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☆ Kaiser Permanente patients are siding with its workers as they vote on whether or not to strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementVoting is underway among 85,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers on whether or not to authorize what would be the largest healthcare strike in US history. But despite the possibility of an interruption to their healthcare, some Kaiser Permanente patients are siding with the workers. What the strike could mean for Kaiser Permanente patientsThe Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions represents employees across dozens of roles at the company, including admissions staff, cleaners, phlebotomists, surgery assistants, and others. Mike Blake/ReutersShort staffing prevents quality healthcare, Kaiser Permanente patients and workers sayShort-staffing is the No. Dardon said the union effort has received a significant amount of support from Kaiser Permanente patients.

Persons: Kaiser, Mark Mason, Mason, Keven, Dardon, Mike Blake, Miriam De La, there's, De La Paz, Mason he'd, Kaiser Permanente, we've Organizations: Kaiser Permanente, Permanente, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Coalition, Healthcare, Miriam De La Paz Locations: Oregon, Kaiser

☆ Bolivia hardens tone on cocaine 'mega labs', signaling crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Monica Machicao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Along with Colombia and Peru, Bolivia is widely recognized as a leading world producer of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine, but the government has long maintained production of consumption-ready cocaine was limited. "They are trying to turn our nation from being a drug transit country to a drug-producing country," he added and presented a drug trafficking map of some 1,804 drug factory busts since 2020, the "vast majority" in Chapare, he said. "At the same time Bolivia has managed to transition from basic paste to hydrochloride." "In Bolivia we are experiencing a dispute between two factions of the MAS, each one pointing the finger at the other suggesting that they are protecting drug traffickers." Reporting by Monica Machicao; Writing by Daniel Ramos; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: LA, Evo Morales, Eduardo del Castillo, MAS President Luis Arce, Morales, Carlos Toranzo, Arce, Toranzo, Monica Machicao, Daniel Ramos, Adam Jourdan, Howard Goller Organizations: Departmental Association of Coca Producers, MAS President, MAS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: La Paz, Bolivia, LA PAZ, Colombia, Peru, Chapare, Bolivian, MAS

☆ The world's youngest referee? A 10-year-old rules the pitch in Bolivia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

EL ALTO, Bolivia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Erick Callejas may be just 10 years old - and a lot shorter than the other participants on the soccer pitch - but he has no qualms enforcing the rules as one of the few referees his age. "On Saturdays and Sundays I go out to referee with my little colleague, my son, Erick," Ramiro said. Callejas refereed his first match in a women's league after his dad signed him up for the job. "My dream is to referee the Bolivian Derby, to be a FIFA referee so I can go to the World Cup, America Cup, Liberators Cup and the Champions League," Callejas said. Reporting by Monica Machicao, Sergio Limachi, Santiago Limachi; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Erick Callejas, Callejas, Ramiro, Erick, Beimar Tancara, Tancara, Monica Machicao, Sergio Limachi, Santiago Limachi, Isabel Woodford, Lincoln Organizations: ALTO, La Paz, Bolivian Derby, FIFA, America Cup, Liberators, Champions League, Thomson Locations: Bolivia, El Alto, La

☆ Bolivia challenges global dollar dominance with Chinese yuan, Russian rouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, July 28 (Reuters) - Bolivia's government is determined to curb dependence on the U.S. dollar for foreign trade, instead turning to the Chinese yuan, officials said, as Latin American support for alternative currencies grows. Bolivia has faced months of severe dollar shortages, driven in part by falling natural gas production, a key national export. Net foreign currency reserves have fallen to roughly $4 billion from a peak of $15 billion in 2014, pressuring state finances and threatening Bolivia's long-defended currency peg with the dollar. Not in dollars, but in its own currency," Montenegro said. Financial transactions worth 278 million Chinese yuan ($38.7 million) accounted for 10% of Bolivia's foreign trade in May through July, Montenegro said.

