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A U.S. helicopter is shot down during hours of fierce fighting in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Iraqi police battled fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Injuries are reported in the downing of the helicopter, but no deaths. U.S. Marines are called in for backup as fighting escalates. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

After waiting 86 years for their team to win the World Series, thousands of Red Sox fans took to the streets Wednesday night to celebrate. Police made 35 arrests, but in most places around the city the revelry did not get out of hand. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

U.S.-led military forces continue their aggressive hunt for insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, employing bombing attacks and house-to-house raids by Marines. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz.

Google plans to scan five vast library collections into its Internet search engine. The project will make available online the libraries of four universities -- Oxford, Harvard, Michigan, and Stanford -- as well as the books of the New York City Library no longer covered by copyright. Michael Leland of member station WUOM reports.

The 37 members of Baghdad's new city council hold their inaugural meeting in the Iraqi capital. U.S. officials selected the council members to advise Paul Bremer, chief U.S. administrator for Iraq. Bremer is expected to announce a national Iraqi governing council later this month. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

An uneasy calm returns to the southern Iraqi city of Basra after weekend rioting sparked by chronic gasoline and electricity shortages. For two days, Iraqi protesters set fire to vehicles and threw stones at British soldiers. At least one person was killed and three others were wounded in the unrest. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

For centuries, the Iraqi city of Najaf was the center of Shiite religious learning. But consistent persecution under Saddam Hussein helped shift the center of Shiite power to Iran. Some think Najaf's growing influence since the fall of Saddam's regime could pose a threat to Iran's more radical clergy. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

U.S. soldiers consolidate their hold on the international airport outside Baghdad, with reinforcements on the way. The airport is likely to serve as an important strategic base as commanders consider whether to cut through the city or to surround it. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Many Iraqis are deeply concerned about the breakdown of law and order since Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed. There's been widespread looting in several cities. As the occupying power, the United States is responsible for restoring security in Iraq, but American forces so far have been reluctant to fulfill that responsibility. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from the Pentagon.

U.S. forces seek to remain focused on the military mission in Iraq as looting and lawlessness plague Baghdad and other cities abandoned by Saddam Hussein's government and security forces. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Baghdad.