La Paz (AFP) – After refusing to withdraw troops in an attempted coup, Bolivian army chief Juan Jose Zuniga has been arrested and dismissed from his post. In a twist to the unfolding drama, Zuniga claims he was following orders from President Luis Arce in a bid to boost his popularity ahead of the 2025 election. An accusation Arce denies, saying the army chief “acted alone.”
Nairobi (AFP) – A funeral procession is held in Nairobi for 19-year-old Ibrahim Kamau, killed outside parliament during the anti-tax protest on 25 June. Kenyan President William Ruto has since withdrawn the deeply unpopular financial bill, bowing to pressure following deadly clashes.
Atlanta (AFP) – Joe Biden and Donald Trump traded fiery barbs as they bitterly attacked each other’s records and conduct, in a debate with enormous stakes as each seeks to shift the razor-tight race for the White House. Donald Trump “probably won” the face-off, says political analyst Aaron Kall after the fiery debate, citing Biden’s “slow start”.
Corumba, Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil) (AFP) – Firefighters from the city of Corumba battle one of the hundreds of wildfires ravaging Brazil’s Pantanal region, the world’s largest tropical wetland. The region, home to millions of animal species, is currently experiencing record fires for this time of year.
Medellín (Colombia) (AFP) – One person has died and several were injured in a Medellin Metrocable accident in the early hours of 26 June, the first since the system was inaugurated in 2004.
Mokopane (South Africa) (AFP) – Injecting radioactive material into live rhino horns, the Rhisotope project has found a new way to curb poaching in South Africa, home to about 15,000 rhinos. By placing small chips in the thick-skinned herbivores’ horns, the team is effectively rendering them poisonous for human consumption and easily detectable.
Paris (AFP) – France must “stay away from extremes” in upcoming legislative election, French basketball star Victor Wembanyama says, three days ahead of the first round of voting expected to be won by the far right.
Everest (Nepal) (AFP) – On Everest’s sacred slopes, climate change is thinning snow and ice, increasingly exposing the bodies of hundreds of mountaineers who died chasing their dream to summit the world’s highest mountain. So far, five bodies have been retrieved by Nepal’s 2024 mountain clean-up team.
La Paz (AFP) – Two Bolivian army leaders have been arrested after soldiers and tanks took up position in front of government buildings in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup.
Koh Tao (Thailand) (AFP) – Nannalin Pornprasertsom is one of a growing number of scuba divers learning conservation and citizen science techniques as coral reefs experience the world’s fourth global bleaching event. The death spiral is everywhere in the waters around Thailand’s Koh Tao where Pornprasertsom uses her new skills to monitor the health of the reef.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Ten LGBTQ couples tie the knot in a mass wedding in Hong Kong attended by their families and friends. Despite exchanging vows in the Chinese city, the newly-weds had to legally register their marriages in the United States via an online process, as Hong Kong does not recognise same-sex unions.
Nairobi (AFP) – Kenyan President William Ruto says that a bill containing contentious tax hikes would “be withdrawn”, dramatically reversing course after more than 20 people were killed in clashes with police and parliament was ransacked by protesters opposed to the legislation on 25 June.
