News

El Alto Sex Workers on Hunger Strike

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 07:57 | Bolivia Weekly

By Ali Sargent

Bolivian sex workers are many – around 45,000 are registered across the country – unionized, working legally but without recognition from the Ley de Trabajo [Work Law]. They are striking to get their doctors and nurses to stop striking. On April 27th, a dozen workers from the union Organization of Night Workers declared a hunger strike at a local clinic in El Alto. A week into the strike three workers also sewed their lips...

Healthcare Workers May Return to 6 Hour Workday

Friday, May 11, 2012 - 06:58 | Bolivia Weekly

The leader of the Bolivian University Executive Committee, Eduardo Cortez, said that during a dialogue with the government to end strikes, the proposal of returning to a six-hour work day for the health sector came up. The government has mandated an eight hour work day without a pay increase, causing strikes by doctors and nurses across the country. Government and university healthcare leaders talked this week and suspended talks and offered a temporary end to the strikes during the dialogue....

80 Bolivian Slaves Freed in Argentina

Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 07:27 | Bolivia Weekly

Yesterday, 80 Bolivians were freed from a sweatshop where the allegedly worked as slaves in Argentina. Twenty three Bolivians were arrested on charges of slavery for keeping the 80 people in this sewing sweatshop against their will, some of the sweatshop workers were as young as 12 years old. The textile workshop had cramped living spaces connected to it and the police raid occurred because of a police tip off by one of the workers. The workshop was not a legally registered factory.

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Rioting in La Paz

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 08:10 | Bolivia Weekly

Five civilians, a TV camera man, and two police officers were wounded by rocks in street fighting yesterday, on day two of the city-wide transportation strike. Private business leaders estimate that La Paz is losing $8 million in commerce every day of the blockade. Transportation workers have taken up solidarity strikes in six departments of Bolivia including La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Beni, Chuquisaca, Potosí and Bolivia has been brought to a virtual stand-still. La Paz’s mayor, Luis...

Morales Salutes New French President

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 07:24 | Bolivia Weekly

French President-Elect Hollande

President Evo Morales sent his sincere congratulations to François Hollande, the socialist candidate who won France’s general election yesterday. In a letter sent by the Palace of Government, Morales said, “France deserves our highest consideration and admiration for its historic world...

Healthcare Negotiations Advancing

Friday, May 4, 2012 - 08:09 | Bolivia Weekly

The Vice-minister of Health, Martín Maturano, told the public yesterday that the government is putting forward a new proposal to compensate medical workers for accepting the new 8 hour work day. Formerly, doctors and nurses worked only six hours per day and President Morales had insisted that the work day be increased to eight hours without any pay increase, leading to strikes and protests. The new proposal was rejected as insufficient by medical workers. Several counter proposals have been...

After Nationalization, Morales: “Foreign Investment Welcome”

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - 07:57 | Bolivia Weekly

Spanish Ambassador Ramón Santos, asked yesterday for a new Bolivian law guaranteeing foreign investments after the recent nationalization of Spanish electric distribution company REE. “We’ve been saying for some time that there needs to be a law guaranteeing foreign investment, precisely to clarify the legal status of businesses that invest in sectors and so we can invest and move around,” said Santos. He said that he hoped the Bolivian government would fully compensate the...

Brazil Sends 35,000 Troops to Bolivian Border Over Dispute

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 07:36 | Bolivia Weekly

Where the department of Pando abuts the Brazilian territory of Acre (formerly Bolivian land lost in the Acre War of 1903) tensions have been rising. Bolivians denounce Brazilian loggers crossing over into Bolivia illegally to harvest their trees and Brazilians claim that the Bolivian soldiers cross into Brazil to kill their cows. Since 2006 President Morales has enforced a law that prevents any foreigner from owning land within 50 kilometers of a Bolivian border but this has not stopped...

Earthquake jolts Cochabamba

Friday, April 27, 2012 - 18:09 | Bolivia Weekly

A shockwave rolled across Cochabamba at roughly 5:45 p.m. today, rattling buildings and causing people to run out into the streets. No news of injuries have yet been reported and buildings appear to be intact but the city’s dogs and animals are in an uproar. No news agencies are reporting on the quake at this time.

9th Indigenous March Begins

Friday, April 27, 2012 - 07:30 | Bolivia Weekly

Today marks the beginning of the 9th protest march by Amazonian indigenous groups against deforestation and undemocratic actions by the Bolivian government. “At a minimum we are 300 people, but more indigenous communities are arriving by river this Friday morning,” said Amazonian Indigenous Council (CIDOB) leader Adolfo Chávez. The march will take approximately 35 days and cover 620 kilometers from the jungle city of Trinidad to the Bolivian capital of La Paz. Despite promises of...

