International

Legislators related to Evo Morales prevent the Arce report in Parliament, which qualifies it as an “act of vandalism”

The pro-government parliamentarians of the wing related to the former Bolivianpresident EvoMorales (2006-2019) violently prevented this Friday the installation of the legislative session in which the country’s president, Luis Arce, was to present a management report. Arce launched harsh criticism of former president Morales for the “vandal act” carried out by parliamentarians.

The Bolivian vice president, David Choquehuanca, who also presides over the Legislative Assembly, was preparing to begin the parliamentary session when a group of deputies and senators of the governmental Movement to Socialism (MAS) related to Morales violently approached the main stand.

The parliamentarians of the so-called ‘evista’ wing or close to the former governor destroyed a floral arrangement placed in front of the platform and threw tomatoes and water at Choquehuanca, while the vice president’s security team tried to cover him with a jacket.

Choquehuanca finally left the place and the session did not come to be installed, so now some official information is expected about the place from where Arce will give his management report.

An “act of vandalism”

The president regretted that there had to be “another vandalistic act starring the Evista bench,” that is, of parliamentarians related to Morales, “in the Legislative Assembly.”

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“The ‘evismo’ again demonstrates with its actions that it has no will to dialogue or to depose its violent attitudes that are causing so much damage to our country,” said Arce, who has been distanced from Morales since the end of 2021.

The ruler said he felt “other people’s shame” for what happened which, he added, “will be registered as one of the most shameful chapters in the history” of the Bolivian Legislature.

He also expressed his condemnation of the “aggressions” suffered by Choquehuanca and the “arcist” parliamentarians or related to his government and offered an apology “to the Bolivian people and the international community” for these events.

“What we have seen today is not what we Bolivians are, nor does it represent popular feeling. What the world has witnessed today is a group of followers of Evo Morales, who continues to damage our country by imposing an unconstitutional candidacy and by seeking impunity in their judicial processes,” he said.

Arce accuses ‘evismo’ of seeking “impunity” in cases against Morales

Luis Arce accused the relatives of former president Evo Morales of causing “damage” to the country to “impose an unconstitutional candidacy and for seeking impunity in their judicial proceedings,” in reference to the investigations into human trafficking and rape that weigh against the former president.

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The dispute between Arce and Morales

The day before, the Deputy Minister of Communication, Gabriela Alcón, guaranteed that Arce will present her report, as the Constitution indicates, and will also give a message to the population “at a complicated time” after the 24 days of roadblocks completed by Evo Morales’ followers in the face of a criminal process against him.

Arce will give his report from Plaza Murillo on a newly assembled platform for the suspension of the legislative session.

Arce and Morales have been distanced since the end of 2021 due to differences in the state administration, the need to renew the national leadership of the MAS, still in the hands of the former president, and the definition of the official candidacy for the 2025 general elections.

The ruling party fight deepened after a criminal investigation against Morales was known in a case of human trafficking and rape that the former governor considers to be a “political persecution” to leave him out of the electoral contest and for which his followers blocked roads for 24 days.

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The last year of Arce

Arce begins on this day his fifth and last year of management in the midst of this struggle in his party and also of an economic crisis reflected in the lack of dollars and fuel and the increase in the price of some basic products.

On the social network X, Morales reiterated his criticisms against Arce and maintained that at the end of his fourth year of administration, he “trayed the Bolivian people.”

“He had the commitment to raise the economy and sank it, the commitment to respect institutionality and destroyed it, the commitment to be transparent and was corrupted. In addition, he divided and pre-pre-ended the leadership leaders of social movements,” he questioned.

He also considered that the “only objective” of the Arce Government is to “proscribe the MAS and disqualify Evo” as a candidate for 2025.

“They will go down in history as the worst of governments,” the former governor added.

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International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.

International

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Policy Allowing Deportations to Third Countries

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration allowing immigration authorities to deport foreign nationals to third countries without prior notice or the opportunity to object is unlawful. The decision marks another legal setback for the administration on immigration matters.

Judge Brian Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the regulation issued last year, which stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not required to notify migrants if they were to be sent to countries other than the one listed in their removal order, provided that receiving nations offered assurances they would not face persecution or torture.

Murphy ordered the measure vacated but granted a 15-day delay before the ruling takes effect, giving the Trump administration time to file an appeal.

In his decision, the judge concluded that the policy violates federal immigration law and migrants’ due process rights. He also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the alleged assurances provided by receiving countries, stating that “no one really knows anything about these supposed ‘assurances.’” He added, “It is not right, and it is not lawful.”

The ruling follows several legal disputes involving deportations to third countries. Last year, the executive branch deported more than 200 Salvadorans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, invoking an old wartime law. The White House also held talks with Costa Rica, Panama, and Rwanda about receiving migrants who are not citizens of those countries.

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In May, the same judge determined that the government violated a court order when it attempted to remove a group of immigrants with criminal records to South Sudan without prior notice or an opportunity to raise claims of fear of persecution.

Although President Donald Trump took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily allowed the deportations to resume while a final decision was pending, the White House is expected to again appeal to higher courts to overturn this latest judicial ruling.