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The U.S. military releases more than 300 Iraqi detainees from the Abu Ghraib prison -- the center of a prisoner-abuse scandal. The release comes a day after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq and toured the prison. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

A pastoral letter issued by a Roman Catholic bishop in Colorado states that parishioners voting for officials supporting abortion rights be denied communion. The bishop also would deny communion for supporters of stem-cell research, gay marriage or euthanasia. NPR's Jeff Brady reports.

Secretary of State Colin Powell criticizes Israel's plan to demolish buildings housing Palestinian refugees in Gaza, calling for a return to peace negotiations. Powell, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Jordan, also urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat not to promote violence against Israelis. Hear NPR's Craig Windham.

In a series of upcoming speeches -- the first scheduled Monday at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. -- President Bush will outline his Iraq policy. Washington insiders have their own views about how the president should make his case. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Ceremonies in Dublin and across Europe mark the latest expansion of the European Union. Ten new nations -- eight from the former Soviet bloc -- have joined the EU. With 455 million people, the EU now surpasses the United States as the world's biggest economy. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

The 2003 Nobel Prize for literature is awarded to South African novelist J. M. Coetzee. He's the fourth African writer to win the prize in the last 40 years. Hear NPR's Neda Ulaby.

Musicians and theater producers reach a tentative agreement to end a strike that shut down almost all of Broadway's musicals. The dispute centered on what the minimum size of musical orchestras should be. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to Jeff Lunden of member station WNYC.

Bob Hope, master of the one-liner and world-famous comedian, dies of pneumonia at 100. A star in vaudeville, radio, television and film, Hope helped define the monologue. He was best known for entertaining U.S. troops at bases around the world. Pat Dowell has a remembrance.

Gregory Hines, the greatest tap dancer of his generation, dies of cancer at age 57. He grew from a child star to become a Tony-winning Broadway actor who made numerous appearances in movies and television. NPR's Jacki Lyden reports.

This year's winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced Thursday by the Swedish Academy. NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg talks with Michael Gorra, professor of English at Smith College. Gorra theorizes that Nobel Prizes for Literature are given in cycles to vary those of different genres, abilities and geographical areas.