Persons: Marcelo Montenegro, Mikhail Ledenev, Daniel Ramos, Lucinda Elliott, Richard Chang Organizations: LA, U.S, Banco Union, Russia's, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, La Paz . Bolivia, China, Montenegro, Bolivian, Russian, Bolivia, Moscow, Western, Russia, Beijing, Brazil, Argentina

☆ Australian man, faithful pup rescued by Mexican ship after months at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Australian sailor Timothy Lindsay Shaddock, 54, who went adrift with his dog Bella over two months speaks during a welcoming ceremony in his honor after being rescued by a Mexican tuna trawler, in Manzanillo, Mexico July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jesus LozoyaMEXICO CITY, July 18 (Reuters) - An Australian sailor finally touched dry land on Tuesday in the Mexican port city of Manzanillo, capping off months spent adrift at sea with his dog until a surprise rescue by a Mexican fishing ship. The sailor and his pup originally set sail in April from the Mexican coastal city of La Paz bound for French Polynesia about 3,728 miles (6,000 km) away. I'm alive," said Shaddock, sporting a bushy beard and long hair topped by a hat featuring the logo for "Tuny," a Grupomar tuna brand. "That dog is something else," Shaddock said, adding that he had found Bella in Mexico before they embarked on their fateful journey.

Persons: Timothy Lindsay Shaddock, Bella, Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, Grupomar, I'm, Shaddock, Valentine Hilaire, Cassandra Garrison, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, La Paz, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mexican, Manzanillo, Mexico, Jesus, MEXICO, Australian, La, Polynesia

The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, has warned that Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing extreme conditions. Temperatures next week could break Europe's current record - 48.8 Celsius recorded in Sicily in August 2021. [1/5]A woman cools off near a fan at a caf?, during a heatwave across Italy, in Rome, Italy, July 14, 2023. ACROPOLIS NOT NOWIn Athens, with temperatures peaking above 40 Celsius, authorities closed the Acropolis Hill, home to the Parthenon temple that is visited by millions of tourists every year, from noon to 5 p.m. (0900 GMT-1400 GMT). Others were brought down from the Acropolis Hill in golf carts and transferred to wheelchairs.

Persons: BURNS, Joan Ballester, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Angel Abad, Abad, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Angeliki, Stamos Prousalis, Antonio Bronic, Malgorzata, Horaci Garcia, Guillermo Martinez Catherine Macdonald, Rachel Norstrant, Rich McKay, Keith Weir, Gavin Jones, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Phoenix, European Space Agency, ESA, Barcelona Institute, Global Health, caf, REUTERS, Reuters, Madrid's La, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, PHOENIX, Greece, Acropolis, Europe, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Sicily, El, United States, Phoenix, Arizona, Portugal, Rome, ACROPOLIS, Athens, Croatia, Madrid's La Paz

☆ Bolivia seals $1.4 billion lithium deals with Russia's Rosatom, China's Guoan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, June 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia has signed lithium agreements with Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom and China's Citic Guoan Group, the South American country's government said on Thursday, as it looks to develop its huge but largely untapped resources of the battery metal. Bolivia's iconic salt flats are home to the world's largest lithium resources at 21 million tons, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the country has long struggled to ramp up industrial production or develop commercially viable reserves. Russia's Rosatom, which bid via its Uranium One Group unit, confirmed the news, saying it would invest $600 million in the project, its first large-scale lithium venture overseas, with planned annual capacity of 25,000 tons of lithium carbonate. The deal with Uranium One Group was for feasibility and pre-investment studies, he said, adding multiple tests with Russian technology on the salt flats had shown a lithium recovery rate over 80%, with a purity of around 99.5%. Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Additional reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Energy Franklin Molina, Molina, Russia's, Rosatom's, Kirill Komarov, Citic, Daniel Ramos, Maxim Rodionov, Adam Jourdan, Richard Chang Organizations: LA, Guoan, American, Energy, . Geological Survey, Tesla, BMW, Uranium, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, Bolivia, United States, America, La Paz, Pasto Grande, Uyuni Norte

Kenyan shipments of tea - its major export - have fallen by a fifth over the last year, according to the local regulator. The spike in global interest rates has already tipped Sri Lanka and Ghana into defaulting. Reuters GraphicsBLACK MARKETAlthough the dollar's share as a global reserve currency has dropped to 59% from 70% over a decade, it continues to dominate global trade. Nigeria has long had a web of multiple exchange rates which it is now trying to untangle, having also devalued its naira currency again last week. A plunge of around 70% in Bolivia's reserves has spawned queues at banks and currency exchange shops as some merchants stopped accepting local currency.

Persons: Wilson Muthaura, KTDA, Charlie Robertson, Muthaura, David Willacy, Ojo, Chaucer, Ronal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Kristalina Georgieva, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Marc Jones, Macdonald Dzirutwe, Monica Machicao, Mayela Armas, David Sherwood, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank, FIM Partners, Reuters Graphics, Workers, REUTERS, La Paz, West, Reuters, JPMorgan, Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, LONDON, Pakistan, COVID, Russia, Ukraine, London, Islamabad, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Tunisia, teetering, Nigeria, Kenya, StoneX, Nigeria's, Lagos, British, Cuba, Venezuela, Githunguri, Kiambu County, United States, Lebanon, Turkey, Ethiopia, China, India, Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Argentina, Nairobi, La Paz, Caracas, Havana

The drain in hard currency sparked panic earlier in the year, with Bolivians forming lines outside banks to withdraw dollars. Bond yields spiked sharply and in May the government was forced to sell half of its $2.6 billion gold reserves to raise cash. A major drought in Argentina has hammered grains output and reserves, imperiling a $44 billion debt deal with the International Monetary Fund. "The model is now shifting towards a very big state, a tax-and-spend approach," he said. "It has calmed people a bit... but that amount (gained from the gold reserves sale), $1.3 billion, is not enough for Bolivia," said local financial analyst Jaime Dunn.

Persons: Read, LA, Evo Morales, Jose Gabriel Espinoza, Marcelo Montenegro, Alberto Ramos, Goldman Sachs, spender, Jaime Dunn, Reuters Graphics Espinoza, Morales, Raúl Cortés Fernández, Daniel Ramos, Adam Jourdan, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Departmental Association of Coca Producers, LA PAZ, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, Bolivian, Graphics, Banco, Reuters Graphics, MAS, Thomson Locations: La Paz, Bolivia, Bolivian, America, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Colombia

☆ A 26-year-old executive assistant moved from Utah to Costa Rica to work remotely. She makes less than half of what she did but works less than 30 hours a week and loves the peace of mind.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Melodie Powers-Draper, an executive assistant, moved from Salt Lake City to Costa Rica in 2023. She now lives in La Fortuna where her monthly expenses are below $2,000 a month. I have AC, hot water, and electricity, and am only a 10 minute walk from downtown La Fortuna. Starting my own business has helped me thrive in Costa RicaMelodie at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica. Moving to Costa Rica has really propelled me into developing structure in my life and has allowed me to focus on myself.

☆ As US debates abortion pill ban, Argentina expands its use
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Anna-Catherine Brigida | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Benjamin Castro, a 26-year-old non-binary Argentine musician and teacher, poses for pictures during an interview in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 4, 2023. Argentina is the latest country in Latin America to green light the drug, part of a two-pill abortion regimen, which now faces the threat of a ban in the United States. "Having mifepristone available is key for ensuring abortions that are safe and high quality," she said. For Benjamin Castro, a 26-year-old non-binary Argentine musician and teacher, mifepristone access came too late. Castro, who was assigned female at birth and uses male pronouns, sought an abortion in 2020 during the pandemic, before mifepristone was available, receiving only misoprostol pills.

