World datelines

Afghanistan

HERAT — U.S.-led coalition soldiers gave NATO troops responsibility for security in much of western Afghanistan on Tuesday, as part of plans for the 8,000-strong NATO force to gradually relieve American soldiers across the country. The International Security Assistance Force, currently under NATO command, already maintains security in the capital, Kabul, and other parts of the nation.

Bolivia

LA PAZ — Thousands of demonstrators prevented Bolivian legislators from reaching the congressional building Tuesday, forcing the suspension of their first session after a weeklong recess caused by continued street protests. Some 65 senators and congressmen protected by police made it through the crowd, but a quorum of 79 was needed for the joint session.

Brazil

SAO PAULO — Authorities ordered the slaughter of 17,000 chickens after 6,000 chickens died from a mysterious respiratory illness in a central western Brazilian state, officials said. Sanitary authorities do not know what kind of disease the chickens had, but expect to identify it by the end of this week.

China

BEIJING — China refused a Japanese request Tuesday to suspend work on exploiting disputed natural gas fields in the East China Sea, as two days of talks on the issue ended without a settlement, a Japanese official said.

Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE — A fire burned through a large market in Haiti's capital Tuesday moments after a gunfight erupted that killed at least one man, officials said. U.N. peacekeepers rushed to evacuate the area.

Israel

PALM BEACH HOTEL, Gaza Strip — Jewish settlers led by well-known extremists have taken over an abandoned beachfront hotel in the Gaza Strip and plan to move in hundreds of people opposed to Israel's withdrawal this summer. The settlers spruced up the dilapidated rooms, slapped a fresh coat of plaster on the walls and transformed the Palm Beach Hotel into the settlement outpost of Maoz Hayam, or "Fortress By The Sea."

Mexico