'We knew we were living on a time bomb.' Juana still can't remember the day her parents died without feeling tremendous fear. Six years ago, they were selling fireworks at the pyrotechnics market in Mexico's Tultepec. Suddenly there was a powerful explosion, which triggered a fire that totally gutted the place, leaving 42 people dead.

But deadly accidents do not stop the residents of the city from their work. For them, the production of pyrotechnics, which is still done by hand, is their main job and favourite pastime.

On January 3, Russia celebrates Day of Sparkles and Garland Lights. On that day we want to remind you that pyrotechnics can be dangerous (observe safety precautions when using).

See what careless handling of fireworks leads to in our video and film Mexican Boom Town (2018).

#Mexico

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‘The louder the gunfire [in Donetsk], the more people we had [in the art school]. It was amazing.’

Donbass residents have been coming to Alina Yurtakova’s art studio right under the shelling for the ninth year already. She opened the school in 2013. When Kiev attacked Donbass, Alina thought that nobody needed painting anymore. It turned out to be the opposite. Watch another episode of Alexandra Frank’s documentary series ‘Faces of Donbass’.

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Chinese man runs marathon while smoking cigarettes 🚬

The 50-year-old man, known as 'Uncle Chen', has an unusual habit. He likes to smoke while he runs. Once he even ran a 42-kilometer marathon while puffing on cigarettes. However, not everyone has been impressed by the Chinese man’s peculiar regimen. Some people accused him of harming the health of other competitors with secondhand smoke. Do you agree with the critics?

Another old man who lives in India also runs in an unusual way. Wishwanathan Jayaraman is able to run barefoot about 32 kilometers every day. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy.

‘The main reason for going barefoot was economical. Every 500 kilometers you are supposed to change your shoes. The normal shoes would cost you about 5,000 Indian rupees’, says Jayaraman.

To find out what else the Indian has refused, you can see in our documentary Gandhi's Footsteps.

#China

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🏥Dr Nayna Patel opened a surrogacy clinic in the Indian city of Ananda more than ten years ago. Childless couples from all over the world arrived there to become parents. However, others condemned the women who decided to make money from pregnancy. But for them, it was a way to break out of poverty.

Now this practice is widespread all over the world, but before this could only be dreamed of. On this day 38 years ago, the first surrogate girl was born in London. On this date watch our video and documentary Wombs for Rent (2015) about Indian women who have never seen their children.

#India

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⚽️Have you heard of Barra Brava? These are the most violent groups of football fans in Argentina. For them, a fight is a common thing, and they intentionally provoke fans of other teams.

Barra Brava attend football matches at the expense of their clubs, and also interfere in internal affairs. They demand a percentage from player sales, decide which players to buy or sell, and even appoint presidents of the clubs. Barra Brava are engaged in the racketeering of street sellers and owners of parking lots near stadiums during matches. The members deny any of this and say they just support their favorite team.

Despite such fans, football is still the main passion of the locals. For more on this story, watch our video and the episode More than a Game from our series Argentinian DNA (2019).

#Argentina #football

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Even at the front Oksana, codename ’Needle’, a ‘Vostok’ battalion paramedic, tries to look good. Wounded and shell-shocked fighters are brought to her field medical post. ‘I know people don’t have time for that, but all the same…’

Like many of her colleagues, ‘Needle’ wants the fighting to end soon. See the paramedic's story in this exerpt from our documentary Feminine Front.

#filmexerpt #Donbass

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❄️The temperature in Antarctica can drop to -89 °C, but there are people who are not afraid of these conditions. They consider the sixth continent as their home. These are scientists who conduct various studies: biological, geographical, geological and meteorological.

Watch our video to learn why scientists are so eager to go to the sixth continent. You will learn more about their lives in our film Antarctica. Terra Somniantes (2020).

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🐻Meet Bear Mansur! He's a social media star. He lives in an enclosure next to an airfield and is not afraid of the roar of aircraft engines. Here he has a den and even his own swimming pool. The bear loves swimming and playing with his friend, pilot Andrey Ivanov.

How did Mansur get to the airfield? Watch the video and find out more about the bear in our new film A Bear’s Tale.

#animals

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🎵Listen to the music of this DJ from Kenya. He made a record player out of cardboard boxes and old radio switches and knobs. Do you like it?

Esteban from Bolivia found another use for garbage. He makes robots out of electronic waste. Watch his story in our documentary Roboboy.

#Kenya #music

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January 6 is when the majority of Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Eve. Festive services will be carried out in numerous Russian churches. Moscow’s major landmark – St. Basil’s Cathedral - isn’t an exception.

Services are conducted here every week, though the sacred place acts as a museum as well. The cathedral’s history goes back more than four and a half centuries. It was named in honour of Basil the Blessed - a saint who chose a simple life, walked barefoot and abandoned his clothes even in the harshest cold. God granted Basil the gift of predicting and working miracles. The man wasn’t afraid to denounce people’s sins, and even Ivan the Terrible respected him.

Discover even more amusing facts about Moscow’s most beautiful symbol in St. Basil’s: an Icon of Russia.

#Russia

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After selling a kidney, Ghulam Nabi got about $3,000 and permanently damaged his health. He can't do any heavy work, and the money is still scarce. This is the tragic story of many people from the Afghan province of Herat. Exhausted by the constant battle to put bread on the table, people agree to the procedure. It's very easy and accessible both for the donors and the buyers, making it very hard to control.

Is there any way to put a stop to it? Watch Ghulam's story in the video. Find more in our documentary Afghan Kidney Sales.

#Afghanistan

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Eight-year-old Savely Smagar spends much of his time in a small corridor by the front door. There he eats, sleeps and learns his lessons. His home is in Abakumov, a mining village in the Donetsk region. The area is constantly shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is dangerous to be in the room. During shelling the boy runs into the corridor, away from the windows. Sometimes he doesn’t make it in time. Then he throws himself on the floor and covers his head with his hands.

Listen to the boy’s story in an episode of Alexandra Frank’s documentary series ‘Faces of Donbass’.

#Donbass

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What are you doing this weekend? Share in comments.

🥟If you haven’t figured out what to do yet, we suggest you try making pelmeni! Every Russian family makes them their own way. You can find our recipe in the post and our Taste of Russia (2018) series.

#food

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