generaljuanjose zuniga, leader of the coup attempt, and former commander of the bolivian armed forces, was arrested by police a shortwhile ago. the president and vice president then took to the main square of la paz, to greet supporters. the public prosecutor's office now says it will launch a criminal investigation into general zuniy—ga and those who backed him. on wednesday, hundreds of soldiers and armored vehicles surrounded government buildings in the capital. they encircled government buildings and fired shots at government supporters who tried to stop them. an army tank knocked down the main gate of the presidential palace while troops entered the building. general zuniga said there would be a change of government and announced that he would release political prisoners. rumours have been swirling for days that the general was on the verge of being dismissed. joining me live luis fajardo from bbc monitoring. bring us up to date with what has been unfolding?

as you mentioned, the president of bolivia, luis arce seems to have successfully contained at this apparent military interaction by the end of the army, generalzuniga, interaction by the end of the army, general zuniga, who was arrested and people are speculating about the words he said when he was arrested, suggesting that somehow according to him he was acting on the orders of luis arce and people suggesting, a self coup, which is of course speculation and there will be a lot of speculation in the next hours about that but at this moment, luis arce seems to be in control and has removed the former military high command and installed people he feels are loyal to him and at this moment the situation is apparently under control. what do we know about the military general who tried to take over central la paz, and what his aims were? extremely controversial and

extremely ambiguous. general zuniga was a military intelligence specialist and known to have very close contacts in the political world and curiously he was seen as fairly close or even sympathetic to the left wing orientation of this government so that creates even more doubts about his intentions and there is also the back story of his confrontation with the former bolivian president, and general zuniga had apparently been ordered to be removed from the army high command after he criticised the former president for many years and was considering another run for the presidency even though it is apparently illegal according to the bolivian constitution. general zuniga had been outspoken in his criticism of the president and that is one of the reasons he was apparently moved aside and that might have motivated him to act against the government. generally, how would you characterise the political

climate in bolivia 7 extremely volatile right now. olivia has had a long history of military interventions in politics and in recent years people saw the bolivian democracy are strengthening and of course the arrival a few years ago of a very left—wing government with an indigenous background, this was seen as a political advance in bolivia at this instability continues also in the framework of a very serious economic crisis and bolivia has a serious currency scarcity and fuel scarcity so it's a difficult situation that is going to confront luis arce as he tries to re—establish the country. i as he tries to re-establish the count . . ,, u, as he tries to re-establish the count. �*, ., country. i appreciate it's a difficult question, - country. i appreciate it's a difficult question, but - country. i appreciate it's a difficult question, but do | country. i appreciate it's a l difficult question, but do we have any indication as to what could happen next? the

authorities _ could happen next? the authorities have - could happen next? tue: authorities have announced could happen next? tte: authorities have announced a thorough investigation into what happened and who were the people behind this, and of course the words again of general zuniga when he was arrested saying he was acting on the orders of the government of luis arce and that will create scepticism and questions that will certainly be discussed in the next few hours. .., , ., hours. of course the world watches — hours. of course the world watches closely, _ hours. of course the world watches closely, so - hours. of course the world watches closely, so what l hours. of course the world i watches closely, so what has the international response been the international response been the situation. pare the international response been the situation.— the situation. are a strong condemnation _ the situation. are a strong condemnation in - the situation. are a strong condemnation in latin - the situation. are a strong - condemnation in latin america and president lula in brazil and president lula in brazil and the mexican president and many others expressing their total rejection of what they describe as a military coup attempt and they say democracy in latin america cannot accept the situations and constitutional order must be preserved?—

constitutional order must be reserved? ., ., ~ ., preserved? good to talk to you. thank yom _ kenya's president, william ruto, has scrapped a finance bill that included controversial tax hikes following a day of massive demonstrations in which at least 23 people were killed. the bill aimed to raise an additional 2.7 billion dollars in taxes in an effort to lighten the heavy debt kenya is facing. the proposal contained tax hikes on basic goods and services. opponents to the bill said tax hikes would harm people already struggling with the cost of living. initially, president ruto responded with defiance to the demonstrations — but in a sudden change of course — he now says, �*the people have spoken�*. us secretary of state, antony blinken thanked the kenyan president for showing restraint on a call. in a statement, a us state department spokesperson said that:

