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U.S. civilian administrator Jay Garner expects an interim government to be running Iraq by the middle of May. The country holds its first election in the northern city of Mosul, where tribal and ethnic leaders elect a local city council and mayor who will run the city alongside the U.S. military. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

Few basic services have been restored to Iraq despite vigorous U.S. efforts to repair damage from the war and the years of economic sanctions that preceded the conflict. Normal life may be a year or more away. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Lt. Col. Sam Gardiner, retired.

Baghdad plunges into darkness in the first widespread power outage since the war began. Some Iraqis flee the city amid growing chaos. Iraqi officials blame the blackout on the Americans but a U.S. military spokesman says the city's power grid was not targeted in bombing raids. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Seven American prisoners of war are rescued by U.S. Marines heading north from Baghdad to Tikrit. Gen. Tommy Franks says the five Army soldiers and two pilots, missing for more than three weeks, are in good shape. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Postwar Baghdad grinds along without water and electricity, and without work. Restoring power remains a baffling challenge. The conditions make it possible for looting to persist. Yet protesters call for Americans to go home. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

The U.S. government raises the national terror alert from yellow to orange, signaling a "high risk" of attack. New FBI intelligence suggests al Qaeda may target the United States or U.S. interests overseas. The move follows recent terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

President Bush meets with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson to discuss the rift between the United States and several European countries over Iraq. Bush praises NATO for engineering an agreement to send spy planes and military equipment to help protect Turkey in the event of a war with Iraq. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

The Bush administration sends Gen. John Abizaid and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to reassure Congress of progress in Iraq. Their appearance at Capitol Hill comes amidst increasing anxiety by lawmakers over the growing cost of the U.S. occupation in Iraq. NPR's David Welna reports.

The 2003 Nobel Prize for literature is awarded to South African novelist J. M. Coetzee. He's the fourth African writer to win the prize in the last 40 years. Hear NPR's Neda Ulaby.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Beirut to begin a diplomatic mission to the Middle East. Her unannounced stop in Lebanon is intended to show support for the country's beleaguered government. Rice will work to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.