Girls in Mauritania are force-fed to be bigger. Why so?

The reason is due to the country’s unique beauty standards. Here, a female endowed with fuller curves is seen as a sign of health. The girls are being fattened from the age of four as putting on weight is a sure way to find good husbands. ‘The Mauritanian men prefer medium-sized women. If they see a thin woman they think she’s sick,’ explains Tvage Ahmed Salem, a local.

September 28 is Freedom from Hunger Day which is held annually to increase awareness about global hunger. While in some states people don’t have enough food to feed their families, Mauritanians honor leblouh, the tradition of force-feeding. Find out more in our documentary Fed to Wed.

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‘I was fired [by Ukrainian management of Zaporozhye nuclear plant] for participating in the May 9 parade.’

Vlad Lavrik worked at the plant for 20 years. His case is not the only one. ‘About eight people were fired for participating in the May 9 parade,’ the man says.

The Ukrainian troops regularly shell not only the station, but also Energodar city. Vlad does not understand how the Ukrainian military dare to bomb the nuclear power plant. If it’s hit, it can lead to disaster. ‘If they keep directly hitting the unit and damage the reactor, then the worst can happen,’ Vlad says.

Vlad told his story to our film crew, who worked in Donbass on a new film. Follow the posts, don’t miss the premiere.

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Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to 3 more years in prison

The leader was charged for violating the country’s Official State Secrets Act. Suu Kyi, 77, had already been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sedition, election fraud and corruption. Now she faces a total prison term of 23 years. Suu Kyi denies all of the accusations against her.

The woman is still being tried on seven counts under the country’s anti-corruption law. The trials are being held in a purpose-built prison courtroom and closed to the media and the public.

Suu Kyi is a controversial political figure. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and considered an 'icon of democracy.' On the other hand, she is also called an accomplice to genocide when, under her rule, Myanmar troops conducted a brutal campaign against the Rohingya villagers. So who is she? Watch our video and decide for yourself.

We devoted an entire documentary to Rohingya Genocide survivors. They recollect the tragic events and speak of the conflict the Myanmar military unleashed on the hatred to the Muslim ethnic minority. Watch Rohingya: Unpeopled.

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Arctic Prospects

Did you know that part of the filming of Titanic took place on the Russian research vessel ‘Academician Keldysh’? Its ‘Mir’ deep-sea submersibles were used for underwater documentary filming.

Young scientists from all over the country dream of working on this vessel. ‘’Keldysh’ is famous for having done a huge amount of work, both scientific and commercial’, says the ship’s captain Yuri Gorbach. Scientists on ‘Academician Keldysh’ study permafrost, ecological state of waters and bottom remains in the Arctic seas.

On World Maritime Day, watch the film Arctic Prospects (2016), about how scientists work on the legendary research vessel.

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A British airline has allowed male and female flight crew to wear the type of clothing they feel most natural with.

Previously, Virgin Atlantic had decided to makeup and tattoos permissible, but now they have pushed the envelope even further, allowing men to dress like women, and vice-versa. Airline representatives believe the move will help its employees to identify themselves correctly. But won’t passengers get confused?

In their commercial to promote the plan, Virgin used non-binary models and famous LGBT activists.

However, the social networks users have already condemned the idea; some promised to never fly with the airline again. One user wrote: ‘This is outrageous, shame.’ Another doubted the service quality: ‘Men in skirts and heels: no, thank you. Doesn’t inspire confidence that the team is focused on passengers and their safety.’ Another added: ‘It’s an airline, not a drag show.’

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⌛️Over the past eight years, the war in the Donbass has become a terrible routine. In Donetsk, the largest city in the region, everyone knows very well how to act after another shelling by the Ukrainian side. For children born after 2014, war is an integral part of life. They draw tanks in class. A school bus may come under targeted fire at any moment.

For eight years, the Donbass has been pleading for help. Today it will become part of Russia. The new Russian regions will feel the support and protection of a huge country. Agreements on the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions joining Russia are to be signed in Moscow.

In the Donbass, the citizens hope that the time of fear is over. We have made a series of documentaries about the years of Ukrainian terror in the Donbass, which, undoubtedly, no one will forget.

▪️ Donbass War: Summer 2014 (2022)

This is a documentary about how it all began. In 2014, the Donbass, a large industrial region, did not accept a coup in Kiev. In response, the Kiev authorities attacked Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The shelling of peaceful towns and villages began.

