Lebanon’s parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East to formally end the practice, France 24 reported.

“The draft law aimed at abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon was approved after amendments were made to it,” the speaker of parliament’s office announced.

Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the abolition “historic”, and said the spectre of capital punishment had previously prevented Beirut from obtaining the extradition of suspects from countries where it has been outlawed.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told AFP the move was “a monumental step for human rights in the country, representing a clear break from a cruel and arbitrary sentence that should never be imposed”.

Operation “Vilkatis” (Werewolf), aimed at tackling illegal migration, was launched in Latvia on 11 August, Latvia’s public broadcaster LSM reported citing an announcement by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.

The operation is scheduled to run until the end of August.

Operation “Vilkatis” is an information exchange mechanism between various institutions, coordinated by the Crisis Management Centre of the State Chancellery, whilst its implementation primarily involves the State Border Guard, the State Police and the National Armed Forces (NBS).

Colonel Arvis Zīle, head of the Crisis Management Centre, said that the pressure of illegal migration is viewed as a hybrid threat to the country. Therefore, it is necessary to involve several sectors to mitigate this threat. Defense Minister Raivis Melnis said that simply deploying soldiers to the border would not ensure protection – the problem must be addressed using the latest technology.

The Ministry of Defense will ensure the continued involvement of the National Armed Forces in supporting the State Border Guard by increasing staffing levels and logistical support, including the use of new technologies such as drones, helicopters and planes.

The State Border Guard, the State Police, the Military Intelligence and Security Service, the State Security Service and the National Armed Forces will ensure the exchange of operational information on attempts to cross the border illegally and on the persons involved in such attempts, including on the possible involvement of individuals in the organization of illegal migration.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will ensure cooperation and coordination with Lithuania, Estonia and Poland with regard to curbing illegal border crossings and secondary migration flows.

“It is now the fifth year since hostilities began and Russia has been using Latvia’s border as an element of hybrid warfare, attacking our infrastructure via Belarus,” said the Prime Minister, noting that this is also a matter of the security of Europe’s external borders.

Latvia said earlier on Tuesday that a tunnel had been discovered under the border with Belarus and announced plans to combat networks that it says are helping a growing number of migrants cross the frontier illegally, Reuters reported. 

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a press conference on August 12 that the country was working to bring the United States and Iran “to the negotiating table” and prevent efforts to derail the peace process, Al Jazeera reports.

“Pakistan will continue to neutralise spoilers through direct and indirect channels and enable constructive dialogue to continue in order to resolve all outstanding issues,” he added, without naming any country or actor he considered a “spoiler”.

Andrabi added that Pakistan remained engaged with other Muslim countries in efforts to resolve the crisis in the Middle East and the Gulf.

According to him, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister held talks with officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on August 10.

Andrabi also said the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Iran had exchanged views on “efforts to promote peace and stability”.

Regarding Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Iran on August 11, the spokesperson said it provided another opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and regional security.

Andrabi also referred to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, describing it as part of Pakistan’s efforts to “strengthen its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia”.

The spokesperson’s comments come amid ongoing efforts to restore the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and implement a memorandum of understanding aimed at resolving disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan has played a key mediating role in efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict that began in February.

The number of officially registered unemployed people in Azerbaijan rose 8.5% year on year to 248,500 as of July 1, 2026, according to the Report media outlet.

Citing the Central Bank of Azerbaijan’s monetary policy report for the first half of the year, the media outlet reported that the number of officially registered unemployed people as of July 1 had increased by 3.6% compared with January 1, 2026.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the ‌Korean Peninsula’s east coast, Reuters reported citing South Korean and Japanese authorities, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.

The missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast at around 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Tuesday), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, six days after North Korea fired another ballistic missile from the same area.

The launch comes ahead of South Korean and U.S. military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, scheduled for August 17 to 27.

South Korean authorities said North Korea also fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan on August 6, but Pyongyang did not report that launch in state media.

The United States and 40 other countries are calling for governments to provide at least 24 hours’ notice before launching long-range ballistic missiles or space rockets, arguing that advance warning would reduce the risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation.

A joint statement issued Tuesday at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva came hours before North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its eastern coast.

