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The Beijing Olympic Games have ended in a blaze of fireworks, with the largest share of gold medals going to the host country. Chinese citizens and state media said that their success in holding the games for the first time would make China a more confident and open country.

NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read Snowflake by Winona Wendth of Lancaster, Mass., and Geometry by Eugenie Montague of Los Angeles.

On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the Senate began a round-the-clock marathon session debating whether the United States should begin a substantial pullout of Iraq by next spring. What would a pullout mean logistically and strategically?

The Los Angeles Archdiocese has agreed to pay $660 million to settle lawsuits from hundreds of people who claim they were abused by Roman Catholic clergy. It is the largest settlement yet reached in the church's clergy sexual abuse scandal.

Pope Benedict XVI issues his first major reform of the Catholic Church, relaxing restrictions on the use of the old Latin Mass that that was common before the Second Vatican Council 40 years ago.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski has instituted a statewide hiring freeze in an attempt to prepare for the economic crunch brought on by his state's crippled Prudhoe Bay oil pipelines.

A follow-up test on cyclist Floyd Landis has also shown high levels of testosterone. The cycling team fired him and he may lose his Tour de France title, but he vows to fight to clear his name.

The U.S. national basketball team, led by coach Mike Krzyzewski and NBA stars such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, loses to Greece in the semifinals of the world basketball championships. The team was unbeaten in its first seven games before falling to a veteran Greek team.

Military investigators have found there is evidence supporting allegations that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last November, according to unnamed Pentagon sources. The investigation is ongoing and public results have not yet been announced.

President Bush began what could be a difficult visit to Italy on Saturday. He met the Italian president and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. The one-day visit could be overshadowed by large anti-war, anti-Bush rallies.