mr ruto has now vowed to enter into dialogue with young people who have been at the forefront of the country's biggest protests since his election in 2022. but some protesters are now demanding that the president step down entirely — with the slogan "ruto must go." our africa correspondent barbara plett usher sent this update from the kenyan capital, nairobi. it was quite a dramatic reversal as mr ruto stood firm until now but he finally bowed to the public opposition to his contentious tax bill and he laid out a clear rationale as to why he thought it was necessary and said the funds were needed to reduce the national debt and for development programmes but he conceded that the people simply were behind him so he said he would not sign the bill. it was a significant change of tone from the one adopted after protesters stormed parliament when he failed a fuel security response against what he called treasonous events but the police reaction added to the pressure and killed more than 20 people and the injured many more and there was condemnation

from organisations and can year and concern expressed by mr ruto's partners who are urged restraint. now that he has climbed down this me to fuse the dangerous tensions of the country but some prominent activists have already dismissed it and said it is too little, too late and won't bring back the dead and is a pr stunt and they have pledged to return to the street. while kenya faces it's own troubles at home — haiti's prime minister has welcomed the four hundred kenyan police forces who have been deployed to the carribean nation to help restore order amid surging gang violence. the haitian prime minister described the kenyan contingent is a �*unique opportunity�*, the espionage trial of the american journalist, evan gershkovich, has begun in russia. the wall streetjournal reporter denies collecting secret information for the cia about a russian tank manufacturer. his employer and the us government have also vehemently rejected the allegation. mr gershkovich has been held in a moscow prison for nearly fifteen months. if convicted, he could face a sentence of up to 20 years.

our russia editor steve rosenberg reports from the city of yekaterinburg. this is evan gershkovich, after 15 months in a russian jail, awaiting trial. russian prosecutors call him a spy. america says he�*s being held hostage. as his trial opened, some smiles. but, if convicted, the us journalist faces up to 20 years in a russian prison. so, we managed to see evan gershkovich briefly. but, from this moment on, this trial will be behind closed doors. so, no family members, no diplomats, no media allowed in. the next time we may be able to see the american journalist will be at the end of his trial. he was arrested on a reporting assignment here in yekaterinburg and accused of collecting information for the cia.

evan gershkovich, his employer, the wall streetjournal, and the us government fiercely deny it and call the trial a sham. this is a bogus process. this is outrageous and outlandish. he will not enjoy any of the due process that one would expect in the west, in any western court. it will be closed door, it will be secret. we don�*t expect any chance, really, of his being acquitted. but could there be a prisoner swap? it�*s happened before. in 2022, russia freed us basketball star brittney griner, injail on a drugs charge. in return, america released russian arms dealer viktor bout. there�*s no guarantee though. former marine paul whelan was convicted of spying four years ago in russia. the us insists he is wrongfully

detained but hasn�*t secured his release. and, despite us—russian contacts over evan gershkovich, there is no sign yet of a deal that would bring him home. steve rosenberg, bbc news, yekaterinburg. this is bbc news. let�*s look at some stories making news police have arrested a man in his mid—20s on suspicion of harrassment and offences, in connection with the westminster "honeytrap" scandal. it is understood the man was a labour party member, whose membership was suspended after labour was notified of the arrest. the party says it will not comment further due to an ongoing police investigation. princess anne is said to be recovering well after suffering a minor head injury and concussion, thought to have been caused by a horse. her husband, sirtim laurence, visited her in hospital in bristol, thanking medical staff and emrgency services who attended their estate in gloucestershire. he also said he and the princess royal were touched by kind messages they had received. england football star phil foden has left the team�*s euro 2024 camp and returned to the uk, for the birth of his third child. he�*s expected to be back in time for sunday�*s game. england will play slovakia in the last 16 for a place

