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Gunmen release 26 women and small children held hostage at a school in southern Russia, but hundreds more remain inside. The militants have killed about a dozen people, mostly police officers, and rebuffed proposals to end the standoff. Hear NPR's Lawrence Sheets.

Violence in Iraq intensifies as the first anniversary of the U.S.-led war approaches. In Basra, a hotel bombing kills at least four Iraqis. And in Baquba, gunmen kill three Iraqi civilians. Thursday's attacks follow a deadly car bombing in central Baghdad that destroyed the Mount Lebanon Hotel, frequented by foreign workers. Hear NPR News.

The SARS death toll in Toronto reaches 21, but Canadian officials say the outbreak of the deadly respiratory disease is under control. They cite a decline in the number of people in quarantine, a decrease in new cases. But hospitals fear the spread of SARS among employees. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.

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. and British military forces take control of portions of southern Iraq, but Pentagon officials say their main attack on the country has yet to begin. U.S. Marines say they have encountered only light resistance. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Eric Westervelt.

Member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agree to boost oil output by 1.5 million barrels a day beginning in February. The production increase comes in the wake of ongoing strikes in Venezuela and fears of a possible war in Iraq. Eugen Freund reports.