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Will Tizard

Also by Will Tizard

July 18, 2023
Afghan Refugee Finds New Career In California Playing A Film Character A Lot Like Herself

An Afghan refugee seeking asylum in the United States is now captivating audiences onscreen, portraying a character she has a lot in common with. In her first-ever acting role, Anaita Wali Zada plays a haunted young immigrant named Donya who finds herself beached in the northern California city of Fremont. Her new life: working in a factory, writing fortunes for Chinese cookies.
July 17, 2023
Moscow Blames Kyiv For Deadly Crimea Bridge Blast

A section of the Crimea Bridge was damaged by a deadly explosion on July 17. Moscow said two people were killed and a child was injured in the blast that it blamed on Ukrainian maritime drones. The span serves as a vital rail and road link between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula.
July 14, 2023
Drone Warfare Playing Critical Role In Ukraine's Counteroffensive Near Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers never stop eyeing the sky in the battle to retake territory held by Russian forces. Ukrainian antiaircraft rockets can stop the incoming kamikaze drones but these often put the defending soldiers at risk.
July 03, 2023
Ukrainian Air-Reconnaissance Unit Works Closely With Frontline Troops

Ukrainian air-reconnaissance units have been working closely with infantry in the counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces. RFE/RL's Maryan Kushnir spent a day with members of Ukraine's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade on the front line in the Zaporizhzhya region.
July 02, 2023
The Ancient Kyrgyz Puppet Theater Where Dancing Mountain Goats Are Stars

A Kyrgyz artist is keeping alive a puppet theater tradition dating back centuries. Esenbek Mairykov, 71, learned to carve dancing mountain goats from his grandfather and hopes to pass on the art, known as tak-teke, to future generations. His family also creates komuz three-string lutes.
June 27, 2023
Survivors Of Kakhovka Dam Breach Clean Up Devastating Flood Damage

Residents from the village of Sadove in Ukraine’s Kherson region continue to dig in, cleaning up vast devastation as best they can without power or water. Floodwaters from the fatal June 6 breach of the Kakhovka dam have receded, but farms and homes remain filled with debris and rot.
June 26, 2023
Russian Orthodox Priest In Kazakhstan Forced Out Over Anti-War Stance

A Russian Orthodox priest in Kazakhstan was forced to step down after taking a stand against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Iakov Vorontsov was one of about 300 clergy who signed an open letter condemning the war.
June 25, 2023
Record-Setting Pakistani Martial Arts Fighter Challenges Kids To Be Winners

Irfan Mehsud has set dozens of records with displays of strength. He and members of his fight academy in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province are serial winners. Mehsud started the academy to help youths who were forced to flee South Waziristan after a 2009 crackdown on Taliban militants.
June 19, 2023
A Romany Family Fought For Years To Escape School Inequality In Bulgaria

Two Bulgarian women and their mother faced momentous challenges in breaking out of unofficial segregation ingrained into the Romany ghetto where they lived. Anche's daughters Maria and Reneta faced bullying and wanted to quit school. But she believed education was the only way for them to succeed.
May 31, 2023
Ukrainian Analysts Studying Downed Russian Missiles, Drones

Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from downed Russian aerial weapons. They study the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others. Ukrainians are finding ways to intercept some hypersonic missiles.
May 30, 2023
More Russian Drone Attacks Strike Kyiv Apartments

Ukrainian survivors of a Russian drone attack, the latest in a wave of at least 17 strikes this month, described running for their lives on May 30 as their apartments burned and crumbled. A residential area of Kyiv was hit by attack drones in the predawn hours.
May 29, 2023
Ukrainian Medics Treating Soldiers Near Bakhmut Say High Morale Is Crucial

Ukrainian medics who treated soldiers wounded in the battle for Bakhmut say they were stretched thin during one the bloodiest battles of the war but managed to keep their spirits up. Russia claims to have taken control of Bakhmut but Ukraine insists it still holds a small part of the ruined city.
May 28, 2023
Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Dog Teams Rely Heavily On Volunteers

Ten rescue dog teams train hard to prepare for avalanches and lost hikers in Bulgaria's rugged mountains. The underfunded rescue service depends on dedicated volunteers, who live with their dogs and rely on their own resources. With rescue vehicles scarce, rescuers say dogs help get people down too.
May 26, 2023
Striking Romanian Teachers Hold Mass Demonstrations Over Poor Pay

Romanian teachers filled the streets of Bucharest on May 25, on the fourth day of their strike over low salaries and crumbling facilities. Educators call the state's latest offer of two small annual bonuses "an embarrassment." Teacher pay is about half the national average wage of $988 monthly.
May 23, 2023
Romanian Teachers' Strike Prompts Sympathy, Concern From Students And Parents

More than 100,000 Romanian public-school teachers went on strike on May 22, citing stagnant wages and crumbling facilities. Parents and students worry they will be affected by indefinite school shutdowns but many say they sympathize on the wage issue.
May 22, 2023
High-Tech Prosthetics Help Ukrainians Who Lost Limbs

Many Ukrainians have lost limbs amid Russia's full-scale invasion, creating a huge demand for prosthetics and rehabilitation. In the city of Lviv, the Superhumans Center is creating artificial limbs using German technology, but a patient's willpower is a crucial factor in their rehabilitation.
May 21, 2023
Bosnian Flooding Inundates Hundreds Of Homes, Vast Farmland

Days of torrential rain have caused flooding in the north of Bosnia-Herzegovina after rivers breach their banks. The Una and Sana rivers spilled onto farmland and filled homes, affecting hundreds of residents of the rural areas. The cities of Bihac, Krupa, and Cazin are among the most impacted.
May 18, 2023
Sleek Ukrainian Drone Provides Critical Data For Bakhmut Area Troops

The Furia, a modern, high-tech Ukrainian-made drone, makes nocturnal surveillance flights over Russian positions around Bakhmut. The reconnaissance craft with night-vision cameras provides useful data on Russian armored vehicle movements, helping to ensure accurate Ukrainian artillery strikes.
May 17, 2023
Ukrainian Unit Counters Russian Drone Threat

A Ukrainian antiaircraft team operating near the eastern front line says it is bringing down Russian kamikaze drones. The components are analyzed by intelligence experts to provide useful tactical data. Ukrainian soldiers can detect a Russian drone at a distance by its distinctive sound, they say.
May 16, 2023
'Where Would I Go With My Goat?': Ukrainians Hold Out In A Frontline Village

Empty streets, bombed-out buildings, and craters the width of a bus -- none will drive out the last residents of Novomykhaylivka, a Ukrainian village on the edge of the front line. Russian shelling has all but destroyed the settlement, but a few still tend to their gardens and a solitary goat.

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