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Gunmen hold hundreds of hostages, many of them children, in a Russian school near Chechnya for a second day. President Vladimir Putin calls the action "horrifying" and says the lives of the hostages are his main priority. Twenty-six women and children were released early Thursday. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

Secretary of State Colin Powell for the first time labels as genocide the atrocities Arab militias are committing against black African farmers in western Sudan. Powell spoke as the United States is proposing a U.N. resolution threatening sanctions against Sudan. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

The 10-year ban on assault weapons expires, despite public opinion polls indicating strong support. President Bush had said he'd sign an extension, but the House's Republican leadership failed to act on renewal, which was strongly opposed by the NRA. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

With Hurricane Ivan approaching, oil companies evacuate hundreds of oil workers from drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the workers are being evacuated by helicopter after they secure equipment on the platforms. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Peter Velez of Shell Oil.

A special report on the CBS program Sixty Minutes II this week raises new questions about President Bush's service in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. The story relied in part on documents that critics say appear to be forgeries. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Suspected Chechen militants seize a school in southern Russia. Reports suggest between 120 to as many as 400 people are inside, many of them children. The militants threaten to blow up the school if Russian security forces try to storm the building. Hear NPR's Lawrence Sheets.

Election logistics in a chaotic Iraq are a major concern as the country prepares for January elections. Adnan Pachachi, a member of Iraq's National Assembly, says the country needs to concentrate on creating a climate secure enough to allow people to vote. He speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Sudan's foreign minister says the Bush administration's decision to call the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region "genocide" is a political calculation aimed at winning black votes. Sudan has rejected international peacekeepers to monitor the Darfur crisis. Hear NPR's Jason Beaubien.

State officials order more than a million people to evacuate Florida's east coast as Hurricane Frances heads their way. The storm is twice the size of Hurricane Charley, which battered the state three weeks ago -- and just as potent. Bobby Link of Florida Public Radio reports.

As the region around Beslan tries to cope with a school siege that resulted in hundreds dead, fears spread of discord between North Ossetia, where the takeover occurred, and Ingushetia, where some of the gunmen were from. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.