SPB News for Friday.

Marines ignore Afghan poppy fields, assure locals plants won't be touched --'Many Marines in the field are scratching their heads over the situation.' Last week, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit moved into southern Helmand province, the world's largest opium poppy-growing region [thanks to Bush], and now find themselves surrounded by green fields of the illegal plants that produce the main ingredient of heroin. The Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won't be touched. American commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans' only source of income.

Congress to pass Iraq war funds by end of May: Pelosi --DemocRATs to give Bush $162.5 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through mid-2009. The U.S. Congress will send President [sic] George W. Bush a bill by the end of this month to pay for the war in Iraq through next year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday. The legislation, which would give Bush $162.5 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through mid-2009, had been scheduled for debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Baghdad stadium to 'shelter' Iraqis fleeing Sadr City danger A top official in Baghdad said the capital's biggest stadium is one of three locations being prepared for residents fleeing Baghdad's Sadr City, where Iraqi and U.S. forces have been fighting Shiite militants for weeks. Tahseen al-Sheikhly, the civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security 'plan,' said gangs are trying to generate hatred of security forces by distributing a "fabricated" video of coalition forces assaulting a woman.

Iraqis allege sex abuse at the British Embassy An Iraqi cleaner and two cooks claim that a culture of sexual harassment, abuse and bullying exists at the British Embassy in Baghdad. The middle-aged cleaner told The Times that a British contractor with KBR, the company hired to maintain the embassy’s premises, offered to double her daily pay if she would stay the night with him. When she refused, she said, her pay was cut and she was later dismissed. The Iraqis accuse the embassy of leaving the abuse unchallenged and failing adequately to respond to complaints against several British managers for KBR. The company was allowed to conduct its own inquiry, an arrangement criticised as a very serious conflict of interest.

Olmert suspected of receiving massive amounts in illicit funds from U.S. businessman Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is suspected of illicitly receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from Morris (Moshe) Talansky, according to the details of an investigation currently being carried out against him. At the request of police and judicial officials, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Thursday relaxed a sweeping media gag order that has prevented the reporting of details on the probe.

Marriott International is considering opening a hotel in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in response “to a request from U.S. government officials who are eager to help revive Iraq with foreign investment and economic activity.” The company’s chief executive, Bill Marriott, is said to be “considering the deal but is concerned about safety issues.”