The Documentary Podcast Folgen

Female con artists are exploiting superstition and family love to swindle women with Chinese heritage living in the west. The blessing scam is an elaborate piece of criminal street theatre, which over the last few months has claimed victims across North America and the UK. It begins with an apparently random meeting with a stranger in the street, and very quickly escalates from there. Victims are tricked out of their money and possessions, after being terrified into believing that a relative’s life is threatened by evil spirits. Are the criminals just master manipulators, or could something even more sinister be involved? Now a social media activist is fighting back and trying to put the crooks out of business.

Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests to discuss whether this is a path to peace in the Middle East.Joining Mishal are Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's international editor; Lord Ricketts, who served as a British diplomat for many years, including being on the Foreign Office Middle East desk during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982; Afif Safieh, former Palestinian head of mission in London, Washington, D.C. and Moscow; Ehud Olmert, who was Israeli prime minister from 2006 to 2009; Ambassador David Satterfield, who until earlier this year was US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues; and Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.Producers: Sinead Heekin and Louisa Lewis Editor: Owenna Griffiths Studio direction: Ben Andrews

A bonus episode from the People Fixing the World podcast. Concerns are growing about the effects of smartphones on both adults and children, so we're looking at ways to reduce our dependence on these ubiquitous devices.Presenter Myra Anubi attempts to ditch her smartphone for a week, while she finds out about a fast-growing campaign in which local parents get together to agree to delay buying them for their children. But Myra and her own daughter don't quite see eye-to-eye on the topic.Plus Anna Holligan visits an innovative project called The Offline Club in Amsterdam, where people hand in their phones in exchange for a dose of good old real-life interaction.People Fixing the World is a weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them. Discover more of the people and projects trying to make the world a better place at bbcworldservice.com/peoplefixingtheworld or, just search for People Fixing the World wherever you got this podcast. Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: William Kremer Netherlands reporter: Anna Holligan Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines