Iranian diplomat: $280 million loan approved for Bolivia

September 20th, 2009 US closing some programs in BoliviaLA PAZ, Bolivia — The U.S. Embassy in Bolivia says it is closing some democracy-promotion programs at the request of the Bolivian government.

September 12th, 2009 Bolivia to buy presidential plane from RussiaLA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales says Bolivia has decided to buy a presidential plane from Russia after Moscow offered to set up an aircraft maintenance center in the South American nation. Defense Minister Walker San Miguel announced in early August that Bolivia had agreed to purchase an Antonov presidential plane with satellite phone, Internet links and a meeting room from Russia for $30 million.

September 8th, 2009 LA PAZ - Nearly 2.5 million voters have registered for the Dec 6 general elections in Bolivia, the National Election Court (CNE) said. Some 60 percent of the eligible voters in the country are expected to register for the polls till Oct 15, when the process will conclude, CNE president Antonio Costas said Tuesday.

July 19th, 2009 Bolivia coca growers back Morales re-electionLA PAZ, Bolivia — A leader of coca growers in Central Bolivia says the farmers are putting their controversial crop behind President Evo Morales' campaign for re-election. Asterio Romero tells the government's Patria Nueva radio station that each of his union's 45,000 members will donate a pound of coca to help Morales in the December election.

July 3rd, 2009 Mass. firm gets loan for NY energy storage systemTYNGSBORO, Mass. — A Massachusetts company says the federal government has approved a $43 million loan guarantee to help finance a 20-megawatt energy storage system for New York's electrical grid.

June 24th, 2009 No Iranian envoys to attend July 4 partiesWASHINGTON — The State Department says no Iranian diplomat has accepted an invitation from U.S. diplomatic posts abroad to attend embassy Fourth of July parties.

June 24th, 2009 US, Venezuela look to exchange ambassadorsWASHINGTON — The United States and Venezuela are working to send ambassadors back to each other's capitals. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Wednesday that it was unclear when the ambassadors would return or who it would be.

June 24th, 2009 Bolivia: 8 Mennonite men accused of raping womenLA PAZ, Bolivia — Eight men from a Mennonite farming community in eastern Bolivia have been accused of raping dozens of females at the settlement, a prosecutor said Tuesday, indicating at least one victim was an underage girl. Prosecutor Freddy Perez told The Associated Press that 60 women, from 11 to 47 years old, have accused the men of rape.

June 16th, 2009 PRAGUE - Iran summoned a senior Czech diplomat Tuesday over the European Union's (EU) critical statements about the disputed Iranian presidential election, the Czech foreign ministry said. "I can confirm that our charge d'affaires Josef Havlas was today (Tuesday) summoned to the foreign ministry in Teheran," ministry spokesman Jiri Benes told DPA.

June 12th, 2009 LA PAZ - Twelve people have been killed and several others injured when the bus in which they were travelling veered off the road and fell into a deep ravine in Bolivia. The accident occurred Thursday in the central Bolivian region of Cochabamba.

May 14th, 2009 Bolivia: Peru ties 'at risk' over refugee decisionLA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia's president says relations with Peru are at "high risk" after the neighboring nation gave refuge to two more former Bolivian officials accused in the 2003 army killings of dozens of protesters. Evo Morales says his government is considering its response to what he calls a "provocation and an open aggression" by his Peruvian counterpart, Alan Garcia.

March 27th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Diplomats from the NATO and Iran held their first talks in 30 years here, focusing on possible cooperation on Afghanistan, an official said here. An Iranian diplomat met NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann, the alliance's spokesman James Appathurai told reporters.

March 10th, 2009 LA PAZ - Bolivia has expelled another US diplomat accusing him of conspiring against the government of President Evo Morales. Morales said Monday that he ordered the expulsion of Francisco Martinez, second secretary at US embassy in La Paz, for having links with the country's right-wing opposition and conspiring against his government.

January 14th, 2009 LA PAZ - Bolivia broke diplomatic ties with Israel over the 'disproportionate' attacks of the Israeli Army on the Gaza Strip, Bolivian President Evo Morales said Wednesday in La Paz. Morales made the announcement as diplomats accredited in Bolivia greeted the president in accordance with protocol, Bolivian media reported.

December 27th, 2008 LA PAZ - Two speeding buses crashed into each other, killing 14 passengers and leaving at least 43 wounded, local media reported. The accident took place a few kilometres from Oruro city, about 220 km south of La Paz, police said Saturday.