AP - The Democratic-led Congress finally appears ready to give President Bush his request for $162 billion in long-overdue funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

AP - As floodwaters take aim at the tiny towns lining the Mississippi River, the heartland ethic of neighbors helping neighbors is proving to be a potent force against the rising water.

AP - Royal Dutch Shell said it shut down production at an offshore oil installation that produces about 200,000 barrels per day after the most powerful militant group in Nigeria said it launched an attack there Thursday.

AP - Guns went quiet as a six-month truce between Israel and Gaza Strip militants took effect early Thursday, but there was widespread skepticism about its ability to hold.

AFP - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on Wednesday that Israel's imminent truce with Hamas in and around the Gaza Strip could be short-lived and said the military stood ready to act if it failed.

AFP - Afghan and NATO troops backed by helicopter gunships killed 35 Taliban rebels Wednesday in a huge "clean-up" operation to drive out militants entrenched in villages near Kandahar.

Reuters - About a dozen people hurled rocks at a top U.S. diplomat's convoy in Lebanon on Wednesday but there were no serious injuries, the U.S. State Department said.

Reuters - President George W. Bush vetoed the $289 billion U.S. farm bill for the second time on Wednesday, setting the stage for a congressional override to enact it into law, just like the first time.

Reuters - U.S. and Chinese officials were to wrap up two days of economic talks on Wednesday with agreements to expand energy cooperation and investment but with differences remaining on how quickly Beijing should liberalize its markets.

Reuters - Americans remain gloomy about the future but feel marginally better this month as they adjust to high gas prices and a faltering economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Reuters - President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged Congress to end a ban on offshore oil drilling, responding to consumer anxiety over record-high gasoline prices with a plan sure to anger environmentalists.

Reuters - Democrat Barack Obama has a narrow 5-point lead on Republican John McCain in the U.S. presidential race, but holds a big early edge with the crucial swing voting blocs of independents and women, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Reuters - The swollen Mississippi River ran over the top of at least nine more levees on Wednesday as floodwaters swallowed up more U.S. farmland, feeding inflation fears as corn prices soared to record highs.