Bolivia earns $648 Million in 4 Months of Oil/Gas Drilling

Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 07:32 | Bolivia Weekly

Bolivia received a record $648.8 million dollar profit from taxes on the oil and has industry in the first four months of 2012 according to the Contract Administrator of the state-owned oil company YPFB Edwin Álvarez. “This historic profit of $648.8 million dollars is due to production variables and price increases in Brazil and Argentina where demand has gone up,” said Alvarez. This record profit represents a $10 million increase over the same period last year. Bolivia is...

BOA to add Boeing Plane

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 07:53 | Bolivia Weekly

Bolivia’s state run airline BOA will be leasing its seventh plane soon- an US-made Boeing 737-300. BOA also announced that it will be increasing the amount of flights offered by 20% according to director Ronald Casso. The new plane will have a capacity of 138 passengers. BOA currently operates a fleet of older airplanes that have had several safety issues and emergency landings which compete against the private airlines Aerosur, AeroCon and the military airline, TAM. This...

Rumors of Jindal Mining Exit

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 07:52 | Bolivia Weekly

Bolivian representative Luis Felipe Dorado said the Germán Busch Province of Santa Cruz has declared an emergency on rumors of the withdrawal of the Indian mining giant Jindal from the El Mutún project. El Mutún is the world’s largest iron ore deposit and Jindal had purchased a large stake to mine the deposit but has never reached full production due to government interference and bureaucracy. “This information would be tremendously serious and would mean the loss of jobs for many...

Bolivian Flagged Ships Violate Anti-Iran Sanctions

Friday, April 20, 2012 - 07:08 | Bolivia Weekly

Iran recently registered 15 ships under Bolivian flag that are now under international scrutiny for arms embargo violations.

Bolivia may remove 15 ocean vessel linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran from sailing under its flag in order to comply with UN according the the International Registry of Bolivian Ships (RIBB) and...

Cochabamba Hosts International Puppet Festival

Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 07:31 | Bolivia Weekly

The 6th annual International Puppet Festival begins today in Cochabamba. Puppet and theater groups are arriving from Peru, Argentina and Chile to present their puppet shows. There will be 14 presentations over the next two 6 days in Cochabamba and shows in La Paz and Santa Cruz as well. The festival originated in Bolivia in 2006, partly because while many people lacked literacy skills, all could understand and enjoy puppets. Bolivia’s first puppet theater was founded in 1879 in Potosi...

Striking Medical Workers Will Get No Pay

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 07:51 | Bolivia Weekly

President Morales said on Tuesday that all medical workers and doctors on strike will have their pay reduced by the number of days during which they take to the streets. “I was to say to them how we characterize ourselves in our work: a day worked, a day paid, he who doesn’t work doesn’t get paid,” said the President. Morales reminded them that they must work 8 hours per day now and derided several labor unions that no longer support him. “I don’t...

Doctors and Teachers On Strike

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 - 07:14 | Bolivia Weekly

Urban teachers and health workers have nationwide strikes to protest Supreme Decree 1126 which mandates an 8 hour work day. Teachers in La Paz have blockaded themselves inside schools and in Santa Cruz three are going on hunger strikes. They are also protesting that rural teachers make more money than urban teachers. The leader of the Federation of Urban Teachers, Saúl Azcárraga, said that, “Not a single drop of water nor food will enter their room. We assume this measure because in 2010...

Brazil Mines Indigenous Bolivian Lands

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 07:44 | Bolivia Weekly

The President of a protected indigenous homeland (TCO) in the Pando department, Francisco Hilcha, filed a lawsuit against the Bolivian government alleging that private Brazilian companies have been given gold mining concessions on their land without their permission. “The concessions were given five years ago. Brazilian and Bolivian companies work extracting gold and throw the tailings into the river, affecting the multi-ethnic indigenous communities,” Hilcha told Radio Erbol....

60th Anniversary of Bolivian Revolution

Monday, April 9, 2012 - 07:16 | Bolivia Weekly

The National Revolutionary Movement (MNR) announced that today marks the 60th anniversary of the National Revolution on April 9th, 1952. Celebrations will be held in the La Paz cathedral and in the Casa Rosada according to the MNR national director Jhonny Torrez. Torrez said, “On this 60th anniversary, under the principles of the alliance of classes and historic leadership of the founders of the Republic Víctor Paz Estenssoro and Hernán Siles Suazo, the MNR made grand the grand...

Evo: “I Will Not Run For 3rd Term”

Sunday, April 1, 2012 - 16:21 | Bolivia Weekly

Evo Morales gave a surprise press conference in the rural Cochabamba village of Colomi this morning where he announced that he will not seek a 3rd term, beginning from 2014-2019. The move stunned opponents who expected Morales to violate his own constitution by running for a 3rd term (Presidents are only allowed 2, five-year terms). Morales was first elected in 2005 and...