The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, San Francisco

Thousands of people called for a swift end to the war in Iraq as they marched through downtown on Saturday, chanting and carrying signs that read: "Wall Street Gets Rich, Iraqis and GIs Die" or "Drop Tuition Not Bombs."

The streets were filled with thousands as labor union members, anti-war activists, clergy and others rallied near City Hall before marching to Dolores Park.

As part of the demonstration, protesters fell on Market Street as part of a "die in" to commemorate the thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens who have died since the conflict began in March 2003.

The protest was the largest in a series of war protests taking place in New York, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, organizers said.

No official head count was available. Organizers of the event estimated about 30,000 people participated in San Francisco. It appeared that more than 10,000 people attended the march.

"I got the sense that many people were at a demonstration for the first time," said Sarah Sloan, one of the event's organizers. "That's something that's really changed. People have realized the right thing to do is to take to the streets."

In the shadow of the National Constitution Center and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, a few hundred protesters ranging from grade school-aged children to senior citizens called on President Bush to end funding for the war and bring troops home.

Marchers who braved severe wet weather during the walk of more than 30 blocks were met by people lining the sidewalks and clutching a long yellow ribbon over the final blocks before Independence Mall. There, the rally opened with songs and prayers by descendants of Lenape Indians.

"Our signs are limp from the rain and the ground is soggy, but out spirits are high," said Bal Pinguel, of the American Friends Service Committee, one of the national sponsors of the event. "The high price we are paying is the more than 3,800 troops who have been killed in the war in Iraq."

Vince Robbins, 51, of Mount Holly, N.J., said there needed to be more rallies and more outrage.

"Where's the outcry? Where's the horror that almost 4,000 Americans have died in a foreign country that we invaded?" Robbins said. "I'm almost as angry at the American people as I am the president. I think Americans have become apathetic and placid about the whole thing."

In New York, among the thousands marching down Broadway was a man carrying cardboard peace doves. Some others dressed as prisoners, wearing the bright orange garb of Guantanamo Bay inmates and pushing a person in a cage.

Chicago police said about 5,000 people marched through city streets to protest the war.

Police spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor said three protesters were arrested before the march started. They face charges including resisting arrest, failure to obey a police officer, criminal damage to property and aggravated battery to a police officer.

In Seattle, thousands of marchers were led by a small group of Iraq war veterans.

Reuters, Baghdad

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has told Iraq he supports a crackdown on Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq but wants a peaceful solution to the crisis, Iraq's government said. A statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office released overnight said Ahmedinejad had phoned Maliki to discuss the issue. Turkey is massing troops on the border and threatening to invade if Iraq cannot stop cross-border attacks. "The two men have agreed the necessity of confronting the terrorist activities of the PKK, which damage the interests of Iraq, Turkey and Iran," the statement said. "They agreed that military action is not the sole option in dealing with the crisis, which should be resolved by peaceful means." The PKK is fighting for a Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey. Iran also has a Kurdish minority and has faced cross-border attacks by rebels. Like Turkey, Iran has at times shelled targets inside Iraq in response to the raids. Iraq says it cannot confront the rebels in their remote mountain hideouts but has promised to take steps to stop them launching attacks on Turkey.

AFP, Buenos Aires

Argentina goes to the polls Sunday to elect a new head of state, with all signs pointing to First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner becoming the country's first elected woman president. Fernandez, a glamorous 54-year-old senator, was the unanimous pick in all voter intention surveys carried out before the vote. She is credited with enough support to crush the 13 other candidates and succeed her husband President Nestor Kirchner. A lawyer who got her taste of executive power during her husband's term in office, Fernandez has been frequently compared to US senator and former first lady Hillary Clinton. Her strongest support comes from Argentina's poor -- put at a quarter of the 40-million strong population -- who want to see a continuation of the leftist policies brought in under Kirchner that have turned the economy around since a 2001 crash.

AFP, Sydney

Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday defended his government's decision to commit troops to the war in Iraq, saying given his time over again he would make the same decision. Howard, a staunch ally of the US President George W. Bush, sent troops to join the US-led coalition in early 2003 and has since refused to name a specific timetable for their withdrawal. Asked whether he would have made a different decision if he had the chance again, the prime minister replied: "No, I wouldn't have." "I think we did the right thing based on the available evidence," he told the Nine Network. But he said he was only speaking based on the information he had at the time on the regime of Saddam Hussein and the possibility the then Iraqi dictator possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Reuters, Sirte

Sudan's government declared an immediate unilateral ceasefire at the opening of Darfur peace talks on Saturday, but the absence of key rebels cast doubt on whether the move could produce meaningful progress. One rebel leader who did attend the gathering in the Libyan town of Sirte voiced reservations about Khartoum's move, saying the government had failed to honor past such undertakings during 4-1/2 years of violence in the western region. "We announce a ceasefire from this moment, and we will respect it unilaterally," Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie told the gathering aimed at ending 4-1/2 years of violence in the western region. Rebel leader Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige of the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance told Reuters: "The government has already said several times since 2004 that they observed a ceasefire. They again spoke like this today. We have our doubts." On the eve of the African Union-United Nations-mediated talks, two main rebel groups -- the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army Unity faction -- said they would not attend.

Reuters, Mingora

Thousands of Pakistanis are fleeing a tense northwestern town and outlying villages amid fears of a showdown between the security forces and an Islamist militant Taliban-style movement, residents said. The Swat valley in the North West Frontier Province was the scene of a fierce battle between security forces and followers of a radical Muslim cleric on Friday after authorities sent more than 2,000 soldiers to counter growing militancy. At least 17 paramilitary soldiers and four civilians were killed in a suspected suicide attack near the valley's main town of Mingora on Thursday. The militants killed seven civilians and decapitated three soldiers and three policemen they had taken hostage in the nearby town of Matta on Friday. Residents said tension was also rising in another town, Khwazakhela, about 25 km (15 miles) west of Mingora. "People are leaving their homes. All shops and markets are closed," a scared resident of the town told Reuters by telephone, asking to remain anonymous for security reasons.