The election date means Gillard's government will serve a full three-year term, although analysts said the early notice meant she had started an eight-month campaign and lost her ability catch opposition leader Tony Abbott by surprise with a snap early poll.

"She's going for the strategy than an incumbent can wear out a fragile, or potentially fragile, opponent with a long campaign. The idea is for them to punch themselves out," analyst Paul Williams from Griffith University told Reuters.

"In this case, Tony Abbott and the opposition are so well entrenched it will backfire."

Opinion polls show Abbott's opposition Liberal-National party is well ahead of the government and Gillard would be swept from office, losing up to 18 seats, if an election were held now. The government could lose power if it loses just one seat.

The election will decide whether Australia keeps its controversial carbon tax, and a 30 percent tax on coal and iron ore mining profits, which Abbott has promised to scrap it if he wins power.

But apart from these two policy differences, the government and opposition differ little on domestic issues, and both firmly support greater involvement with China, the country's biggest trade partner, and close defense ties with the United States.

The financial markets were unmoved by the announcement. The Australian dollar remained firm, hitting its highest level against the Japanese yen in over four years. The share market reached a fresh 21-month high and government bonds were steady.

Abbott said he was ready to fight the election, adding it would be decided on Gillard's credibility. "This election will be about trust," he said, hinting he will focus on Gillard's broken promise not to introduce a carbon tax and failure to deliver a promised budget surplus this year.

Abbott has successfully eroded government support through his constant negative attacks, but has yet to make any detailed policy announcements. He will make his first major 2013 speech on Thursday.

LITTLE IMPACT ON BUSINESS

Business said it welcomed the early announcement of the election date, but said it would not have much of an impact on certainty given the date fell within the normal election timing.

"Its real value is the knowledge that the last quarter of the year will be uninterrupted by an election," said Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson.

Gillard currently governs with support from a group of independents and the Greens, who all support the September 14 election. That means she has locked in majority support until the election, although a sudden by-election could still change the balance if a lawmaker dies.

Under Australian laws, governments serve for up to three years and the prime minister decides the election date. Gillard said she wanted to end political uncertainty by setting a date.

"It is not right for Australians to be forced into a guessing game, and it's not right for Australians to not face this year with certainty and stability," she said in a speech to the National Press club.

Her speech laid the groundwork for an election year battle focused on the economy, arguing that a strong economy is necessary to ensure fairness in education and disability services -- two key policies aimed at Labor heartland voters.

Gillard said the governor-general would dissolve the current parliament on August 12, giving the government two more sessions of parliament to pass laws and deliver its May budget.

Australia's resource economy is expected to slow this year as a stubbornly high currency crimps export earnings and a boom in mining investment plateaus. Australia's A$1.5 trillion ($1.53 trillion) economy has grown for the past 22 years and has overtaken Spain as the world's 12th largest.

Though the government has dropped its pledge to reach a budget surplus for 2012/13, any deficit is still likely to be a fraction of the economy's A$1.5 trillion in annual economic output and no worry to investors.

(Additional reporting by Janes Wardell and Wayne Cole in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)

But in the days after the tragicon Feb. 1, 2003, scientists began realizing that wasn't the case. Various salvageable experiments were recovered from the wreckage, including a live group of 1 millimeter-long roundworms, or nematodes, known asCaenorhabditis elegans.

No one expected that the nematodes could survive the intense heat of re-entry, but theC. elegansgot lucky, said Nathaniel Szewczyk, a scientist who worked with the nematodes in the aftermath of the crash.

"They sustained some heat damage to exteriors, but that's about it," Szewczyk said.

The thermos-size metal container holding the nematodes was housed inside the locker of a crew compartment that was reinforced specifically to protect the materials inside. Once that compartment ruptured, however, the nematodes still survived the crash to Earth thanks to the locker's build, Szewczyksaid.

TheC. elegansstayed alive upon impact because by the time that part of the shuttle fell to the ground, it had already decreased in speed, allowing the nematodes to touch down more gently. []

It took some time for the experiments to be released into the hands of the researchers. All materials from the shuttle were kept under tight watch as the investigation into the cause of the crash was still ongoing, Szewczyk said.

