Development: On 18 August Bolivia’s interior minister, Carlos Romero, announced that he will present a criminal complaint before the attorney general’s office against those responsible for the death of a police official in the municipality of Tacacoma, La Paz department, after clashes with local protesters that also left ten other security officials injured. Significance: The clashes came after months of simmering tensions between local residents and miners from local cooperative Rosario de Ananea over accusations that the cooperative has breached a compensation agreement to exploit the mine. The conflict illustrates the continued problem of mine invasions despite recent (2013) legislation…

POLITICS | Pdvsa’s Del Pino promoted to energy minister. On 18 August Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro announced that Eulogio del Pino, the president of the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa), had been appointed to head up the energy & mining ministry. Del Pino replaces Asdrúbal Chávez (a cousin of the late president, Hugo Chávez [1999-2013]), who is stepping down to compete in the 6 December midterm national legislative elections. Chávez will stand for the ruling left-wing Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) in the family’s home state of Barinas. Del Pino has been Pdvsa president since early 2015;…