We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. That's why we've put together The Week's Best. Here are some of the highlights produced in English by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
Azerbaijan Eyes Prestige Boost From Hosting COP29, Despite The Critics
Azerbaijan has gotten bad press for big events in the past. But the problem could be magnified with COP29 this month, given its planetary stakes and alleged obfuscation around its precursors in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. By Joshua Kucera
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How The Caspian Sea Became A Battlefield
A Kazakh Scientist's 10-Year Fight To Save Caspian Seals
'Life Or Death': Drones Deliver Supplies To Ukraine's Front Line
Flying at night to avoid detection, drones are often the only way to get water, food, and ammunition to frontline Ukrainian troops. Current Time filmed with the 68th Jaeger Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Pokrovsk area of Ukraine's Donetsk region. By Current Time and Oleksiy Prodayvoda
Peace Talks Brewing, Russia and Ukraine Jockey For Advantage -- On And Off Battlefield
As Donald Trump’s return to the White House draws closer and talk of a concerted effort to stop the fighting in Ukraine grows, Russia is pressing a monthslong initiative on the battlefield. Ukraine, meanwhile, is struggling. By Mike Eckel
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Trump's Win Could Lead To Push For Peace In Ukraine, But On Whose Terms?
A 'Turn To The Right': Donald Trump And The Rise Of Populist Leaders
With his resounding victory in the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump is the latest right-wing populist to win power in the West. The populist wave has been long in the making, experts say, as frustration grows over immigration and globalization. By Todd Prince
RFE/RL Uncovers $1 Million Dubai Property In Ukrainian Lawmaker's Family
An investigation by RFE/RL has uncovered that family members of a Ukrainian legislator from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party has hidden property in Dubai worth more than $1 million -- well beyond what they could have likely afforded on their official incomes. By Anna Myroniuk, Kyrylo Ovsyaniy, and Schemes
The Man Who Fled East Berlin, Then Went Back To Help Others Escape
Hartmut Richter swam to freedom from East Berlin, then returned to help others flee. Today, he works to preserve the memory of those killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall. By Amos Chapple and Mykyta Peretiatko
See Also:
What Was The Berlin Wall? German Teens Struggle To Answer
Divided Berlin: Then-And-Now Photos Show Where The Wall Stood
The Secret Site Where East Germany's Stasi Perfected The Berlin Wall
When Timely Care Is Not An Option: Breast Cancer Kills And 'Exhausts' In North Macedonia
Macedonian actress Vesna Petrusevska became the public face of the crisis during Breast Cancer Awareness Month when she posted a photo on social media of her mastectomy scar alongside glamorous images from her past. By Sunchica Stojanovska Zoksimovska and Andy Heil
Amid Ukraine Fallout, China Pushes Ahead With Bold Kyrgyzstan Trade Vision
October came and went without promised construction work beginning on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, but Kyrgyzstan broke ground on several other significant Chinese investments. By Kubatbek Aibashov and Chris Rickleton
Germany Deports Tajik Activist, Sending Chill Among Other Dissidents Abroad
A Tajik opposition activist who was deported from Germany was arrested immediately upon his arrival in Dushanbe. Dilmurod Erghashev’s supporters fear he will face long-term imprisonment like other opposition activists who were returned to Tajikistan from foreign countries in recent years. By Mirzonabi Kholiqzod
The Volunteers Who Revived 'Romania's Life Magazine'
A group of visual historians have launched an open-access website that resurrects the Romanian photo journal Uj Elet (New Life), offering new insight into the country's 20th century. By Amos Chapple