Most of the experiments on board the shuttle involved observing how certain genes were expressed differently when in space versus on the surface of the Earth. Because researchers didn't have access to the worms immediately after the crash, most of the results from those experiments were lost. However, important science still came from the tragedy, Szewczyk said.

"From an astrobiology standpoint, the important thing was that if you had a multicellular organism going through the atmosphere you can have interplanetary transfer of life by natural means, and Columbia demonstrated that," Szewczyk said. "It was a fortunate thing to demonstrate that in the unfortunate circumstances that there were."

After Columbia, populations ofon the space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station that have helped researchers get a more detailed picture of what life in microgravity can do to an organism. Some of the work done on these nematodes even relates directly to how humans experience space travel.

Like astronauts losing muscle mass, while in space, the nematodes show signs of muscle loss. Nematodes as well as humans also appear to have some diabetic symptoms while living in zero-gravity.

Columbia's ill-fated final flight marked NASA's lastin orbit.

The shuttle's , which included commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, and mission specialists Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and , worked in two shifts to perform a host of science experiments inside Columbia's SpaceHab module. The shuttle, meanwhile, remained in its own orbit and did not visit the International Space Station.

Once space shuttle missions resumed in 2005, every flight was destined for the space station in order to complete construction of the orbiting laboratory. NASA's space shuttle fleet retired in July 2011 after the final flight of the shuttle Atlantis during the STS-135 mission.

The offspring of the Columbia nematodes are now housed in theCaenorhabditis elegansGenetic Center run by the University of Minnesota. Some of those Columbia roundworm descendants were launched into space in May 2011 during NASA's final flight of the shuttle Endeavour before that orbiter was retired.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitteror SPACE.com. We're also on&.

1.Tom-Jelte Slagter (Netherlands / Blanco)16:35:33"

2.Javier Moreno (Spain / Movistar)+13"

3.Ben Hermans (Belgium / RadioShack)+25"

4.Jon Izagirre (Spain / Euskaltel)+28"

5.Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) +29"

6.Tiago Machado (Portugal / RadioShack)

7.Gorka Izagirre (Spain / Euskaltel)+32"

8.Daniele Pietropolli (Italy / Lampre)

9.Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands / Blanco)

10. Jussi Veikkanen (Finland / FDJ) +37"

11. Jack Bauer (New Zealand / Garmin) +41"

12. Kenny Elissonde (France / FDJ)+45"

13. George Bennett (New Zealand / RadioShack) +48"

14. Rafael Valls (Spain / Vacansoleil)+49"

15. Adam Hansen (Australia / Lotto) +54"

16. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain / Movistar) +57"

17. Ivan Santaromita (Italy / BMC Racing) +59"

18. Mickael Cherel (France / AG2R)+1:16"

19. Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan / Astana)

20. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step)

21. Chris Sorensen (Denmark / Saxo - Tinkoff)

22. Peter Velits (Slovakia / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +2:30"

23. Jonathan Cantwell (Australia / Saxo - Tinkoff)+2:49"

24. Adam Phelan (Australia / Australia)

25. Cristiano Salerno (Italy / Cannondale)+3:07"

26. Simon Gerrans (Australia / Orica) +3:17"

27. Robert Hunter (South Africa / Garmin) +3:31"

28. Zakkari Dempster (Australia / Australia)+3:36"

29. Guillaume Bonnafond (France / AG2R) +3:45"

30. Lachlan Morton (Australia / Garmin) +4:05"

Ford, a magnet for controversy during the two years he has spent as mayor, was ordered out of office last November after he was found guilty of conflict of interest, but he was allowed to stay on the job while he appealed.

The initial court ruling said Ford was in conflict when he voted at city council to scrap a C$3,150 ($3,100) penalty imposed on him for accepting donations of the same amount from lobbyists for his football foundation.

On Friday, a panel of three judges ruled that "council did not have the jurisdiction to impose such a penalty". That means Ford did not break municipal conflict of interest laws by voting against the penalty at city council.

"This has been a very, very humbling experience," the rarely compunctious mayor told a news conference following the ruling, saying he plans to run for mayor again and spend the next six years in office.

The fight to toss Ford from the mayor's seat may not be over, however. Clayton Ruby, the high-profile Toronto lawyer pressing the case against Ford, said he will ask the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case.

"The court has let Rob Ford off on a technicality ... we believe that there are serious errors of law in the judgment," Ruby said in a statement.