☆ Bolivian leader open to using yuan for trade, touting 'trend'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LA PAZ, May 10 (Reuters) - Bolivia's president expressed openness to the use of the Chinese yuan for international trade during a press conference on Wednesday, citing similar moves by Argentina and Brazil to tap the Asian currency for transactions with China. International trade transactions tend to be priced in U.S. dollars, especially for major commodity markets like energy and grains, going back decades. Earlier in the year, China and Brazil moved to reduce the dominance of the greenback by signing a deal to set up yuan clearing arrangements that can facilitate bilateral trade. "In Latin America, we have always had a great influence from the United States... but today many countries have more foreign trade with China. Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire GarciaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bolivia takes control of Banco Fassil, executives arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, April 26 (Reuters) - Bolivia's government took control of one of the country's largest banks, Banco Fassil, a senior government financial official said on Wednesday, and police arrested several executives for alleged mismanagement. "Mismanagement, unhealthy practices have caused a crisis," the executive director of Bolivia's Financial System Supervision Authority (ASFI), Reynaldo Yujra, told reporters in the city of Santa Cruz. Dozens of police were stationed at Banco Fassil's 185 branches across Bolivia on Wednesday, authorities said. Banco Fassil President Ricardo Mertens, General Manager Jorge Arturo Chávez and another executive, Hernan Suarez, were arrested late Tuesday, while a fourth, Hermes Saucedo, turned himself in early Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Cruz attorney general's office. "The financial system in general is in good health.

[1/5] One of the dishes created by Bolivian chef Marsia Taha and Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez with ingredients from the Amazon, gets served at Gustu restaurant, in La Paz, Bolivia, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia MoralesApril 3 (Reuters) - In the high altitudes of Bolivia's La Paz, some of South America's top chefs are paying homage to regional Amazonian culinary ingredients including gusanillo, or worm chili, tree bark that tastes like garlic, and honey from stingless bees. At Taha's restaurant Gustu in La Paz, a feast of colors and flavors was carefully spread out on wooden tables decorated with large leaves to celebrate the gastronomic diversity of the Peruvian and Bolivian Amazon. "This is not only a celebration of the Amazon and its biodiversity but of our producers as well. They are the ones who make it possible for these products to arrive to our homes or our restaurants," said Taha.

☆ Wall Street investment firms are thirsty for the West's vanishing water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lucy Kafanov | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And it comes at a time when Arizona’s allocation of Colorado River water is being slashed amid a decadeslong megadrought. “In the face of record shortages on the Colorado River, we have voluntarily answered urgent and repeated calls to conserve water. Water Asset Management owns at least 3,000 acres in Western Colorado’s Grand Valley, where Mueller works to protect Colorado’s share of the river. “Water Asset Management has engaged in a number of different purchase methods to keep their transactions unknown to many of the local jurisdictions,” Mueller said. The Colorado River in Eagle County, Colorado.

The stand-off could threaten the government's revived push to advance lithium projects and make batteries, including through a recent deal with a Chinese consortium led by the world's largest battery maker CATL. Local authorities pledged to try to ease the tensions. "We are going to redouble our efforts as authorities ... so that this mobilization is lifted," said Jhonny Mamani, Potosi governor. Officials blamed the protests on misinformation campaigns and urged Bolivians to allow projects to move ahead or risk losing the chance to develop lithium resources. Reporting by Daniel Ramos and Monica Machicao; Writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hundreds of migrants try to force their way into US at Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jose Luis Gonzalez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, try to cross the barrier of the Mexican army, to enter the Paso del Norte international bridge, during a protest to request asylum in the United States, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, March 12, 2023. Frustrated with problems securing appointments to seek asylum using a new U.S. government app, the migrants gathered at the frontier in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, but could not breach the crossing connecting the two countries. At one point, some migrants attempted to hurl an orange, plastic barrier at the U.S. line, Reuters images show. Neither U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nor the Mexican government's national migration authority immediately replied to requests for comment. They say the app is beset by persistent glitches and high demand, leaving them in limbo in perilous border regions.

