West Coast Occupy Protestors Disrupt US, Canadian Ports

Hundreds of anti-Wall Street protestors blocked gates at some of the West Coast's busiest ports in the U.S. and Canada, as part of a nearly three-month-old movement against what they say is corporate greed.

Monday's protests caused a partial shut down of operations at some of the terminals in Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon.

In Portland, hundreds of protesters blocked entrances at two terminals preventing trucks from entering. Employees of the terminals were told to stay home from work. In Oakland, unions representing dock workers and longshoremen sent workers home after hundreds of protesters blocked an entrance to the port. An International Longshore workers union official said 150 of the 200 workers were sent home. No workers were asked to work Monday night. Typically the night shift employs as many as 200 workers.

Similar demonstrations took place in Anchorage , Los Angeles , San Diego , and Seattle , as well as in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

Port of San Diego officials said the protest caused minimal disruptions to business, but did result in four Occupy protestors being arrested.

The demonstrations are called “Wall Street on the Waterfront” and are targeting SSA Marine, a shipping company that is partially owned by investment bank Goldman Sachs. Protesters accuse the company of unfair labor practices and union busting.

Goldman Sachs has been a regular target of the anti-Wall Street campaign.

The Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York in September. It says it represents the “99 percent” — those outside the top 1 percent of wealth holders.

Last week, Occupy protesters in Washington joined thousands of people, including jobless and underemployed Americans, for three days of demonstrations to press an agenda of jobs and economic equality.

Syria Crackdown Death Toll Exceeds 5,000: UN

The United Nations says the death toll from months of unrest in Syria has now surpassed 5,000 people.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Monday her office has received credible reports from a variety of sources that indicate the death toll since the unrest began in March “probably exceeds 5,000.”

She released the statement shortly after a meeting with U.N. Security Council representatives in New York, where she said the violence should be examined by the International Criminal Court.

Pillay also warned that sources fear a major assault on the flashpoint city of Homs may be imminent.

Meanwhile, Syrians voted Monday in municipal elections amid a general strike and an escalating crackdown on anti-government protesters. The elections cover more than 17,000 seats on local councils across the country's 14 provinces. Witnesses say turnout was low.

The opposition does not consider the vote a legitimate concession by President Bashar al-Assad's government, which has promised a series of political reforms to appease demonstrators.

Fierce clashes between Syrian security forces and army defectors continued in several parts of the country Monday.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said seven people were reported killed Monday in the flashpoint regions of Homs and Idlib.

A general strike continued for a second day in several regions across Syria as activists push for an end to Mr. Assad's rule through a campaign of civil disobedience.

The opposition Local Coordination Committee has urged citizens to gradually escalate the protests by holding sit-ins, closing facilities and refusing to work in the public sector.

In Homs, an opposition leader said the government has warned protesters to hand in weapons and surrender defecting military members by Monday night or face bombardment.

CNN quoted Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Hamdo of the Free Syrian Army as saying the 72-hour warning was given Saturday.

Also Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it is preparing for an influx of refugees to Jordan as the number of Syrian asylum seekers increases and violence in neighboring Syria shows no sign of abating.

Mr. Assad has been facing mounting international pressure to end a crackdown on dissent.

The uprising has turned increasingly violent in recent months, with defecting soldiers fighting back against the army and once-peaceful protesters taking up arms to protect themselves.