Bolivia begins military training for civilians 
| The Associated Press, August 06, 2010 -- Bolivia's leftist government said Thursday it has begun military training for civilians at army barracks in what the opposition called a first step toward creating pro-government militias. |
Bolivia: U.S. Plotting Latin American Military Intervention
All Headline News, August 6, 2010 -- Bolivian President Evo Morales launched a new round of denunciations against the United States this week while also announcing he would offer military training to civilians in his country.
Is Bolivia's Evo Really an Environmental Hero?
| Time - August 6, 2010 -- Bolivian President Evo Morales' favorite cause-celebre has always been coca - the small leaf that is a key element of Andean culture and is central to cocaine production. But recently, he's seemed more keen to stump on behalf of Mother Earth, chastising the developed world's lamentable environmental track record and vowing to lead the planet toward a more sustainable future. |
Government is Accused of Extending "Intervention" in the Judiciary
La Patria, August 9, 2010 -- In the opinion of the deputy for National Convergence, Paola Zapata Montaño, the government announced the suspension of elections for the tribunals and judges, to be carried out in December. It is the realization of the political decision of the Executive Branch to continue to intervene in the judiciary.
Government Refuses to Go to Potosi and Instead Denounced the "Radical Sectors"
| La Patria, August 9, 2010 -- The government yesterday reiterated its refusal to travel to Potosi and reported that a group of radical sectors impedes the dialogue and prevents the conflict in this region despite the millions in losses and damage suffered by thousands of passengers stuck on the road to that region who are prevented from getting food. |
Morales Approval Dropped from 80-55 Percent
La Razón, August 9, 2010 -- President Evo Morales took office with an approval rating of 80% in March 2006 but with the passing of the years that acceptance fell. The latest poll released by Apoyo, Opinion y Mercado said that in July this year the Chief Executive's rating reached 55 percent.
MAS Moral Revolution is Tested
La Razon, August 9, 2010 -- The latest scandals linked to the MAS strong men tested the "moral revolution" advocated by the ruling party and became a postulate with which this store policy was born, as noted by founders of this party.
The Government Does Not Want Mediators and Places Conditions on Dialogue with Potosí
| La Prensa, August 9, 2010 -- The Government yesterday ruled out the possibility of mediation in the conflict between it and the department of Potosi, one of the government's political strongholds. Through Minister Carlos Romero, the government placed conditions on the dialogue with the region in order to lift the measures of pressure. |
Bolivia leader to visit Seoul
The Straits Times (AFP), Aug 10, 2010 -- President Evo Morales will visit Seoul late this month for talks that could ease South Korea's access to lithium deposits in the South American country, officials said on Tuesday.
Bolivia's Morales to militarise war on drugs
| Latin News Daily, August 10, 2010 -- On 8 August, President Evo Morales announced that the armed forces would be used to combat drug trafficking and contraband in Bolivia. Morales's announcement is in line with both growing concern about the spread of drug trafficking in the country and his efforts to redefine the role of the military as guarantors of the new "plurinational" state. | Read More |
Repsol Finds 1 Trillion Cubic Feet of Gas in Bolivia's Rio Grande Region
| Bloomberg, August 09, 2010 -- Repsol YPF SA, Spain’s biggest oil company, found a new deposit in Bolivia’s Rio Grande area that it estimates has 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. |
New gas pipeline between Argentina and Bolivia will open in May 2011
| El Mercurio de Chile (EFE), August 09, 2010 -- The Office of Public Sector Pipeline Integration (Gijon), which will increase gas shipments from Bolivia to Argentina, will be opened in May 2011, officials announced today. |
Repsol Makes Gas Discovery In Southeastern Bolivia
The Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2010 -- Spanish oil firm Repsol YPF SA (REP) said Monday it had found a 1 trillion cubic feet gas deposit in southeastern Bolivia.
