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☆ U.S. court sentences ex-Bolivian interior minister to 6 years in bribery scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - A federal U.S. court sentenced former Bolivian Interior Minister Arturo Murillo to nearly six years behind bars on Wednesday for conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Murillo was sentenced to 70 months in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Another former Bolivian official and three Americans were sentenced in the United States last June after they also pleaded guilty to roles in the same scheme, the department said. Bolivia's government has requested Murillo's extradition to Bolivia, where he faces a host of criminal charges. "Justice has spoken in the United States.

☆ Hundreds of trucks snarl Bolivia farm region as blockades hit business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Agustin Marcarian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianPAILON, Bolivia, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Hundreds of trucks lined highways in Bolivia's farming region of Santa Cruz on Tuesday, as protesters blockaded routes out of the region following the arrest of the local governor, and hard-hit local businesses urged a return to order. Protests have gripped the lowland region since the Dec. 28 arrest of right-wing local leader Luis Camacho on "terrorism" charges related to an alleged 2019 coup against then president Evo Morales. Another source at a local business group said it would be hard for the region to maintain long protests and road blockades, with many still reeling from a lengthy strike last October and November. In Santa Cruz city, protesters have clashed nightly on the streets, burning cars and tires and offloading fireworks. "We are a peaceful people, we want peace, we want to work under normal conditions," said Gabriela Arias, protesting for Camacho's release in a women's march in Santa Cruz.

☆ Bolivia's Arce hopes to mend ties with Brazil as Lula takes office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LA PAZ, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Bolivia's President Luis Arce said on Monday he hopes Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will help improve diplomatic relations and explain issues that generated controversy during former President Jair Bolsonaro's mandate. Arce pointed to the supposed support of far-right politician Bolsonaro for the resignation of former leftist president Evo Morales in 2019. Like Lula, Morales had formed part of a wave of leftists who dominated Latin American politics at the start of the century. Regarding natural gas contracts, Arce's government said in May Bolivia was seeking higher prices for natural gas sold to Brazil's Petrobras (PETR4.SA), claiming current contracts with the state-run oil company generated steep losses. Lula took office promising to "mend" diplomatic relations.

☆ Brazil markets tumble on Lula's first full day in office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Haddad, who is seeking to dispel market fears that he might not maintain fiscal discipline, took office on Monday, pledging to control spending. "The policies remind us of Dilma Rousseff's government rather than Lula's," Gracia said, referring to Lula's handpicked successor, who was impeached while in office. Allies said Lula's newfound social conscience was the result of his 580 days in prison, Reuters reported on Sunday. Lula kicks off his third presidential term after persuading Congress to pass a one-year, 170 billion-reais increased social spending package, in line with his campaign promises. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration.

Santa Cruz leaders pledge to fight until Camacho is released, picketing government buildings and stopping transport of grains. "We have a mandate from our assembly that nothing leaves Santa Cruz and that is what we are going to do," said Rómulo Calvo, head of the powerful Pro Santa Cruz civic group. Marcelo Cruz, President of the International Heavy Transport Association of Santa Cruz, said routes were being blocked so no trucks could leave the province. "No grain, animal or supply from the factories should leave Santa Cruz for the rest of the country. "Santa Cruz is the economic stronghold of Bolivia," said Gary Rodríguez, General Manager of the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE).

☆ Brazil markets fall after Lula takes office vowing to end poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife Rosangela "Janja" da Silva and Chief Raoni walk through the ramp of the Planalto Palace after Lula's swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 1, 2023. Lula narrowly defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in October, swinging South America's largest nation back on a left-wing track. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration. In his swearing-in speech to Congress, Lula said he was not seeking revenge, but any crimes committed under Bolsonaro would be held accountable with due legal process. ($1 = 5.3458 reais)Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Gabriel Araujo in Brasilia Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lasers revealed 5 ancient civilizations that were hiding in plain sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists beam lasers from the sky to unearth ancient settlements hiding in plain sight. State-of-the-art laser technology is transforming archaeology by creating 3D renderings of ruins. A hidden 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern GuatemalaResearchers found a 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala using LiDAR. 61,000 previously unknown structures hidden under the dense Guatemalan jungleLiDAR laser technology found ancient cities with more than 60,000 structures in Guatemala. An overgrown ancient civilization buried in the Bolivian AmazonA LiDAR image of an ancient Amazonian urban network in what is now Bolivia.

