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.
In A Tajik Village That Looks To Russia, Children’s Laughter Echoes In Fatherless Homes
In rural Tajikistan, families are deprived of fathers and husbands who spend years working in Russia to provide for the impoverished communities they leave behind. But as RFE/RL correspondent Matthew Luxmoore discovered in the village of Budiyon, it is their children who ensure that laughter and optimism prevail in their absence. By Matthew Luxmoore
Who Is The Ethnic Serb Nationalist Slated To Lead Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Bosnia-Herzegovina's newly designated government leader is a Bosnian Serb nationalist. Will he tear Bosnia-Herzegovina apart? By RFE/RL
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Living Off Illegal 'Black Gold' In Kyrgyzstan
In southern Kyrgyzstan, entire regions live off illegal coal mining. The work is dangerous. Six miners died in an accident in October. But locals say there is no other work for the region's men. By Current Time and Neil Bowdler
Explainer: What Is Known About The Violent Iranian Protests Through The Lens Of An Internet Blackout?
Protests erupted in dozens of towns and cities across Iran after an announcement that gasoline prices would be dramatically increased. The scale of the unrest is unknown due to media censorship and a near-total shutdown of the Internet. But state media reports, official announcements, and social media posts give some clues about the incidents of the past few days. By Golnaz Esfandiari
Books And Belfries: Volunteers Prop Up Russia's Decaying Churches, Dying Villages
Historically, the heart of a northern Russian village was the church and the library. Now both are in mortal danger. By Karina Zabolotnaya and Robert Coalson
'Great Lunch, Wonderful Meeting': Gordon Sondland's July Day In Kyiv
The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, arrived in Kyiv on July 25. The events of the next 24 hours could play a key role months later, as the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump proceeds. By Glenn Kates
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Bullet In The Back: The Deadly Toll Of Illegal Logging In Romania's Mountains
Illegal logging has scarred the mountains of Romania -- and left forest rangers dead. Interpol says forestry-sector crime generates $150 billion a year globally, and environmentalists warn that some of Europe's last virgin forests are under threat. By Ray Furlong
Plunder And Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia
Over the span of five years, one man funneled hundreds of millions of dollars out of Central Asia. What he knew may have cost him his life. But before his murder, he shared with reporters a trove of documents that reveal the source of this colossal wealth: A secretive family that ran an underground cargo empire with the help of a powerful political patron. By RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop
New Push To Pass Domestic Violence Law Angers Russia's 'Traditional Values' Conservatives
After failing dozens of times to pass a law criminalizing domestic violence because of resistance from socially conservative Orthodox Christian forces, Russian activists and their allies in the State Duma are mounting yet another try. And, once again, they are meeting intense opposition from those who say the law would be a Western cultural imposition that would undermine the traditional Russian family. By Maria Karnaukh and Robert Coalson
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Ukraine's Mariupol Port Struggles To Stay Afloat Amid Russian 'Hybrid War'
After five years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, the port of Mariupol is struggling to survive. With the loss of coal exports and Russia choking access to the Sea of Azov, the port's maritime traffic has been cut in half. But Mariupol hopes Chinese investment can revive its sinking fortunes. By Current Time, the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Stuart Greer