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From the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, President Bush terms the defeat of Saddam Hussein "one victory" in a continuing war on terrorism. Bush says major combat operations in Iraq have ended, but much work remains to help in the country's reconstruction. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Scientists with the World Health Organization release a new study that suggests that the SARS virus can live outside a person's body for several days. The study finds that the virus stayed alive on a piece of plastic for 24 to 48 hours, indicating the disease may be contracted by touching a contaminated surface. Hear NPR's Eric Niiler.

More than 3,000 bodies have been removed so far from a mass grave found in central Iraq. The bodies are believed to be those of people killed by Saddam Hussein's government during a Shiite uprising following the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Hear NPR's Christopher Joyce.

Efforts to gather a new goverment are under way in Iraq, but the process is slowed by the diversity of competing interests. Shia leaders were absent from a meeting in Nasiriyah this week, saying they wouldn't take part in talks led by the U.S. military. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and NPR's Mike Shuster.

The World Health Organization cautions travelers to avoid China's Shanxi province, Beijing and Toronto, saying the regions are high-risk areas for the deadly respiratory disease called SARS. But Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman and other officials call the warning an overreaction. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.

Huge crowds of Iraqi Shiite Muslims converge in Karbala, Iraq. They are making a pilgrimage for one of Shiite Islam's holiest celebrations -- one banned for decades by Saddam Hussein. Some Shiite leaders hope pilgrims will demonstrate against the United States. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports, and NPR's Melissa Block talks to Mahmoud M. Ayoub, professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at Temple University.

U.S. officials in Iraq discount Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi's claim to be the mayor of Baghdad. Zubaidi says he was elected by a group of clerics, academics and tribal leaders -- and he says he's in frequent contact with U.S. military commanders. NPR's Scott Simon reports.

U.S. forces in Baghdad hope to gather useful information from the capture of one of Saddam Hussein's half-brothers. He once headed Iraq's secret police and ran Iraqi intelligence operations in Europe. Meanwhile, looting continues, and the question many people are asking is "Who's in charge?" Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Jackie Northam.

Chinese health officials report 80 new cases of SARS, nearly half of which are in areas outside Beijing where hospitals are less prepared to deal with the disease. But inspectors from the World Health Organization say China is taking the right steps to stop the spread of SARS in rural areas. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Although he was known principally as a political adviser and campaign strategist, Karl Rove has been a critical part of the White House policy operation as well. The adviser's departure could have wide repercussions.