Life for little girls in many parts of India can be very difficult. But for 11 month-old twins, Stuti and Aradhana, who were born conjoined, the challenge to survive their poor background is enormous.
Abandoned by their parents and shunned by their village, life for conjoined twins Stuti and Aradhana looked almost certainly bleak. Their mother and father were poor farmers from a remote village. They decided the babies were best left with the staff of the hospital, who took them under their wing and mounted an nationwide fundraising campaign for surgery."They really didn't have a life if they continued to be conjoined," says Professor David Baines. Also calling in favours from colleagues around the world, the anaesthetist forms part of an operating team made up of 24 doctors and 40 nurses determined to save the girls. As the operation gets underway the media swamp medical staff: the twins' story has captivated a nation of more than a billion people and put the spotlight on the way India treats baby girls, especially those with deformities. "In some parts of India families find any girls to be a burden. They're not really looked upon as something that they want". With intimate, candid access to the marathon effort to separate Stuti and Aradhana, this is a breath-taking and emotional story of a battle for resources and acceptance.
ABC Australia
(Ref: 5596)
Tunisia - Daring to Believe
- 14 min 56 sec [17 September 2012]
As the Arab world erupts over an anti-Islamic film, in Tunisia extreme Salafists have been desecrating churches. This report finds a country struggling to marry Muslim ideals with a tolerant, open society. "Before the revolution, Tunisian people lived in peace; Jewish Christian, Muslim and atheist. But after the revolution we have Salafists, Jihadists, all of them." Scenes outside a synagogue in Tunis show crowds chanting anti-Jewish slogans. Extreme Islamists have also desecrated graves at the Russian Orthodox church and smeared faeces on its walls. "A man brought a letter saying we had to remove all Christian symbols, which disturb the Muslims. And if we didn't do it, they'd resort to force.", says the frightened priest. But the government insists the men who do these things represent a minority who simply need to be brought round: "We have to convince them. It is a country for all citizens, whether Islamists or not", insists Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the moderate Ennahda party. Critics say the government line is far too soft. Salafist groups have "taken control of 400 mosques and are teaching a new generation the way they think". As religious minorities watch with unease the growing strength of puritanical Islamist groups, can a country with a proud secular tradition "find its democracy"?
Bill Code
(Ref: 5625)
USA - Drug Crazed
- 15' min 17" sec [17 September 2012]
When a man in Miami chewed off a homeless man's face earlier this year a little-known drug was blamed. This report investigates how 'bath salts' are wreaking havoc across the USA as the number of addicts grows. "It's robbed him of a life. It's taken his soul", Tiffany Russell says as she watches shocking footage of her 24-year-old son Skyler, a bath salts addict, on a trip. Unable to help her son herself, Tiffany feels the government have failed him by pondering for too long over what to do about the drug. "When they finally did something, it's too late for the thousands who have been affected." But it's a battle that's far more complex, explains Drug Enforcement officer Jim Burns. "New York State passed a bath salts law a year ago. No sooner had they passed it than some enterprising chemist somewhere tweaked the chemical formula. Now it's no longer the substance that was banned in the state law. So we're back to square one." SBS
(Ref: 5630)
Denmark - Body Parts
- 25 min 48 sec [17 September 2012]
Every year, people die on the waiting list for new organs. Through reconstructions this dramatic film explores the dilemmas, myths and prejudices which arise for those faced with the decision to donate.
Globally there are tens of thousands of critically-ill patients desperate for a new organ. Yet across Europe there's little public information about organ donation. This Danish film sheds light on the sensitive subject, following the experiences of everyone involved in the process: from the young girl injured in a traffic accident and declared brain dead, to the relatives forced to confront the decision of organ donation and the patient receiving a new heart and a "new life".
Danish Doc Productions
(Ref: 5588)
World - The 99 Percent
- 28' min 42'' sec [19 December 2011]
Occupy activists mark anniversary with wave of protests
As Occupy Wall St reaches its 1 year anniversary, activists are determined to show it is still a living movement. This report looks at its roots, controversial tactics and its struggle to gain traction.
Using social media to coordinate efforts around the globe, the Occupy movement sought to follow in the footsteps of the Arab Spring. "The IMF and ECB; these are our Mubaraks". Yet despite its huge profile, it has faced much criticism for lacking a clear message or aim: "People going into the streets should think first about what they want". As tents and sub-movements continue to pop up and get pulled down, is there a future for this brand of outrage?
ORF