in the quarterfinals. if they advance, they would play either switzerland or italy. you�*re live with bbc news. us presidentjoe biden is pardoning thousands of us veterans convicted under now—repealed anti—gay laws. the pardon applies to those who were convicted between 1951 and 2013, when gay sex was repealed as a military offence. the white house says the move will impact about 2,000 former service members. in a statement accompanying the pardon, mr biden wrote "this is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our armed forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation." advocacy groups praised mr biden�*s server)those pardoned could now begin receiving benefits for which their convictions made them ineligible. but they will not be

compensated for benefits they�*ve already missed out on. and the change is not automatic: individuals seeking to change their records will have to apply for a certificate of pardon which goes through a review process before records are changed. in less than 2a hours, us presidentjoe biden and former president donald trump will take to the stage in atlanta for the first presidental debate of the 2024 election. the highly anticipated debate is a chance for both candidates to address issues that have plagued their campaigns thus far. this will be the first debate since trump was convicted of 3a felony counts in his new york criminal trial. he is also awaiting trial in three other criminal cases, one of which is in the state of georgia where the debate is being held. president biden, under increasing scrutiny about his age and frustrations from the left flank of his party, is coming off the back of his son�*s recent gun trial conviction. polls across the country currently show an essential tie between the candidates,

with mr trump holding a small lead in some of the key swing states that will ultimately decide the election. when they meet for their historic re—match for the first debate since 2020, voters will be able hear each candidates�* stance on major policies. some of the key issues will likely be at the center of the discussion: immigration will highlight a partisan divide following executive orders passed by president biden, border security will likely be on the agenda. since the pandemic, economic inflation is a growing concern as cost of living has risen for many americans despite a growing workforce. president biden is expected to lean on his support of reproduction rights as abortion availabilty is split across the country. the state of democracy may also come forward, both within the country�*s borders and aiding democracies around the world. thursday�*s debate could prove to be a turning point for voters in the race to the white house. let�*s get more on this from bloomberg�*s washington bureau cheif peggy collins and senior axios contributor

margaret talev. thank you for being with us. how high would you say the stakes are in this debate? tt has the potential to be huge or the potential to be kind of, things we already knew about leaders we�*ve been living with for the last decade or so but there are a lot of eyes on this and in a couple of different categories i�*d say many republican voters have expressed they are exciting to watch the debate because they think president biden is going to fumble or show he is incapable running another term and that will elevate donald trump the democrats are in a different position thinking that they want to see questions towards president trump to hold him accountable forjanuary the 6th and not acknowledging the election results in the chaos afterwards. a lot of people will be tuning in and we don�*t know whether it�*s going to move people and there are not that

many american voters that are really trying to make up their minds between the two and there are many american voters trying to decide whether to bother voting or take a hail mary. for those voters could be really important. those voters could be really important-— those voters could be really imortant. , ,, ., , important. peggy, your thoughts on that, important. peggy, your thoughts on that. how _ important. peggy, your thoughts on that, how high-stakes - important. peggy, your thoughts on that, how high-stakes a - on that, how high—stakes a moment do you see it or not? figs moment do you see it or not? as margaret said it's high—stakes in that— margaret said it's high—stakes in that it's so competitive and really— in that it's so competitive and really coming down to a handful of states, — really coming down to a handful of states, one of them being georgia _ of states, one of them being georgia where the debate will be set — georgia where the debate will be set and i think the president biden he needs to appeal— president biden he needs to appeal to young voters and black — appeal to young voters and black voters in particular and also — black voters in particular and also defy— black voters in particular and also defy the odds on his age. we did — also defy the odds on his age. we did see in the reporting on poles — we did see in the reporting on poles bounce after his state of the union _ poles bounce after his state of the union and it could give them — the union and it could give them a _ the union and it could give them a bounce if he has good performance tomorrow night and for donald trump this is a potential to separate a bit from _ potential to separate a bit from his_ potential to separate a bit from his legal troubles and criminal_ from his legal troubles and criminal conviction and start to pick— criminal conviction and start to pick up— criminal conviction and start to pick up some of the voters who— to pick up some of the voters who are — to pick up some of the voters who are unhappy with the economy or suburban in

