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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Oct. 1. Several days later, Abbas, 81, underwent an urgent cardiac test, but was soon released. The health scare has increased talk about a possible successor as the Palestinian leader.

Palestinians Wonder: Who Will Be Our Next Leader?

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is 81, a heavy smoker and has a history of health problems. He was elected more than a decade ago, and it's not clear how he would be replaced.

Iraqi forces raise a flag after retaking Bartella, a town nine miles outside Mosul, Iraq, on Friday. Iraq's army, backed by U.S. air power, began an offensive this week to retake Mosul, the last city in Iraq controlled by the Islamic State. Some smaller towns and villages were retaken this week, but the Iraqis have not yet reached Mosul.

The Next U.S. President Can Expect Weakened, But Still Lethal ISIS

The Pentagon is predicting big victories soon over ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Even if that happens, the next U.S. leader will have figure out how to deal with a weakened, but still dangerous group.

Enrollment for insurance through the Affordable Care Act runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 for plans that start on Jan. 1, 2017.

Shopping For Obamacare Opens To Mixed Reviews From Consumers

Conversations with two people show how the cost of insurance through the Affordable Care Act varies widely, because subsidies and deductibles available are based on individual circumstances.

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega (center), accompanied by his wife Rosario Murillo, greets supporters in 2011. She has long been a prominent figure, and now Ortega has made her his vice presidential running mate as he seeks a third term in Sunday's election.

Nicaragua's Ortega Headed For Re-Election — With His Wife As VP

Daniel Ortega is poised to extend his lengthy rule and has elevated his wife to his vice presidential running mate. Critics say he has eliminated all serious opposition.

Japanese food was once derided, but it's now in the canon of haute cuisine, says author <a href="http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty/Krishnendu_Ray">Krishnendu Ray</a>. How we value a culture's cuisine in our society, he says, often reflects the status of those who cook it.

Why Hunting Down 'Authentic Ethnic Food' Is A Loaded Proposition

In a new book, an NYU scholar explores how immigrants shape the American palate. He says it's time to ditch the phrase "ethnic food" — which lumps all nonwhite people and their cuisines together.

Profound Poet Szymborska Carried Her Gravity Lightly

Poet Wislawa Szymborska of Poland died this week at the age of 88. Renee Montagne talks to Lawrence Weschler about her death. He covered Poland in the 1980s and '90s as a staff writer for The New Yorker. And Weschler has written about her in his books including his latest Uncanny Valley.

A close-up of a dragon robe, or <em>long pao</em>, dated late 18th- or early 19th-century China. It's one of many on display in the exhibit "Dragons, Nagas, and Creatures of the Deep" at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

Here (And There, And Really Everywhere) Be Dragons

As the supernatural enjoys a pop culture resurgence — from vampires to fairy tales — there's also been a firestorm of fascination with dragons, who appear this year in two movies, a new book, video games and a Washington, D.C. museum exhibit. Allison Keyes explores the mystical creatures' appeal.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, will have the case heard in the military justice system, which has significant differences from the civilian courts. Here, Bales is shown in a training exercise in Fort Irwin, Calif., last August.

Accused Sergeant Heads Down A Long Legal Road

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales faces a military justice system that works differently from civilian criminal law in the U.S. or in Afghanistan. It's a case that's expected to be lengthy and complicated.

<strong>Does the Supreme Court have the jurisdiction to rule on the constitutionality of the health care law right now?</strong> That's the question the justices will consider during Monday's oral arguments.<strong></strong>

4 Questions That Could Make Or Break The Health Care Law

The Supreme Court on Monday begins the first of three days of historic oral arguments on President Obama's health care law. The court has boiled the arguments down to four key constitutional questions. First up: Does the court even have the jurisdiction to hear this case right now?

Lawrence Wright is a staff writer at <em>The</em> <em>New Yorker</em> and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Austin, Texas.

'Going Clear': A New Book Delves Into Scientology

Lawrence Wright's Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief looks at the world of the controversial church and the life of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986.

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