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Bombings rock the Iraqi capital Monday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Rocket attacks and car bombs leave at least 35 people dead and more than 200 others wounded, in the bloodiest single day in Baghdad since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

President George Bush addresses recent bombings in Iraq during a formal news conference in the Rose Garden, saying he believes foreign terrorists are likely responsible for the attacks. The White House event is the president's tenth full-scale news conference, and the first in recent months. NPR's Don Gonyea 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.

More French soldiers land in eastern Congo to lead a European Union peacekeeping mission aimed at protecting civilians and aid workers trapped in a civil war. Tribal fighting has left hundreds dead and forced thousands to flee. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

A U.S.-backed Iraqi governing council met for the first time Sunday. The 25-member interim council can appoint ministers, approve a national budget and review laws -- but ultimate authority will still rest with the U.S.-led occupying powers. NPR's Kate Seelye reports from Baghdad.

The 25 representatives of Iraq's new Governing Council hold their first meeting in Baghdad -- an event one representative says puts "Saddam in the rubbish heap of history." The council members are appointed by U.S. officials, and Shiite Muslims have a majority of seats. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

Many critics at home and abroad are suggesting the U.S. failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq signifies a failure of pre-war intelligence -- or worse. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Washington Post runs a major report detailing new information that indicates the Bush administration lacked evidence to support its pre-war claim that Iraq's nuclear threat was imminent. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and Post reporter Barton Gellman.

Baghdad's continuing electricity shortage creates growing frustration in the restive postwar atmosphere. Summer temperatures reaching 120 degrees contribute to the distress. And consumers violently oppose a plan to equalize distribution of electricity across the country. Restoring 24-hour service to the Iraqi capital may take two years. NPR's Anne Garrels 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.