A public transport workers' strike, called to protest restrictions clamped on traffic moving through the center of the capital, degenerated into violent riots this evening.
The two-day protest - which got off to a peaceful start today in La Paz, Bolivia's second-largest city - led to rioting later in the day as some drivers tried to defy the regulations.
City rules prohibit motor vehicles from passing within a one-kilometer radius of the capital's historic center, where the speed limit is just two kilometers per hour during rush hour.
Unionized school employees also launched a 24-hour strike on today, demanding that Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who came into office on August 6th, not try to cut back on gains that workers made in contract talks with the previous government.
AFP