SYDNEY, Australia, March 18--An anti-war rally in Australia kicked off what was expected to be a wave of global protests on Saturday, as campaigners marked the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq with a demand that coalition troops pull out, AP said.
Around 500 protesters marched through central Sydney, chanting “End the war now and “Troops out of Iraq.“ Many campaigners waved placards branding President Bush the “World’s No. 1 Terrorist“ or expressing concerns that Iran could be the next country to face invasion.
“Hands off Iran,“ read several placards carried by protesters. “Iraq is a quagmire and has been a humanitarian disaster for the Iraqis,“ said Jean Parker, a member of the Australian branch of the Stop the War Coalition, which organized the march. “There is no way forward without ending the occupation.“
Paddy Gibson of the pressure group Students Against War said the “deepening crisis“ in Iraq would only get worse if coalition troops stayed. “The longer this occupation continues, the more destabilized that country becomes.“
Opposition to the war is still evident in Australia, which has some 1,300 troops in and around Iraq. Visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was heckled by campaigners in Sydney this week, who said she had “blood on her hands.“
But Saturday’s protest was small, compared to the mass demonstrations that swept across the country in the buildup to the invasion--the largest Australia had seen since joining US forces in the Vietnam War.
In Tokyo, about 2,000 people rallied in a downtown park, carrying signs saying “Stop the Occupation“ as they listened to a series of anti-war speeches, said Takeshiko Tsukushi, a member of World Peace Now, which helped plan the rally. Tokyo police were unable to immediately confirm the number in attendance.
“The war is illegal under international law,“ Tsukushi said. “We want the immediate withdrawal of the Self Defense Forces and from Iraq along with all foreign troops.“

Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Every year on 23rd March, the people of Pakistan celebrate the passage of the Pakistan resolution in Lahore on this day in 1940, which in line with the vision of the great poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal, called for the establishment of an independent state for the Muslims of South Asia.
Founding fathers of Pakistan resolved to commit themselves to a vision. It was a dream of a separate homeland free of external domination, based on the lofty ideals of Islam, where the Muslims of the subcontinent could live in accordance with the tenets of our great religion.
As a result of their determined struggle under the charismatic and sagacious leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a major Muslim country was placed on the map of the world on 14th August 1947.
On this day, the people of Pakistan renew their resolve to transform into reality the vision of their founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, for a progressive, modern, democratic, Islamic state. Toward this end, the government of Pakistan has laid the foundations for sustainable development and democracy in Pakistan.
In the economic sector, Pakistan has witnessed impressive gains and the GDP growth has risen to over 8.4% in 2004-05, its fastest in two decades. The recovery has been supported by a robust performance in industry, agriculture and services.
During July-December 2005, total private foreign investment jumped to US$1.46 billion, showing an increase of over 200% over the same period in 2004. Exports were up by 24% and rose to US$8 billion while imports touched the figure of US$13 billion, a rise of 53%.
The people of Pakistan take pride in the fact that Iran was the first country to extend recognition to the newborn state. Relations between the two neighboring countries have developed in leaps and bounds since then.
Pakistan and Iran have traditionally enjoyed close, cordial and cooperative ties. These have been marked by frequent high-level consultations between the leadership of the two countries.
The leadership of both countries is totally committed to carry forward the strong bonds of friendship and to utilize the institutional framework already in place for promoting economic and commercial relations for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.
During recent years, the annual volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran has been close to US$400 million. Vast potential exists in this field. Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meets once a year to review progress in trade, economic and investment ties. The next JEC meeting will be held in Islamabad in May 2006.
Pakistan and Iran share common perception on international and regional issues and closely cooperate in various forums. Both countries are among the founding members of Economic Cooperation Organization and work closely to promote cooperation among the 350 million people of the region.
With the shared hard work of the people of the two countries, Pakistan-Iran brotherly relations are likely to witness steady growth in the coming years.
Pakistan is celebrating its National Day on March 23, 2006. Embassy of Pakistan Ð Tehran

Tony Blair

LONDON, March 18--Prime Minister Tony Blair faced further embarrassment after his Labour Party revealed it had received $24.5 million in secret loans from wealthy supporters, reported AFP.
Blair was in hot water this week over allegations that the party had rewarded individuals with the promise of a seat in the House of Lords, Britain’s unelected upper chamber of parliament, in return for their money.
A Labour spokesman said the party received loans worth a total of 13.95 million pounds ($24.5 million, 20.1 million euros) last year.
The money was lent “in full compliance“ with party funding rules, he said.
“All loans will be recorded in our annual accounts 2006--covering January to December 2005--in the usual way. These accounts will be published in June,“ the spokesman added in a brief statement.
In his monthly press conference on Thursday, an embattled Blair strongly denied that any loans to his party had been improper.
But he did reveal that he is considering changes to how nominations are made to the House of Lords, including a proposal to limit the role of the prime minister in the process.
As part of the shake-up, Blair’s official spokesman announced on Friday a former senior civil servant, Sir Hayden Phillips, had been appointed to look at the future of party funding in liaison with the political parties.
“The prime minister has always said that it is better and more likely to be acceptable to the public if we progress this matter on the basis of consensus,“ the spokesman added.
The suggestion of shady deals taking place behind closed doors threatens to tarnish Labour with the same image of sleaze that tainted the main opposition Conservative Party, which governed Britain for 18 years until 1997.
It may also force Blair--who has pledged to step down ahead of the next general election--to make way for his heir-apparent, hancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, sooner than intended.

