World
Bolivia foils coup attempt: All you need to know
EXPLAINER
President Luis Arce asserts authority as Bolivian Army General Juan Jose Zuniga, who was behind the coup d’etat bid, is arrested.
Bolivian President Luis Arce thwarted an apparent attempted coup on Wednesday, as Army General Juan Jose Zuniga was arrested, hours after he led troops and tanks to storm the presidential palace in the capital, La Paz.
President Arce from the left-wing Movement for Socialism (MAS) party has hailed the failed coup bid, calling it a victory for Bolivia’s democracy.
“Many thanks to the Bolivian people. Long live democracy,” he said, after asserting control over the military in the Latin American nation.
Here is all you need to know about the coup attempt in Bolivia:
Who is Luis Arce?
- Arce, 60, was elected president of the South American country in November 2020.
- Arce’s victory came after nearly a year of political turmoil after longtime left-wing President Evo Morales was forced to resign in 2019 after disputed election results. The then-opposition senator Jeanine Anez anointed herself the interim president. Anez dropped out of the 2020 presidential race. She was jailed for 10 years in 2022 for orchestrating the coup that brought her to power.
- Originally an economist, Arce crafted the economic plan for Morales’s first presidential bid in 2005. In 2006, Morales appointed Arce as economy minister.
- In recent years, tensions have been brewing between Arce and Morales, who each lead a faction of the dominant MAS political party. Morales, who had been Arce’s mentor, has even said he will challenge the current president for the presidential seat in 2025, despite a Constitutional Court barring Morales from contesting.
- Arce’s 2020 election as president marked a return of stability to Bolivia.
- However, he has struggled to manage a US dollar shortage and the turmoil of slow economic growth and surging inflation has continued to unfold.
Why was there an attempted coup in Bolivia?
- Army commander Zuniga said Arce’s government was “impoverishing” the country.
- Arce has struggled to address the economic woes facing the country of 12 million people. As well as the US dollar shortage, foreign reserves have dwindled and Bolivia’s fiscal deficit has increased under his watch. The economic situation has been exacerbated by the ballooning of its oil subsidies due to the Ukraine war and tightening of the global financial system.
- Low commodity prices in a country dependent on mineral exports have also affected its finances. A commodity price surge in 2014 helped boost revenue in the country with huge mineral reserves, including lithium used in the manufacture of batteries. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, its economy was hit hard.
- The Andean nation has for decades suffered from political instability, high income inequality and extreme poverty, particularly among the Indigenous community. During Morales’s 14-year presidency, the country witnessed political stability and a record number of people were lifted out of poverty.
- The current economic state of Bolivia is dire, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projecting growth at a meagre 1.6 percent.
- Besides citing economic woes, Zuniga said the army was trying to “restore democracy and free our political prisoners,” adding that the coup would make democracy true, not one in which the country is governed by the same few people for decades. The country has been governed by the MAS party since 2005, when Morales became the first Indigenous president.
- Arce’s term has also seen political unrest. Right-wing forces have led deadly strikes in provinces such as Santa Cruz against Arce’s government’s decisions.
How did the attempted coup unfold?
- On Wednesday afternoon, troops with army vehicles entered the Plaza Murillo, an historic square in the capital, La Paz, where the presidency and Congress are situated.
- One of eight tanks tried to break down the metal door to the plaza.
- The coup attempt lasted about five hours.
- Video footage showed an intense standoff between Arce and Zuniga, who was surrounded by a group of soldiers.
How was the coup averted?
- “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce told the coup leader in the front of the presidential palace.
- The troops pulled back from the plaza and Zuniga was forced into a police car.
- “Many thanks to the Bolivian people,” Arce said, hailing the troops’ withdrawal. “Long live democracy.”
How did Bolivian leaders and people respond?
- Massive international condemnation and the people’s solidarity in favour of Arce played a role in foiling the coup attempt. Some Bolivian citizens took to the streets in protest against the attempted coup.
- The attempt also earned condemnation from Morales, who said, “We will not allow the armed forces to violate democracy and intimidate people.”
- Two days before the coup attempt, Zuniga had said in a statement on television that he would arrest Morales if he insisted on running for office again in 2025.
- Even conservative ex-president Anez, who remains in jail, rebuked the army’s actions. She posted on X: “I fully reject of the mobilization of the military in the Plaza Murillo attempting to destroy constitutional order,” adding “the MAS with Arce and Evo must be got out through the vote in 2025. We Bolivians will defend democracy.”
What happened to General Juan Jose Zuniga?
- “General, you are under arrest,” Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera told Zuniga on Wednesday.
