Defiant Bolivian region steps up call for autonomy
Opponents of Bolivia’s leftist president have stepped up calls for autonomy in the Andean country’s wealthy Santa Cruz region following sometimes violent anti-government protests there, local media said on Friday. Television stations reported shootings this week in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the capital of the eastern region, and newspaper El Nuevo Dia said the government had ordered public offices in the city closed on Friday after pro-independence youths stormed government buildings earlier in the week. Full Story