hProtests in Bolivia

hProtests in Bolivia
LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Thousands of Indian-led protesters filled the streets of this capital Tuesday, challenging the Bolivian president and leaders of the country's eastern business elite amid persistent rumors of a possible military coup. Leaders of the protest, who are based mostly in the Aymara Indian-dominated suburb of El Alto, had declared an indefinite general strike in the capital the day before to demand the nationalization of Bolivia's petroleum and gas reserves. They say revenues from the country's most lucrative resource should help its poorest residents. On Tuesday, police battled protesters in the city center with tear gas and water cannons while crowds blocked some routes into the capital. Some Indian leaders have threatened to storm Congress as early as this evening if lawmakers approve a referendum that would allow the country's oil-rich eastern provinces to declare greater political autonomy from the rest of Bolivia.
Guerrilla gunfire kills 11
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Suspected leftist guerrillas carrying assault rifles swept into a southern Colombia town Tuesday and attacked government offices, killing six town councilors and five others, authorities said. The guerrillas, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, opened fire at a local council meeting in the town of Puerto Rico, 200 miles south of Bogota, said Oscar Galvis, an official with Colombia's secret police DAS.
Nicaragua, El Salvadorissue terror alerts
MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- El Salvador and Nicaragua said Tuesday they were on the alert for two Al-Qaida terror suspects, but U.S. and Interpol officials downplayed the reports. Officials in El Salvador and Nicaragua said they were on the lookout for a Yemeni man known only as Altuwiti and Ahmed Salim Swedan, a 36-year-old Kenyan on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists. But they said there was no evidence that the suspected Al-Qaida figures were within their borders.
Governor nixes reprieveto allow liver donation
INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels rejected the request of a convicted murderer for a reprieve of his execution so he could donate part of his liver to an ailing sister. The decision was announced about 12 hours before Gregory Scott Johnson, 40, is scheduled to die by lethal injection early today at the Indiana State Prison. The Supreme Court denied a stay of execution Tuesday. Daniels said he found "no grounds to second guess years of court rulings or to reject the recommendation of the parole board." The board recommended Friday that Daniels deny clemency or a reprieve, saying Johnson was guilty of the beating death of 82-year-old Ruby Hutslar and should be put to death as scheduled.
Karzai to U.S.: Don'tturn on Afghanistan
WASHINGTON -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai implored the United States on Tuesday not to turn its back on his country as it did 16 years ago after the Soviet Union was forced to retreat from Afghanistan. Karzai, speaking to a student gathering, said he was worried that once parliamentary elections are held this fall, pressure would mount for the United States to leave the country to its own devices. This, in turn, could produce a repeat of the "pain, suffering and destruction" that followed in the wake of the Soviet troop withdrawal in 1989, he said. "I warn you not to make the same mistake again," Karzai said, speaking to a gathering at the School of Advanced International Studies, part of Johns Hopkins University. Karzai said he was reassured about American staying power when he and President Bush signed a strategic partnership agreement Monday that ensures long-term U.S. support for Afghanistan in economic, security and other sectors.
Combined dispatches