The protests are the latest face-off between Santa Cruz, led by right-wing Governor Luis Fernando Camacho, and leftist President Luis Arce's government. Camacho has maintained his innocence and called his arrest and transport to La Paz, the country's capital, a kidnapping. The governor became a face for the right-wing opposition movement as a civic leader who called for leftist Morales to step down in 2019. The government has not said how it will respond to Friday's roadblocks, though some military forces were spread throughout Santa Cruz late Thursday. Reporting by Nadia Arce in Santa Cruz and Santiago Limachi in La Paz; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Who is Luis Fernando Camacho, the opposition leader arrested in Bolivia?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Prominent Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho was arrested on Wednesday, exacerbating tensions between the government in La Paz and opposition centered around the affluent farming hub of Santa Cruz. The government has said Camacho has the support of elites and economic groups seeking to take control of Santa Cruz. Minister of Public Works Edgar Montano accused Camacho of planning more protests and human rights violations that would hurt the people of Santa Cruz. Why is Santa Cruz the center of opposition? Santa Cruz, one of Bolivia's most affluent and populous regions, has long butted heads with its political capital of La Paz.

☆ Accusations against detained Bolivian governor Camacho are "made up", says ex president Mesa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho receives a medical evaluation following his detention, at an undisclosed location in this image released December 28, 2022. TWITTER/Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio/Handout via REUTERSLA PAZ, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia's former President Carlos Mesa told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that the accusations against Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of agricultural hub Santa Cruz who was detained on Wednesday, are made up, spurious and non-existent. Reporting by Monica Machicao; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru president Boluarte backs investigation into protest deaths
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said Thursday she will provide all the necessary resources to the prosecutor's office to investigate over two dozen deaths during protests that have rocked Peru following the ouster of her predecessor Pedro Castillo. Interior Minister Victor Rojas said in a conference alongside Boluarte on Thursday he had information that the protests could reignite on Jan. 4. Boluarte, who was vice president under Castillo, assumed the presidency earlier this month after Castillo was ousted and arrested for attempting illegally dissolve Congress. Another leftist bloc of Latin American countries including Cuba and Venezuela said days later it rejected "the political framework created by right-wing forces against Constitutional President Pedro Castillo." Castillo's family received asylum in Mexico, while Mexican authorities are in talks with Peru to offer Castillo political protection as well, Mexico has said.

[1/7] Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho receives a medical evaluation following his detention, at an undisclosed location in this image released December 28, 2022. Former President Morales said on Wednesday he hoped Camacho's detention would bring justice after three years. There was an uneasy calm Thursday in Santa Cruz, where signs of damage were visible after protests Wednesday ended with a fire set to the Santa Cruz prosecutor's headquarters. Public Works Minister Edgar Montano said on Twitter his house in Santa Cruz had been set on fire and robbed. The federal prosecutor's office said it would seek the "harshest punishment" for those responsible for damages in Santa Cruz.

☆ Bolivia to protect big-state economic model, plans‘aggressive’ gas push: minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Monica Machicao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LA PAZ, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia is committed to protecting its subsidy-reliant, big-state economic model despite deficit risks and is planning an "aggressive" push into gas exploration, the economy minister told Reuters. Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said the government has designed "a very aggressive exploration plan" for gas in 2023, but did not go into details. The government is projecting to shrink the 2023 deficit to about 7.5%. "It is not easy, because there are contracts that will last for years, even decades ... We have to push so that more profits remain for Bolivia," Montenegro said. Reporting by Monica Machicao in La Paz Written by Daniel Ramos Edited by Nicolás Misculin, Alexander Villegas and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LA PAZ/SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Bolivian police on Wednesday detained Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of Santa Cruz and a prominent opposition leader, the latest sign of political tensions in a region that saw the arrest of a president in neighboring Peru earlier this month. Authorities have not said why Camacho was arrested but he recently helped lead weeks of protests that blocked streets and halted trade in Santa Cruz. Camacho was taken to a local airport to be flown to La Paz, local media reported. "The operation to kidnap the governor was carried out in the streets near his home, as he was returning from his duties," the Santa Cruz government said in a statement. Opposition Senator Erik Moron said in a video that he had been taken by helicopter to an unknown location.

