US closing some Bolivia programs, new sign of tensions

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.

August 28th, 2009 Chile, Bolivia discuss access to PacificBARILOCHE, Argentina — Landlocked Bolivia's effort to regain the Pacific coastline it lost in a war with Chile more than a century ago will come up again Friday on the sidelines of the South American presidents' summit. Bolivia's Evo Morales and Chile's Michelle Bachelet plan a bilateral meeting on coastal access that the two presidents say will also cover water resources, economic integration, security and defense.

August 13th, 2009 Bolivia: 2 envelopes explode, wounding 7LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivian police are investigating exploding envelopes that wounding seven people, three of them severely, in La Paz. Bolivian police commander Victor Hugo Escobar says the first explosion, at a construction company, has seriously injured firefighters called in to deactivate the device.

July 29th, 2009 Iran approves $280 million loan for BoliviaLA PAZ, Bolivia — Iran's top diplomat in Bolivia says the Islamic republic has approved a $280 million low-interest loan for President Evo Morales' government to use as it sees fit. Gas and oil exploration are possibilities.

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.

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 19th, 2009 Correction: Peru-BoliviaLIMA, Peru — In stories May 11 and May 12 about Peru granting asylum to two Bolivian officials, The Associated Press erroneously reported that genocide charges were not filed against former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and members of his cabinet until after Evo Morales became president in 2006. Bolivia's congress ratified charges against Sanchez de Lozada and the cabinet members in 2004, and prosecutors added five former senior military officials as defendants after Morales' inauguration.

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.

May 12th, 2009 Asylum fight heating up Bolivia-Peru tensionsLA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia demanded Monday that Peru hand over three former government ministers charged with genocide in the 2003 killing of dozens of protesters, and President Evo Morales called asylum an "open provocation of the Bolivian people." Peruvian President Alan Garcia granted asylum to one of the former officials — Jorge Torres — in April and is reviewing requests from the other two. The fight is worsening already poor relations between the neighboring South American nations, which have been at odds since Garcia, an economic liberal, and Morales, a leftist, took office in 2006.

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.