"Observers in the US itself say that compared to the last great war protest – against the Vietnam War – the sentiment and commitment this time are broader, deeper and better sustained. It is also notable that massive protests this time have emerged even before the official outbreak of war, unlike the 1960s and 70s scenario," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"With war against Iraq appearing imminent, the United States, Britain and Spain want the UN Security Council to deliver an ultimatum to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to give up banned weapons by March 17," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Facing a possible triple veto and still uncertain of a majority in the 15-nation UN Security Council, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Friday the vote on a new resolution would take place next week. But France, Russia and China, who hold veto power, maintained their opposition to any new resolution that would implicitly or explicitly authorise military action, even as the United States made clear diplomacy would be over on March 17," reported the Reuters news agency.
"UN weapons inspectors cast doubts on US assertions about Iraq's weapons programmes, saying Baghdad is co-operating with inspections and some documents presented as evidence were forged," reported the AP news agency.
"A commercial contractor is building new gates in a fence separating Kuwait from Iraq, a barrier US forces would have to cross if they invade Iraq from the Gulf state. The project triggered speculation the work was being carried out in preparation for war," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Turkey was massing troops and equipment along its Iraqi border on Friday amid reports that hundreds of transporters carrying tanks, artillery and jeeps were on the move. Turkish news agencies said the operation was the largest build-up so far ahead of a possible war," rpeorted the Daily Telegraph.
"Iraq began destroying six more of its al-Samoud missiles yesterday, resuming a UN-supervised process to destroy banned rockets after a one-day pause," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US President George W. Bush is staking out a lonely position in forcing a UN vote on Iraq that he's likely to lose. It's an unusual strategy. And if he does lose and goes to war anyway, it could jeopardise America's dealings with other world powers for years to come. He runs the risk of damaging the Western alliance and undermining the authority of the UN Security Council," reported the AP news agency.
"An anti-war protest by some 30,000 Japanese filled Hibiya Park in Tokyo yesterday even as the government approved a new UN resolution setting March 17 as a final deadline for Iraq to disarm or face war," reported the AFP news service.
"The experts are in agreeance. Rocker Fred Durst was right after all. Durst, lead singer of the rap-metal band Limp Bizkit, was widely mocked after he deviated from the script at the Grammy Awards to offer an anti-war sentiment that grated on the ears of grammarians: ... hope we're all in agreeance that this war should go away as soon as possible. But it turns out that Durst has some heavy linguistic hitters on his side. The North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary told the New York Observer newspaper that agreeance is, in fact, a word," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US and Pakistani hunters zeroed in on the junction of the Pakistani, Afghan and Iranian borders yesterday for Osama bin Laden's sons and his deputy Ayman al-Zawarhi," reported the AFP news service.
"Israel killed four Hamas militants, including a leader of Hamas' armed wing, in a helicopter strike on a car in the Gaza Strip yesterday, drawing vows of revenge attacks from the militant Islamic group," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US President George W. Bush on Friday imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 76 other high-ranking government officials, accusing them of undermining democracy in the impoverished southern African country. Following the lead of the European Union, Bush issued an executive order freezing their assets and barring Americans from engaging in any transactions or dealings with them. The sanctions take effect immediately," reported the Reuters news agency.
"South Korea and the United States said North Korea appeared set to test a missile within days, but the allies played down the latest step by the communist state embroiled in a crisis over its suspected nuclear ambitions," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A Pakistani arrested last week with suspected Sept 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed appeared in an anti-terrorism court yesterday and was remanded in custody for three more days," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Reports that the United States has falsified documents to prove. that Iraq is establishing a nuclear weapons programme may result in more anti-American sentiments, said Acting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Describing the attempt by the US to influence world opinion against Iraq as shameful, Abdullah said that he was worried and disturbed over the latest turn of events," reported the Malaysian newspaper.
"Thousands of archaeological sites would be destroyed by war in Iraq, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said. Prof Dzulkifli said there was an estimated 10,000 such sites in Iraq, and many more were still being identified. The sad part was that after the war, many historical and archaeological items from various sites and museums would be stolen and sold in the international markets by certain parties," reported the Malaysian newspaper.