☆ A map shows the most popular Christmas dishes around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

To see who's eating what this weekend, the culinary website Chef's Pencil created a map showing what it says are the most popular Christmas dishes around the world. Those headed to parts of South America can too — the map shows turkey is a top Christmas food in Brazil, Chile and Peru. Source: Chef's PencilItalians traditionally eat veal, while Rwandans grill both beef and goat for Christmas, the map shows. Carp, a freshwater fish, is popular in Central and Eastern Europe, while saltwater cod tops holiday menus in Italy and Portugal, the map shows. In a post about Christmas in Portugal, the travel website Portuguese for a Day states, "Christmas is not Christmas without codfish on the table!"

☆ Latin America's 'pink tide' may have hit its high-water mark
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Brad Haynes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque/File PhotoDec 22 (Reuters) - Dramatic elections in Brazil, Chile and Colombia brought leftist governments into power across much of Latin America in 2022, capping the region's second "pink tide" in two decades. Chilean President Gabriel Boric, 36, took office in March as his country's most progressive leader in half a century and its youngest ever. Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 77, who narrowly beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in October, is a holdover from the region's first pink tide, when a commodity boom helped him finish his 2003-2010 presidency with record approval. WHAT IT MEANS FOR 2023The region's new pink tide has a distinct green tint, as progressive movements have embraced the fight against climate change. Castillo, ousted about a year and a half after his election, may not be the only leftist leader to face difficult times.

☆ Peru orders Mexico’s ambassador to leave country in latest escalation of tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY/LIMA — Peru declared Mexico’s ambassador to Lima “persona non grata” and ordered him to leave the country on Tuesday, Peru’s foreign minister announced, in the latest escalation of tensions between the two nations after Peru ousted Pedro Castillo as president. The abrupt order, a severe measure in the world of diplomacy, gives Mexico’s envoy to the South American country just 72 hours to exit. Speaking at a news conference earlier in the day, Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said the government was negotiating safe passage for the family of Castillo, who were inside Mexico’s Embassy in Lima. Ana Cecilia Gervasi, Peru’s foreign minister, announced later on Tuesday that safe passage for Castillo’s wife and the couple’s two children had been formally approved. Also on Tuesday, a Peruvian court struck down a request from prosecutors to prohibit Paredes from leaving the country.

☆ In 'Women Talking,' Mennonite women find voice on sexual assault
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Danielle Broadway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The film “Women Talking” follows eight Mennonite women who struggle over how to respond to continual sexual assaults from the men in their insular religious community. “Women from all walks of life do have a really powerful reaction to the film, and it’s this incredible conversation starter,” Mara said in an interview. "Women Talking" joins “She Said,” and “The Woman King” in a group of 2022 films that focus on the narratives of women. McLeod, who plays a younger member of the group, believes that is a reflection of society making some progress. "More and more women are finding their voice and breaking out of the social confines we’ve been put in,” McLeod said.

REUTERS/Liz TasaMEXICO CITY/LIMA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Peru declared Mexico's ambassador to Lima "persona non grata" and ordered him to leave the country on Tuesday, Peru's foreign minister announced, in the latest escalation of tensions between the two nations after Peru ousted Pedro Castillo as president. The abrupt order, a severe measure in the world of diplomacy, gives Mexico's envoy to the South American country just 72 hours to exit. Mexico's foreign minister took to Twitter on Tuesday night to blast Monroy's expulsion, deriding it as "unjustified and reprehensible." Speaking at a news conference earlier in the day, Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said the government was negotiating safe passage for the family of Castillo, who were inside Mexico's Embassy in Lima. Ana Cecilia Gervasi, Peru's foreign minister, announced later on Tuesday that safe passage for Castillo's wife and the couple's two children had been formally approved.