FOUGHT TO LIMIT SPENDING, TAXES

Ford won office with promises to "stop the gravy train" at city hall, campaigning on keeping a tight control on spending and taxes.

But he has made headlines with a series of high-profile gaffes.

These include reading while driving on a city expressway, calling the police when a comedian tried to film part of a popular TV show outside his home, and skipping council meetings to coach high-school football.

Ford won a libel case recently in which he was sued for C$6 million ($5.98 million) over comments he made about corruption at city hall during his 2010 campaign for mayor.

But he still faces an audit of his election campaign expenses. The penalty in the audit case could also include removal from office.

($1=$1.0087 Canadian)

(Additional reporting by Allison Martell and Russ Blinch; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson; and Peter Galloway)

So when he says he is hopeful his beloved Buffalo Sabres will skate their way from this weekend's delayed National Hockey League season opener to their first Stanley Cup championship, he may be on to something.

"I think they should get it one of these days, maybe in my lifetime. They'd better hurry," said Koukal, a retired dentist as he donned skates on Thursday to play in his weekly men's league hockey game.

His "Leafs" shut out the "Canadiens" 4-0, and Koukal, wearing a jersey printed with the number 9 and "Doc" on the back, left the ice victorious.

"I don't go into the penalty box very often," Koukal said, explaining how he managed never to lose a tooth after decades playing a sport where a gaping smile is considered collateral damage.

To his family's cheers of "Doc, Doc, Doc," he skated out onto the public ice rink with his teammates in the non-contact Niagara Falls Senior Alumni Hockey League. They are retired factory workers, school administrators, physical therapists, electricians and accountants, most aged 45 to 75.

"We all started this thing back when we were 30 years old and now we're all getting up there, but we just love the sport so much we just keep going at it," said Leafs co-captain Jim Heft, 66, a retired electrician.

Tom Reilly, 75, from the opposing Canadiens team, called it a "respectful league" where players of similar strengths find one another on the ice.

"The younger guys will go up against the younger guys - if one of the older guys gets the puck, they'll let him make a play," said Reilly, who has no cartilage in his right knee and has two heart stents.

'ONE OF THE NICEST GAMES'

The NHL lockout delayed the start of the season - originally scheduled for October 11 - to Saturday, and shortened it to 48 games from 82. The Sabres' first game is on Sunday against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.

During the lockout, the men's recreational league used its own resources to help quench participants' thirst for hockey.

"With the lockout, you look for different things to do, you know, you play more hockey," said Leafs player Pete Seefeld, 60, a retired manufacturing supervisor.

Over the years as a Sabres fan, Koukal has admired scores of players and, as the son of Czechoslovakian immigrants, was particularly drawn to goaltender Dominik Hasek of the Czech Republic.

Koukal said he had a soft spot for the sport, complete with its body-slamming checks and occasional brawls, calling it "one of the nicest games" because it can be played to different degrees of intensity.

"Old farts like us can chase the puck and get some exercise," Koukal said.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Peter Cooney)

A team spokesman confirmed Tuesday that Ryan was issued a warning and no citation after the accident on Jan. 14 in Bethlehem, Pa., located about 45 minutes from the team's facility in Florham Park, N.J.

No one in the other two cars was injured in the accident, which was first reported by Deadspin.com.

Ryan is in Mobile, Ala., for Senior Bowl practices with several members of the Jets' front office, including new general manager John Idzik, and did not comment.

Bethlehem Police said in a statement Tuesday night that Ryan, according to the incident report, was driving a Ford Mustang at 6:13 p.m. when he collided with another vehicle on West Third Street. One witness told police he observed Ryan pass through the red light at West Third and Wyandotte streets moments before the accident, and the impact caused the second car to hit into a third.

Bethlehem Police declined to identify the other drivers, and added that they were awaiting a return call from another witness before completing the investigation.

Ryan has been in the headlines a few times this offseason for being retained by owner Woody Johnson despite missing the playoffs for the second straight season, and for being photographed in the Bahamas with a tattoo on his right arm depicting his wife wearing the No. 6 jersey of embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Ryan is expected to be in attendance Thursday at the team's facility when the Jets formally introduce Idzik, who was hired to replace the fired Mike Tannenbaum last Friday.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

In 1972, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Senator Robert Taft Jr. founded the Jefferson Awards. Since then, the Jefferson Awards program has become a unique nationwide effort that recognized the highest ideals and achievements of individuals in public service in the United States.