particular. economy or suburban in particular-— economy or suburban in particular. economy or suburban in articular. �* . ., ., particular. i'm curious as to what you — particular. i'm curious as to what you think _ particular. i'm curious as to what you think the - particular. i'm curious as to | what you think the potential game plans are? will it be, for example for president biden, will you be touting his achievements orfor will you be touting his achievements or for donald trump putting forward potential policy or going after their arrival? what do you think the plan will be? t arrival? what do you think the plan will be?— plan will be? i think they will t to plan will be? i think they will try to cut _ plan will be? i think they will try to cut through _ plan will be? i think they will try to cut through with - plan will be? i think they will try to cut through with some | try to cut through with some policy— try to cut through with some policy issues, particularly on the economy and border security as you _ the economy and border security as you are — the economy and border security as you are mentioning and i think— as you are mentioning and i think the _ as you are mentioning and i think the danger is devolves into— think the danger is devolves into a — think the danger is devolves into a back—and—forth between don't _ into a back—and—forth between don't take _ into a back—and—forth between don't take him, pick me, and that— don't take him, pick me, and that well— don't take him, pick me, and that well as margaret was saying. _ that well as margaret was saying, potentially not draw in more — saying, potentially not draw in more voters that might be on the fence _ more voters that might be on the fence in terms of being able — the fence in terms of being able to— the fence in terms of being able to sway it at all. but there is _ able to sway it at all. but there is some _ able to sway it at all. pm there is some potential to have that of the past. there are different rules to this debate and the microphone is not supposed to be on for the person whose turn it is not to turn —— talk and you don�*t have the same audience dynamic because there is no studio

audience of voters so it will come down to to some extent whether the moderators can manage the flow of these questions and control the candidates. that could be really important. there�*s also a lot of history and these debates are happening before either one of the two gentlemen has formally become the nominee for their party, and will that set a new precedent and will that be how the debates are going forward? voters two star oh —— voting early in the process so is this just a continuation of the permanent campaign? and these are two rivals who have a lot of questions that voters want to answer about themselves and not just attack the others and talk about the past.— about the past. interesting talkin: about the past. interesting talking about _ about the past. interesting talking about the - about the past. interesting talking about the policy - about the past. interesting | talking about the policy and personality. peggy, do you think when american voters tuning they will be looking for being clear on policy or will also be the overarching feeling of performance and how they

pull it off? t of performance and how they pull it off?— pull it off? i think it will be important. _ pull it off? i think it will be important, performance i pull it off? i think it will be - important, performance because so much — important, performance because so much of— important, performance because so much of the race i centred around — so much of the race i centred around the fact that both men are older— around the fact that both men are older and its historic in is the _ are older and its historic in is the first debate that it's between a format and sitting president ever and say what voters — president ever and say what voters take away in terms of the candidates and their answers and stamina through the debate _ answers and stamina through the debate it— answers and stamina through the debate if there is a moment that— debate if there is a moment that one _ debate if there is a moment that one or the other does cut through— that one or the other does cut through on these key policy issues _ through on these key policy issues we've found, time and time — issues we've found, time and time again, when voters are thinking _ time again, when voters are thinking about the election the economy— thinking about the election the economy and immigration, time and time — economy and immigration, time and time again.— and time again. that's interesting. _ and time again. that's interesting. do - and time again. that's interesting. do you i and time again. that's i interesting. do you think foreign policy will come up? t hope so because it's such a big hope so because it�*s such a big issue and the rest of the world issue and the rest of the world is watching the debate and this election of one candidate over the other will have profound influence for policy on russia, nato, so some extent israel in gaza and china and there are real implications for local democracy and for half a century more of us foreign policy and i also want to say

debates are supposed to be up about longform and nuance but i think we all know that in the era of social media they really get reduced to memes and clips and there are tens of millions of americans who say they will watch the debate but does that mean they will watch the debate or mean they will catch up on their phone when it can be reduced to selective clips depending on what your source of news or entertainment is, so i think we�*ll be watching to debates on fold tomorrow, one is the full—scale full length debate on the other ones are the cliffs or moments that candidates feel they can turn into a meme or the campaigns can and those will be the thing is that most voters remember. although a moment somebody doesn�*t want to remember. it is very high stakes as well. on that point of the nitty—gritty, do you think legal worries will come up. peggy, to you, both candidates have talking points in that regard. in terms of

