During its eight years in power, the far-right Law and Justice Party dismantled democratic institutions in Poland. Now the new government is working to restore those institutions and they're starting with the judiciary.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine is marking a grim second anniversary. We hear from Ukrainians who are determined to remain in their homes, and what some Russians say about their country as it enters a third year of waging war on Ukraine.

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Ukraine is running out of arms. As Russian troops advance and the war grinds on, foreign aid to buy more weapons is stalled. So Ukraine is making its own. NPR's Joanna Kakissis visits the Ukrainians ramping up the manufacture of mortars, howitzers and high-tech defense weapons.

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Alexei Navalny is the latest in a string of critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin to die. So what is the future of Russian opposition? We hear about the challenges Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, will face in taking a leadership role in the opposition. And an interview with Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried to run against Putin in the upcoming election, but was barred from being on the ballot.

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Israel has stepped up security in the occupied West Bank. And with the military focused on Gaza, they're using newly formed security forces made up of Jewish settlers to provide that security. Israeli activists and Palestinians warn that members of those forces want to drive Palestinians off their land. We go to the West Bank city of Hebron to see these new security forces in action.

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

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We hear two stories of how Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza is being felt in places very far away. In India, thousands of workers are hoping to head to Israel because of a shortage caused by security concerns. And in the UK, people are worried that global supply chains disrupted because of the war, will mean there will be a shortage of tea.

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Alexei Navalny, frequent critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has died in prison according to Russian authorities. Our Moscow correspondent looks at the legacy of a man who fought to free his country from corruption and authoritarianism.

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We'll hear from an U.N. administrator in Gaza about what conditions are like for civilians and what funding cuts, a result of Israel's accusations of UN employees' working with Hamas, will mean for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

And an unlikely connection between a graffiti artist in Dublin and a grieving mother in Gaza.

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When Ukrainian soldiers get a day or two off from the frontlines, loved ones will often take the train to nearby cities to see them. Our reporter shows us what love looks like in a time of war.

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While opioid deaths in the U.S. have soared, Portugal has been able to cut overdose deaths by 80%. We travel there and find that the different outcomes are the result of a different approach.

And while you might be able to picture what Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Carnival looks like in the Samabadrome, on the outskirts of the city a very different celebration takes place.

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