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U.S. forces consolidate their hold over Baghdad, but continue to engage in sporadic clashes with forces loyal to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. At least one Marine is reported killed and almost 20 wounded after a three-hour battle to seize a presidential palace. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

The Bush administration says the war in Iraq has cost $20 billion already, and will require another $20 billion over the next five months. The Pentagon cautions there are variables in the long-term costs. Even so, the estimate is less than private analysts and economists had predicted. NPR's Jack Speer reports.

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.

Canadian health officials take steps to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, after 13 deaths and more than 300 probable cases. In Toronto, churches are being asked to alter centuries-old rituals beginning with Easter weekend services. NPR's Vicky Que 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.

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.