The Week's Best: Stories You May Have Missed

We know that rferl.org isn't the only website you read, and it's possible that you may have missed some of our most interesting journalism from the past 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.

Not Rocket Science? Some In Kremlin Orbit Greet SpaceX Success With A Dose Of Derision

As the United States celebrated its return to the space race with the successful launch of a commercially-owned and designed spacecraft, some in Russia shrugged their shoulders and said, in effect, "It's not like it's rocket science." By Michael Scollon

Romanian Migrants Get COVID-19 As Pandemic Exposes Bad Conditions For East European Workers

Even as governments on both sides have pledged better support for Romanians willing to work at home or alleviate "structural" problems, skepticism of the promises reigns. By Alison Mutler

Gruesome Death Of Iranian Teenager Shows Shame Of 'Honor' Killings

The shocking killing of a 14-year-old girl -- reportedly by her father -- for eloping has put the spotlight on so-called "honor" killings in Iran. By Golnaz Esfandiari

When Russians Landed In New Zealand -- 200 Years Ago

Exquisite sketches and watercolor paintings bring to life a largely forgotten expedition by Russian explorers in the early 1800s. By Amos Chapple

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5

Who 'Owns' Tesla?

Who 'Owns' Tesla?

Who Owns Tesla? No, not the car company. Nikola Tesla, the genius who many credit with inventing radio and our modern electricity supply system. Two countries -- Croatia and Serbia -- claim him as their own. But where was he really from? By Carlos Coelho and Grant Podelco

In The Time Of COVID-19, A New, Old Plague Sweeps Asia

There's no relief for South and Central Asia as they ease restrictions to fight the coronavirus just in time for a massive invasion of locusts, the largest such plague in 20 years. By Bruce Pannier

'I Put On My Spacesuit And Go Off To Save The World': Buryat Bodybuilder Spends Lockdown Helping COVID-19 Patients In Moscow

A 35-year-old loan officer at a Moscow bank said he couldn’t just sit home during the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. So for the last six weeks, he has worked every day as a cleaner at a Moscow COVID-19 hospital, assisting medical staff and doing what he could to "be of at least some use in this world." By Viktoria Polyanskaya and Robert Coalson​

The Taliban, The Government, And Islamic State: Who Controls What In Afghanistan?

Eighten years into the war, we look at which groups and entities control which parts of Afghanistan. By Frud Bezhan

Shining Light In A Black Box: Can The U.S. Slow The Flow Of Dirty Money From The Ex-U.S.S.R.?

The United States may follow in Europe’s footsteps and create a register of beneficial owners of shell companies – putting names on massive, murky investments. Will it have an impact on illegal money flowing in from the former Soviet Union and elsewhere? By Todd Prince

Remembering Bulgarian-Born Christo, Artist Of Monumental Proportions

Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev -- popularly known as Christo -- whose ephemeral, grand-scale works included wrapping Germany's Reichstag in cloth, has died of natural causes at his home in New York City at the age of 84. By RFE/RL