DOHA, Qatar,
March 18--The first legislative elections in the history of the resource-rich Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar are not due until early 2007 but women are already mobilizing to take part, encouraged by democratic reforms, AFP said.
More than 120 women have signed up for a program intended to educate them about the electoral process and how to run and finance campaigns, the vice president of the emirate’s electoral commission, Sheikh Khaled bin Jaber Al-Thani, told AFP.
“We are encouraging women to take part in the elections,“ he said.
In June 2005 Qatar adopted a constitution for the first time since independence from Britain in 1971, establishing democratic reforms in a country long ruled by an absolute monarchy.
The constitution clears the way for the separation of executive, legislative and judicial branches and allows 45 members of parliament to be elected. The emir reserves the power to appoint the remaining 15 members.
The current members of the Shura (consultative) Council, as parliament is known, are all appointed by the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa.
The emir has advocated greater political openness since taking power after deposing his father in 1995.
The constitution confirms women’s right to vote and run in polls as spelled out in a previous decree issued by the emir.
In the last municipal elections in 2003, only one woman candidate, Sheikha Al-Jiffri, ran and won a seat. Many women had been discouraged by their experience in the previous election in 1999 when six ran and none won.
“I sense a strong will by women to live the electoral experience,“ Jiffri told AFP urging women “to knock down the wall of hesitation.“
Sheikh Khaled said he was convinced women will be representative in the Shura Council.
“I think women have overcome the shock of failure in 1999, more and more are showing interest in running in the elections,“ he said.

CAIRO, Egypt, March 18--Nearly 1,000 Egyptian judges held a half-hour silent protest Friday to demonstrate for full judicial independence and against the government’s order to interrogate of six of their colleagues who criticized recent elections, AP reported.
The justices, wearing the red and green sashes of their profession, gathered outside their professional association, the Judges’ Club, in downtown Cairo ahead of an extraordinary general assembly to discuss their grievances.
The protest was larger than previous actions by the judges and drew participants from across the country. Last month, dozens of judges in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria held a similar protest after authorities stripped the immunity of six colleagues.
“The independence of the judges is the battle of the whole nation, and we all have to defend it,“ Zakaria Abdel Aziz, head of the Judges’ Club, told the audience.
State security prosecutors want to interrogate the six pro-reform judges about their contacts with the media regarding parliamentary elections in November and December 2005. They had been outspoken about allegations of fraud.
The general assembly agreed to support the six judges in rejecting the interrogation order, according to a statement issued after the meeting.
Judges have demanded the right to supervise polling stations. The recent election was marred by government supporters intimidating and police blocking voters outside stations, as well as allegations of ballot stuffing.

Supporters of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party hold plastic missile models during a rally in Taipei, March 18. (AFP Photo)

TAIPEI, Taiwan, March 18--Chanting “Oppose missiles, Want peace“, more than 100,000 supporters of Taiwan’s pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian joined a rally on Saturday to protest China’s threat to use force against the self-ruled island, Reuters said.
The rally, organized by Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), marked the first anniversary of China’s passage of the Anti-Secession Law that authorizes war if Taiwan declares statehood, thereby violating Beijing’s “one China“ policy.
China and Taiwan split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
With red balloons symbolizing Chinese missiles, the DPP said the huge crowd showed the world the Taiwan people’s determination to defend a democratic way of life.
“Taiwan is not part of China and China should stop threatening us with its missiles and with its bullets,“ said Song Wen-ling, a 60-year-old retiree.
Taipei says Beijing had accumulated nearly 800 missiles targeting the island and was adding to its arsenal at a rate of between 75-100 a year. Some security analysts say the Taiwan Strait is one of Asia’s most dangerous hot spots.
“Taiwan is a a democracy, whether or not we should be independent or be part of China is up to us Taiwanese. We should not submit to China bullying,“ said 48-year-old engineer Lee Guo-qing.
President Chen did not join the march to the presidential office as expected after local media reported that about 6,000-7,000 police were mobilized to ensure his safety.

SYDNEY, Australia, March 18--The United States, Japan and Australia said on Saturday that China had a constructive role to play in the Asia-Pacific and called for the broader involvement of other important players with the emerging superpower, Reuters said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and their Australian counterpart Alexander Downer met in Sydney for talks on how the three could together deal with issues such as China and how to tackle its growing military strength.
“We welcomed China’s constructive engagement in the region and concurred on the value of enhanced cooperation with other parties such as ASEAN and the Republic of Korea,“ they said in a statement after the talks.
Rice, winding up a three-day visit to Australia, had been voicing concern that Beijing would become a “negative force“ unless it was more open about its military build-up.
“We want conditions in which China’s rise is a positive force in the region,“ she had said on Friday at a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
China’s 2.3-million-strong People’s Liberation Army is the world’s largest standing force. Beijing has said its official defense budget is set to rise 14.7 percent to 283.8 billion yuan ($35 billion) in 2006. While denying that Washington had a “containment policy“ towards China, Rice’s language underscored differences with close ally Australia which sees Beijing more as an economic opportunity than a military threat. Downer, who attended Saturday’s three-way talks, had earlier spoken of the “very good and constructive“ relationship his government had with Beijing but played down possible differences in approach to China by Australia and the United States.