- Zuniga was appointed by Arce as general commander in 2022 and has held high military ranks in the past. However, the relationship between the two soured, and Zuniga criticised Arce in the week leading to the coup attempt.
- Bolivia’s Justice Minister Ivan Lima posted on X on Thursday that criminal action has been initiated against Zuniga under articles 121, 127 and 128 of the penal code.
- These codes pertain to armed uprisings against security and state sovereignty, incitement of troops and attacks against the president and state dignitaries.
- Lima added that the maximum possible sentence for the crimes is 20 years in prison.
- Senior military officer and head of Bolivian navy, Juan Arnez Salvador, was also arrested.
- Inside the presidential palace, Arce appointed Jose Wilson Sanchez as military commander, the post previously held by Zuniga.
- The coup attempt drew international condemnation, with world leaders calling the Bolivian army’s actions illegal.
- Leaders of Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela condemned the attempt, advocating for the preservation of democracy.
- “I am a lover of democracy and I want it to prevail throughout Latin America,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, said in an X post. “We condemn any form of coup d’etat in Bolivia.”
- “We express the strongest condemnation of the attempted coup d’état in Bolivia. Our total support and support for President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora,” Mexico’s outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador posted on X.
- The Organization of American States (OAS) said the international community would “not tolerate any form of breach of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia”.
- A United States National Security Council spokesperson said Joe Biden’s administration was keeping a close eye on events in Bolivia and “calls for calm”.
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply concerned” by events in Bolivia and called on all actors, including the military, to “protect the constitutional order and to preserve a climate of peace”, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Bolivia’s history of coups
- Even amid South America’s long and sordid history with coups, Bolivia stands out. It has witnessed dozens of coup attempts since the 1950s, the most of any country.
- Most recently, the 2019 forced resignation of Morales was deemed a coup by the MAS.
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Europe is breaking heat records. These extreme events pose a threat to people’s health both at home and at work. The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), a research centre affiliated with the European Trade Union Confederation, presented a report on Thursday laying out solutions aimed at safeguarding workers’ health in the face of climate change.
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One of the report’s authors emphasised that the danger is not limited to the south of the continent.
“The problem is the worst in the south, of course; that’s where we see most of the accidents. At the same time, though, we have been recording the highest increases in accidents in central and northern Europe,” said Andreas Flouris, professor of physiology at the University of Thessaly.
“The south is already hot, and it’s a problem. But the centre and the north are catching up very fast.”
According to the report, around 130 million workers across Europe are exposed to workplace heat stress, resulting in 277,000 related injuries and 230 deaths annually.
An EU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work) survey from 2025 found that around one in five workers in the EU reported exposure to extreme heat at work in the previous 12 months. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of these heatwaves, which affect health and reduce work capacity.
“The optimum temperature to work at is 16°C. Beyond that, for every 1°C rise, there is an average productivity loss of around 2%,” Flouris told Euronews.
“During an average heatwave in southern Europe, productivity losses reach around 20 to 25%. In central Europe, the figure is between 8 and 14%, and even in Scandinavia, we have recorded losses of 3 to 6% due to heatwaves over the course of a year,” he added.
Based on scientific evidence, the report’s authors propose that the European Union introduce legislation specifically targeting heat risks in the workplace.
“What we propose is a mandatory heat risk assessment, in order to oblige employers to assess and identify the risks related to heat exposure in their workplace. Only by knowing what we are dealing with can we protect workers and prevent the risks associated with heat exposure at work,” said Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni, a researcher at the European Trade Union Institute.
The report also proposes using a broader index to assess heat stress exposure. The authors argue that temperature should not be the sole indicator, and that humidity and wind speed should also be factored in when determining exposure levels.
The researchers emphasised that heatwaves are a measurable, predictable, and therefore preventable phenomenon.
World
Mubi to Publish Lost ‘Faust’ Bible on Centenary of F.W. Murnau’s Silent Cinema Classic (EXCLUSIVE)
Arthouse distributor, streamer, production company and — since 2015 — publisher Mubi is set to release a book about the silent era classic “Faust” containing material that was until recently thought lost.
“The Faust Bible: The Making of F.W. Murnau’s Masterpiece” is being published by Mubi Editions, presented in partnership with la Cinémathèque française, which will publish globally on Oct. 17.
The book marks 100 years since F.W. Murnau’s fantasy epic, considered one of the prime examples of German expressionist cinema, and brings to light a recently-unearthed artefact of film history: a visual diary of approximately 400 photographs and original illustrations documenting the making of the film almost step-by-step.
