The father of an Australian cowboy accused of fighting with Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban saw his son for the first time in five years today as a US military commission panel gathered to hear charges against him.

An Australian cowboy accused of fighting with Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban is next to go before a US military commission panel at Guantanamo Bay today, after the first hearing ended in a challenge to the members’ impartiality.

Thousands of protesters marched in Australian cities today demanding an end to the US military occupation in Iraq, kicking off a wave of worldwide rallies to mark the first anniversary of the war.