On Feb. 25, Bolivia was partially paralyzed in a national strike by independent bus and taxi operators to demand the government permit a fare hike to keep up with the cost of living. Confederación de Chóferes leaders noted that fares have been frozen for five years, and that concerns over the cost of living had sparked the recent "gasolinazo [2]"—a protest wave that led to the cancellaiton of government plans to lift fuel subsidies. Some 40% of inter-city bus service was shut by the strike, with near total compliance in the twin cities of La Paz and El Alto. (EFE [3], Feb. 25)
On Feb. 27, heavy rains caused a hillside to collapse in a poor district of La Paz, destroying some 400 homes. A week of downpours had already caused several rivers to burst their banks, leaving some 7,000 homeless across the country. (AP [4], March 1; AFP [5], Feb. 28; Prensa Latina [6], Feb. 22)
See our last post on Bolivia [7].
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