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.
Given the dramatic recent developments in Kabul and beyond, much of our content this week comes from Gandhara, an RFE/RL website focusing on Afghanistan and Pakistan that is a go-to source for English-language reporting by our networks of local journalists across the two countries.
Hacking Servers. Online Blocking. Police Raids. Information Attacks. What Won't The Kremlin Do To Stop 'Smart Voting'?
As Duma elections draw near, the Kremlin appears to be redoubling efforts to cripple the opposition’s successful scheme: Smart Voting. By Robert Coalson
'Devastating': Afghan Pop Star Laments Taliban Takeover After Fleeing Her Country
Aryana Sayeed is one of Afghanistan's most famous pop stars, but now she's an exile. Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Azadi from her home in Istanbul, Turkey, she says her career will continue -- but that she is hugely concerned for the many artists stuck in Afghanistan. By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
A Villa In Turkey, An Exclusive Private School. All On A Russian Lawmaker's Salary.
Exclusive findings by RFE/RL’s Russian Service add more details to nationalist Duma lawmaker Leonid Slutsky’s lifestyle, one that appears out of sync with his official income declarations. By Mark Krutov and Sergei Dobrynin
'Culture Of Discrimination': Taliban Imposes New Dress Code, Segregation Of Women At Afghan Universities
The Taliban has announced a new dress code for women who attend universities in Afghanistan that forces them to completely cover their bodies in black. The militant group also said classes will be segregated by gender and that female teachers can only teach women. By Frud Bezhan and RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
Call Them 'Girls' Not 'Grannies': Meet The Russian Pensioners With Their Own Hockey Team
The captain is 81 years old, while the team's youthful star is 52. Russia's only women's ice hockey team made up almost entirely of pensioners also has a trainer who is a veteran of the Vancouver Olympics. By Ray Furlong and Current Time
Who Is Haibatullah Akhundzada, The Taliban’s 'Supreme Leader' Of Afghanistan?
Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada was already the radical fundamentalist group's appointed leader, thanks in large part to his religious credentials. By Abubakar Siddique
The 'Spy' Who Drew The Caucasus
The rare illustrations made by an explorer who sketched portraits of today's Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan nearly 200 years ago. By Amos Chapple
You Go Girl: Female Faces Disappear From Kabul Streets
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, women's faces have been artlessly deleted from advertisements and murals as the militant Islamists shape a bleak new way of life. By RFE/RL
'My Brain Was Boiling': RFE/RL Freelancer Describes Agonizing Torture By Russian Jailers
RFE/RL freelance correspondent Vladyslav Yesypenko, who has been in detention in Russia-occupied Crimea, has made detailed allegations in court about being tortured while in custody. He has been charged with the possession and transport of explosives, which he denies. RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called Yesypenko's detention a Kremlin-backed move to target independent media outlets. By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Prejudice And Pride: Georgia's LGBT Community Finds New Strength After Violent Attacks
In July, a planned LGBT Pride march in Tbilisi was called off after right-wing protesters attacked activists and journalists, whom they accused of spreading "anti-Georgian sentiments." Dozens of people were injured and a TV cameraman died after being brutally beaten. In the wake of the violence, LGBT activists have not backed down from pushing for change and say their sense of purpose and solidarity is stronger than ever. By RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Tornike Mandaria, David Koridze, and Margot Buff