☆ Orchestra turns trash to music and environmental activism in Bolivia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Women waste pickers from the city of La Paz pose near the musicians of the Paraguayan Cateura Recycled Instruments Orchestra, at the Sak'a Churu landfill in Alpacoma, in La Paz, Bolivia February 27, 2023. But the garbage was the point, as the young musicians who make up Paraguay's Cateura orchestra use recycled materials to make their own instruments, "transforming trash into music," according to Fabio Chavez, one of the performers. "It's very beautiful and I was really surprised with these recycled instruments," said worker Silveria Vega. The concert played out as local officials in La Paz aim to minimize the environmental impact of garbage dumps, especially the risk they can pose to ground water supplies. Bolivia's capital produces some 670 tonnes of trash every day, according to official data.

☆ Colombia, Bolivia to ask UN to remove coca leaf from narcotics list
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Claudia MoralesBOGOTA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Colombia and Bolivia will jointly ask the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs to remove coca leaves from its list of prohibited substances and accept the plant's traditional uses, Colombia's government said on Wednesday. "Bolivia and Colombia consider it is the moment to once again put this issue on the table," she said. "To remove the coca leaf - the leaf, not cocaine - from the prohibited substances list." Coca leaves are widely used in different countries in Latin America, especially by indigenous groups, to treat stomach aches and altitude sickness, among other ceremonial uses. Bolivian President Luis Arce said in January his government would push for coca leaves to be removed from the list so they can be commercialized, after his predecessor Evo Morales decriminalized coca nationally.

☆ Bolivians turn out for opposition-backed 'national assembly' as protests could return
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ/SANTA CRUZ, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Bolivians nationwide are expected to participate in an opposition-led "national assembly" on Wednesday to discuss a slew of proposals, including whether to restart protests which ignited in December over the arrest of Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho. Camacho's home base of Santa Cruz, a relatively wealthy agricultural stronghold, is expected to turn out the fiercest support in favor of reinstating roadblocks, which would snarl trade within the country. Bolivians in La Paz are bracing for clashes with government supporters. Prosecutors charge Camacho, who was then a Santa Cruz civic leader, with creating the "power vacuum" behind the resignation of former President Morales. Reporting by Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi and Monica Machicao in La Paz and Juan Pablo Blacutt in Santa Cruz; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bolivia taps Chinese battery giant CATL to help develop lithium riches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Bolivia has chosen a consortium including Chinese battery giant CATL (300750.SZ) to help develop the South American country's huge, but largely untapped, reserves of lithium after a lengthy bidding process involving firms from the United States and Russia. The deal announced at an event in the political capital La Paz would see the CBC consortium partner on direct lithium extraction from the country's Potosi and Oruro salt flats. The companies who have remained in the race include U.S. firm Lilac Solutions, Russia's Uranium One Group and three other Chinese bidders. "Today begins the era of industrialization of Bolivian lithium," Arce said, adding that there was "no time to lose" in developing the metal. Energy minister Franklin Molina said the move showed there were "sovereign alternatives to the privatization models of lithium exploitation."

☆ Bolivia judge rules opposition governor must remain detained ahead of trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Manuel ClaureLA PAZ, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A Bolivian judge ruled Thursday that Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho, a leader long in opposition to the left-leaning federal government, must remain detained while he awaits trial. Since then, weeks of protests and blockades in Camacho's Santa Cruz region, an agricultural hub, have impacted trade with the rest of the country, putting pressure on political capital La Paz. Camacho's lawyer had appealed his four-month detention ahead of his expected trial, arguing that he was not a flight risk and should be placed under house arrest. But judge Rosmery Lourdes Pabon on Thursday ruled that he should remain imprisoned. Morales' successor, the conservative former Senate Vice President Jeanine Anez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June for orchestrating a coup.

[1/4] Soy plants are pictured on a farm in Enconada, on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, January 7, 2023. The tensions underscore a sharpening of a deep-seated rivalry between Santa Cruz and La Paz - Bolivia's farming hub and the political capital respectively - that have long butted heads over politics and resources. La Paz is an Andean stronghold with a large indigenous population that has traditionally titled towards the ruling socialist MAS party. "They can't resist on their own", said Montenegro, adding the rising economic pressures would force Santa Cruz producers to re-start supply within the country. Every Santa Cruz person has to fight, all Bolivians must fight for the well-being of Bolivia, for freedom."

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

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