Five volunteers from Washington State will receive the Washington State Jefferson Award for their outstanding volunteerism. The winners will be judged by a panel of community leaders and their stories will be told on KING5's Evening Magazine the week of March 18th. Winners will receive volunteer management assessment and consultation from the United Way of King County, and new this year, winners will also receive consultation services by Wimmer Solutions.

One of the five winners will be selected as the National Nominee and will represent our state in Washington D.C. at a national awards program. The public can help select the National Nominee by watching Evening Magazine during the week of March 18th, then voting at KING5.com or by calling CityClub. Anyone in Washington State can vote. All five winners will be recognized at a breakfast in the spring in Seattle. The National Nominee will be announced at that time and also featured that day on New Day Northwest. The public is invited to attend the breakfast to honor our Jefferson Award winners and take part in the call to action for volunteerism.

How to Nominate:

Visitto submit your nomination. Nomination materials must be RECEIVED by CityClub no later than 11:59 pm Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. Complete and submit a , or mail, e-mail or fax the completed Nomination Form and other supplemental enclosures to: CityClub, Attn: Jefferson Awards Committee, 1333 Fifth Ave., Suite 24, Seattle, WA 98101; E-mail: ; Fax: 206.467.7394; Phone: 206.682.7395, website:

The Washington State Jefferson Awards are sponsored by:

CityClubKING TelevisionBanner BankMicrosoftSafeco InsuranceStarbucksWimmer Solutions

CONTACT:Bridget Anderson, 206.682.7395

SOURCE CityClub

Eighty percent of its revenues now come from overseas, compared with 20 percent in 2009. Staff numbers are up from 15 in 2007 to 32 now, and CEO Jesus Rodriguez is searching for new premises: his offices overlooking Real Madrid's football stadium are getting too small.

"In 2007, Spain was our primary market, but that froze in 2009," he said. "If it hadn't been for our presence abroad, it just wouldn't have been possible to keep going."

Realsec points to a glimmer of hope for the euro zone's fourth largest economy, even though the International Monetary Fund expects Spain to remain in recession through much of 2013. As domestic demand has slumped, some companies have converted themselves into exporters.

Latin American markets have been a prime target for Spanish companies because of their language advantage, and giants such as Telefonica and Banco Santander have increased their exposure there to compensate for problems in their domestic market.

Spanish exports have shot up around 40 percent since 2009; and in the first 10 months of 2012 Spanish exports to Latin America rose 18.5 percent over 2011, more than for any other region.

In July last year Spain registered its first current account surplus - net money inflows from trade and other sources - since August 1998, and it posted another current account surplus in October. Net exports were forecast by the European Union to contribute 2.7 percentage points to GDP growth in 2012, compared with minus 4.4 percentage points for domestic demand.

Spain's export success is one of a few green shoots around Europe. In Ireland, some businesses are benefiting from falls in wage levels, while the country's plunge in land prices has encouraged a new wave of foreign direct investment. [ID:nL6E8JM651] In Italy, businesses have applauded the way the government loosened rigid employment rules in the hope that it will lead to more investment and hiring.

None of these things mean Europe's economic crisis is over. Governments are still grappling with how to encourage growth while paying down debt. But taken together, they offer some hope that the past few years of pain may be having some positive impact.

"Better exports reflect to a large extent an improvement in competitiveness - falling labor costs, better productivity, lower wages," said Pier Carlo Padoan, chief economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Paris-based think-tank. Nevertheless, the OECD says the short-term outlook for the euro zone's weaker economies remains poor. "The euro area will be in recession till the end of the year, and unemployment is rising still," Padoan said.

LOOKING OVERSEAS

Realsec's domestic business was doing fine until 2007. Cheap credit fuelled a ballooning housing market, and the Spanish economy was growing faster than the rest of Europe.

That boosted business for financial institutions, which needed Realsec's encryption systems for secure credit card payments and ATM transactions. More business came from the Spanish government, which wanted to secure online pension payments and benefit applications against hackers and would-be identity thieves.