Protest traps tourists in Bolivian highland city
| The Associated Press, August 08, 2010 -- A protest by Bolivian miners has trapped more than 100 mostly European tourists in the southern Bolivia mining city of Potosi for more than a week. |
Bolivia inaugurates military barracks to strengthen control of the border with Brazil
| A Folha De Sao Paulo (EFE), August 07, 2010 -- On Saturday the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, inaugurated a military barracks in the department of Pando to reinforce the control and security of this Brazil-bordering region. |
Bolivia siege could harm tourism, lithium investment: France
| AFP Potosi, August 7, 2010 -- Protesters tightened their siege of the city of Potosi Saturday, as France's ambassador cautioned that prolonged unrest could harm Bolivia's tourism industry and threaten foreign investment in lithium mining. |
Black October: Calling for the Arrest of Two Former Military Chiefs
| Opinion, August 10, 2010 -- The Attorney General of Bolivia today called for the preventative detention of two former top military officials in the prison of San Roque, Sucre. The officials are said to have been involved in popular repression during October 2003. |
Potosi Accepts Dialogue in Sucre, But Protests Continue
| Opinion, August 10, 2010 -- The civic Potosinos reported that in Sucre they will attend discussions about the border conflict with Oruro. However, Potosi ratified and maintains its pressures measures for the five remaining points which must be addressed in the city of Potosi. The president of the Potosí Civic Committee, Celestino Condon, explained that "this opening does not mean lifting the indefinite general strike, road blockades, over 130 hunger strike pickets that have taken place in Villa Imperial for more than 12 days . |
Armed Forces Adopt "Anti-Imperialist" Doctrine
| La Patria, August 9, 2010 -- The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, said Saturday that the country's Armed Forces have changed their old "anticommunist" doctrine to an "anti-imperialist" one and the president reiterated his criticism of the presence of U.S. military in the region. |
Defense Ministry Contradicts Military Commanders
| Los Tiempos, August 12, 2010 -- The Ministry of Defense conceded that an Army directive, number 76, dated July 26, has been carried out to provide civic military education in various military units in the country to representatives of indigenous and native groups who participated in the acts for the 185 anniversary of the creation of the Armed Forces. |
Bolivia Takes Steps to Ensure Output at Sumitomo Zinc Mine, ABI Reports
Bloomberg, August 11, 2010 -- Bolivia's government has taken steps to guarantee output at Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.'s San Cristobal zinc mine after protesters threatened to cut power supplies, state information agency ABI reported.
Oral Report Requested on Military Training to Civilians
Los Tiempos, August 10, 2010 -- The opposition senators filed a petition requesting an oral report and for the commander of the army to come before the full chambers to explain who gave the order to impart military training to civilians in the different barracks of the country and what is the objective and purpose of this program called "patriots training."
Trust: The Basis of Good Bilateral Relations
| Los Tiempos, August 11, 2010 -- The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, decided to restore trade and diplomatic relations in an important meeting held yesterday, and work together to avoid the presence of illegal armed groups by the common border. |
New Well Found by Repsol has Gas Worth U.S. $5,000 Million
| Opinion, August 12, 2010 -- The new gas well discovered in Bolivia by a consortium formed by the Bolivian state-owned YPFB and the Spanish company Repsol-YPF is one trillion cubic feet in size, estimated to be worth 5,000 million dollars, business source said yesterday. The president of YPFB, Carlos Villegas, disclosed the value of the gas during an event to launch the well in the town of Rio Grande, near the city of Santa Cruz, where they found the new reserve. |
Employers Support New Customs Law and Require Institutionalization
| El Diario, August 12, 2010 -- The President of the Departmental Federation of Private Entrepreneurs in Cochabamba, (FDEPC), Carlos Flores, said the industry supports the implementation of the new Customs Law, but that institutionalization in the sector is required. |
Minister Arce Begins with the Socialization of the Customs Act in the Country
| El Mundo, August 12, 2010 -- Minister of Economy and Public Finance, Luis Arce Catacora, was in our department yesterday to begin the socialization process of the recently enacted Customs Law, since, due to lack of information existing around items in the new rule, it has created conflicts and mobilizations around the country. |
Bolivia picks supreme electoral court
LatinNews Daily, August 13, 2010 -- Development: On 12 August the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)-dominated plurinational legislature selected three of the seven new magistrates for the supreme electoral court (TSE).
