En los últimos días volvieron a registrarse filas de vehículos en los surtidores de La Paz y Santa Cruz de la Sierra ante el anuncio de demoras en los despachos por parte de Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB).

A través de un comunicado publicado el martes, la petrolera informó que debido al proceso de preparación e incorporación de nuevos aditivos en la gasolina, se podía presentar una “leve demora” en la distribución y que la situación se normalizaría “en las próximas horas”. Sin embargo, hasta las primeras horas de este jueves, las filas continuaban en las estaciones de servicio.

El procedimiento que se realiza en la gasolina se produce en medio de un escándalo por la calidad del combustible al que se atribuye el bajo rendimiento de los vehículos y daños en motores reportados en los últimos meses. Según el Colegio de Ingenieros Mecánicos de Bolivia (CIMB), al menos el 60% de los vehículos que actualmente se encuentran en talleres mecánicos presentan problemas relacionados con el carburante.

El presidente de YPFB, Yussef Alky, admitió en una conferencia de prensa anterior que la petrolera distribuyó combustible contaminado con residuos de goma y manganeso que quedaban en los tanques de almacenamiento heredados de la anterior gestión.

El presidente Rodrigo Paz calificó esta situación como un acto de “sabotaje” dentro de la estatal petrolera y afirmó que ya se tiene identificados a los responsables. Sin embargo, a más de un mes de iniciado el conflicto, aún no se han presentado los presuntos implicados, ni se ha explicado la forma en la que han operado ni tampoco las estrategias para evitar que vulneraciones de ese tipo se repitan en la empresa más grande e importante del país.

Por lo pronto, la petrolera informó que se incorporarán antioxidantes y detergentes para remover partículas, evitar la formación de elementos dañinos y la degradación de la gasolina, lo que es una práctica “ampliamente utilizada a nivel internacional”.

Guido Moreno, presidente del Colegio de Mecánicos, cuestionó lo que considera una falta de planificación. “Es un proceso que se debe hacer de forma profesional, con instalaciones y equipos precisos para este tipo de tareas .Se entiende que se pueda retrasar un poco el despacho, pero debería haber estado planificado”, manifestó en una entrevista televisiva.

En paralelo a este procedimiento, el Gobierno dispuso la militarización de las plantas de YPFB en El Alto, Cochabamba y Santa Cruz con el objetivo de “defender” a la petrolera de “las mafias y de la corrupción”. El presidente Paz señaló que esta decisión apunta a realizar un seguimiento en toda la cadena de producción y distribución para garantizar la trazabilidad de los combustibles.

Bolivia atraviesa desde hace tres años una crisis de carburantes que inició con periodos de desabastecimiento y continúa con problemas para garantizar los estándares de calidad.

Los crecientes problemas de importación por la falta de divisas provocaron periodos de escasez que iniciaron en 2023 y se fueron haciendo cada vez más frecuentes y prolongados. El nuevo gobierno, que tomó posesión en noviembre de 2025, levantó el subsidio a los combustibles que estuvo vigente durante más de 20 años y suponía uno de los mayores gastos públicos. Paralelamente, el suministro se fue regularizando, pero surgieron cuestionamientos sobre los controles y la calidad de la gasolina que se distribuye.

En ese marco, la Cámara de Senadores convocó para este jueves al ministro de Hidrocarburos, Mauricio Medinaceli, para brindar un informe sobre la gasolina y otras cuestiones relacionadas a la estatal petrolera. La cita está programada para las 14:00, hora local.

Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Thursday, with explosions reported in the region and Tehran threatening that the U.S. would «bitterly regret» sinking an Iranian warship.

Iran’s strikes on Thursday targeted Israel, American bases and countries in the region. Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks as air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday said Iran used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an attack on Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure. The ministry said the details of the attack and the capabilities of the UAVs were being investigated.

«The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against civilian infrastructure on the territory of Azerbaijan in the absence of any military necessity. The Islamic Republic of Iran bears the entire responsibility for the incident,» the ministry’s statement read.

Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, despite the country’s ministry of defense pointing the finger at Tehran.

Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha on Thursday, with its Ministry of Defense confirming that the country was «subjected to a missile attack» and that its air defense systems were able to intercept it. The ministry urged the public to remain calm and avoid unofficial information.

Abu Dhabi announced that its authorities were responding to an incident involving falling debris in ICAD 2, which is part of the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Six people, identified by Abu Dhabi as Pakistani and Nepali nationals, suffered minor to moderate injuries.

A plume of smoke rises over buildings in Doha, Qatar, on March 5, 2026. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)

FORMER TOPGUN PILOT DECLARES IRAN MILITARY ‘OVER WITH’ AMID US AIR SUPERIORITY, BUT WARNS OF ANOTHER DANGER

Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, with the latest wave coming one day after the U.S. sunk an Iranian warship, killing at least 87 Iranian sailors. Sri Lankan navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath said 32 people were rescued from the wreck and were admitted to a hospital.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the move during a news briefing at the Pentagon.

«An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — Quiet Death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win,» Hegseth said.

Missile interceptions are seen in the sky on March 5, 2026, in Central Israel. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

ISRAEL’S MILITARY RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING OBLITERATION OF IRAN’S MISSILE LAUNCHERS, DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Iranian leaders condemned the attack, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing the U.S. Navy of committing «an atrocity at sea.» Meanwhile, Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli appeared on state television and called for the shedding of Israeli and «Trump’s blood.»

«Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,» he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

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The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Saturday with strikes targeting Iran’s leadership, including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed. Iran’s missile arsenal and nuclear facilities were also hit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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FIRST ON FOX: Longtime West Michigan meteorologist Terri DeBoer is launching a run for Congress as a Republican, hoping to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District in a campaign centered on border security, economic issues and what she called restoring «fiscal sanity» in Washington.

«I’m an outsider,» DeBoer told Fox News Digital in her first interview since becoming a candidate for Congress as a Republican running to unseat Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has held the seat since 2023.

«I am a West Michigan resident, and as an outsider, I believe that West Michigan is not blue, West Michigan is not red. West Michigan is all about solving the problems that we face, no matter who has those ideas, no matter what side of the aisle they happen to sit on.»

DeBoer has spent more than 30 years on West Michigan television, working at stations including WWMT-TV, WOOD-TV and most recently FOX-17 (WXMI-TV), where she returned in 2024 after a brief break.

She began her career in broadcast journalism as a news reporter before transitioning to meteorology in the early 1990s. Known to many viewers as «everyone’s mom,» DeBoer has been a steady on-air presence during major weather events, including the 1998 derecho and the 2022 Christmas blizzard.

DeBoer says she sees similarities between her previous position, where she was affectionately referred to by many as «everyone’s mom,» and helping people navigate and prepare for tough weather ahead.

DEMOCRATS NAME CANDIDATES TO ‘RED TO BLUE’ INITIATIVE, AIMING TO FLIP GOP MAJORITY DURING MIDTERMS

The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«I am asking the people of Michigan’s 3rd District to send me to Capitol Hill so that I can make a difference helping prepare people for the storms that we’re facing and help steer us away from the impact of those storms,» DeBoer said.

DeBoer, a wife, mother and grandmother, says her interest in politics was inspired by hearing former President Ronald Reagan speak in person during her senior year of high school. She said she thought to herself that if she ever had the opportunity to «serve my country,» she would «step forward and do it.»

DeBoer is the first major Republican candidate to enter the race in a district the Cook Political Report ranks as «Solid D,» in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and that is known for narrow margins of victory.

Additionally, when Scholten won her election, she became the first Democrat to win that seat since the 1970s. 

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Zach Bannon called Scholten a «rubber stamp» for the «radical far left» in a statement to Fox News Digital and said Republicans are «on the offense.»

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U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI)  speaks at a press conference following a House Democratic Caucus meeting. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Other priorities from DeBoer, according to a press release and her newly launched campaign website, include pushing back against the «political elite» and «open-border policies» and advocating for affordability.

«For me, I am someone who is willing to listen to all great ideas, because I know that the problems that we have to solve, we are going to face, are going to need to be tackled by everyone, and so we need to come together and the best way to come together is to send an outsider to Washington,» DeBoer said. «I have loyalty to West Michigan. I don’t have loyalty to a party.»

Republicans currently control the House by a 218-214 majority, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat vacant. Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years.

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