All Things Considered

Sunday separatists in eastern Ukraine will hold their own parliamentary election, which Ukrainian officials call illegal. Meanwhile, a supposed cease-fire in the region appears to exist in name only.

Michel Faber's best-seller, The Crimson Petal and the White, captured the feel of Victorian London. His latest is a literary science-fiction tale that might disappoint hard core sci-fi fans.

Over the past century, midterm elections have been pretty rough on the party that holds the White House.

In order to save the Amazon, it's not enough for deforestation to stop; areas that have been denuded also need recuperation. A Brazilian research scientist has released a report with the World Wildlife Fund that suggested actions to curb the effect of humans on the world's largest rainforest.

U.S. groups on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are increasingly finding new places to advocate, as other countries debate greater rights — or harsher crackdowns — for LGBT people.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State is known as the world's richest terrorist organization, but the group is having to pay for services to the areas they are controlling in Syria and Iraq. U.S. analysts and officials say the financial burden of the group's territorial ambitions could ultimately lead to ISIS' demise.

As peshmerga troops start to arrive in the Syrian border town, some Syrian insurgents say that reinforcement is needed more urgently in Aleppo — which is nearly encircled by government forces.