Bolivia Energy Reform Under Fire: Protests in La Paz are intensifying as President Rodrigo Paz’s proposed Electricity and Renewable Energy Law faces backlash over fears of privatization, loss of control of resources, and rising costs; the government says it will end ENDE’s monopoly and open tenders to private firms, but miners, teachers, unions, and campesinos keep pressure on amid food shortages and fuel price hikes. Roadblocks and Governance Stress Test: After weeks of blockades and a state of emergency, coca growers in Chapare are still defying a protest ban, signaling the unrest is far from over and that supply disruptions remain a core industrial risk. Lithium Value Chain Watch: Bolivia’s role in the Lithium Triangle keeps drawing global attention, while separate coverage highlights how banks and investors are pushing financing and development for battery minerals—an angle that matters for Bolivia’s mining and downstream industrial plans. Regional Energy Tensions: Reuters analysis links cheaper oil after a fragile U.S.-Iran truce to easing inflation pressure, but warns civil unrest risk persists across emerging markets, including Bolivia, where households already took the hit. Venezuela Earthquake Fallout: A doublet of major quakes has devastated La Guaira and surrounding areas, with casualties and missing persons rising fast—an external shock that can ripple into regional logistics and humanitarian supply chains.