Hey, you're busy! We know rferl.org isn't the only website you read. And that it's just possible you may have missed some of our most compelling journalism this week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
We are also including content here from Gandhara, an RFE/RL website focusing on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Hypothermia Or Foul Play? New Documents Reveal U.S. Doubts About An American's Death In Siberia
Russian investigators concluded that Colin Madsen died of hypothermia in the mountains of Siberia six years ago. U.S. government officials, however, suspected foul play and believed the circumstances of his death "were not properly or fully investigated." By Mike Eckel
Outrage Stoked By Video Of Taliban Humiliating Musicians, Burning Instruments
Footage of the Taliban humiliating musicians and burning their instruments has stirred outrage among Afghans. The recent video from Paktia Province confirms the worst fears of Afghan artists. Despite claims of being more moderate than its previous regime, the Taliban is treating musicians with the same disdain it had shown in the 1990s when it had banned music as "un-Islamic." By Ron Synovitz and Haroon Bacha
The Search For The Russian Assets Of The Kazakh President's Family
Despite the opacity of both the Kazakh and Russian governments, an investigation by RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time has uncovered evidence of the Russian business dealings of Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's son and former wife. By Mark Krutov, Sergei Dobrynin, Andrei Soshnikov, and Yury Barnyuk
'I'll Kill You!': COVID Anti-Vaxxer Attacks Doctor In Bulgaria
The bloody beating of a doctor by a notorious anti-vaxxer in Bulgaria -- where COVID-19 infections are high and vaccination rates low -- has shocked the country after video of the attack went viral. By Polina Paunova, Damyana Veleva, and Tony Wesolowsky
Kazakhs Seek Answers As Loved Ones Detained, Injured, Or Killed Amid Unrest
A dead man handcuffed with two bullet wounds, and a man with head injuries from a grenade taken out of a hospital by soldiers -- Kazakhs tell their stories of the ongoing crackdown following violent anti-government unrest that shook the country at the beginning of January. By Ray Furlong, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, and Current Time
See also: 'I Don't Know If She's Dead Or Alive': Desperate Kazakh Families Looking For Relatives After Unrest
One Year After His Arrest, Russia's Opposition Asks: Was Navalny's Return A Mistake?
A year ago, opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's announcement that he'd return to Russia was greeted with enthusiasm by his supporters across the country. But after the massive crackdown that followed his arrest and imprisonment, some are asking whether it was worth it. By RFE/RL
Navalny Versus Putin -- A Yearlong War Of Words
Jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has never had the chance to hold a TV debate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who refuses to even speak his name in public. But in the year since Navalny's arrest and jailing, the two men have both commented on the key issues of the day. This is their remote debate: Putin speaks from the Kremlin, Navalny from a prison cell where he is being held on what is widely regarded as a trumped-up, politically motivated conviction. By Ray Furlong and Current Time
Digitizing Uzbekistan's Desert Art
Fears for a legendary art collection in the desert town of Nukus led to activists and volunteers preserving the treasures with photographs on a new website. By Amos Chapple
Taliban Turns Insurgents Into Commandos As It Builds 'Fully Capable' Army
Taliban leaders are working on turning their insurgent forces into a modern, standing army equipped with U.S.-made military gear that was seized during their takeover of Afghanistan in August. About 150 Taliban fighters recently graduated from commando training in Khost Province. With the exception of advanced aircraft, the Taliban has shown it can operate and maintain a lot of its new military hardware. A new Taliban army could eventually pose a challenge to Afghanistan's neighbors. By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal and Stuart Greer
A Failed Sugar Factory's Bitter Legacy In A Ukrainian Ghost Town
Built in the 1980s, the Ukrainian town of Tsukrovarov used to be home for workers who operated a local Soviet-era sugar factory. By the time the plant went bankrupt in 2007, most of the population had left and the factory was stripped for scrap metal. But dozens of people still live in abandoned apartment blocks, surviving without basic services. By Current Time and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Despair, Grief After Suspected Suicide At Tbilisi's Crumbling 'Titanic' For Displaced Georgians
Zurab Chichoshvili's deadly leap from the rooftop of a dilapidated center for displaced persons in Georgia was quickly deemed "an accident" by the health minister, further angering a community that has been protesting its treatment since being uprooted by separatist violence nearly three decades ago. By Tea Topuria, Sandro Gvindadze, and Andy Heil
Mugshots To Bug Shots: A Former Romanian Cop Becomes A Celebrated Wildlife Photographer
Eduard Florin Niga says a Romanian childhood, police training, and his toddler's curiosity all contributed to his beguiling closeups of ants and other insects. By Andy Heil
