Bolivian president Evo Morales has refused the US Drug Enforcement Administration permission to fly anti-drugs missions over the South American nation’s territory.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has offered to include eastern provinces’ autonomy demands in his proposed new constitution, raising hopes for a solution to Bolivia’s bloody political crisis.

Natural gas-rich Tarija became the fourth Bolivian state to declare autonomy from the government of leftist President Evo Morales when voters backed greater independence in a referendum, according to two private quick counts of votes.

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales today said his supporters across the country want weapons to defend his government’s populist reforms.

Bolivian MPs exchanged blows as tempers boiled over in the aisles of Congress.

David Beckham watched from the bench as the Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a 2-1 defeat by Chivas Guadalajara in their SuperLiga group match at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday.

The International Monetary Fund said yesterday that increasing state intervention in Bolivia’s economy is putting private investment at risk and recommended that leftist President Evo Morales’ government seek “a careful balance” to avoid a crisis.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has defended the decision to nationalise his country’s gas and energy sectors, saying before summit talks begin today with European and Latin American leaders that it was a necessary move to end 500 years of foreign exploitation.

Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela were heading today to a European summit amid criticism of recent moves making it tougher for foreign energy firms to do business in their countries.

Soldiers guarded natural gas fields and refineries across Bolivia today after President Evo Morales ordered the sector nationalised, threatening to evict foreign companies unless they handed over production control within six months.

California prepared last night to execute its third death row inmate in as many months. For the first time an anaesthetist was present to minimise the condemned man’s pain.

BOLIVIA’S first indigenous president, Evo Morales, turned to fellow socialists, Indians, grass-roots activists and women to form his Cabinet yesterday and ordered them to root out corruption and adopt a new leftist economic model.