Armoured vehicles and troops of the Bolivian Armed Forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening, hours after an attempted coup.

Bolivian police arrested rebel military commander General Juan Jose Zuniga, who led the failed coup attempt.

Bolivian President Luis Arce condemned the coup attempt and called on citizens to mobilise and defend democracy. He also named a new army commander who ordered troops to withdraw.

Earlier, soldiers marched on Plaza Murillo, a square outside the seat of government, led by General Zuniga, and forced their way into the old government headquarters, Palacio Quemado.

The presence of armed troops generated a strong response from citizens, who gathered in the streets surrounding Plaza Murillo, the epicentre of Bolivia’s political power, to denounce the military move.

Representatives of social organisations in different parts of the country also demonstrated in defence of democracy, joining the President’s call to protect the constitutional order.

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Two people were killed and one military personnel wounded as a result of a new Israeli missile attack that hit several military sites in southern Syria, the Syrian Defence Ministry said. Israel initiated an aerial attack on the southern region of Syria late Wednesday from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting multiple locations, the Ministry said in a statement.
The Syrian air defence managed to intercept some of the missiles, shooting them down in the process, it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the attack in the Sayyida Zaynab suburb in the southern countryside of Damascus. Also Read – Passenger train derailment in Russia leaves 70 injured The UK-based watchdog group said the Israeli missiles directly targeted the location where vehicles were stationed at the service centre of the Jihad al-Bina Foundation, affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian militias in the vicinity of the Sayyida Zaynab area. It said ambulances rushed to the targeted site as columns of smoke rose from there. Also Read – N. Korea says successfully conducted multiple warhead missile capability test The Syrian air defence system launched missiles to intercept the Israeli attack, it added. Israel has repeatedly targeted Syrian military sites, especially those believed to be housing pro-Iran militias or weapon storage facilities linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah, a long standing adversary of Israel in the region.

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One was killed and three others were injured inside a vehicle on Interstate 5 in Federal Way in the US state of Washington, according to State Patrol.

State Patrol troopers responded to the scene on northbound I-5 and found four people in a black BMW, Xinhua news agency reported.

The incident took place on Wednesday noon.

The male driver died from being stabbed.

One male passenger was shot multiple times, and another male passenger and a female passenger each had multiple stab injuries.

They were sent to the hospital for treatment, according to State Patrol. AGENCIES

A total of 259 observers from 40 countries and 21 international organisations will monitor Mongolia’s upcoming regular parliamentary elections, as announced by the country’s General Election Commission (GEC) on Wednesday.

Also, 27 journalists from 12 international media outlets will cover the elections of the State Great Khural, the country’s unicameral parliament, the commission said.

Mongolia, with a population of 3.5 million, has scheduled Friday as the date for the State Great Khural elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

The GEC has registered 1,294 candidates from 19 political parties and two coalitions, as well as 42 independents, for the parliamentary elections.

According to the law, the election campaign will be halted 24 hours before polling day.

A total of 2,238,360 Mongolian citizens are expected to cast their votes on the polling day.

In May 2023, the parliament passed amendments to increase the number of legislators from 76 to 126 in the country’s constitution.

Additionally, parliament members will be elected using a mixed electoral system, in which 78 members will be elected by majority representation and 48 by proportional representation. AGENCIES

Australian police have charged a male offender overnight after a man was stabbed to death in Melbourne.

Emergency services were called to a property on Warnock Street in Broadmeadows shortly before 2:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday following reports of a man having been stabbed, reports Xinhua news agency.

The suburb is located approximately 15 kilometres north of Melbourne’s central business district, home to over 12,000 residents.

Upon arrival, officers found a 32-year-old man of no fixed place of address deceased outside the property.

A 42-year-old Broadmeadows man was arrested at the scene before he was charged with murder. AGENCIES

 Kenyan President William Ruto termed Tuesday’s street protests against proposed tax hikes in the East African nation as treasonous, noting that his government will soon provide an expeditious response to the situation.

Ruto’s remarks came a few hours after at least five protestors were shot dead and more than 150 others injured as police used tear gas and live rounds after thousands stormed into Kenya’s Parliament and set part of it on fire.

In his televised address to the nation, Ruto said the government has mobilized all its resources to ensure the situation does not occur again “at whatever cost”.

He directed security organs to use all means possible to thwart any threats to the country’s national security, Xinhua news agency reported.

“It is possible that the criminals who reigned terror on innocent people and challenged our security organs are likely to continue with this behaviour,” he said, adding that the planners, financiers and abetters of the protests would not go scot-free.

The protestors gathered in various towns across Kenya, including the capital Nairobi, where they breached the heavily guarded premises to enter both the National Assembly and the Senate, destroying property and marching into the buildings despite police firing live bullets in the air.

In his address, Ruto said the government would not tolerate crime masked as democratic expression. “The government will secure the nation and any threats to national security are a danger to the Republic and will be dealt with,” he said.

The president observed that the national conversation on what affects the nation would only be done under the rule of law, constitutionalism, and respect for the nation.

Ruto spoke as Aden Duale, the cabinet secretary for defence, gazetted the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces to aid the police in curbing protests.

The Kenya Defence Forces were deployed on Tuesday in support of the National Police Service in response to the security emergency caused by ongoing violent protests in various parts of the country, Duale said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta appealed for calm and dialogue, noting that he is saddened by the loss of lives occasioned by the protests.