But exposure to the banking sector made the company vulnerable to changes in the property market. So when talk began to circulate in 2007 that Spain's housing boom might soon end, CEO Rodriguez started looking for new customers.

He got advice and financial help from a government agency, PromoMadrid, and paid for a study into the feasibility of doing business in 22 Latin American countries. For the next two years, as the financial crisis accelerated, Rodriguez and three associates travelled to make contact with potential finance clients in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil.

"I realized we couldn't have all our eggs in one basket," he said. "We spent two years travelling in these countries. I'd visit a potential partner, talk to him, see if the information we'd been provided was really the situation on the ground. During this time we were investing everything we could."

Investing in a region experiencing rising use of credit cards and internet banking paid off. Realsec has been growing at around 20 percent annually in recent years: it had total revenues of 4.2 million euros in 2010 and 5.5 million euros in 2011, and is expecting 6.7 million euros for 2012. Rodriguez is targeting annual revenues of 9 million euros by 2015, with 90 percent from outside Spain.

Other companies are starting to realize the potential, he said. "Just a couple of years ago, there was no one in Mexico. The other day I went in to a bank in Mexico and there were three Spanish companies there, all of which had been working there for more than three months."

Impulsa, a small Andalusia-based construction firm, has diversified into Mexico and Colombia, as well as Algeria. "We now survive just because of our foreign business," said founder and CEO Ismael Mora Avila.

FURTHER AHEAD

New investment could provide a further boost, as Spain's 26 percent unemployment rate puts downward pressure on wages and adds to its allure as a low-cost production base. In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index, Spain has risen to rank 36 in 2012-2013, up from 42 in 2010-2011.

In November, French carmaker Renault said it would increase production and create 1,300 jobs in Spain, where average hourly labor costs are two-thirds of those in France, according to Eurostat. [ID:nL5E8MLKY0] The deal would "benefit from the competitive performance reached through the recent workforce negotiations", Renault said at the time.

The previous month, Ford Motor Co said it would close a factory in Genk, Belgium - where average hourly labor costs are nearly twice Spain's - and transfer its production to Valencia in Spain. "Costs are definitely playing a role" in the investment decisions, said Greg Fuzesi, euro area economist at JP Morgan.

To be sure, Spain still has the worst short-term growth prospects among big European economies. Even if the export uplift lasts, economists caution that it won't fix the country's economic problems on its own. Unemployment is painfully high. An estimated 1 million homes remain unsold after the property market crashed. Solving such problems will require a recovery in domestic spending, something that looks several years away.

"Export growth is sustainable," said Adrian van den Hoven, director of international relations at Business Europe, a Brussels-based lobby group. "But it doesn't resolve unemployment quickly, so there are social problems that could remain."

Nor will many other firms be getting assistance from PromoMadrid, the state agency that helped Realsec expand overseas. It's been told it will be closed as part of the government's austerity measures.

(Sebastian Moffett reported from Brussels; additional reporting by Stephen Mangan in Dublin and Lisa Jucca in Milan; editing by Simon Robinson and Richard Woods)

The program is being held in conjunction with 3rd in the Burg which is a partnership of galleries and businesses celebrating local artists and their work on the third Friday of each month.

Watson is the immediate past president of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and teaches local classes and national workshops on watercolor. She is a National Watercolor Society signature member and a Watercolor USA Honor Society member. "Fly Away Sunshine" is the title of her work in the exhibit.

An alumnus of Millersville University of Pennsylvania and Alfred University graduate studies, Ressel is chairman of Lancaster Catholic High School's art department. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and a fellow member of the American Artists Professional League, New York. His part of the exhibit is entitled "Among the Pieces."

The Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's annual juried exhibit features the top 120 paintings selected from nearly 600 entries from the United States, Hong Kong, India and Canada. The exhibit is open through Feb. 13, 2013.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museumoffers expansivecollections interpreting Pennsylvania'sfascinating heritage.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens.

For more information about the museum, visit .

Media contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The anti-U.S. cleric's stops at the holy sites a rare public appearance outside predominantly Shiite parts of Iraq came as tens of thousands of primarily Sunni protesters angry over perceived second-class treatment rallied to maintain pressure against al-Maliki's Shiite-led government.

