The Documentary Podcast

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Coronavirus: Threats to health workers Dec 18, 2021

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Covid-19 infections in several countries are causing pressures on hospital resources to rise again. At the same time, polarising views persist over vaccination and some health workers have witnessed rising hostility and abuse from the public. Hosts Nuala McGovern and James Reynolds hear from two health workers in Canada and the UK about the escalating problems they have experienced.

What 2021 taught us about Covid Dec 18, 2021

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This year started with the focus on Covid-19 vaccine rollouts and ends with the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, Omicron. Ros Atkins looks at how the pandemic has evolved in 2021 and the challenges that lie ahead.

World of Wisdom: Recovery Dec 18, 2021

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When our bodies recover from a life-threatening illness, it can sometimes be hard for the mind and morale to follow suit. People can even say they resent their body for 'letting them down'. This was the Anne's experience. She speaks to Sister Dang Nghiem for advice about learning to love her body again and having the confidence to live a full life once more.

The fake bitcoin mine Dec 15, 2021

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With crypto currencies – like Bitcoin and Troon - booming there’s never been a better time to mine for crypto online. Mines in this context describe hundreds of computers that solve complex mathematical puzzles to produce cryptocurrency. And with many wanting to jump onto the crypto band wagon mines are springing up across the world - even fake ones. For Assignment, James Clayton speaks to two Indian victims of a crypto scam - who thought they were investing in a mine, which in fact did not exist. He looks at how one of his own BBC reports was used by the scammers as part of the deception. And he investigates how scammers were able to extract money from victims with seeming impunity. With India close to banning crypto currency currencies all together - are crypto scams ruining the Bitcoin dream?

Reporter: James Clayton Producer: Regan Morris Editor: Bridget Harney

(Image: Hacker in front of a computer. Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin)

Fire: The energy revolution Dec 12, 2021

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Justin Rowlatt goes right back to the origin of our species two million years ago to explore how the mastery of fire by early humans transformed our metabolism, helping us to evolve our uniquely energy-hungry brains. The physical evidence for early use of fire is frustratingly thin on the ground, according to archaeologist Carolina Mallol. But primatologist Jill Pruetz says she has learned a lot from observing chimpanzees interact with wildfires on the African savanna.

Coronavirus: Pandemic PTSD Dec 11, 2021

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Several countries are seeing the pressure that a new wave of Covid-19 is placing on their hospitals once more, and they’re reintroducing measures to try and slow down the spread of infections.

Host Nuala McGovern brings together people working in the healthcare sector to think about the pressures on people’s mental health after almost two years of caring for those who are sick or dying due to the pandemic.

Nuala talks with hospital workers in the Dominican Republic, the United States and South Africa. For some it’s constant stress, anxiety and burnout. For others, it’s led to even more serious outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Compulsory Covid vaccinations Dec 11, 2021

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The new Omicron variant poses a potential risk of spiralling coronavirus infections globally and governments around the world are putting plans in place to tackle it. One solutions is to make Covid vaccines compulsory. This week, Ros Atkins, looks at the debate around Covid vaccine mandates.

(Photo: A health worker prepares a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Credit: Getty Images)

Poland’s fractured borderlands Dec 09, 2021

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Thousands of people – mostly migrants from the Middle East - are camped in freezing weather at the Poland-Belarus border. Many have spent thousands of dollars to fly into Belarus on tourist visas, with the hope of an easy crossing into the EU. They’re pawns, trapped in a battle of wills between Belarus’ autocratic president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Poland and the European Union. The Polish government is taking a tough line, imposing an exclusion zone along the border and sealing off the area to journalists and aid workers. Migrants caught in the forest are arrested and sent back to Belarus. Several, including two children, have died from the cold and more deaths are expected as winter sets in. Meanwhile local residents are divided about how to deal with the humanitarian disaster unfolding on their doorstep. For Assignment, Lucy Ash visits towns and villages in the area to see what impact the crisis is having on people’s lives.

Reporter: Lucy Ash Produced by: Lucy Ash and Eva Krysiak Editor: Bridget Harney Research: Grzegorz Sokol

(Image: Polish volunteers provide relief to injured migrants stranded in the icy forest. Credit: Agnieszka Sadowska / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)

Only bleeding: How Swedes opened up about periods Dec 07, 2021

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“It’s alright (I’m only bleeding)”. In 2017, these words were emblazoned on the Stockholm subway or tunnelbana, alongside a giant poster of an ice-skater with a red-stained crotch. The deliberately provocative image was the work of Swedish cartoonist Liv Strömquist, who was on a mission to destigmatise periods. But even in one of the most feminist countries in the world, showing images of menstrual blood in a public space offended many, and triggered a national debate. Stockholm-based broadcaster Maddy Savage meets the artist, and discovers some of the taboo-busting initiatives in culture, business and education that have ridden on the coat-tails of her impact.

Poison: Jacob Zuma's toxic obsession Dec 04, 2021

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Jacob Zuma, South Africa's former president, believes the world is out to poison him. He has claimed that the CIA, MI6, local traitors, and perhaps even one of his wives, have tried to kill him. No wonder he has ordered toxicologists to test everything he eats. But is Zuma the victim of an elaborate international conspiracy that has its roots in the Cold War and South Africa’s liberation struggle? Or is he simply trying to distract attention from a mountain of corruption allegations?

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