▪️ Lugansk: Road to Independence 2022-2014 (2022)

The stories of the residents of Lugansk, whom Ukraine began shelling back in 2014. In this documentary you’ll see the first wedding in the LPR. The bride, Julia, collected her bouquet in a basement. It was the safest place in the city. During the wedding photo shoot, the guests had to run away and hide from the Ukrainian shelling. The wedding photos show the bride and groom surrounded by volunteers with machine guns.

▪️ Donbass. Yesterday, today, tomorrow (2021)

Terrible footage of war crimes committed by the Ukrainian regime. The bodies of 36 civilians were removed from a mass grave near the Lugansk village of Verkhneshevyrevka. Many with severed heads. All of them died at the hands of their Ukrainian captors in the summer of 2014.

▪️ Ukraine: Heading East (2022)

You will not wish even on your worst enemy to live through the terror the people of the Donbass have experienced. At any moment, your house can be destroyed, and your relatives can be killed. The film is about how people abandoned everything and fled to Russia seeking peace and security.

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❗️A historical moment. Vladimir Putin signed treaties with the heads of the DPR, LPR, and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to become parts of Russia.

‘People have made their choice - an unambiguous choice. This is the will of millions of people,’ the president said. He claimed that Russia would not betray them: ‘We will defend our land by all means.’ Vladimir Putin promised to rebuild all the destroyed cities and towns, to develop enterprises and infrastructure.

Putin addressed the mothers and families of soldiers in Donbass: ‘Our compatriots in Ukraine have seen with their own eyes what the ruling circles of the so-called West are preparing for all mankind. Foreign countries want to see Russia not as free, but as a mob of soulless slaves. ‘We will protect our values and our homeland from the West,’ Putin promised.

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‘Never, ever! After this, to make peace or return to Ukraine – never!’ says Nina Regina, a resident of the village of Donetskoe, LPR. Her house was completely destroyed after shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For this reason, Nina can no longer imagine life under the Ukrainian flag.

For 8 years, the Ukrainian army and nationalists have been destroying Donbass. They showed no mercy for the old generation, nor women and children. ‘Why? What wrong did we do? That we wanted to speak our Russian language?’ ask the civilians.

Over the long years of bombing, people have not lost hope of seeing peaceful skies again. Today, the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions have become part of Russia. The lives of these people will change - now they will be protected. Our video explains why the people have been waiting for this moment so much.

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Bearing a Lode

‘Gold miners, leave our land! They get rich at the expense of our resources, and what do we get? Nothing! All they leave is polluted water!’

Pedro Fernandez, resident of El Canto, Mexico, is seriously concerned about his homeland. He says it’s in danger because of the Canadian company Almaden Minerals, which acquired a large chunk of local land.

Mexico is the world leader in silver production and one of the largest producers of gold. That’s what attracted the company. But locals say Canada's gold-miners treat them and their land irreverently. Farmers complain that their activities pollute water, spoil the soil and kill the animals.

On the other side of the barricades are pro-mine villagers. They say their community has benefitted from the project, as the company has provided jobs, healthcare and schools.

What will tip the scales? Watch the film Bearing a Lode and hear the arguments of both sides. What do you think of the situation?

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The Mogao Caves, which carry ancient frescoes on the walls and statues of Buddha, are one of the oldest Buddhist monuments.

The first cave was carved directly into the rock in the fourth century by a Buddhist monk. After another thousand years, there were so many caves that Mogao has become the largest temple complex. Nearby was the Great Silk Road - the main trade route of the East. Pilgrims from all over the country used it to visit the shrine.

Discover more about this sacred place in our video and the film Language of the Silk Road.

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This Egyptian woman pretended to be a man for 40 years to raise her daughter.

Sisa Abu Daooh was 20 when her husband died. Pregnant, with no source of income, she refused to remarry. There were no job opportunities for an illiterate widow, so she decided to become a man herself. Sisa dressed, walked and learned to talk like a man. She needed to provide for her child.

The woman was ready to take any manual work. When we filmed her in 2015, she was in her 60s, ran a small kiosk in Luxor and worked as a shoe shiner.

On the International Day of Older Persons, we want to show you Sisa’s unique story. Watch our documentary The Untamed Shrew about a selfless Egyptian who sacrificed everything for her child.

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