Bakaramoko Diallo’s family barely have enough money for food. They live in a poor quarter of Mali’s capital, Bamako. ‘Food prices have gone way up. Our wives constantly complain. There are difficult times ahead, and we need to be prepared,’ says the man.

And this is the situation in many African countries. Russia used to be the world’s biggest supplier of grain and fertilizers, but due to Western sanctions, exports have fallen. This has led to higher prices and food shortages.

How can the problem be solved? Watch our video and the new film Breaking Bread to find out.

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As we promised, post a film about Kondo Akihiko, a Japanese who officially married a fictional character.

Akihiko, 38, fell in love with Miku, a computer-generated hologram and an idol in Japan in 2008. Almost ten years later, a device for communicating with virtual characters appeared on the market. Akihiko bought it for $2,700 and got married on Miku. ‘Thanks to science, we can now finds a virtual soul mate.’

At home the man has several versions of Miku — in the form of a hologram and several dolls of various sizes. He eats with Miku, dresses her, talks to her. And he isn’t the one – there’re nearly 4,000 men in Japan, married on their favourite characters from anime or computer games.

See the story of Akihiko and his virtual wife in the film I Married a Hologram.

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Our film America’s Water Crisis is about residents of Michigan, USA who fall ill because of poor quality of water.

In 2014, the authorities switched to a supplier of cheap water that took it from the local river. But soon, people began to complain about the colour, taste and smell of the tap water. Their complaints were ignored. When the city did admit that the water was unsafe, thousands of people had already been exposed to lead poisoning, carcinogens and dangerous infections.

The authorities say they took the necessary measures and claim the local water is now safe to drink, but the residents disagree. Victims are angry that no one has ever been prosecuted for causing the water crisis and the health problems they’ve suffered.

By the way, on September 18 the world marks World Water Monitoring Day. The date was adopted by Water Environment Federation in July 2006 to raise public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources. So, watch our documentary to know more about the problem and the case in Michigan.

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There are now about 50 million slaves in the world. In the last six years the number has increased by almost 10 million. People are either forced into marriage or forced to work.

The UN says slavery exists in all countries, even in Europe, but it is most prevalent in Africa and Asia.

In Bangladesh, brick factory workers have no rights, are beaten with sticks, and not paid overtime. The red dust that is given off in brick production is unhealthy, but for these people it is their only source of income.

If you want to know more about the plight of workers in Bangladesh, watch our video and film Brick Slaves.

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Chermen used to be one of the most skilled and active poachers in North Ossetia. But one day he completely changed his occupation - became an inspector in a nature reserve and started to protect bisons. Now, in his 70s, he is still devoted to the matter.

The Russian Caucasus is home to huge pristine forests, but this treasure faces all kinds of threats. When the bison became extinct, it upset the habitat’s natural balance, making it more vulnerable to fire. Now, rangers like Chermen are fighting to keep these noble beasts in the wild.

On Forest Workers Day, find out more about the man’s mission in our video. This footage is from our documentary Forest under Attack - about threats the Russian forests face.

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True Love

Doctors said that Grigory Prutov would not live to be five years old. He is disabled, he has spinal muscular atrophy (a disease in which muscles do not grow).

But Grigory is in his 30s, married, and has a healthy son growing up. Recently Grigoriy and his wife Anna Stelmakhovich celebrated 9 years of marriage.

They met online: he is from Russia, she from Kazakhstan. The man sent Anna a full-length photo of himself, but this did not embarrass the girl. After the first date, Grigory proposed.

Watch our film True Love (2013) about true feelings.

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Operation Ukraine: Crime without Punishment

For the past eight years, Maksim Grigoryev has been collecting evidence of Kiev’s crimes. His archive contains hundreds of hours of video of massacres and rapes. He meets victims who have suffered torture at the hands of the Ukrainian military.

Western organisations have seen this evidence more than once, but ignores it. ‘They don’t just know it all, they manage it all,’ says Maksim.

The National Battalions do not count the people of Donbass as human beings. ‘They immediately came to kill, they came to rob,’ says Aleksey Anpilogov, president of the 'Osnovanie' Foundation for Historical Research.

See the first part of the new series Operation Ukraine: Crime without Punishment about the mass crimes of Kiev against civilians.

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Currently, Moldova is witnessing thousands of rallies. Residents of the Eastern European country are protesting against a record rise in gas prices and food, compounded by a sharp drop in living standards.

