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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.

A mass grave filled with the remains of dozens of people, some with blindfolds and hands bound, is discovered in a southern Iraqi town near Najaf. The bodies are believed to be those of Iraqis executed in a 1991 Shiite Muslim uprising. Red Crescent workers say they believe more graves will be found in the area. Hear Reuters reporter Christine Hauser.

The United States, Britain and Spain will present the U.N. Security Council with a draft resolution Friday calling for the immediate end to sanctions on Iraq. The resolution also describes a role for the United Nations in rebuilding Iraq and creates an international advisory board to monitor Iraq's oil contracts. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

A new survey says most Americans think high-income people don't pay their fair share of taxes. Yet most Americans also want the government to dump a tax paid almost entirely by the wealthy: the estate tax. These findings are in a poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Kennedy School of Government. NPR's John Ydstie reports.

World Health Organization investigators say China under-reports cases of the deadly SARS virus in Beijing military hospitals and bars the release of details. WHO officials think China has 100 to 200 SARS cases, and that's three to five times more than China has reported. In Beijing, Anthony Kuhn reports.

Gen. Tommy Franks issues a statement saying Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, the political organization that dominated the country for 35 years, "is dissolved." Meanwhile, Iraqi doctors denounce the new U.S.-appointed Iraqi health minister, a one-time Baath Party member. Hear NPR's Christopher Joyce.

Iraqi forces withdraw from several more frontline positions along the dividing line between Baghdad-controlled Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish enclave in the country's north. The move comes after Iraqi troops clashed with Kurdish militia in what may have been the first ground battle between the two sides. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Another Iraqi civilian dies in a shooting at a U.S. military checkpoint in Iraq. The incident comes a day after seven civilians were killed at another checkpoint. As the death toll climbs, U.S. troops find it harder to win the popular support of Iraqis. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

Iraqi television broadcasts footage of what it claims is President Saddam Hussein visiting residential areas of Baghdad on Friday. If the video is authentic, it would be Saddam's first public appearance in two years. Meanwhile, Iraqi ministers continue to report the battle is going according to Iraqi plans. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Bush administration officials are counting on oil revenue from Iraq to offset the cost of rebuilding the country. But lawyers and analysts are raising legal questions about U.S. plans to manage Iraq's oil industry, even on a temporary basis. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.