A popular book and TV series in Europe imagines the straight-laced former German chancellor Angela Merkel solving crimes in her retirement. We unpack the premise's popularity. And an American has been jailed in Nigeria over a dispute the country has with the crypto-currency exchange Binance. Some say the man is effectively being held hostage.

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This week the prime minister of Bangladesh fled the country by helicopter, forced out by a protest movement that started peacefully but became violent. We hear from our correspondent about the events that lead to this dramatic change in government. And we hear reaction from a journalist who had been jailed 6 years ago for criticizing that government.

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Iran has vowed to strike Israel following the assassination of a Hamas leader on Iran's soil. We hear from Israelis watching and waiting as they know an attack is coming but the don't know when.

And in the West Bank, the war between Israel and Hamas has sparked an increase in Palestinian men wanting to die fighting Israeli occupation.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

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In Nigeria, even two meals a day is becoming unaffordable to many. Demonstrators are protesting food inflation of more than 40 percent, and fuel costs that have tripled. And in China, live-streamers digitally clone themselves, raising questions about the future of labor in the age of A.I.

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Hezbollah and Hamas bury their slain leaders. And Venezuelan security forces arrest protesters of last weekend's presidential election.

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Venezuelans continue to protest Sunday's disputed election in which President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory. The opposition says it has evidence that their candidate won. And in China, an informal social media poll favors one candidate for the US presidency.

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People find new ways to grow food after severe drought in some regions of Ethiopia.

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The Druze community of the Golan Heights mourns after a weekend rocket strike on a soccer field kills 12 children. The attack raises questions about the Druze identity— an Arab minority group that can claim Israeli citizenship.

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In Venezuela's presidential elections, incumbent Nicholas Maduro fights a movement against him lead by Maria Corina Machado, who's been barred from the race. In Russia, Russian American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, is sentenced to prison in a case similar to that of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

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Olympic Opening Ceremonies are typically held in stadiums. For the 2024 Games, Paris is taking the event to the heart of the city, in and along the River Seine. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley has this preview.

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