“We call on all relevant countries to commit to participate in arrangements for providing advance notification of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and space launch vehicles (SLVs) to affected states. One hundred and forty-five countries participate in one such mechanism, the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC),” the joint statement by the U.S., the UK, Germany, Japan, France, Türkiye, South Korea and others says.

“Recent missile testing activity in the Pacific area did not follow the standard practices adopted by most states to notify and deconflict ICBM, SLBM, and SLV launches. Conducting nuclear-capable ballistic missile tests without sufficient advance notice and detail is dangerous and disrupts the peace and security of relevant nations in proximity to these tests. It increases the risk of miscalculation, undermines global stability and security, and is incompatible with the responsibilities that come with possessing long-range missile capabilities. We call on all countries, particularly nuclear-weapon States, that launch ICBMs, SLBMs, and SLVs to provide notification of such launches no less than 24 hours in advance. Notifications should include such information as the generic class of the ballistic missile or SLV, the planned launch notification window, the launch area, and the planned direction. Countries should also provide clear notices for airmen and mariners consistent with international standards to reduce risk, including in expected impact or landing areas. Regularized, transparent notification arrangements do not constrain any nation’s military development or operational needs. Instead, they reduce the risk of miscalculation, build confidence, and reflect a shared commitment to security. We remain committed to working with all countries to strengthen the implementation of and expand notification frameworks and to hold accountable any state whose actions fall short of its responsibilities.”

The text of the statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Montenegro, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan, has praised Armenian students for their strong performance at the 2026 International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, where they won two bronze medals and placed 5th among 120 countries in the team competition.

In a Facebook post, Andreasyan said the Armenian team was surpassed only by New Zealand, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

“Our team members represent public schools in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Vanadzor and were selected from among 170 students during the national selection stage,” Andreasyan added.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that preparations are underway for a project to build a power transmission line through Armenia as part of the TRIPP connectivity project.

Azerbaijani news media quoted Aliyev as saying that Azerbaijani specialists have already analyzed and identified locations where power transmission line poles could be installed.

Aliyev said he hoped “Armenia will not delay this process, as it is also in Armenia’s own interest.”

The Azerbaijani president also said implementation of the TRIPP project has already begun. He noted that during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on August 8, it was announced that TRIPP would be put into operation in the near future.

Aliyev said that the railway being built in Azerbaijan as part of TRIPP will reach the border with Armenia next year.

According to him, the Horadiz-Aghband highway is practically complete. Aliyev said Azerbaijan could accelerate implementation of the project at any time, but added that “he does not see the need for it, as the Armenian side’s section is not yet ready.”

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is a connectivity project in southern Armenia, envisaged under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to unlock strategic economic opportunities, create long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment, and enhance regional connectivity. An Armenian-American joint enterprise is engaged in developing the route.

A ruling-party lawmaker in Armenia has rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest remarks about what he calls the “Zangezur Corridor,” noting that the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements do not mention any such thing.

“There is no issue of argument versus counterargument here at all,” Civil Contract MP Arman Yeghoyan said at a press briefing when asked to comment on the Azerbaijani president’s remarks.

Aliyev on Tuesday appeared to once again mislabel the TRIPP project as the Zangezur Corridor, a phrase to which Yerevan has long objected because the term could imply extraterritoriality, which the agreements do not provide for.

All signed and published documents pertaining to the connectivity project officially name it as TRIPP, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.

“There are signed documents, statements, and even a draft agreement that has been initialed, and you will not find the phrase ‘Zangezur Corridor’ anywhere in any of these documents. There is no such thing. At the level of political discourse, many people can say many things. We also say that there is no such concept, nor infrastructure under such a term, on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. What exists on Armenia’s territory is the TRIPP project, which bears the signatures of the President of Azerbaijan, the President of the United States, and the Prime Minister of Armenia. Other documents have followed, including the trilateral joint statement published several days ago on the occasion of the first anniversary of the August 8 agreement, and that _expression_ is not found there either,” Yeghoyan said.

Addressing the unblocking of transport routes in the South Caucasus and the benefits of the process, the lawmaker said it would be advantageous for both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“If it were not beneficial, that document would not have been signed. The unblocking of the region under the terms described in the signed documents is, naturally, beneficial to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Otherwise, their signatures would not be there. It is very good that their views coincide on unblocking communications under those terms,” Yeghoyan said.