Free Republic

One by one, they are singing, the men who used to do dirty deeds for the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro. Nobody knows what’s going to happen, whether the United States will attack, and whether Maduro will fall. But these Venezuelans sniff change in the air. As more countries exit Venezuela’s orbit, more allegations are likely to emerge. Two of the men are in prison here in the U.S.: Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal, the former spy mastermind, and Cliver Alcala Cordones, a former general, both of whom have written letters to President Donald Trump airing...

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Latin America's political shift toward conservative governments was reinforced this week when Chileans elected far-right politician Jose Antonio Kast for the 2026-2030 term. It was the largest vote total ever recorded in a presidential election there. Chile's result strengthened a regional trend that is reshaping domestic political balances and points to closer political and economic alignment with the United States. Chile became the latest country in the region to deliver an electoral swing by handing victory to the opposition and rejecting the ruling coalition's candidate backed by President Gabriel Boric, a leftist. The outcome reflects a...

The world’s largest battery reservoir can be found in Bolivia, with 23,000,000 tonnes of lithium having been found rather close to America. Below the salt flats is a resource that is central to the global energy transition. The reason that this has become all the more interesting and why all the attention has fallen on the Andes is due to the fact that the demand for electric vehicles has escalated. Salar de Uyuni is becoming a point of interest Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat that covers over 10,500 square kilometers, and hidden beneath the crust here is...

A lithium deposit discovered in a volcanic crater along the Nevada-Oregon border may hold up to 40 million metric tons of the rare metal — possibly the largest ever in the world, which could have a massive impact on the electric vehicle industry, according to a new study. The deposit hidden within the McDermitt Caldera is estimated to hold between 20 million and 40 million metric tons, which would be nearly double the current record of about 23 million metric tons found over the summer beneath a Bolivian salt flat, researchers reported in Science Advances. It would also greatly boost...

A long-dormant supervolcano on the Nevada-Oregon border is now at the center of a trillion-dollar energy battle. Beneath its surface lies a lithium discovery so massive it could redraw the global battery map. © The U.S. May Be Sitting On A Lithium Treasure Beneath A Supervolcano. Credit: Shutterstock ==================================================================================== In the high desert along the Nevada–Oregon border, a quiet basin formed by an ancient supervolcano is rapidly becoming a global focal point. Hidden beneath the McDermitt Caldera lies what scientists now believe is the world’s largest known deposit of lithium, the element driving the battery revolution behind electric vehicles, smartphones,...

President-elect Rodrigo Paz says Bolivia's relationship with the United States "will be resumed" nearly two decades years after Evo Morales kicked out Washington's ambassador.

The FBI is investigating after the Secret Service found a hunting stand... Two federal immigration agents attacked in a southern suburb of Chicago... Two are dead after a cargo plane slid off the runway... US President Donald Trump announcing an end to US payments and subsidies to Colombia... another deadly US attack...this time on a Colombian vessel... Israel deciding that the ceasefire with Hamas is back in place... In Bolivia two decades of Leftist rule ending... Two killed in a Ukrainian drone attack... On Newsdump Friday a selective release of documents related...Jeffrey Epstein... A 'major robbery' of 'priceless' jewelry from...

The Yungas Road, aka Death Road, located in Bolivia, is a 37-mile stretch of road that is widely regarded as the most difficult highway in the world, and the world’s most dangerous road. Known as the Camino de la Muerte, the road featured on BBC Top Gear in the Bolivia Special, which showed off just how dangerous the road is, with it carved into the side of mountains. A slight mistake could see you fall right to the bottom, yet this terrifying road was actually a very important route. It did serve a purpose, and it has been around since...

Is Latin America rejecting socialism? A positive trend appears to be developing. On Sunday, the ruling left-wing government of Bolivia saw its candidate win just 3% (not a typo) of the vote, as citizens revolted against the economic crisis it created. Inflation there is running at 16% a month and there are shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel in a country that once produced half of its own energy. Doesn’t that always seem to happen with leftist governments? Other countries may soon shift to the right. In Chile, analysts give Jose Antonio Kast, who comes from a family that helped...

