Diplomats have said that EU and South American negotiators will meet in Brasilia on 4 September for in-person talks, aiming to finalise the EU-Mercosur trade deal. This agreement, two decades in the making, has faced numerous delays due to a number of concerns expressed by each side. An EU diplomat expressed optimism about concluding the deal by the end of the year. The March visit to South America of Emmanuel Macron, who criticised the deal, paused negotiations until after the EU elections in June. Key issues remain, including European protection of food product names and Brazilian opposition to an EU anti-deforestation law. Farmers in France, Germany, and Belgium have protested against competition from cheaper South American imports. Both EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are committed to concluding the agreement.

UN peacekeepers on the Israeli-Lebanese border are now more crucial than ever, according to their chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah has increased, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. This concern grew following the recent killings of a top Hamas leader in Iran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Lacroix emphasised UNIFIL's vital role as the only liaison between Israeli and Lebanese sides, helping to prevent misunderstandings and unintended escalations. UNIFIL, with 10,000 troops in southern Lebanon, conducts regular patrols and facilitates humanitarian efforts. Lacroix stated that peacekeepers would remain unless their mission becomes untenable or security threats become severe. He said a Gaza ceasefire is key to de-escalation on the Israeli-Lebanon border, to prevent further casualties and destruction. Meanwhile, several European countries have urged their nationals to leave Lebanon because of the increased threat of war: see

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been asked by Bangladesh’s president to lead an interim government. This decision came after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on 5 August, after violent student-led protests which resulted in over 100 deaths on that day and more than 400 in total. Hundreds of police stations have also been torched. The unrest, which began in early July with students demanding the abolition of civil service job quotas, had escalated into a broader anti-government movement. Hasina fled to India, ending nearly fifteen years of rule. In response, Bangladesh's army chief pledged to form an interim administration. Ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, a key opposition leader, was released from house arrest, and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party now wants free and fair elections. Yunus, who has accepted the invitation to lead the government, is returning from Paris after a minor medical procedure.

The constitutional court has ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, which won the most parliamentary seats in the 2023 election on an anti-establishment reform agenda. The court ruled that Move Forward was undermining the country’s powerful monarchy through its campaign to amend the lèse-majesté law. It has disbanded the party and banned its executives from politics for ten years. This verdict, which disenfranchises 14 million voters, raises concerns about the erosion of democratic rights in Thailand. Move Forward's leaders vowed to continue their movement despite the dissolution. This decision reflects an ongoing power struggle with the military-backed establishment, which has a history of toppling elected governments. The court's ruling comes amid political turbulence, with another high-profile case pending against the prime minister. Move Forward's dissolution follows the pattern of its predecessor, the Future Forward Party, which was also dissolved by the court, sparking nationwide protests in 2020.