"The diplomatic battle dividing the West intensified yesterday as each side tried to woo wavering Security Council members into its camp before a UN vote on war in Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Analysts said US commanders may delay war until April 1 as Turkey's reluctance to be a conduit for Western forces means they must plan another way to occupy northern Iraq – and because early April offers a moonless sky for aerial bombing," reported the Reuters news agency.
"OPEC will increase its oil production and possibly even suspend its current output quotas to keep the world supplied with ample supplies of crude in the event of a war with Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"The Philippine defence secretary said his government wants to quickly conclude a deal that would allow U.S. troops to train Filipinos in counterterrorism," reported the AP news agency.
"Malaysia hopes that the six non-permanent members of the UN Security Council will reject the resolution proposed by the United States, Britain and Spain that will set the stage for a military strike on Iraq," reported the Malaysian Bernama news agency.
"The United States and France are locked in a last-minute race for Security Council votes that could make or break international support for war in Iraq," reported the news Agencies.
"US President George W. Bush refused to accept a message from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein promising to co-operate with the United States provided he was left in power," reported the AFP news service.
"President George W. Bush's top foreign policy advisers said on Sunday Iraq's efforts to develop nuclear weapons should not be dismissed, even if US and British statements that Iraqis tried to buy uranium from Niger were erroneous," reported the AP news agency.
"The political bombshell dropped at 10 Downing Street by the first cabinet minister threatening to resign over Iraq is just a tip of the iceberg. If Britain goes to war without UN authorisation, commentators say Blair can expect more resignations, which has started at the lowest ranks of government when a ministerial aide sent in his letter," reported the AP news agency.
"The judges for the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, are to be sworn in today, but the court will still face the difficult task of finding a prosecutor before it can actually handle complaints," reported the AFP news service.
"An Australian teenager yesterday appealed the country's top intelligence agency's decision to deny him a passport on grounds he represented a security threat. The lawyer said Mallah held strong Islamic views but did not advocate violence and had no connections with terrorism," reported the AFP news service.
"North Korea fired a cruise missile into the Sea of Japan yesterday, ratcheting up tensions as it tries to force the United States into nuclear negotiations at a time when Washington's eyes are firmly on Iraq. The United States, which wants to keep the standoff with Pyongyang from hindering its build-up for possible war with Saddam Hussein, had anticipated the launch, the second in as many weeks, and played down its significance," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australian Prime Minister John Howard was greeted yesterday by tomatoes and scepticism in New Zealand as he sought to link Iraq with terrorism to justify attacking it. Anti-war protesters who have dogged Howard since he arrived there on Saturday for trade talks with counterpart Helen Clark welcomed his arrival at parliament for a state luncheon by hurling tomatoes, hoisting effigies depicting him as a US puppet and burning Australian flags," reported the AFP news service.
"Thailand has beefed up security at embassies and is on a heightened state of alert for militant cells planning attacks in Asia if the US strikes Iraq. Police Lieutenant General Chumpol Manmai, commissioner of the Special Branch, said authorities were keeping a close eye on Middle East visitors," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A peace activist camped outside the parliament in Canberra yesterday urged women who oppose war to deny their warmongering partners sex. Michael Denborough said it would highlight the horrors Iraqi women would face in the war. But he admitted his appeal might be ignored," reported the dpa news agency.
"Clad in only her country's national flag and holding a banner with the word peace Miss Bulgaria 2001, Tania Karabelova, on Sunday protested against a possible war on Iraq in front of the US embassy. Protest organiser Martin Karbovski said she braved the winter cold to protest neither for Iraq, nor against the US, but for peace," reported the AFP news service.
"A Singapore Airlines 747 struck its tail on the runway at Auckland International Airport during takeoff on Wednesday and had to make a precautionary landing," reported the AP news agency.
"Unidentified assailants threw bombs at a police patrol in a southwestern city, killing two policemen and wounding two others," reported the AP news agency.
"A man who claimed to have a bomb entered the Beijing offices of the Reuters news agency Wednesday morning and was holed up inside with several correspondents," reported the AP news agency.
"President Vicente Fox was scheduled for emergency back surgery after a medical team detected a herniated disk in his spine," reported the AP news agency.
"South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said he needs another operation to treat a disc," reported the AP news agency.
