D&D 4E 4E NPC Classes - has there been any info?

[National Acrobat]

The other issue, though, which I haven't seen anything about, is whether the DM can use his/her discretion in creating non-combat NPC's in order to make, for instance, a courtier with a huge diplomacy bonus or a non-combatant mage who can create magic items but is useless in combat, (perhaps using the Rituals system?) I'd love more info about this, too.

I don't think the DM needs to worry about discretion. As a DM, I feel free to create whatever I need to use in my games. If I need someone who has +20 diplomacy, I create that as a simple NPC, a 0-level person for instance, with lots of experience.

If it isn't going to be a combat situation-oriented NPC, it shouldn't matter.

As for NPCs the party faces, I simply create PCs with the same available options as the PCs and use them as a Rogues Gallery for encounters against the PCs.

Which apparently is going to fly in the face of the new rules from what I've been reading, because apparently monsters and NPCs are supposed to be treated differently in 4e unless I am reading all the snippets of information wrong.