Palestine

Israel seals off West Bank —again

Israel has imposed a full closure of the occupied West Bank for 48 hours. Defense Minister Ehud Barak made the move amid reports about possible new protests at al-Aqsa mosque.

The Caribbean

Haiti: US and Canada draw down troops

The US military said 700 paratroopers withdrew from Haiti over the weekend, leaving a total of 11,000 soldiers in the country. Some 100 Canadian troops are also scheduled to leave.

The Andes

Colombia: transport strike paralyzes Bogotá

Bogotá’s Small Transport Providers Association (APETRANS) pulled some 16,400 buses and collective taxis out of service to protest plans for modernizing the city’s transit system.

The Andes

Peru: five killed in market vendor protest

A confrontation between police agents and market vendors in Piura, capital of Peru’s northwestern Piura province, resulted in the deaths of at least five civilians.