Friday's demonstrations reached well beyond the desert province of Anbar that has been the hub of two weeks of unrest, touching a string of Sunni-dominated communities in Iraq's north and west. Cries of "Down, down with al-Maliki" echoed in the streets of the northern city of Mosul, while protesters in the capital Baghdad accused the prime minister of being a liar.

The government has tried to appease the demonstrators by agreeing this week to release some detainees, bowing at least in part to one of their more emotionally charged demands. But that gesture has done little to stem their rage.

In a statement Friday, the prime minister urged government security forces to show restraint toward protesters. He also called on demonstrators to avoid acts of civil disobedience and warned them that "foreign agendas" seek to push Iraq toward sectarian conflict again.

Al-Sadr to be trying to capitalize on the political turmoil by attempting to portray himself as a unifying figure ahead of provincial elections in the spring. He spoke up for the Sunni protesters' right to demonstrate earlier this week, and echoed that sentiment again Friday.

"We support the demands of the people, but I urge them to safeguard Iraq's unity," he said.

Wearing his signature black cloak and turban, the cleric said he visited the Our Lady of Salvation church to express sorrow at the attack and send a message of peace to Iraq's dwindling Christian community, which is estimated to number about 400,000 to 600,000.

He sat quietly in the front pew, listening and nodding as Father Ayssar al-Yas described recent renovations to the church. The priest then led al-Sadr on a tour, pointing out places where attackers killed more than 50 people, including priests and worshippers, in an ambush during a 2010 Mass.

Al-Maliki himself attended a ceremony to officially reopen the church last month.

Al-Sadr's visit took place at a time of rising sectarian tensions a year after the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Al-Sadr grudgingly backed fellow Shiite al-Maliki following elections in 2010. But last year he joined Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds in calling for al-Maliki to resign.

Al-Sadr rose to prominence as the leader of a militia movement that battled American forces following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and he has made overtures to Sunnis and others in the past. But fighters loyal to him were among the worst perpetrators of sectarian violence last decade, and he is still viewed with suspicion, if not hostility, by many Iraqis.

After visiting the church, al-Sadr's heavily protected convoy made its way to the Abdul-Qadir al-Gailani mosque, one of Baghdad's most prominent Sunni places of worship, shortly before midday Friday prayers.

As he entered the mosque, one worshipper called out that he is "the unifier of Sunnis and Shiites." Another hailed him as "the patriot, the patriot." Women in the courtyard ululated and showered him with candy on the way out.

Protesters, meanwhile, massed in several Sunni areas around the country.

The demonstrations appeared to be some of the largest in a wave of rallies over the past two weeks that erupted following the arrest of bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, one of the central government's most senior Sunni officials.

The detention of female prisoners has been a focus of the demonstrations, though the protests tap into deeper Sunni feelings of perceived discrimination and unfair application of laws against their sect by al-Maliki's government.

Iraqi authorities this week ordered the release of 11 women facing criminal charges and pledged to transfer other women prisoners to jails in their home provinces.

But demonstrators Friday continued to press for more detainees to be released.

Several thousand people rallied amid tight security in the courtyard of Baghdad's Abu Hanifa mosque after midday prayers. They demanded the release of detainees, and held banners with slogans against the perceived politicization of the judiciary.

Their chants included: "Iran out!" a reference to what many Iraqis see as their neighbor's influence over the government and "Nouri al-Maliki is a liar."

Local TV broadcast what appeared to be tens of thousands of protesters massed along a highway near the western city of Ramadi, which has been the focus of demonstrations and sit-ins in recent weeks. Large crowds also converged on a stretch of the same highway near Fallujah.

About 3,000 people gathered in the northern city of Mosul, where they called for the release of female prisoners and to end to what they say are random arrests of Sunnis, while in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, about 1,000 protested to demand the release of Sunni detainees.

Protests were also reported in other areas, including the Sunni stronghold of Tikrit, the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

The highest ranking member of Saddam's regime still at large, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, threw his support behind the protests in a video broadcast Friday evening by pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya.

Dressed in an olive, Saddam-era military uniform, the man purporting to be al-Douri told demonstrators they would have the support of "all the national and Islamic forces ... until (their) legitimate demands are achieved."

Al-Douri was the "king of clubs" in the deck of playing cards issued by the U.S. to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam's regime.

___

Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed reporting.

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Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck