Not Your Casual News Week 26: Bolivian military coup leaders jailed, but questions remain
A weekly read to keep you in the loop on international issues
A failed military coup in Bolivia
Three former high-ranking military officers accused of leading this week’s attempted coup in Bolivia have been remanded in custody for six months while investigations continue.
Former army chief Juan José Zúñiga, ex-navy chief Juan Arnez and Alejandro Irahola, former head of the army’s mechanised brigade, are being held in a high-security prison near the capital, La Paz. They face charges of armed rebellion and terrorism and could be sentenced to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The arrests follow a tense Wednesday in Bolivia, when troops and tanks briefly took over parts of La Paz and tried to break into the presidential palace. Zúñiga, who claimed his aim was to “restructure democracy”, was arrested and the coup quickly collapsed.
Bolivia, which has a history of military coups, has recently faced unrest caused by rising prices, fuel shortages and a weakening currency. Adding to the instability is a growing rift within the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party between supporters of President Luis Arce and his predecessor, Evo Morales.
The international community has widely condemned the coup attempt and pledged support for Arce’s government.
But the attempted coup is still shrouded in mystery: Zúñiga and Morales accuse Arce, who denies everything, of staging a “self-coup” to gain popular support and boost his flagging popularity.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7785f5cb-21a4-4105-939c-79a46c60bca3_614x376.jpeg)
Kenya’s youth protest movement at crossroads after finance bill dropped
Kenya’s youth-led protest movement faces a crucial moment after President William Ruto’s decided not to sign the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The Finance Bill 2024 was met with widespread protests that saw the death of 24 people and the storming of Parliament in Nairobi.
The bill proposed various tax increases to address Kenya’s debt crisis by increasing existing taxes and adding new ones, adding weight on already light wallets.
The government argued that the measures were necessary, but protesters demanded accountability and an end to corruption rather than new taxes.
The protests began online and quickly mobilised thousands, cutting across ethnic divides and culminating in large-scale demonstrations everywhere in the country. The leaderless movement emerged on social media with hashtags such as #rejectfinancebill2024 and #occupyparliament.
Following deadly clashes that left at least 23 people dead on June 25, protesters’ demands have shifted to justice for those killed, the release of detainees and the resignation of President Ruto.
“They have killed us. They can’t lead us. That’s what we are saying,” Albert Otieno, a lawyer, told The Guardian during a protest in Nairobi on Thursday.
I will publish a longer piece this week about protests in Kenya. Keep an eye on it!
What Else Happened?
End of 14-year saga for Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks founder has arrived in Canberra, Australia, following a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to a single charge of leaking classified US documents in 2010. Assange’s return ends a 14-year legal battle with US authorities, who accused him of endangering lives by publishing sensitive military information (WikiLeaks posted more than 90,000 classified documents related to the Afghanistan War). His case provoked a global debate about press freedom and the limits of government secrecy. While expressing relief at his release, Assange's lawyer condemned the deal as setting a “dangerous precedent” that criminalises journalism.
Terror attacks hit churches and synagogues in Russia. At least 15 policemen and five civilians, including a priest, were killed in coordinated attacks on places of worship and police posts in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan. Gunmen targeted two Orthodox churches and two synagogues in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on June 23, sparking hours of gunbattles with police. Authorities have described the attacks as “acts of terror” and suspect the involvement of individuals with links to extremist ideologies. The incident marks a significant breach of security since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and raises questions about growing extremism in the region.
Web traffic is being overrun by bots. Have you heard of the “dead internet” theory? In a nutshell, it assumes that the internet is full of bots interacting with content created by bots. And it may be true, to some extent: a new report by Akamai technologies claims that 42% of internet traffic is generated by bots, 65% of which being classified as malicious. E-commerce, which relies heavily on web applications, is particularly vulnerable to these “scraper bots”, which are used for nefarious purposes such as stealing competitive intelligence, manipulating inventory and creating fake websites for phishing scams. The report also points to the growing sophistication of bots powered by artificial intelligence, making them increasingly difficult to detect and combat.
Climate news
Climate change fuels intense wildfires in the Arctic. Wildfires are raging across the Arctic Circle, with the Russian Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) bearing the brunt of the fires. These fires have already released the third highest June carbon emissions in over two decades, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The data show a significant increase in fire activity since mid-June, following a period of unusually high temperatures and dry conditions. Experts warn that this increased fire activity, fuelled by climate change, poses a serious threat to the fragile Arctic ecosystem and accelerates global warming. The smoke produced by these fires not only affects air quality, but may also contribute to melting snow and ice by depositing black carbon on their surfaces.
Romania swelters under red-alert heatwave. A scorching heatwave engulfed Romania over the week, with temperatures soaring to 38-39 degrees Celsius (100-102 degrees Fahrenheit), and placing most of the southern region on red alert. In the capital, Bucharest, temperatures soared above 35°C (95°F), leading employers to introduce special measures for workers, particularly those in the restaurant industry who faced intense heat in kitchens. The extreme weather reflects similar conditions across Europe, with Serbia, Germany, Spain and Greece all experiencing scorching temperatures.
Image of the Week
Satellites from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration captured the eye of Hurricane Beryl.
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 4 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic and is causing widespread alarm as it moves towards the southeastern Caribbean.
Island nations are implementing emergency measures and urging residents and visitors to seek shelter immediately as the storm brings life-threatening winds and a potentially devastating storm surge.
“Beryl is an extremely dangerous and rare hurricane for this time of year in this area,” hurricane specialist Michael Lowry told The Guardian. "Unusual is an understatement. Beryl is already a historic hurricane and it hasn’t struck yet.”
The storm is forecast to pass south of Barbados early Monday before entering the Caribbean Sea, possibly hitting Jamaica, before weakening later in the week.
Thank you for reading me! Enjoy your week.