U.S. Congress passes Iraq War funding bill

Hello, I'm Rebecca Field in for Kristin Volk with a UPI top news update on this Friday, May 25, 2007. The U.S. Congress has passed the Iraq War funding bill. CNN reports the 120 billion dollar plan will support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through September. It does not give a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal but does require the Iraqi government to meet political benchmarks in order to receive more aid from the U.S. The bill will now head to the White House where President Bush is expected to sign it off. U.S. aid has started arriving in Lebanon. CNN reports the military has sent several cargo planes filled with ammunition for the Lebanese to fight Islamic militants in Lebanon. The fighting continues near the city of Tripoli as the Lebanese army reportedly attempts to force the Fatah militants to surrender. U.S. officials say troops are just bringing supplies to the Lebanese and have no intention in joining in on the fighting. North Korea has reportedly fired several test missiles. A Japanese news agency says the country fired the missiles today towards the Sea of Japan. A South Korean news service says the arms test was part of a regular exercise. With North Korea's aims for nuclear weapons, the missile tests are always a concern. The country also had a series of tests last July. Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is back in Iraq. The Washington Post reports he's been in hiding in Iran since a U.S. security crackdown started in Baghdad in February. But his aides claim he's been in Iraq the whole time. Al-Sadr reportedly gave a sermon this morning in the city of Kufa where he reportedly received a warm welcome from his supporters. That's all for now, Go to upi.com to check out all the day's news and updates.

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YouTube | May 25, 2007

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