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India Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee concedes defeat in the country's general election, clearing the way for Sonia Gandhi to become India's next prime minister. Sonia Gandhi is the widow of assassinated former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Philip Reeves.

Afghan officials continue to gather ballot boxes spread throughout the country from Saturday's presidential vote. Apart from President Hamid Karzai, all candidates in the country's election have declared the process illegitimate. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

The cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan is soaring. The Afghan and U.S. governments are working to counter the drug trade.

U.S. Marines begin pulling back from their positions in Fallujah, a day after negotiating an end to the U.S. siege of the Iraqi city. The Marines will turn over security to an Iraqi unit led by one of Saddam Hussein's former generals. The Marines will remain positioned outside Fallujah. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Eight U.S. soldiers die in a car-bombing south of Baghdad. Two others are killed in separate attacks. The deaths come amid reports of a deal to end a standoff in Fallujah. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

U.S. troops engage in an overnight gun battle with militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr near the holy city of Najaf. The U.S. military says dozens of Iraqis died in the fighting. The battle comes as U.S. forces begin replacing departing Spanish troops. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Fifteen candidates challenging interim leader Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan's Saturday presidential election say they will boycott the results of the vote. They candidates say there are problems with ink meant to prevent people from voting more than once. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

In talks to frame an Iraqi constitution, a top Shiite political leader calls for autonomy for the Shiite-dominated region of southern Iraq. In the north, Kurdish leaders made similar demands. Iraq's Shiite prime minister rejected the proposals.

Under mounting pressure from U.S. officials, Iraqi politicians are struggling to meet Monday's deadline for drafting a new constitution. Divisive issues remain, including the level of regional autonomy, the role of Islam and the rights of women.

Iraq's National Assembly votes to extend its deadline to draft a constitution by one week. The extension was agreed to after Kurdish leaders requested more time; feverish last-minute talks failed to resolve contentious issues, from the role of Islamic law to regional autonomy.