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Water has been restored to Harbin in northeast China, five days after a chemical plant accident polluted a river that runs past the city toward Russia. The toxic slick is expected to reach the Russian city of Khabarovsk in about two weeks.

The city of Harbin, China, has its water supply back after a major chemical spill. But the presence of benzene in Songhua River creates potential dangers. Sheilah Kast speaks with Rolf Halden, a professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Opposition demands for a new vote in Ukraine's presidential elections are growing stronger but the crisis is far from over. The Supreme Court takes up the issue Monday. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Adrian Karatnytsky of Freedom House, who has just returned from Ukraine.

A group of foreign mediators meets with Ukrainian government and opposition leaders in a bid to end the crisis sparked by this week's disputed presidential election. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters continue to march in the heart of the capital, Kiev. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

Iraqi paramilitary forces fire on British troops surrounding the southern port city of Basra. Reports say Iraqis loyal to Saddam are also firing on civilians trying to flee the city. The search for food, water and supplies intensifies for Basra's civilians as the standoff enters its sixth day. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Reuters photographer Chris Helgren.

In Beslan, Russia, funerals began Sunday for the more than 330 people killed in a confrontation between Chechen separatists and Russian forces. Many of the dead were children held hostage before Friday's bloody end to the siege. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

The Energy Bill passed by the House Thursday includes a controversial provision that would exempt an increasingly popular drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the Clean Drinking Water Act. Opponents of the exemption say the technique has been known to contaminate drinking water.

With millions going unvaccinated this year due to a flu vaccine shortage, health professionals warn of a pending crisis in U.S. hospitals and emergency rooms. Federal officials are criticized for lacking an emergency plan. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference prepares for an emergency summit in Qatar to discuss the impending U.S. attack on Iraq. Meanwhile, the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council agree to deploy forces in Kuwait to help thwart any Iraqi attack. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

External efforts to end a nearly two-month-old strike in Venezuela gain momentum. Former President Jimmy Carter's plan to address the crisis is embraced by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The strike has crippled oil production in one of the world's major exporters. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.