International

Bolivia opposition increases demands against government

AFP

Bolivia’s opposition on Monday stepped up its demands on leftist President Luis Arce with a call for the repeal of more laws after a week of protests.

The opposition mayor’s office in the capital La Paz, civil organizations and a powerful retail sector trade union met to demand the annulment of regulations approved by the Arce government this year, including a development plan which they say ignores the powers of local mayors, regional governments and public universities.

La Paz mayor Ivan Arias read out the new demands at the meeting and said it was agreed a march would be held in the capital on Wednesday.

The meeting, held at the premises of the local government, was harassed by officials who threw eggs and tomatoes at the front of the building.

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Tensions rose with the arrival of more government supporters, and police used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The opposition and union of retail traders last week launched protests against a law on money laundering, which Arce decided to repeal.

The bill would have allowed the government to investigate the assets of any citizen without a court order and would have forced lawyers and journalists to reveal client information.

The protesters also demanded that the government bring back a legislative regulation that requires some laws and appointments to be approved by two-thirds of Congress, forcing the administration to negotiate with the opposition.

In Santa Cruz, the economic capital of Bolivia and a stronghold of the opposition, a blockade of the streets remained in force. Roads were also closed off in other cities such as Sucre, Cochabamba and Potosi.

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Meanwhile, pro-government unions of farmers, miners and indigenous people announced they would hold a march to La Paz to defend Arce’s administration.

The leader of the country’s largest union, Juan Carlos Huarachi, accused the opposition of seeking “to destabilize the government.”

Bolivia has been wracked by political crisis since the resignation of socialist president Evo Morales in November 2019 following weeks of protest at his controversial re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term.

His party is back in power following the 2020 election victory of his protege Arce, who has vowed to punish those he accuses of staging a coup against Morales.

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International

Death toll from southern Spain train crash rises to 40

The death toll from the train accident that occurred on Sunday in southern Spain has risen to 40, according to investigative sources cited by EFE on Monday afternoon.

Since early Monday, search operations have focused on the damaged carriages of a Renfe train bound for Huelva, which collided with the last derailed cars of an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid after it left the tracks.

The crash has also left more than 150 people injured. Of these, 41 remain hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care units at hospitals across the Andalusia region.

More than 220 Civil Guard officers are working at the site, searching the railway line and surrounding areas for key evidence to help identify victims and determine the causes of the accident.

The tragedy has revived memories of the deadliest railway disasters in Europe in recent decades. In Spain, the most severe occurred on July 24, 2013, when an Alvia train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people and injuring 130 others.

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At the European level, the worst rail disaster took place on June 3, 1998, in Eschede, northern Germany, when a high-speed train struck a bridge pillar at 200 kilometers per hour, resulting in 98 deaths and 120 injuries.

International

Spain’s Prime Minister pledges transparency after train crash kills at least 39

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on Monday to ensure “absolute transparency” regarding the causes of a train crash that killed at least 39 people on Sunday in southern Spain, warning that the death toll could still rise.

The fatal accident occurred in the Andalusia region, where the number of confirmed deaths reached 39 by Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities were preparing to deploy heavy machinery to lift several derailed train cars. “We are waiting for cranes to be installed this morning to lift cars one, two and three of the Alvia train, which suffered the most damage,” said Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno Bonilla on regional television. “It is likely that once they are lifted, we may find more victims,” he added.

The disaster also left more than 120 people injured. As of Monday afternoon, 43 victims remained hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services.

International

Over 160 christian worshippers kidnapped in Kaduna Church attacks

More than 160 Christian worshippers were abducted on Sunday during coordinated attacks carried out by armed gangs on two churches in a remote village in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, according to a cleric and a United Nations report accessed by AFP on Monday.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has witnessed a renewed surge in mass kidnappings since November, prompting the United States government to carry out military strikes on Christmas Day in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigerian armed groups of targeting Christians, describing the violence as a form of “genocide” against the religious community.

According to Reverend Joseph Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked access to the churches, and forced worshippers to flee into nearby forests.

“The attackers came in large numbers, sealed off the entrances to the churches, and drove the faithful into the bush,” Hayab told AFP.