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 ongoing developments in Kabul, we are also including content here from Gandhara, an RFE/RL website focusing on Afghanistan and Pakistan that is the go-to source for English-language reporting by our network of local journalists across the two countries.
Weapon Of Last Resort: How The Soviet Union Developed The World's Most Powerful Bomb
On October 30, 1961, the Soviet Union tested the largest nuclear device ever created. The "Tsar Bomba," as it became known, was 10 times more powerful than all the munitions used during World War II. While its original purpose was to prove to the world, and especially to the United States, that the Soviet Union was capable of producing such devices, it also brought a surprising twist to the future testing of nukes. By Kristyna Foltynova and Carlos Coelho
Failing Infrastructure, Low Rainfall Leave One Iranian Province Fighting For Water
Iran's southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province has a wealth of water resources -- but a combination of poor management and low rainfall this year has left residents with barely enough to drink. As drought impacts Iranians throughout the country, one environmental expert says man-made problems are largely responsible for the crisis. By RFE/RL's Radio Farda
As The Kremlin Threatens To Turn Off Moldova's Gas, Pro-Russian Separatists In Transdniester Have Been Running Up The Country's Energy Bill
Russia's Gazprom is threatening to turn off the natural-gas taps to Moldova unless it pays past debt and agrees to a much higher price. The Kremlin holds a strong hand: pro-Russian separatists in breakaway Transdniester, who are reportedly not only the country's biggest gas consumers but also refuse to pay for it; and hefty Russian stakes in key Moldovan energy concerns. By Tony Wesolowsky and RFE/RL"s Moldovan and Russian services
The Birth Of Yugoslavia’s Spomeniks
Rare photographs show the construction and unveiling of some of the famous monuments built during Yugoslavia's socialist era. By Amos Chapple
'They Don't Believe COVID Exists': Ukraine Battles New Wave Of Virus, Public Misinformation
Ukraine has seen record numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths in October. The latest wave has swept through a population with a low rate of vaccination and a high level of misinformation regarding the pandemic and vaccines. Doctors say the vast majority of their hospitalized patients are unvaccinated and are calling on citizens to get their shots. By Current Time
Huawei, Offshore Deals, And The Pandora Papers: 'How A Large Chinese Company Operates In Serbia'
The Chinese tech giant Huawei has been linked to large, shadowy offshore payments sent to Serbian lobbyists close to the country’s state telecommunications company -- giving a rare insight into how the company wins influence in the Balkan nation. By Iva Martinovic and Reid Standish
Cable Car Comeback: Tbilisi To Restore 'Ropeway' 30 Years After Deadly Accident
Transport authorities in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, plan to restore a Soviet-era cable car line more than 30 years after a deadly accident shut down the service. By Stuart Greer and Roman Kupka
'Dehumanized And Tortured': Death Of Notorious Ex-Prison Chief Triggers Allegations Of Past Abuse
The death of a former Iranian prison chief -- notorious for innovating a torture technique known as the "coffin" -- has triggered allegation of abuse by inmates who served at the prison he headed in the 1980s. By Golnaz Esfandiari
'Nothing Else To Be Proud Of?': Russian Rapper Slammed For Questioning State Celebrations Of WWII Victory
A Russian war veterans' association has said it will file a formal complaint against popular rapper Morgenstern after he said in a YouTube interview that the state spends too much money on annual Victory Day celebrations. Victory over Nazi
Germany was “cool,” the rapper said, but Russia should “move further” and achieve victories in other realms. By RFE/RL
Better Than Karimov: Uzbeks Reluctantly Reelect President Amid 'Slow-Moving' Reforms
Many Uzbeks were resigned to voting for incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoev due to a lack of a real choice but look to the future with the same worries they had before the presidential election. By Mansur Mirovalev
The Two Faces Of RT: Russia's Competing COVID Narratives
An analysis of content produced by the Russian television network RT indicates the existence of two “parallel universes”: one for its domestic audience and a completely different one for international viewers. Long-term research by Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, reveals that when it comes to COVID-19 messaging, RT -- formerly known as Russia Today -- says all the right things about prevention, the importance of masks, and vaccination to its Russian-speaking audience, but peddles conspiracy theories and coronavirus falsehoods on its foreign-language platforms, in English, German, French, Spanish, and Arabic. This video compares the "two faces" of RT. By Current Time