Kenyatta asked elected leaders to listen to the people’s grievances, calling for calm and for the leadership “to show restraint and do the right thing by listening to the people and not be antagonistic to them.”

The lawmakers on Tuesday morning passed the contentious finance bill 2024, seeking to raise an additional 346.7 billion shillings ($2.67 billion), by such measures as increasing the railway development levy from 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent and the import declaration fee from 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

The legislators also imposed an eco-levy on imported items like smartphones and electronics, noting they end up as electronic waste damaging the environment.

Ruto, who won the elections in August 2022 on the platform of helping the poor, has been under pressure to raise additional revenues in the country amid rising government debt repayments.

The finance bill was thus amended to remove the proposed 16 per cent VAT on bread, transportation of sugar, financial services, foreign exchange transactions, and the 2.5 per cent motor vehicle tax.

There will be no increase in mobile money transfer fees, and the excise duty on vegetable oil has also been removed. Levies on the housing fund and the proposed one on social health insurance will not attract income tax. AGENCIES

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has emphasised the significance of a strong turnout in the country’s upcoming presidential election, scheduled for Friday.

He made the remarks on Tuesday in an address to thousands of Iranians from different provinces gathered in Iran’s capital Tehran, three days ahead of the 14th presidential election and on the occasion of the religious holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement published on the leader’s website.

“In three days, the Iranian people will face the important test of election, whose importance is greater than ever,” Khamenei said, stressing that maximum participation and the selection of the most qualified candidate would bring pride to the nation.

Listing the characteristics of the “most qualified” candidate, Iran’s leader stated that the next president should firmly believe in the principles and foundations of the Islamic Revolution and establishment, demonstrate efficiency and liveliness in fulfilling responsibilities, and possess the ability to harness the country’s diverse and abundant resources to drive progress.

He emphasized that Iran had always managed to make progress without reliance on foreigners, adding the Iranian people would never let others decide their fate.

“We have from the very beginning sought to interact with the entire world, with one or two exceptions,” he said.

Iran’s 14th presidential election, initially set for 2025, was rescheduled following the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19 in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan.

The candidates for the upcoming election include Alireza Zakani, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi. AGENCIES

 Wipro 3D and Nikon SLM Solutions on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in India. With this partnership, the companies aim to foster innovation, optimise production processes, and drive widespread adoption of additive manufacturing across all industries in the country.

“By leveraging our capabilities and extensive experience in implementing 3D printing solutions across various sectors, we can significantly expand the adoption of additive manufacturing,” Yathiraj Kasal, Business Head and General Manager at Wipro 3D, said in a statement. He also mentioned that this initiative will contribute positively to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by producing “innovative and cost-effective metal parts and systems domestically”. Nikon SLM Solutions provides a versatile line of advanced metal additive manufacturing systems, including the Nikon SLM 125, Nikon SLM 280 2.0, Nikon SLM 500, and Nikon SLM 800.

These systems are acclaimed for their high build rates and precision, enabling Indian manufacturers to produce complex metal parts efficiently and of high quality, the company said. “This partnership seeks to foster innovation in additive manufacturing, within high-precision industries. It provides tailored solutions to customers, addressing future challenges along the way with Wipro 3D’s comprehensive understanding and our technologies,” said Ashan Dhunna, General Manager of Nikon SLM Solutions India. AGENCIES

 The founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, addressed the prestigious annual meeting of the Academic Council of the United Nations System (ACUNS) here and delivered the keynote speech titled ‘The Role of Universities in the Global South for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

In his discourse, Dr. Raj Kumar outlined how critical it was to achieve the ambitious Agenda 2030 in the remaining six years and how important it is for all the stakeholders, governments and corporations to undertake strategic policies and actions to contribute directly to the fulfilment of the SDGs and solve pressing global issues.

“It is essential that knowledge production and distribution, innovation, cutting-edge research, interactive learning, and capacity building are enhanced for human development and universities and other higher education institutions can be a key platform to realise the fruitful conclusion of these important and demanding tasks,” he said. AGENCIES

 Electric motorcycle company Silveline Power on Wednesday said that it entered into a Technology License Agreement worth $135 million with SRAM & MRAM Group for Hydrogen fuel-based electric vehicles (EVs).

Through this collaboration, SRAM intends to scale up the manufacturing and commercialise it. This will be a step further in SRAM’s contribution to the ‘Green and Clean Energy’ and ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.

As major economies aim to meet global emission norms and adopt green energy, the government is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070.

In this context, SRAM’s innovators have spent the past decade developing disruptive technologies and have now achieved success with hydrogen fuel cell technology.

SRAM said that it is in the advanced stages of perfecting its hydrogen cell storage design, aiming to integrate it with all component manufacturers for two- and four-wheeler EVs.

“The most expensive components of any EV are the battery and its assemblies, along with the motors. The Group has already developed a motor design and manufacturing system ready to be adopted for any existing design,” the company said.

Currently, critical components of Li-Ion batteries are costly and pose safety risks in terms of power storage. In contrast, hydrogen cells encased in aluminium moulds offer a cheaper and safer battery solution.

Using aluminium, the most affordable packing material will significantly reduce costs. With this development, SRAM will be producing the most affordable hydrogen fuel-based electric vehicles in India and Malaysia using its proprietary and patented hydrogen fuel cell technology, the company mentioned. AGENCIES