donald trump�*s trial, and hunter biden and the conviction there. will they go there? t there. will they go there? i think they will and the fact that— think they will and the fact that there are criminal cases hanging _ that there are criminal cases hanging over donald trump and in terms — hanging over donald trump and in terms of the hunter biden cases— in terms of the hunter biden cases running through the campaign throughout, so i don't think— campaign throughout, so i don't think it — campaign throughout, so i don't think it will be avoidable. in the debate. the question will be the debate. the question will he how— the debate. the question will be how do they respond. are they— be how do they respond. are they able _ be how do they respond. are they able to respond without emotion— they able to respond without emotion starting to run high because _ emotion starting to run high because for both men it's very personal— because for both men it's very personal to them. for donald trump — personal to them. for donald trump comments about his business _ trump comments about his business dealings and he feels like he — business dealings and he feels like he is — business dealings and he feels like he is being wrongly accused are attacked and for joe biden it's his family and his son, _ joe biden it's his family and his son, so the question will be, — his son, so the question will be, are _ his son, so the question will be, are they able to hold the line — be, are they able to hold the line and _ be, are they able to hold the line and bring the conversation back— line and bring the conversation back to — line and bring the conversation back to policy. line and bring the conversation back to policy-— back to policy. your thoughts on that? under _ back to policy. your thoughts on that? under biden - back to policy. your thoughts on that? under biden is - back to policy. your thoughts on that? under biden is not i on that? under biden is not runnina on that? under biden is not running for _ on that? under biden is not running for president. - on that? under biden is not running for president. i - running for president. i understand as a political matter,, the criminaljustice system, but it�*s not the same thing. it hunter biden was

running for office it would be a parallel situation but this is the former president facing multiple counts in multiple jurisdictions on the question is, where will the moderators go? where willjoe biden go? but there are many voters minds that need to come up. we but there are many voters minds that need to come up.— that need to come up. we will find out if _ that need to come up. we will find out if it — that need to come up. we will find out if it changes - that need to come up. we will find out if it changes anything | find out if it changes anything and moves the needle at all. margaret and peggy, thanks for sharing your insights and being with us on bbc news. let�*s turn to some important news around the world. former honduran president, juan orlando hernandez, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison, after being convicted of drug crimes in a us court. mr hernandez was found guilty of accepting bribes from drug traffickers and conspiring to import cocaine into the u.s.he initially

ran his campaign on the promise to address the issue of drug related crime in the country. the us supreme court mistakenly posted a draft document that appeared to show it�*s ruling on the highly anticipated idaho abortion case. the document indicated that the court voted in favor of allowing abortions in idaho emergency rooms. the document was quickly taken down and a spokesperson for the supreme court said,"the court�*s opinion in these cases will be issued in due course." france�*s top appeals court ruled that an arrest warrant for syrian presdient bashar al—assad is valid. the investigative judges issued the warrant over a deadly chemical weapons attack in syria in 2013 in which mr assad had denied any involvement. prosecuters challanged the warrant by saying he had immunity as a sitting foreign head of state. malianjihadist leader iyad ag ghali was convicted of various charges brought by the internatial criminal court. the icc issues an arrest warrent for mr ghali, the leader of the islam and muslim support group last week for war crimes committed in northern mali between 2012 and 2013. residents in the north

welcomed the ruling. our correspondent anna holigan is following developments at the hague. he was convicted of torture, mutilation, our of personal dignity and the holding of mock trials but the real centrepiece of the case was the focus on gender persecution, so the targeting of women and girls in conflict and on those charges while the judges found that those crimes were committed during this period in timbuktu there was insufficient evidence to find him responsible so he was cleared of sexual slavery, forced marriage and rape and he was also acquitted of charges relating to the destruction of sacred mausoleums and tombs in the ancient fabled city of timbuktu. this will be a disappointment for the

prosecution because it was the first case at the icc to focus on gender —related crimes, women and girls. the previous prosecuted it here pointed out that they are so often the hidden victims in conflict and she had sought to change that and it is hoped that in bringing those charges, even though he has been acquitted, it would help to raise the profile of the suffering of women and girls during conflict. before we go — some news on boeing�*s starliner spacecraft, which launched earlier this month. the spacecraft was due to return to earth on wednesday evening. however, its return has been delayed as engineers try to get to the bottom of helium leaks found in the vessel. the capsule has been plagued by problems since its launch with its astronauts stuck, waiting to return to earth. nasa says it is carrying out a review of the technical problems before deciding when to bring the astronauts home. stay with us here on bbc news.

