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Saul Bellow, the award-winning author of books including Humboldt's Gift and The Adventures of Augie March, died Tuesday at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 89.

While the number of Catholics is dwindling in other parts of the world, the figure in Africa has doubled in the past two decades, to more than 100 million. Nearly 30 million Congolese are Catholic, and Pope John Paul II visited the Democratic Republic of Congo twice during his papacy. A look at the pontiff's legacy there.

President Bush praises Ukraine's Orange Revolution as a model for democratic reforms around the world, but U.S. officials still are waiting to see what President Viktor Yushchenko can deliver. Yushchenko visits Chicago after meeting with President Bush Monday in Washington. He will address a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday.

North Carolina beat Illinois Monday night 75-70 to capture the NCAA men's basketball championship in St. Louis. After trailing 40-27 at halftime, the top-ranked Fighting Illini rallied to tie, then faltered in the final minute. It's the first national title for UNC coach Roy Williams.

Shakespeare was not only a poet and a playwright but a songwriter as well. The famous bard wrote songs for most of his comedies. But fortunately for the Barenaked Ladies, only the lyrics survived. Celeste Headlee of Detroit Public Radio reports.

In the latest report for the NPR/National Geographic co-production Radio Expeditions, NPR's Susan Stamberg travels to India to talk with Ravi Shankar, the world-famous sitar guru. Shankar turns 85 this week.

For Quincy Mosby, a promising start in high school turned into a cycle of procrastination, denial and self-esteem problems. But the novelty and independence that dropping out of school brought didn't last long.

Syria's ruling Baath Party opened a congress Monday to discuss political and economic reforms. Syria, which has a centrally planned economy, suffers from a high unemployment rate. Economists and businessmen say they have seen positive changes in recent years, but warn that the government must do more to battle corruption and streamline the inefficient state bureaucracy.

Alicia Rose Parlette was a copy editor at the San Francisco Chronicle when her doctor told her she had a rare, difficult-to-treat form of cancer. Her journal about her struggle became the basis of a week-long series of articles.

The violent exchange followed intense clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians in Jerusalem, prompting Jewish organizers to cancel the annual Jerusalem Day march.