☆ Peru president urges Congress to pass reform to bring elections forward amid protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who has said she is leading a transitional government, urged the country's Congress to pass a proposal to bring forward general elections in a news conference from the presidential palace on Saturday. Boluarte, formerly Peru's vice president, assumed the presidency earlier this month after ex-President Pedro Castillo tried to illegally dissolve Congress and was arrested. On Friday, Peru's Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023. "I demand that the vote to bring elections up be reconsidered," Boluarte said, criticizing Congress members who had previously abstained from voting. "We want the immediate closure of Congress; we want the resignation of Dina Boluarte," Rene Mendoza, a protester at the border with Bolivia, told Reuters.

LIMA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who has said she is leading a transitional government, urged the country's Congress to pass a proposal to bring forward general elections in a news conference from the presidential palace on Saturday. Boluarte, formerly Peru's vice president, assumed the presidency earlier this month after leftist ex-President Pedro Castillo tried to illegally dissolve Congress and was arrested. Since then, protests have broken out across the country, and at least 17 people have been killed. On Friday, Peru's Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023. "I demand that the vote to bring elections up be reconsidered," Boluarte said, criticizing Congress members who had previously abstained from voting.

☆ Peru diplomatic spat grows as envoys in Mexico, Argentina summoned home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Supporters of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo gather outside the police prison where he is being held, in Lima, December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A diplomatic spat over Peru deepened on Thursday as the new foreign minister formally summoned ambassadors home from countries including Mexico and Argentina, which have criticized the recent ouster of former president Pedro Castillo. On Monday, four nations led by leftist presidents - Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico - signed onto a joint statement declaring Castillo "a victim of undemocratic harassment." Gervasi wrote in a post on Twitter that the consultations "relate to interference in the internal affairs of Peru." Boluarte's week-old administration, which she has said will be a transition government, has been recognized by Chile's leftist president, plus by Uruguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada and the United States.

☆ Latin American leftist bloc closes ranks behind deposed Peruvian president
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Demonstrators gather as the government announced a nationwide state of emergency, following a week of protests sparked by the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo, in Cuzco, Peru December 14, 2022. REUTERS/Alejandra OroscoHAVANA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A bloc of left-wing countries meeting in Havana on Wednesday closed ranks in support of the ousted former president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, amid protests and roadblocks in the South American nation that have left at least eight dead. Castillo's former vice president Dina Boluarte was sworn into office after his removal. On Monday, the governments of Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina called for the protection of Castillo's human and judicial rights. Reporting by Marc Frank; additional reporting by Nelson Acosta; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Wilmaris Villarroel/via REUTERSDec 15 (Reuters) - Protests triggered by Peru's developing political crisis have stranded dozens of tourists, including children, in a remote mountain town for over 48 hours as locals refuse passage to Bolivia, a member of the group told Reuters. The Dec. 7 ouster of former President Pedro Castillo has sparked deadly street protests across Peru, as well as highway and train blockades that have stranded hundreds of tourists at Peru's Machu Picchu ruins. Villarroel told Reuters that locals would not let the group, which she says includes elderly people and children, continue their journey. Villarroel added that the buses' Bolivian drivers have been unwilling or unable to turn around, and that police presence has been minimal. Meanwhile, efforts to secure aid from foreign embassies in Peru have been unsuccessful, Villarroel said.

☆ Judge denies Peru's ousted President Pedro Castillo’s jail appeal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

LIMA, Peru — A judge ordered ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo to remain in custody on Tuesday, denying his appeal as authorities build a rebellion case against him. The judge said evidence suggests Castillo was intercepted as he tried to reach the Mexican embassy to seek asylum. He was taken into custody shortly after he was ousted by lawmakers when he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. Regional governments have also refused to recognize her as Peru’s president. Peru’s prime minister, Pedro Angulo, in a statement rejected the four governments’ position, which he attributed to an “ignorance of reality.”

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