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A growing number of people are making cheap long-distance calls using the Internet. Others are talking for free, using their computers and services like Skype. Renee Montagne used Skype to discuss the options with New York Times Technology writer David Pogue.

At least 345 people are trampled to death and more than 200 are injured in Saudi Arabia on the last day of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslim pilgrims, participating in a stoning ritual on the desert plain of Mina outside Mecca, tripped over baggage, causing the crush.

The pandemic drove U.S. life expectancy down again in 2021 even though life-saving vaccines were widely available.

For the second time this month, the most sacred Shiite shrine in Iraq was damaged during fighting. U.S. military officials said the damage to the Najaf shrine did not result from American fire. U.S.-led forces were battling Shiite militia in Najaf and Kufa, in southern Iraq. Officials say at least 11 people were killed and more than 20 wounded. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

Three General Electric foreign contractors are killed during a rush hour car bombing in downtown Baghdad. More than a dozen people died in the attack and at least 60 others were wounded. The continuing violence in the country has hampered reconstruction efforts, including the difficult task of reviving Iraq's electrical output. NPR's Michele Norris talks with New York Times reporter James Glanz.

American airstrikes destroy a house in Fallujah that U.S. authorities say was used by fighters linked to al Qaeda. At least 20 people died. U.S. officials say it was a safe house for fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook and NPR's Deborah Amos.

A truce between the U.S. military and supporters of a radical Shiite cleric in the shrine cities of Najaf and Kufa appears to be holding. In other parts of Iraq, violence has continued over the weekend. According to the U.S. military, six people were killed when a car bomb exploded near a base north of Baghdad. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visits a refugee camp and meets with government officials in Sudan. Powell says the discussions produced assurances from the Sudanese government that it would combat Arab militias that have been raping and murdering black African villagers. Fighting in the area has displaced some 1 million people in the last two years. Hear Powell and NPR's Michele Norris.

Insurgents in Iraq launch a series of attacks on several cities in the Sunni Triangle around Baghdad, killing nearly 70 people and wounding hundreds more. U.S. officials say the attacks appear to be coordinated and targeted at police stations. Attacks in Baquba and Mosul kill at least three U.S. soldiers. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

The Pentagon announces new procedures for investigating the deaths of people in U.S. military custody. The new rules call for every death to be reported to military investigators and the Armed Forces medical examiner, who will decide if an autopsy is required. The guidelines are seen as an attempt to quell criticism of detainee deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.