San Francisco: Longshoremen locked out of docks

Normally bustling West Coast ports were silent Saturday as a lockout of about 10,500 dock workers by shipping lines took hold.

As the labor dispute between shipping lines and the dock worker’s union continued, farm exporters worried produce would rot on the docks and importers fretted billions worth of goods from Asia wouldn’t reach factories and store shelves nationwide.

The lockout began Friday, when the association representing shipping lines and terminal operators charged longshoremen with staging coordinated slow downs to gain leverage in contentious contract talks.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said it simply had told its members at 29 major Pacific ports to work in strict accordance with all safety and health rules.

Colombia: U.S. troops to train soldiers, police

American troops will train Colombian soldiers and police to help them take control of a region of the country crawling with rebels and paramilitaries, said Army Gen. Galen Jackman, a senior U.S. military officer.

The training by U.S. Special Forces is part of a larger American effort to help Colombia battle insurgents who have waged war in the South American country for 38 years.

In the past, U.S. military aid focused on stemming the flow of cocaine and heroin from Colombia and depriving rebels and their paramilitary foes of drug profits. But the United States now plans to directly help Colombia attack the outlawed groups.

The U.S. military trainers will operate in an area where rebels have repeatedly attacked the Colombian army and police.