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Hear some of the action from the nail-biting final rounds of the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year, 273 kids came to Washington in the hopes of winning the competition.

European Union representatives hold an emergency meeting in Brussels, Belgium, to consider ways to prevent terrorist attacks in the wake of last week's deadly bombings in Spain. EU ministers support speeding up the use of biometric identifiers on passports and visas, and tentatively agree to appoint a special coordinator to oversee its various counterterrorism efforts. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi vows to hold parliamentary elections in January, as planned. U.S. forces are planning an all-out offensive on insurgent-held areas to help ensure elections can take place, according to a report in The New York Times. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden, retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner, and professor Fawaz Gerges.

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 Ten Ring Fingers by Tamara Breuer of Washington, D.C., and Ghost Words by Matheus Macedo of Winthrop, Mass.

Miami's Cuban-Americans reacted with a big "been there, done that" Tuesday with the news that Fidel Castro is stepping down as the communist island's president. There were no widespread celebrations, like those that met the news in 2006 that Castro was sick and had handed power to his brother. Many exiles feel little will change anytime soon.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had a news conference Friday in Karachi, a day after bomb attacks aimed at her motorcade left more than 130 people dead and dozens more wounded. Bhutto blamed militants for the attack and said she would not surrender the country to them.

Manmohan Singh, a 71-year-old economist, is slated to become India's new prime minister after Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi stunned supporters by declining the job. A former finance minister and member of India's Sikh minority, Singh oversaw the liberalizing reforms of India's economy in the early 1990s. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Stephen King's first novel, Carrie, NPR wants to know about your favorite King book.

Wildlife officials captured the wild macaque after his picture circulated on social media and are hoping a strict diet will help him lose weight.

The winners of this year’s Akron Knight Arts Challenge are being announced tonight at the Civic Theatre downtown. It’s the second round of grants from...