International
Evo Morales will participate as a candidate with a new party after losing the leadership of the MAS
The social organizations loyal to former Bolivian president Evo Morales (2006-2019) confirmed on Wednesday that he will run in the national elections in August with a new political party, after losing the leadership of the ruling Movement to Socialism (MAS), and indicated that at the end of March the “relaunch” of a new political option will be made.
The peasant leader Pedro Llanque explained at a press conference that the sectors related to Morales will meet in a congress on March 29, 30 and 31, in the central department of Cochabamba, to “publicize the refoundation of the political instrument.”
This after Morales lost the leadership of almost three decades of the governmental MAS, the party that led him to the presidency, due to a constitutional ruling that ordered the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) to recognize as the new president of the party the leader Grover García, who is close to the Government of Luis Arce.
This constitutional ruling gave for valid the congress of the government party that the “Arcista” or related sectors held at the beginning of May last year.
That congress was held after another one held by the ‘evista’ faction, so called the loyalists to Evo Morales, in October 2023 in the Tropic of Cochabamba (center), the political and union bastion of the former president and in which they proclaimed him as the “sole candidate” of the MAS.
“We are making the alliance at the national level to see with which acronym we are going to participate, once we have the acronym defined we are going to launch at the national level so that we can start a socialization of all sectors,” said Llanque.
The determination arose in an “emergency” meeting held on Monday that “unanimously” resolved that the “only legal and legitimate candidate for the left-wing political instrument of the popular bloc for Bolivia is brother Evo Morales Ayma.”
Llanque also mentioned that this bloc will bet on forming a political alliance since there is no time to create a new party to replace the MAS, now led by Grover García.
On this day, organizations loyal to Morales reiterated that the former president is qualified to be a candidate again despite the fact that there is a constitutional sentence of December 2023 that establishes that the re-election in Bolivia is for “a single time” is continuous and discontinuous.
This would prevent Morales from being a candidate since he ruled Bolivia on three consecutive occasions (2006-2009, 2010-2014 and 2015-2019).
For their part, the sectors that respond to President Arce announced for March 21 and 22 the holding of a congress of the official MAS, in El Alto, neighboring city of La Paz, which aims to reform the statutes of the party to give way to the “renewal” of it.
Some leaders said that in that meeting the lines will be set to choose the candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of Bolivia for the MAS, to later in a “cabildo” or assembly announce the binomial that will be presented in the presidential elections that will take place in August.
One possibility is that President Luis Arce will compete for his re-election and be the MAS candidate, although so far the president has not confirmed it.
The differences over the control of the MAS and the presidential candidacy for this year’s elections have distanced President Arce from former President Morales, a situation that divides the ruling party in the midst of an economic crisis in Bolivia due to lack of dollars.
International
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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