Fatma Tanis

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.

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.

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.