• House Agrees on War Funding: Last night, House leaders arrived at a bipartisan solution on a major spending measure set to provide funding to the war in Iraq through the end of the current administration. Included in the agreement are significant new education benefits for veterans, and a concession to Democratic demands for added unemployment benefits. The bill could be voted on as early as today and would solve the two-year battle between President Bush and Congressional Democrats over war funding by allocating $163 billion for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan without imposing conditions like a withdrawal timetable.

  • Tibetans Missing: According to Amnesty International, more than 1,000 Tibetans detained during protests against the Chinese government in March still remain missing. The human rights group reports that detainees had been beaten and deprived of food and are asking China to "shine some light" on the missing Tibetans. The March anti-China protests led by Buddhist monks were the worst in the region in 20 years. China says protesters killed at least 19 people, and Tibetan exiles say security forces killed dozens of people. The Olympic torch is set to reach Tibet on Saturday.
  • Israel and Hamas Start Ceasefire: A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began this morning despite up to the wire outbreaks of cross-border attacks. The truce is supposed to both stop Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip, and to quell missiles being fired from Gaza into southern Israel. The ceasefire is the first step, further talks about a prisoner exchange may follow, though the truce is fragile. The last ceasefire collapsed in April 2007. There were no reports of fire from either side on Thursday morning.
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