United States:Ignoring pleas from the Bush administration and the Iraqi government, the House of Representatives approved a Bill that would fund the US military presence in Iraq for just three months, making further funds contingent on progress on the ground.
President Bush has threatened to veto the Bill, which is unlikely to reach his desk in any case because it has little support in the Senate. In a straightforward Democratic-Republican split, congressmen voted 221-205 in favour of the measure late on Thursday, which would require Mr Bush to come back to Congress in July to ask for more funds.
Significantly, 171 congressmen voted in favour of a tougher Bill that would have cut off all funding for the war and required the withdrawal of nearly all US troops from Iraq within 90 days.
Connecticut congressman John Larson, vice-chairman of the Democratic caucus, said the House was becoming more assertive on Iraq because members were more attuned to the voters.
"You're out listening to what people have to say," he said. "They're not talking about two chambers, they're not talking about overriding the veto. They're talking about 'Bring the troops home'. "
The Bill demanding a cut-off of funds, which was proposed by Massachusetts congressman Jim McGovern, was never expected to pass, but simply holding the vote represented a major victory for members of the Out of Iraq caucus.
"I think if it were a secret ballot I think there would be quite a few Republicans who would want to join with me. But it's not a secret ballot, and I think a lot of them are afraid of repercussions and so they're going to continue to toe the line," Mr McGovern said.
Ramping up its dispute with Congress over war funding, the White House warned yesterday that the president could veto domestic spending Bills until he gets a satisfactory measure to fund the war into the autumn.
"I will recommend the president veto any appropriations Bill that exceeds his request until Congress demonstrates a sustainable path that keeps discretionary spending within the president's top line of $933 billion and ensures that the department of defence has the resources necessary to accomplish its mission," White House budget director Rob Portman warned in a letter.
A group of moderate Republicans warned Mr Bush that he could not depend on their support over Iraq for much longer, expressing concern that the continued presence of US forces there could wreck the party's prospects in next year's elections. Mr Bush said this week that he was willing to negotiate with Congress about linking war funding to measurable political progress by the Iraqi government.
In a letter to troops this week, Gen David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, warned them against using or tolerating the use of torture, urging them to remain on the moral high ground. "Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful nor necessary."