are for the long-awaited peace.