It's Bolivia's turn

A supporter of former President Evo Morales holds a Bolivian flag during clashes with police in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday. Bolivia's new interim president Jeanine Anez faces the challenge of stabilizing the nation and organizing national elections within three months at a time of political disputes that pushed Morales to fly off to self-exile in Mexico after 14 years in power.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

More than 2 million animals perish in Bolivia wildfires

LA PAZ, Bolivia - More than two million wild animals, including jaguars, pumas and llamas, have perished in weeks of wildfires that devastated huge swaths of Bolivian forest and grassland, environmental experts said Wednesday.

The fires devastated the Chiquitania tropical savanna in the east of the country.

"We have consulted the biologists of Chiquitania and we have exceeded the estimate of more than 2.3 million missing animals in many protected areas," Professor Sandra Quiroga of Santa Cruz University told AFP.

Latin American ocelots, and other wild cats like pumas and jaguars, as well as deer, llamas -- and smaller forest animals like anteaters, badgers, lizards, tapirs and rodents -- were victims of the fires, according to biologists investigating the scale of the damage.

Local media showed images of charred animal carcasses in the smoldering forests and birds fleeing to zones spared by the flames.

The fires, which have devastated more than four million hectares (10 million acres) since August, has completely destroyed the "primary forest" extending over 100 hectares in the Tucavaca reserve in the eastern Santa Cruz department.

"The forest is totally charred and the damage is irreversible. It will never get back to normal," said Quiroga.

The eastern department of Santa Cruz has been the hardest hit of Bolivia's nine departments since the fires began in May and intensified in late August

Bolivia in August enlisted special firefighting planes, a Supertanker Boeing 747 and a Russian Ilyushin, as well as helicopters, 5,000 firefighters, soldiers and police but the fires have still not been extinguished.

Environmentalists blame laws enacted under leftist President Evo Morales, who has encouraged burning of forest and pasture land to expand agricultural production. 

The government attributes the blazes to dry weather and flame-fanning winds.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia denounce decision on Amazon domain

LIMA - The presidents of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia criticized a recent decision by the organization that manages internet protocol to grant global retailer Amazon Inc the rights to the .amazon domain.

Amazon Inc has been seeking the exclusive rights to the .amazon domain name since 2012. But Amazon basin countries - including Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia - have argued it refers to their geographic region and should not be the monopoly of one company.

The four leaders - Peru's Martin Vizcarra, Colombia's Ivan Duque, Ecuador's Lenin Moreno and Bolivia's Evo Morales - vowed to join forces to protect their countries from what they described as inadequate governance of the internet.

Last week, the global Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees internet addresses, said it decided to proceed with the designation requested by Amazon Inc pending a 30-day period of public comment.

The decision sets "a grave precedent by prioritizing private commercial interests above the considerations of state public policies, the rights on indigenous people and the preservation of the Amazon," Vizcarra, Duque, Moreno and Morales said in a joint statement on Sunday after a gathering in Lima of the Andean Community regional bloc.

They added that Latin American and Caribbean countries agreed in 2013 to reject any attempt to appropriate the Amazon name or any other name that refers to geography, history, culture or nature without the consent of countries in the region.

Brazil, home to the largest swath of the Amazon forest, has also lamented ICANN's decision.

Amazon.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular working hours.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Winwyn Marquez wins Reina Hispanoamericana 2017

MANILA – Winwyn Marquez was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 on Saturday night in Bolivia (Sunday morning in Manila), making her the very first Filipina to compete and win in the said beauty pageant.

Marquez bested 26 other beauties in the competition, which celebrates the Hispanic heritage and culture. She succeeded Maria Camila Soleibe from Colombia.

During the pageant’s question-and-answer portion, Marquez was asked how she would promote the Hispanic-American culture with the great difficulty or barrier of language.

Marquez answered: “Language can be learned but the will and determination to contribute to the organization cannot. It has to come from the heart. It has to be natural. I believe that kindness is a universal language that if you treat people with tolerance, patience and love, you will understand each other.”

“The Hispanic culture is not about language only. It’s about love for God, love for country, love for history and culture and love for family. As a Filipina with a unique heritage, I have instilled that. I am ready to promote the Hispanic culture not just in Asia but in the whole world. It is time to celebrate the Hispanic culture. It is meant to be celebrated,” she added.

Before she went to Bolivia, Marquez vowed to do her best to make the whole nation proud despite the little time that she had to prepare for the competition.

The Philippines, which was a colony of Spain for over three centuries, is the first Asian country to compete in the pageant.

Prior to the coronation night, Marquez said through an Instagram post that she is “enjoying every minute” of her stay in Bolivia for the beauty competition.

She also thanked her fellow candidates for helping translate the questions – which are primarily in Spanish – during their interviews.

During the pre-pageant activities, Marquez won several special awards.

Marquez is the daughter of screen veterans Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno, and the niece of former Miss International Melanie Marquez.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bolivian airline CEO to be jailed until soccer crash trial over

LA PAZ - The head of the Bolivian company whose plane crashed in Colombia last month, killing dozens of Brazilian soccer players, will be held on manslaughter and other charges until the investigation is complete, authorities said on Thursday.

Gustavo Vargas, chief executive of charter airline LaMia, who denies the charges against him, was brought in for initial questioning by Bolivian prosecutors on Tuesday.

After Vargas spent Wednesday in a hospital being treated for conditions including diabetes, a judge agreed with prosecutors that there was enough evidence to hold him until trial.

"The prosecution substantiated the charges and showed there was a risk that he might flee the country before trial," National Anti-Corruption Director Fanny Alfaro told reporters after a more than eight-hour court hearing in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.

Vargas was defiant, telling reporters outside the courthouse: "The prosecutors are a bunch of liars."

The crash happened in Colombia late last month, killing 71 people after the plane apparently ran out of fuel.

The aircraft had been carrying Brazil's Chapacoense soccer team to a championship in the Colombian city Medellin.

Bolivian authorities last week suspended the license of LaMia, which was bringing the Chapecoense club to the finals of the Copa Sudamericana.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Strong magnitude 6.2 quake rattles Bolivia

WASHINGTON - A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Bolivia on Tuesday, experts from the US Geographical survey said.

The epicenter was deep -- estimated to be 331.4 miles (533.3 kilometers) underground -- and located 114 miles (184 kilometers) south-southeast of Santa Ana in northern Bolivia. USGS originally said the quake had a 6.7-magnitude. — AFP

source: gmanews.tv