"Warning that its clinics in North Korea will run out of medicines next month, the U.N. children's agency is making an urgent appeal for donations, asking countries to set aside any unease about helping the North during the crisis over its nuclear program and missile tests," reported the AP news agency.
"A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed in a heavily wooded area of this sprawling Army post in upstate New York," reported the AP news agency.
"A car exploded Wednesday in a parking lot in Melbourne's central business district, injuring two people," reported the AP news agency.
"Wall Street extended its slump Tuesday after the United States said it would delay a vote on its U.N. resolution on Iraq. The U.S. move raised investors' fears of prolonged tensions with Saddam Hussein," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States yesterday called for a UN vote authorising war against Iraq by the end of this week and scrambled with its allies to write a text that could command a Security Council majority. President George W. Bush, who has over 300,000 troops poised to invade Iraq to remove the government of President Saddam Hussein and destroy his banned weapons programmes, is anxious to resolve the UN standoff quickly," reported the AP news agency.
"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday warned that a US-led war against Iraq without Security Council backing would flout international law. Annan said the world was united in wanting to strip Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of any weapons of mass destruction, but insisted that peaceful means must be exhausted first," reported the AFP news service.
"The scale of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s political isolation was revealed on Monday night when relatives of victims of the Sept 11 and Bali atrocities vehemently opposed his pro-war stance. Blair was forced on the back pedal several times by the 20 women during the live TV question and answer session on ITN when he touched on military action, only to be asked why Iraq could not be disarmed peacefully," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Italian trade unions have called on their members to stage short strikes this week in a show of opposition to a US-led war on Iraq. Italian port workers were expected to go on strike yesterday for the last hour of their shifts to protest against the United States using their workplaces to ship war equipment out to the Gulf," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States on Monday lodged a formal protest with North Korea over the interception of a US Air Force reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the Sea of Japan," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraqi fighter jets threatened two American U-2 surveillance planes, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base," reported the AP news agency.
"President George W. Bush's administration has asked a small group of US companies to bid on a contract to rebuild a post-war Iraq. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had sent out the detailed request for bid proposals," reported the AFP news service.
"President Yasser Arafat intends to retain control over peace policies and security despite the Palestinian parliament's creation on Monday of the post of prime minister. Such a move could put Arafat at odds with international peace mediators who have demanded the appointment of a powerful prime minister in his Palestinian Authority and wide-ranging anti-corruption and security reforms," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United Nations announced yesterday that peace talks between the Greek and Turkish leaders of divided Cyprus have ended in failure and there will be no more negotiations," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Relatives of Australian victims of last year's Bali bombings accused Prime Minister John Howard yesterday of playing on public emotions by using their loved ones to garner support for a war against Iraq. Howard, a staunch supporter of the US hard line on Iraq, has appealed to Australians to remember the 89 Australians who were among 200 people killed in Bali last October if Canberra decides to join any war against Iraq. The majority of Australians oppose involvement in a war against Iraq without United Nations backing," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The show will go on, Oscar organisers vowed on Monday, but top Hollywood stars are anxious about how to pull off the usually exuberant ceremony if war breaks out with Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"The Dalai Lama led Tibetans yesterday in prayers aimed at minimising suffering if war comes to Iraq. Speaking in the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile in Dharmsala, India, the Dalai Lama said a US-led attack was all but inevitable. War is no longer a viable solution to international conflicts. It may bring short term benefits to the winners, but can only cause more problems in the long term," reported the AP news agency.
"US President George W. Bush has a new neighbour in Crawford, Texas – a peace activist who plans to use his house near the president's ranch as a springboard to speak out on issues such as a war with Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A French hospital in Vietnam was shut down after a patient arrived with flu-like symptoms that left him in critical condition and infected 26 hospital workers," reported the AP news agency.
"As the diplomatic lobbying ahead of a potential showdown with Iraq intensified, the dollar edged moderately higher Wednesday, taking some heart from a sense that the U.S. may garner broader support for a war ahead of a crucial vote at the United Nations. The dollar also got a boost from a narrower-than-expected U.S. trade deficit for January, which pointed to some pickup in foreign demand for U.S. goods. However, the longer-lasting impact of this was limited by the fact that the deficit was still the second highest on record," reported the AP news agency.