Compiled by “Faust” crew members Robert Herlth, Carl Hoffmann, and Walter Röhrig, and originally presented to Murnau inside a prop Bible, this collection was gifted as a memento to the director on the film’s completion and ahead of his move from Germany to Hollywood. However, it was then lost for many years, thought to have been destroyed in World War II, before its recent rediscovery and painstaking restoration by la Cinémathèque française, who acquired it for their collection in 2017.
Now published in full for the very first time, “The Faust Bible: The Making of F.W. Murnau’s Masterpiece” will contain stills and sketches showcasing the film’s lavish costuming and set design, plus detailed storyboarding.
The publication is guided by Laurent Mannoni, scientific director of heritage at la Cinémathèque française, who also contributes a newly commissioned essay and annotations on the discovery of the Bible and its rare contents. Accompanying him are Stefan Drössler, director of the Filmmuseum München, writing on the production history of the film, and K.J. Relth-Miller, director of film programs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, on the film’s lasting legacy in contemporary cinema.
”Preserving and revitalizing film history is at the heart of what we do at Mubi,” said Daniel Kasman, Mubi’s vice president of publishing. “The discovery of the astonishing Faust ‘Bible’ presents a beautiful opportunity to share this glorious classic of silent cinema with audiences new and old. It offers profound new insight into the mind of one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, revealing the meticulous artistry behind this groundbreaking visual fantasia, created by some of the most talented craftspeople of their day—while standing as a remarkable work of art in its own right.”
To mark both the book’s publication and the centenary of “Faust,” Mubi will present a series of international events and screenings throughout autumn 2026, including a public launch at la Cinémathèque française in Paris on Oct 17. Further details are to be announced.
“One of the most influential and pioneering filmmakers of the silent era, F.W. Murnau was known for the privacy of his film sets,” said la Cinémathèque française’s Mannoni. “Reluctant to welcome visitors, he was even less inclined to reveal his creative process. The rediscovery of the Faust ‘Bible’ offers extraordinary insight into the making of one of cinema’s great masterpieces. Published in its entirety for the first time, it allows readers to trace the creation of this legendary film.”
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President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela had caused what he described as “a devastating number of deaths” as officials continued assessing the extent of the disaster.
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez later said at least 32 people were killed and more than 700 were injured in the earthquakes, marking the country’s first official casualty figures.
Trump’s comments came after back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela earlier Wednesday, causing widespread damage, including in the capital of Caracas, where buildings were damaged, and rescue crews searched through rubble.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the pair of “massive” earthquakes had caused widespread devastation.
PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME
First responders attend a damaged building in Los Palos Grandes, Caracas, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and the Caribbean on June 24, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
“The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths,” Trump wrote.
Trump said the United States was prepared to assist with the ongoing response.
“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!” Trump said. “I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.”
Trump added that early reports from Venezuela were “not good.”
US RENEWS ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ ALERT OVER TERRORISM, KIDNAPPING AMID TRUMP NARCO-TERROR FIGHT
Rescue workers search through the rubble after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Javier Campos)
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an initial magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 6:04 p.m. ET, with its epicenter about 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe.
Just 39 seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 quake struck with its epicenter about 14 miles southeast of Yumare.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said in a rare red alert statement.
TRUMP ISSUES DIRECT WARNING TO VENEZUELA’S NEW LEADER DELCY RODRÍGUEZ FOLLOWING MADURO CAPTURE
Rescuers search for victims in a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. (Manaure Quintero / AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said the earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency Wednesday after the earthquakes, which were followed by nearly two dozen aftershocks.
In a televised address later that day, Rodríguez urged Venezuelans to remain calm.
“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”
VENEZUELA RELEASES ALL KNOWN AMERICAN DETAINEES FOLLOWING MADURO CAPTURE AND GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER
On Thursday, Rodríguez announced that at least 32 people had been killed and more than 700 others injured in the earthquakes.
“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X that American officials were in contact with Venezuelan authorities and working to deliver assistance to the South American nation.
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARÍA MACHADO HAS URGENT MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP
An ambulance drives through the street at Parque Central urban development complex in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the region on June 24, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
“The U.S. stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes,” he wrote. “We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance.”
The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said it was tracking developments following the powerful earthquakes.
“The U.S. Government is closely monitoring the aftermath of a large earthquake in Venezuela,” the bureau said in a statement.
Emergency services work at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, June 24, 2026. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and are committed to supporting the people of Venezuela during this difficult time,” the statement continued.
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The bureau also urged U.S. citizens in Venezuela to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and monitor embassy updates.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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