Is this the last gasp of Latin America's disastrous "pink tide"?Two decades ago, democratic socialism was rising in Latin America. The so-called "pink tide" swept leftist leaders into power in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Their useful idiots in the U.S. were delighted. Linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky saw "seeds of a better world" in Venezuela. Filmmaker Michael Moore praised Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez as a champion of the poor. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz claimed he was witnessing an "economic miracle" in Argentina. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) said Bolivia's socialist government had improved the lives of...

Two right-wing candidates were expected to advance to a run-off for Bolivia's presidency ...

For most of Renan Aliaga’s adult life, a single name dominated the politics of Bolivia: Evo Morales.

The fourth national poll of voting intentions, presented by EL DEBER and prepared by the specialized firm Spie SRL, marks a turning point in the presidential race: Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga moves into first place in public preference and, for the first time in this series of public perception studies, surpasses Samuel Doria Medina.

Samuel Doria Medina leads with 21.76%, followed very closely by Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who reaches 20.70%.

So long as the world is entertaining worst-case scenarios, the media does Americans no favors in omitting that Iran-Hezbollah has for years prepared to strike in their own hometowns. Weirdly absent from much of the professional speculation about where and how Iran will exact its promised “severe revenge” for the U.S. drone strike killing of Quds Force Gen. Qassem Suleimani is mention of the dead man’s highly suggestive hint. During a time of intense saber rattling between Iran and President Donald Trump in July 2018, Suleimani gave a speech during which he called out the American president: “Mr. Gambler, Trump!...

A vast stone temple built 1,000 years ago by one of South America's most powerful civilizations has been uncovered in the Andes.Archaeologists discovered the temple, known as Palaspata, atop a ridge in the remote highlands southeast of Lake Titicaca, near the small community of Ocotavi in western Bolivia.The large structure was the craftsmanship of the Tiwanaku civilization, which left a mark on the world with impressive stone structures, advanced irrigation systems, and unique art and pottery before vanishing around 1000AD.Covering an area roughly the size of a city block, the site measures approximately 410 feet long by 476 feet wide.It...

EDITOR'S NOTE: The opinions expressed in the following conversation are those of the book's author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of LifeSiteNews. September 1, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Journalist Maike Hickson conducted an interview with author George Neumayr on his new book, The Political Pope. Neumayr offers insights into communist influences on Pope Francis.  Maike Hickson: Throughout your book, you make references to Pope Francis' relationship with communism or with certain communists in particular. Could you describe for us in general his attitude toward communism? George Neumayr: He tends to speak of communism in benign terms. He told the Italian press that he wasn't "offended"...

Communism is not dead in Latin America. In fact, the dominoes are falling south of the border, but no one seems to be noticing. “It’s a new day. Communism is dead. It’s even dead in Cuba.” So declared Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in May 2002. “I hate to say it,” she continued, “it’s dead.” The senator’s proclamation was a surprise, no doubt, to Fidel Castro, whose regime was (and is) alive and as Red as ever. It also must have come as welcome news to the people of Cuba, still suffering, after nearly half...

PRAGUE, August 4, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Moscow's new diplomatic assertiveness was on display for the world to see during last month's G8 summit in St. Petersburg. And one controversial topic that dominated the run-up to the summit has remained in the spotlight -- Russia's repeatedly stated intention of following its own democratic path, dubbed "sovereign democracy." The concept was formulated by Vyacheslav Surkov, the deputy chief and prime ideologue of President Vladimir Putin's administration. Surkov began floating the new ideology during speeches to activists of the pro-presidential Unified Russia party in February and May. Sovereign Democracy As outlined by Surkov...

Brainchild of the KGB As Ion Mihai Pacepa, onetime director of the Romanian espionage service (DIE), later explained, the PLO was conceived at a time when the KGB was creating “liberation front” organizations throughout the Third world. Others included the National Liberation Army of Bolivia, created in 1964 with help from Ernesto “Che” Guevara, and the National Liberation Army of Colombia, created in 1965 with help from Fidel Castro. But the PLO was the KGB’s most enduring achievement. In 1964, the first PLO Council, consisting of 422 Palestinian representatives handpicked by the KGB, approved the Soviet blueprint for a Palestinian...