Already at least a third of the able-bodied population of Moldova has left for other countries. For example, like Mikhail and Valentina Yasybash. Together with their four children they are leaving for Russia for good. Surviving in Moldova is incredibly difficult at the moment. Prices are rising all the time, gas is getting more expensive. To make matters worse, this winter half the country could freeze to death.

Check out Yasybash family's story in our clip.

Mikhail and Valentina are the subjects of our film Moldova’s Survival Games. If you missed the documentary, watch it here.

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Have you heard of kodokushi? In Japan, it is the name for the elderly who die alone. Sometimes their bodies are found by neighbors only several months after death.

Pensioners’ loneliness is a burning issue in the country. Their children rarely take care of them. To communicate, elderly Japanese go to cafes, for example, Isao Takahashi’s. 'It’s boring living alone, so they come to talk', — the man says. He knows all the habits of his customers and worries about every one of them.

Watch our video and the film Dying Alone (2019) about lonely old people. We post them on Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. Since 1965, this holiday has become a national one.

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'We were fired on by the Ukrainian Army. The school was reduced to a pile of rubble.' Two killed, 12 wounded — a terrible result of the Ukrainian military strike. They shelled Donetsk School No. 22 in May of this year. The teachers are sure that the nationalists knew where they were hitting. 'It’s impossible to forget, or forgive.' says teacher Irina Yakhina.

There have been many such crimes by Kiev against Donbass civilians over the past eight years. The West does not want to pay attention to them, it supports the Ukrainian military and national battalions. 'All HIMARS missile system strikes, all targets, are pre-checked by the Americans,' says Maksim Grigoryev, Director of Foundation for the study of Democracy.

Check out the video and share it. If you missed the first episode of our new series Operation Ukraine watch it here.

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China on a Plate

Pork stomachs, beef intestines, chicken paws with claws, fried larvae. Sounds disgusting, doesn't it? Well, not for the Chinese. It's a real delicacy for them.

In our film China on a Plate, travelers taste local cuisine. Sometimes they don't even understand what kind of food is on the plate. For example, a dessert with a surprise: the smell is such that the eyes water. The cake is made with durian.

But Chinese food is popular all over the world. For example, less exotic dishes, such as fried rice mixed with meat, seafood or vegetables. This is not just an ingredient of your favorite dishes. For half of the inhabitants of the planet, this cereal is practically the only food. By the way, in 2004, the UN declared September 20 as Rice Day. On this day, we're posting the film China on a Plate (2019) about the cuisine of the country where the most rice is grown in the world.

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Carpet of plastic waste covers beaches in Honduras

The footage shows tons of plastic debris that has covered the Bay of Omoa coast, situated 200 kilometers north of the capital.

'This contamination is massive because every time the Motagua River fills up, the waste is unstoppable. If the Motagua fills up in the month the waste comes down, nobody can stop it,' a local said.

The plastic debris floats down the Motagua River from neighbouring Guatemala, causing tension between the two countries.

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Forest Under Attack

Many of you voted for posting our film Forest Under Attack. So, we did!

The RT Documentary film explores the problems that humanity will face if the destruction of forests does not stop. Contraband forest exports, wildfires for slash-and-burn agriculture, burning grass and wood chips, illegal logging — these are a few activities that threaten the well-being of the forest. 'It's just a habit to treat the forest like a log deposit.' This is how experts describe the reason for the barbaric attitude to forests.

You will see footage of what remains after forest fires, the cause of which is often a person. You will also visit the North Ossetian Nature Reserve with film crew, where an ancient animal, the bison, is disappearing along with the forest.

Do you care about the forest?

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Russia To Begin Partial Mobilization — Putin

During a national address on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The Armed Forces will draw on military reservists, as well as those who have completed national service, the Russian leader said. He promised that they will be provided with additional training along with all the benefits due to those involved in active duty.

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Seal Empire Under Threat

Seals and sea lions on Sakhalin are dying because of plastic waste. Volunteers come to help the animals. They catch the seals with large nets, use sleeping pills and rescue the animals from the deadly plastic traps.

To reduce the number of seals and sea lions falling into the dangerous trap, volunteers collect garbage on the coast. 'The most typical risk and the most common type of the garbage is this kind of plastic tape,' says Anna Goleva, volunteer of a public organization rescuing marine animals.

The RT Documentary film crew visited Sakhalin and filmed the documentary Seal Empire Under Threat about volunteers saving seals.

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