International
The military command in Bolivia changes and the Government accuses Evo Morales of wanting to cut the democratic order
The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, changed this Saturday the high military command of the country between requests for preservation of public order and democracy, at a time when the followers of former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) celebrate 13 days of an indefinite blockade of roads.
Air Major General Gerardo Zabala is the new interim commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces; General José Wilson Sánchez is Chief of Staff; General Eduardo Aguilar is the commander-in-chief of the Army.
General Juan Ballester is general commander of the Air Force and Rear Admiral Oscar Vaca Molina was sworn in as General Commander of the Navy.
New military chiefs
The new military leaders assumed their positions at an event at the Casa Grande del Pueblo, headquarters of the Bolivian Executive, chaired by Arce, Vice President David Choquehuanca and the Minister of Defense, Edmundo Novillo.
Arce emphasized that the change of military command occurs at a time when state institutions seek to “preserve the highest vital interests of the country such as state security and the restoration of public order.”
Arce mentioned that “the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed” although he considered that the blockades maintained by the sectors related to Morales violate “the freedom of movement and freedom of movement” of citizens.
Accusation of Evo Morales
The Bolivian Foreign Ministry denounced to the international community that former President Evo Morales (2006-2019) seeks to cut the democratic order of the country with the protests that this Saturday turn 13 days, something that would also affect the stability of the South American region.
“Bolivia denounces to the international community that a series of destabilizing actions led by former President Evo Morales Ayma are underway in our country, which aim to interrupt the democratic order,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
He also warned that this “constitutes a serious threat not only to Bolivia, but also to stability and security in our region.”
Blocked country
Evo Morales’ followers maintain an indefinite blockade of roads to demand that the Luis Arce government withdraw the judicial proceedings for human trafficking and rape against the also leader of the ruling Movement to Socialism (MAS), since they consider that he is part of a political persecution against him.
They also ask for solutions to the rise in food prices, the lack of dollars, the irregular provision of fuel and respect for a MAS congress that in 2023 declared Morales a “single candidate” for next year’s elections.
In this regard, the Foreign Ministry mentioned that the Government “has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to dialogue” and warned that behind the protests “there are personal interests” of Morales to manipulate Justice and seek its impunity.
“Democracy at risk”
Likewise, the official note denounces the presence of “violent groups” and armed people “who have publicly threatened with bloodshed.”
“Bolivia calls on the international community, the States, multilateral organizations and the peoples of the world to remain attentive to these destabilizing events that seek to put at risk the democracy recovered by the Bolivian people,” the Foreign Ministry remarked.
On Friday, the Police organized an unblocking operation in several sectors of the department of Cochabamba (center) and that connect the roads between the west and east of the country.
The critical point was in the town of Parotani, 40 kilometers west of Cochabamba, which ended with a confrontation between the Police and the demonstrators with 14 officers injured and 44 arrested.
Evo Morales’ complaints
For his part, Morales denounced that after the operation some groups of civilians carried out “fascist” attacks, such as the destruction of a coca leaf producing headquarters in Cochabamba and the aggression against one of their lawyers, who was beaten and the car destroyed.
The blockades, which according to the Bolivian Highway Administrator (ABC) remain in 16 areas, have exacerbated the country’s economic situation and generated a shortage of some food, gasoline and diesel.
The Government enabled flights or “air longings” to guarantee the provision of beef and chicken to the cities of La Paz and El Alto, while trucks with fuel travel alternative routes to reach the distribution plants.
International
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
France’s Parliament is expected to approve legislation on Tuesday banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, following an agreement reached Monday between lawmakers on the mechanism to enforce the measure.
The initiative is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s broader effort to strengthen online protections for minors and regulate children’s screen time before the end of his second presidential term in May 2027.
“Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to establish a digital age of majority to better protect our children online,” Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said Monday in a post on X.
If approved, the government plans to implement the restriction in September, when students return to school after the summer holidays.
The United Kingdom has already passed similar legislation restricting social media access for users under the age of 16, although that measure is scheduled to take effect in early 2027.
Both the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, and the Senate are expected to hold final votes on the legislation Tuesday after a joint committee of seven senators and seven lawmakers reached an agreement on the bill’s final wording.
Under the proposed law, children under 15 years old would be prohibited from accessing online social media services, with limited exceptions for certain platforms, including online encyclopedias.
The legislation would make France the first member of the European Union to introduce a nationwide minimum digital age for access to social media platforms, reflecting a growing international movement to strengthen online safeguards for children and teenagers.
International
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) made limited progress during the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) tasked with finalizing a key annex to the global pandemic agreement, prompting negotiators to schedule another round of talks in September.
The session, which opened on July 6 and concluded last week at WHO headquarters in Geneva, focused on drafting and negotiating the annex covering the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, a central component of the pandemic accord.
Without the completion of the PABS annex, the global pandemic agreement cannot enter into force.
The annex had originally been expected to be finalized before May 2026, but negotiations have progressed more slowly than anticipated.
In a statement, the WHO said member states “advanced negotiations” on the PABS system while acknowledging that additional discussions are required to complete a framework capable of supporting a faster, more effective and more equitable response to future pandemics.
The organization announced that an eighth round of negotiations will take place on September 14.
Despite the limited progress, delegates succeeded in streamlining the draft text and concentrating discussions on several technical issues.
According to the WHO, negotiators focused on the contractual arrangements underpinning the PABS mechanism, the laboratory networks responsible for handling and sharing pathogens and their genetic sequence data, as well as the framework for distributing the benefits generated through the sharing of those pathogens.
The PABS system is considered one of the most important elements of the future pandemic agreement, as it aims to ensure timely access to pathogens for scientific research while establishing fair mechanisms for sharing the benefits derived from vaccines, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures developed during future global health emergencies.
International
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
Iran declared on Monday that it is facing a “full-scale war” against the United States after Washington carried out another wave of overnight airstrikes, including attacks near a city that hosts one of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country must prepare for the consequences of the ongoing conflict, describing the situation as a broad military confrontation.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said in a statement released by the presidency. “We must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance.”
The latest U.S. strikes marked the ninth consecutive night of military operations, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which announced the attacks on X.
Since hostilities resumed on July 7, U.S. air operations have expanded well beyond southern Iran, reaching central and northwestern regions of the country, according to local sources.
Local authorities reported that one person was killed and several others injured in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, more than 1,000 kilometers from the Persian Gulf.
Additional casualties were reported in the nearby city of Urmia, where several people were wounded during separate strikes.
Washington said the attacks targeted military installations. However, Iranian officials accused the United States of striking populated areas, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
Iran also reported that the Darkhovin nuclear facility, which is still under construction, was among the sites hit during the latest attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the renewed military campaign was carried out in honor of American service members killed in recent days.
Two U.S. soldiers died on Friday during attacks on a military base in Jordan, while another service member was killed on Sunday during the controlled disposal of unexploded munitions from an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
According to U.S. figures, 17 American troops have been killed since the conflict began on February 28.
On the Iranian side, the latest official figures released on Friday reported 50 deaths and more than 500 injuries since fighting resumed earlier this month.
A memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States on June 17, which had been intended to pave the way for peace negotiations, collapsed after hostilities resumed over the strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
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