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.
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.
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.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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