you can always get the latest on the website, and of course you can alwaysjoin on the website, and of course you can always join us on the top of the hour for more global news. goodbye for now. hello there. wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far, with 31 celsius reached in wisley in surrey. but that�*s the last of these sorts of temperatures for now. it does look like for the rest of the week, into the weekend, it�*s going to be turning fresher for all areas and the winds will be picking up as well. but we�*ll still have quite a bit of sunshine around. now, the change is all courtesy of this area of low pressure, pretty deep for the time of year, pushing to the north and the west of the country, where it�*ll bring significant winds and some rain. but the cold front associated with it will spread across the country, pushing the warm and humid air back out to the near continent. this is the cold front — barely anything on it as it

reaches southern and eastern england. but it will bring a change to the air temperature. plenty of sunshine here, but windy with showers or long spells of rain for north—west england, north wales, northern ireland and into scotland. so temperatures here much lower than of late. highs of 2a to 25 degrees across the south—east. but warmer along north sea coasts, as we�*ve lost the onshore breeze. but it will be a very blustery end to the day for thursday. gales across the far west of scotland, far north of northern ireland, showers or longer spells of rain, whereas i think as we head through thursday nights across much of england and wales, it should be largely dry with some clear spells. lighter winds the further south that you are. but it will be a cooler night to come for all, with temperatures 10 to around 12 degrees. so as we head into friday, then, we see that area of low pressure pulling away from the north of the uk, but it will take its time. it stays quite windy, blustery, with outbreaks of rain across scotland, whereas for england and wales, closer to a ridge of high pressure. so the further north that you are, it will be windier with showers or longer spells of rain. the further south that you are, variable cloud, but some good spells of sunshine.

and i think for many, it will stay dry on friday. temperatures perhaps reaching around 23, maybe 2a degrees. otherwise, it�*s the mid to high teens further north, so you can see that cooler trend is continuing. into the start of the weekend, bit of a question mark on it, but it looks like this area of weather fronts will bring thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain to the central slice of the uk through the day. to the north of it, it stays quite blustery with sunshine and showers, feeling cool. but some good sunny spells across the south and south—east could put temperatures up to around 25 celsius, so feeling quite warm again, but cooler further north. but as we head into part two of the weekend, it does look like it�*ll be cloudy with some further spots of rain and feeling cooler for all.

allegations from a new boeing whistle—blower, this time over the company�*s signature dreamlinerjet. plus, ahead of the first us presidential debate, we�*ll look at why jobs may not translate to votes. hello and thanks forjoining me here today. let�*s begin in the

us here�*s erin delmore with more the mechanic�*s name is richard cuevas, and he�*s the latest whistle—blower to come forward with allegations about substandard safety issues on boeing jets. mr cuevas was contracted by spirit aerosystems boeing supplier to work on the 787 dreamliner beginning in march 2023. he says he observed substandard manufacturing and maintenance practices, flaggged the problems, and lost his job. at issue is the airplane�*s forward pressure bulkhead. that�*s located on the plane�*s nose, and it�*s important for maintaining cabin pressure. he says that spirit aerosystems made changes to manufacturing and assembly specifications without boeing�*s permission — according to a statement from his lawyers. boeing�*s quality control and safety record have been in the spotlight since a door plug blew out of a 737 max nine jet mid—flight in january. and since 2018 and 2019, when two boeing planes crashed, killing 346 people. boeing said in a statement that the allegations were thoroughly investigated and that an analysis determined that there were no safety concerns.

the firm said it�*s reviewing the newly released documents