President Biden is heading to Israel and Saudi Arabia Tuesday in his first visit to the Middle East as president for meetings that he says he hopes will help advance regional security and stability.

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has been through a lot in recent years. It's just reopened and Ambassador Bridget Brink is overseeing a massive U.S. assistance operation with a limited staff.

Ukraine says it urgently needs the heavy artillery to counter Russia on the battlefield. Also, President Zelenskyy is looking for additional support as the leaders of Germany, France and Italy visit.

Schools in Afghanistan are expected to open for the new semester Wednesday. But despite Taliban assurances that girls will be allowed back, students and teachers are unclear about what will happen.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Elizabeth Bruenig from The Atlantic about the political benefits of arguing over book bans in schools.

Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, tops the world's most polluted city list, along with India's New Delhi. Poor air quality has prompted the government to order a partial shutdown of schools.

Students and faculty with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music flew last week from Doha to Lisbon, where they will start their new lives and reconstitute their celebrated academy in exile.

The emergency gathering of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation was the largest international meeting on Afghanistan since the country fell to the Taliban in August.

"We want to prove to everyone forever that we respect humanity," Taliban spokesman Muhammad Naeem Wardak told NPR in Doha, Qatar. He also said women "must have the right to education and to work."

In the news, the al-Aqsa mosque compound is a fuse for conflict between Israel and Palestinians. But in daily life of Muslims, it's a park, holy site and, yes, a symbol of resistance.

An Israeli demolition last month revived fears among residents of al-Bustan in east Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood. "Yes, Bustan is going to be demolished for a park," says Jerusalem's deputy mayor.

In the village of Jisr al-Zarqa, residents wish for opportunities available in nearby Jewish towns. They wonder if the new government, which includes an Arab party for the first time, will help.

The controversial law would prevent Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza from acquiring residency in Israel, even after they marry Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.

Saudi Arabia released activist Lujain al-Hathloul from prison on Wednesday. AlHathloul led the campaign to allow women drivers in the Kingdom.

Loujain al-Hathloul has been held for nearly three years. While she was behind bars, she became an emblem of the struggle for women's rights in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is expected to release women's rights activist Loujain Alhathloul from prison this week, but she will likely continue to be under tight government control.

The director, producer and writer discusses the making of Tenet, directing actors who are moving and talking forwards and backwards, and why he's drawn to exploring time in his films.

The sister of a prominent women's activist in Saudi Arabia is calling for her release from jail before the country hosts the virtual Group of 20 summit, where one of the themes is women's empowerment.

Voting by mail is easier now across the U.S. Officials in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, a swing region in a critical state, are making changes to manage the time-consuming process of counting ballots.

George Floyd, whose death sparked nationwide protests, was a rapper in Houston earlier in his life. NPR's David Greene speaks with Floyd's former collaborators about his musical past.