"A march through the streets around the White House this weekend may be protesters' last chance to try to stop a war with Iraq, organizers said. They already were looking ahead to walkouts and rallies set to begin across the country within hours of a U.S. attack. With war seemingly imminent, tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the Washington Monument at noon Saturday. Related events are set for Los Angeles and San Francisco and in other nations including Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, and Japan," reported the AP news agency.
"The US Air Force successfully tested the most powerful conventional bomb in its arsenal on Tuesday, sending a mushroom cloud billowing into the sky over its Florida test range. It was the first test of the 9,450kg MOAB explosive device nicknamed the mother of all bombs. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in Washingtonthere is a psychological component to all aspects of warfare. The goal is to not have a war ... there is an enormous incentive for Saddam Hussein to leave and spare the world a conflict," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Britain set out six tough new conditions for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to avoid war yesterday, in an attempt to break the UN Security Council stalemate over a resolution to set Baghdad a tight deadline before fighting begins. With nine votes needed for a majority and a vote expected by the end of the week, the new British proposals were aimed to win over six uncommitted nations on the 15-member Security Council," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Seeking crucial votes on a divided UN Security Council, Britain and the United States suggested Iraq could be given a few more days to prove it had disarmed – slightly delaying the deadline for war. But there were signs of strain between the two allies yesterday after US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested Washington was ready to go in alone with or without British support," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The Israeli army has sold tens of thousands of gas masks to immigrant workers in advance of a possible Iraqi missile attack on the country while distributing newer ones free to Israelis, the media reported yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"Thousands of US and British forces are set to invade Iraq wearing heavy rubber overboots and a padded suit that will ward off chemical attacks but will likely kill some of them from heat exhaustion. Heavy rubber galoshes complete the mandatory outfit, slowing even the fittest soldiers' advance to a walk," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The European Union could withhold funding for Iraq's reconstruction if the United States went to war without United Nations approval. EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten told the European Parliament that launching military action without UN's legal backing would do enormous damage to the authority of the UN, Nato and transatlantic relations," reported the Reuters news agency.
"EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten challenged US President George W. Bush's arguments that a war to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would combat terrorism and spread democracy in the Middle East, saying that to invade Iraq, while failing to bring peace to the Middle East, would create exactly the sort of conditions in which terrorism would be likely to thrive," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iran could be next in line for US attention after Iraq, lawmakers warned Tuesday, as the White House urged Teheran to sign the additional protocol to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The protocol would subject Iran's nuclear sites to more rigorous accountability and inspections," reported the AFP news service.
"Opponents of war in Iraq sought to pile the pressure on Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday, after the US Defence Secretary suggested America couldn't count on Britain joining in an attack," reported the AP news agency.
"Republican lawmakers on Tuesday expressed their displeasure with France's stance on Iraq by removing the name French fries from a House of Representatives cafeteria, replacing the item with freedom fries," reported the AFP news service.
"A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed in a heavily wooded area of this sprawling army post in upstate New York, military officials said. The army said there were two survivors but did not immediately disclose the number of dead. Major-Gen Franklin Hagenbeck, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, refused to take questions at a news briefing on Tuesday but indicated there were fatalities," reported the AP news agency.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday issued a warning to health authorities worldwide over a possible severe form of pneumonia, following outbreaks in Vietnam and southern China which spread to hospital staff treating patients. The alert followed reports from health authorities in the countries involved of atypical pneumonia, including about 305 cases and five deaths in China's southern Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong," reported the AFP news service.
"Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic – a key leader of the revolt that toppled former President Slobodan Milosevic in October 2000 – was assassinated yesterday by gunmen who ambushed him outside the government complex. Djindjic died of his wounds in a Belgrade hospital after having been shot in the abdomen and back. Witnesses said two suspects were arrested," reported the AP news agency.
"A man who said he had a bomb burst into the Reuters news bureau in Beijing yesterday and held a number of journalists hostage for about two hours before releasing them unharmed. He was later arrested. The intruder, complaining he had been wrongly diagnosed as mentally ill, demanded to be interviewed on camera about official corruption and other grievances," reported the Reuters news agency.
