Ecuadorians head to the polls this Sunday, in one of the most hotly contested elections in decades. Thirty-seven-year-old President Daniel Noboa, the son of a banana tycoon, is facing off against former National Assembly member and leftist Luisa González. Security is the top issue on the table, as both candidates promise to tackle the rising narco-gang violence that has given Ecuador one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America. Michael Fox has the story from the capital, Quito.

Journalist Sarah Allely was knocked off her bike by a wrong-way driver in 2015. The experience left her with a traumatic brain injury — but also gave her insight into nature’s role in recovery.

There’s a showdown unfolding in Paris over who owns the streets. Residents recently voted in favor of banning cars from 500 roadways. The plan is to open them up to pedestrians, cyclists and new green spaces. The city’s mayor wants to transform Paris into the world’s first car-free megacity. But not every Parisian thinks that’s a good idea.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has covered a lot of ground: some 14,000 miles — on foot — through 21 countries so far on his now 11-year-long Out of Eden Walk. And because he’s exploring the earth at a walker’s pace, he can see things people miss when traveling by plane, rail or car. Salopek tells Host Marco Werman about surprising places only a walker would discover.

A meningitis outbreak is sweeping through Ghana’s Upper West region, exposing a struggling health care system. With understaffed hospitals, dwindling resources and no approved vaccine, authorities are at their wits’ end.