NATION IN BRIEF

Thousands in New York March Against Iraq War

NEW YORK -- Tens of thousands of protesters marched Saturday through Lower Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, hours after this month's death toll reached 70.

Cindy Sheehan, a critic of the war whose soldier son died in Iraq, joined the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and activist Jesse L. Jackson. "End this war, bring the troops home," said one of the signs held by marchers three years after the war in Iraq began.

The march stretched for about 10 blocks as demonstrators headed down Broadway. Organizers said 300,000 people took part, but a police spokesman declined to give an estimate. There were no reports of arrests.

"We are here today because the war is illegal, immoral and unethical," Al Sharpton said. "We must bring the troops home."

Organizers said the march was also meant to oppose any military action against Iran, which is facing international criticism over its nuclear program. The event was organized by the group United for Peace and Justice.

News Rack Blown Up In Calif. Bomb Scare

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- A newspaper promotion for Tom Cruise's upcoming "Mission: Impossible III" got off to an explosive start when a county arson squad blew up a news rack, thinking it contained a bomb.

The Los Angeles Times rack was equipped with a digital musical device designed to play the "Mission: Impossible" theme song when the door was opened. But in at least one case, the red plastic box with protruding wires was jarred loose and fell onto the stack of newspapers inside, alarming a customer.

Times officials said the devices were placed in 4,500 randomly selected news boxes in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in a venture with Paramount Pictures.

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· SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A Fort Benning soldier missing for 12 days before his body was discovered in a downtown hotel died of injuries caused by spinning parts of an industrial-size air conditioner, according to an autopsy. Spec. Robert Hornbeck, 23, of Lapeer, Mich., died after being struck by a large blower wheel accessible through a maintenance door.

· Egyptian Ashraf Ahmed Abdallah Bashar, 37, pleaded guilty Friday to leading a smuggling ring that brought 100 or more men from Middle Eastern countries into the United States from April 2001 through January 2002, officials from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security said.

-- From News Services