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U.S. forces seek to remain focused on the military mission in Iraq as looting and lawlessness plague Baghdad and other cities abandoned by Saddam Hussein's government and security forces. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Baghdad.

After days of looting and lawlessness in Baghdad, disorder in the Iraqi capital slowly subsides. Iraqi policemen volunteer to participate in joint patrols with U.S. soldiers. And buses and taxis return to the streets, though most stores remain closed. Hear NPR's Jackie Northam.

Legal questions arise as President Bush calls on the U.N. Security Council to lift sanctions imposed years ago against Iraq. Lifting the sanctions could leave the United Nations with less influence in Iraq's rebuilding process. Hear from NPR's Michele Kelemen and Ian Johnstone, assistant professor of International Law at Tufts University.

Few basic services have been restored to Iraq despite vigorous U.S. efforts to repair damage from the war and the years of economic sanctions that preceded the conflict. Normal life may be a year or more away. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Lt. Col. Sam Gardiner, retired.

U.S. ground forces set the stage for an assault on Baghdad. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division is reported to be about 30 miles southwest of the Iraqi capital. Southeast of Baghdad, U.S. Marines destroy a division of the Iraqi Republican Guard and cross the Tigris River. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

In a statement read by Iraq's information minister, Saddam Hussein urges the Iraqi people to resist U.S. and British forces. U.S. officials say it is still unclear whether the Iraqi president is still alive, but add that Saddam is "no longer really a factor in this war." Hear NPR News.

Postwar Baghdad grinds along without water and electricity, and without work. Restoring power remains a baffling challenge. The conditions make it possible for looting to persist. Yet protesters call for Americans to go home. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

Seven American prisoners of war are rescued by U.S. Marines heading north from Baghdad to Tikrit. Gen. Tommy Franks says the five Army soldiers and two pilots, missing for more than three weeks, are in good shape. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.

The World Health Organization announces that Vietnam is the first country to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome and says the worst of the SARS outbreak is over in Hong Kong, Canada and Singapore. But in China, officials announce several new cases. SARS has killed more than 300 worldwide. Hear NPR's Rob Gifford and Hong Kong doctor Wan Song.

The U.S. government raises the national terror alert from yellow to orange, signaling a "high risk" of attack. New FBI intelligence suggests al Qaeda may target the United States or U.S. interests overseas. The move follows recent terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.