Our daily hop, skip, and jump around the world

🇰🇵 North Korea claims a successful test of key nuclear weapons tech – though South Korea calls it a bluff. North Korean officials describe Wednesday’s test as a successful experiment involving technology for raining down multiple nuclear warheads at once, while South Korean officials denounce that assertion and say the test was a failure. Weapons experts say it’s unclear what exactly occurred, though both countries confirm that a North Korean missile launched into the sky and then crashed into the water.

🌍 The Economist’s research arm ranked the world’s most livable cities. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked 173 cities across the globe based on healthcare, culture, stability, infrastructure, and education. Vienna topped the 2024 list for the third year in a row, followed by Copenhagen, Zurich, Melbourne, and Calgary. Honolulu was the highest US city on the list in 23rd place, followed by Atlanta (29th), Los Angeles (58th), and New York City (70th).

🇧🇴 Bolivia said it foiled a coup attempt involving a former top general. General Juan José Zuñiga was dismissed as army chief on Tuesday for reportedly threatening to block the former president’s reelection bid. The following day, Zuñiga gathered hundreds of troops in the main square in the capital, La Paz, and attempted to breach the presidential palace in a bid to “restructure democracy.” General Zuñiga and the head of Bolivia’s navy were arrested soon after the three-hour rebellion.