Oliver Barnes reports for BBC News: Coronavirus “The breathing techniques required to play these instruments for a few hours put you in a kind of trance,” says Miguel Cordoba, who plays the siku flute. But as soon as the rehearsal finishes they are all too aware of how their life has changed. Because they are…
Tensions Rise in Bolivia’s Chapare as Government Escalates Anti-Drug Operations
Max Radwin reports for InSight Crime: Officials from Bolivia’s interim government have stepped up drug trafficking operations over the last six months, but a focus on coca-producing communities in Cochabamba is creating tension with law enforcement that threatens to intensify. On April 23, thirteen members of a drug trafficking ring in the city of Entre Ríos,…
Three evils that plague us – Tres males que nos asolan
The three major illnesses that Bolivia has: Narcotrafficking: not only has territory under its rule (Chapare) but has become a key player in our politics. Corruption: Across the board, public bids, tax evasion, you name it, has worsened over the last 14 years. Covid-19: With over 60% of our labor force in the informal sector,…
The lithium race – La carrera del litio
Humberto Vacaflor writes in El Diario: The lithium race The government of the coca grower Morales took ten years in the Uyuni lithium exploitation project and allocated 800 million dollars to carry it out, but Bolivia has not even entered the competition, where Chile and Argentina are first. The country with the largest salt flat…
Bolivia Investigates Health Officials Over Ventilator Deal After Public Outcry
Reuters reports for The New York Times: LA PAZ — Bolivian authorities on Wednesday fired the health minister and opened an investigation of potential corruption over allegations that officials bought ventilators at inflated prices, underscoring the global challenge to prevent graft in the coronavirus pandemic. Press reports on the steep premium paid for the ventilators,…
Urban/rural vote must be worth the same – Voto urbano/rural debe valer lo mismo
ANF reports for Los Tiempos: Conade demand to the TCP to nullify law 421 and that 1 urban vote be equal to 1 rural vote The National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade) demanded the Plurinational Constitutional Court to nullify Law 421, which reduces the powers of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) and which…
Bolivian Thoughts | Pensamientos Bolivianos (Bilingual/Bilingüe) 