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A top official at Iraq's foreign ministry is killed in Baghdad during an ambush by unknown gunmen. Bassam Kubba, who had been a career diplomat, is the first member of Iraq's new interim government to lose his life amid continuing violence and security problems. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and NPR's Emily Harris.

A U.N. envoy meets with Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, seeking to resolve the dispute over the cleric's call to elect a transitional assembly. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says he agrees with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's demand for elections but is unsure whether a vote could be held before a June 30 U.S. deadline for a power transfer. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

The Justice Department says Jose Padilla, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material, had conspired with top al Qaeda leaders in his plan. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, has been designated an enemy combatant and held without charge or access to counsel for two years. Officials say he planned to detonate explosives, possibly to destroy apartment buildings in U.S. cities. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

The dating site Cupid.com has released a survey rating regional accents. The most attractive accent in North America is the Southern drawl. The New York accent came in second. Rounding out the top 5: the New Jersey, Boston and Western accents.

Will Ferrell's Anchorman character is out with an autobiography which wound up in the non-fiction aisle at a Los Angeles area store.The Los Angeles Times first noticed the misplacement Ron Burgundy: Let Me Off At The Top.

Wonderful Wife was a top seller when more women stayed at home and took care of the kids. Now that more women stay on the job, the publisher replaced it with a magazine aimed at working mothers.

The Puerto Rican rapper only performs in Spanish — a sign of the growing power of Hispanic music. It's the first time an artist who never sings in English tops the year-end list.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is a familiar sight at coronavirus briefings. Donuts Delite in Rochester prints photos of Fauci on wafer-thin edible paper and affixes them to the top of doughnuts with buttercream.

The restaurant chain is collaborating on clothing with Forever 21. The Taco Bell themed clothing will include tops, bodysuits, hoodies, and sweatshirts. The clothes will be available online too.

Guinness World Records recognized her as the female artist with the most hits on Billboard's Hot Country songs charts and for the most decades with a top 20 hit on Billboards Hot Country Songs Chart.