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The man who claimed responsibility for the bloody Beslan school siege is dead, according to the Russian government. Officials say Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev was killed as he was planning an attack to coincide with this week's G8 summit in St. Petersburg.

In 1977, two young women on a cross-country bike trip were brutally attacked in an Oregon state park. Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz, one of the victims, chronicles her search to find out why no one was ever charged in the crime — and to repair her fractured self.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is a charismatic figure who has made bold pronouncements in the face of a growing conflict with Israel. Robin Wright of The Washington Post tells Scott Simon more about Nasrallah.

For a fifth straight day, the Israeli military trades fierce missile attacks with Hezbollah guerrillas operating in south Lebanon. The exchange leaves dead and wounded civilians on both sides of the border.

Mexico will choose a new President on Sunday. While the historic vote is important for Mexico, it will also have big implications for the United States. On the right, Felipe Calderon could be a close ally, and he's already promised to act as a counterweight to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.

The case against four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood will soon be in the hands of federal jurors in California. Prosecutors claim the prison gang ordered dozens of murders and plotted a race war inside the nation's Supermax prisons.

A 21-year-old American soldier -- later discharged for a mental disorder -- has been charged with raping a 15-year-old girl, then shooting and killing her -- along with her mother, father and young sister. Josh White of The Washington Post tells Madeleine Brand about the incident.

Calling North Korea's missile tests a provocative act, President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledge that the United States will rely on six-party talks to deal with the issue. Over the past 24 hours, Pyongyang has gotten the world's attention, as North Korea launched up to seven missiles.

An unexpectedly steep rise in tax revenues has driven down the projected federal budget deficit this year. The White House says that the deficit will be about $296 billion, much less than the $423 billion predicted six months ago. Steve Inskeep talks with David Wessel of the The Wall Street Journal.

The bill would overturn the president's 2001 limits on federal funding of embryonic-stem-cell research. Bush is expected to nix it. Congress appears to lack the votes for an override, but the debate could have an impact on congressional elections in fall.