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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday echoed U.S. views that Iraqi elections can't be held before the July 1 transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis. Iraqi Shiites express disappointment, but many still want U.N. help in setting up elections before the end of the year. But the delay is welcomed by minority Sunnis, who fear Shiites could sweep an early vote. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair conclude a summit in Northern Ireland. The two say the United Nations will have a "vital role" in postwar Iraq. Bush suggests the role primarily would be humanitarian. But Blair is under pressure from his public and European neighbors to permit a leading U.N. role in governing and rebuilding Iraq. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, President Bush's nominee to replace Gen. Tommy Franks as head of the U.S. Central Command defends the pre-war intelligence the administration presented on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Lt. Gen. John Abizaid says he expects U.S. forces to remain in Iraq "a long time" but declines to offer specifics. NPR's David Welna reports.

Baghdad's new police force begins work Monday with new uniforms and new leadership. Zuhar Abdul Razaq, a former police officer chosen by the U.S. Army to temporarily lead the force, says he will focus on reassembling the police force and on controlling the looting and lawlessness that has pervaded the city since U.S. forces invaded more than three weeks ago. Hear NPR's Guy Raz.

Johnny Cash, country music's "Man in Black," dies due to complications from diabetes at 71. Cash, whose hits include "I Walk the Line," and "A Boy Named Sue," earned 11 Grammys in his six-decade career and was inducted into the Country Music, the Rock and Roll and the Songwriters halls of fame. Cash's death comes four months after the death of his wife, June Carter Cash. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards.

An apparent car bomb explodes outside of a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Najaf, killing at least 75 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. Al-Hakim led a political party that operated in exile for years in Iran during Saddam Hussein's regime, and had cooperated to a degree with occupying U.S. forces. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

The Bush administration will begin circulating a draft resolution within the U.N. Security Council that would authorize the creation of a multinational force in Iraq under U.S. command, U.S. officials say. The decision, an effort to attract more foreign contributions, comes as the cost of the U.S. operation in Iraq continues to mount. Hear Guillaume Parmentier of the French Center on the United States.

Pentagon officials acknowledge that extending the combat tours of some U.S. soldiers in Iraq will cost several hundred million extra dollars. The White House's 2005 budget curently includes no funding request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Concerns are growing among members of Congress from both parties about the overall cost of military operations in Iraq. NPR'S Eric Westervelt reports.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice briefs House and Senate Republicans on the situation in Iraq. The closed-door briefing comes near the end of a series of Congressional hearings examining troop deployment extensions, military costs and the planned June 30 transfer of power to an Iraqi government. Rice also met with some Senate Democrats in a meeting that was arranged at the last minute. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

Residents of Basra are cleaning up and treating the wounded following the bloodiest day in the southern Iraqi city since the start of the war a year ago. Five suicide bombings left more than 70 people dead and at least 200 wounded. There's no word who carried out these attacks, but U.S officials suspect al Qaeda. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.