US Warns Americans About Traveling to Bolivia
Voice of America News, August 13, 2010 -- The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens to be advised of unstable "social and security situations" in several areas in Bolivia.
Glencore, Coeur D'Alene Silver and Zinc Mines in Bolivia Halted by Protest
Bloomberg, August 12, 2010 -- Glencore International AG and Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. suspended operations at mines in southwest Bolivia because of protests in the region.
Bolivia Counters Brazilian Presidential Candidate´s Accusations of the Bolivian Government Complicity in Drug Trafficking
A Folha de Sao Paulo (EFE), August 12, 2010 -- The Bolivian Foreign Ministry "emphatically" criticized the new accusations of Brazilian presidential candidate José Serra (PSDB), who said the government of Evo Morales is "loose" in the fight against drug trafficking.
Protests suspend mining activity in Bolivia
Latin News Daily, August 12, 2010 -- On 11 August two international companies, Coeur D'Alene (US) and Switzerland's Glencore told the international press that protests in Potosí had forced a halt to their mining operations. One of Bolivia's largest mines, the San Cristóbal silver-lead-zinc mine, which is owned by Japan's Sumitomo, also suspended some operations after demonstrators occupied a local power plant, cutting off electricity supplies.
Bolivian Minister refines energy agreement with Uruguay
El Nuevo Herald (AP), August 12, 2010 -- Bolivian Minister of Hydrocarbons, Luis Fernando Vincenti, traveled to Uruguay Thursday to tune with the government of that country an agreement for the export of natural gas.
Senate Discusses Possible Nationalization of Fancesa
Hoy Bolivia, August 13, 2010 -- The president of the Commission for Planning, Economic Policy and Finance of the Senate, David Sanchez, said Thursday that the legislative body is considering a bill to nationalize the National Cement Factory (Fancesa), which operates in the department of Chuquisaca.
President of the CNE Warns that Democracy Could be "Mortally Wounded"
| El Diario, August 13, 2010 -- The outgoing president of the National Electoral Court, Antonio Costas, warned yesterday about the existence of serious risks to the Bolivian electoral democracy. He stated that democracy could be "mortally wounded" if a notice thrives from William Bascopé, attorney for three former MAS candidates who announced a lawsuit againts the members for violating a court ruling that ordered the reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives in favor of the ruling. |
Government Denounces Those Who Seek to Destabilize It
| El Diario, August 13, 2010 -- The State President, Evo Morales, denounced the civic sectors of Potosi and traditional political parties who he claims are seeking to destabilize the government. Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Ivan Canelas, said the Executive Branch does not have a specific settlement proposal to resolve the border dispute between the departments of Oruro and Potosi. |
Approved Law Postpones Court Elections
| El Mundo, August 13, 2010 -- The Constitutional Committee, Legislation and the Electoral System of the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill that indefinitely postpones the election of judicial authorities that should be held on December 5. |
The President is Criticized for His Absence During Social Conflicts
| El Diario, August 13, 2010 -- In the last six months, the Head of State has traveled outside the country when major social conflicts have arisen such as the tragic events of Caranavi and the dramatic march for indigenous constitutional rights. This attitude was described as "a political strategy that is wrong and irresponsible" by analysts for the domestic economy. |
Government Expects Rural Potosinos to Restore Order
| Los Tiempos, August 13, 2010 -- The minister of the Presidency, Oscar Coca, said from Sucre that the national government will not use force to restore order to the department of Potosi, but it will make rural communities do it starting this weekend. |
Democratic Voice: August 12, 2010