1.   He says he returned from the hospital in Ramallah days before the army blockade began and has missed monthly appointments for checkups.

2.   It could take several days before the blockade begins.

3.   German authorities said the blockade began to loosen Wednesday midday and the truckers went into talks with German customs officials.

4.   Since the blockade began Sunday, hundreds of gas stations have run dry and local governments have begun rationing fuel as motorists line up bumper-to-bumper at the pump.

5.   The blockade began Saturday, shortly after the Malaspina docked in Prince Rupert near the U.S.-Canada border.

6.   The blockade began Sunday night as a way to draw attention to rising fuel costs, toll highways and low wages.

7.   The blockade began at Padborg and spread late Monday to ports where ferries link Denmark to other Scandinavian countries, Britain and Germany.

8.   The Italian naval blockade actually began Monday, when Italy forced two boats to turn back.

9.   The protests and road blockades began last week after Kohl announced plans to cut the subsidies as part of an overall campaign to slash government spending.

10.   The blockade has also begun to hamper economic activity in the port of Toamasina, where Ratsiraka has set up a rival government.