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In a Shiite sector of Baghdad, mourners at a funeral procession for two Iraqis killed in a clash with American troops chant "No to America." The outburst raises concerns that Shiites might turn against the U.S. occupying force. Tensions are heightened by a rising postwar death toll that is far higher for Iraqis than for the U.S. military. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

As the United States reports the death of another soldier in Iraq, the head of a visiting U.N. delegation says security must improve if the country is to hold general elections by January. The U.S. military has accepted responsibility for the shooting deaths early this month of two Arabic television reporters, but insists the incident was an accident. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Nearly two months of running battles between U.S. troops and radical Shiite militiamen in the southern Iraqi cities of Najaf and Kufa may be over. The U.S.-appointed provincial governor says both sides will withdraw from the cities, home to some of the most sacred shrines in Shiite Islam. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Deborah Amos.

Fighting intensifies in Najaf, as U.S. and Iraqi forces begin a major offensive to crush a weeklong insurgency by militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces began the pre-dawn assault by cordoning off Najaf's cemetery and shrine of Imam Ali. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Ivan Watson.

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers parachute onto an airfield in an area controlled by Iraqi Kurds in an effort to threaten the Iraqi regime from the north. It's the largest and most public deployment yet of U.S. ground forces in the Kurdish enclave -- and a sign that the United States may be opening a second military front against Baghdad. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says Iraqi elections should not be held before June 30, the deadline the United States has set for transferring power to an Iraqi government. Leaders of the Shiite majority are calling for elections to be held earlier. Annan's statement follows the return of a U.N. team that assessed the political situation in Iraq. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

The Transportation Security Administration modifies some of its air-travel safety rules regarding liquids and other carry-on items over the weekend.

Candace Bahouth of the village of Pilton in the U.K. describes how the village evolves when one of the world's biggest music festivals comes to town, and how people there feel about the 'Brexit' vote.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is preparing his population for what he claims is a potential U.S. invasion. In the past week, Venezuelans held exercises that simulated the arrival of a strong invasion force. Critics say Chavez is whipping up fear for entirely domestic political purposes.

The U.S. military had around 18,000 troops in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan at the end of last year. The official numbers have gone up in all three countries and now total about 26,000.