Morales announces expulsion of US agency for conspiracy against Bolivians

Bolivian President Evo Morales says he will expel the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from the country, accusing the agency of seeking to "conspire against" the Bolivian people and government.

Morales made the announcement on Wednesday at a rally in La Paz to celebrate May Day, AFP reported. Morales had in the past threatened USAID with expulsion, saying that its programs have political rather than social objectives.

The leftist president pointed out that there was "no lack of US institutions which continue to conspire against our people and especially the national government, which is why we're going to take the opportunity to announce on this May Day that we've decided to expel USAID. No more USAID, which manipulates and uses our leaders," he added.

PressTV

Bolivian road protest threatens to flatten Evo Morales's popularity

He came to office vowing to be a standard bearer for the dispossessed and excluded of one of South America's poorest nations. "The people are finally in power," Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, declared after his historic 2005 election victory.

But, nearly six years on, much of that hope has turned to recrimination as one-time supporters question Morales's true commitment and fears grow that social and environmental issues are taking a back seat to economic growth.

This week, more than 1,000 protesters are expected to arrive in Bolivia's main city, La Paz, to rally against plans for a controversial Amazon road through indigenous lands and voice concern that Morales, an Aymara Indian, is turning his back on the indigenous cause.

"Although Evo is of indigenous descent and was a peasant, he has not been willing to come to [meet us on] the march despite the fact we have been marching for more than 50 days," Rodolfo Lopez, one of the protest's leaders, said.

The Guardian

Bolivia landslide

People try to recover their belongings after a a landslide triggered by heavy rains destroyed around 100 houses at the neighborhood of Valle de Flores in La Paz, Bolivia on Sunday.

All Eyes photo blog

Architects of Control

A powerful film by Michael Tsarion.
Michael Tsarion Website

The Final Push for World Government

Throughout the history of mankind, the elite have always fought for world empire. Now, using secrecy and international banking systems, they are making their final push for world government. Only an educated and informed public can stop them in their tracks.

Speaker at the beginning: Carl Sagan

Bolivian president on hunger strike over vote law

President Evo Morales went on a hunger strike on Thursday to demand Bolivia's Congress pass an electoral law that could make it easier for him to win control of the legislature in December's general election.

Tensions flared last week when members of the ruling Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party clashed with the opposition over the bill, which could help the leftist president by assigning more seats to poorer, rural areas.

Allies of Morales control the lower house in the Andean country, but the opposition holds a majority in the Senate, allowing his opponents to block the election reform proposal.

"Faced with the negligence of a bunch of neoliberal lawmakers, we have no choice but to take this step (hunger strike) ... they don't want to pass a law that guarantees the implementation of the constitution," Morales told reporters at the presidential palace in La Paz.

Reuters