Author: user user

Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and NEC have signed a memorandum of strategic partnership in the defense sector. Under the agreement, the two companies will cooperate on unmanned systems, operational planning, and command-and-control technologies.

The partnership aims to strengthen Japan’s domestic defense industry and protect the country’s technological sovereignty, particularly in the fields of data and artificial intelligence. The cooperation comes as unmanned systems and AI are becoming increasingly important in modern military operations.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and NEC also plan to contribute to the development of new management and control systems as defense equipment becomes more closely integrated with cloud technologies. By combining their expertise and technological capabilities, the companies hope to create highly reliable products and services that can improve and modernize Japan’s defense capabilities.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries President Eisaku Ito said that the partnership could become the foundation for building a sovereign and reliable defense system that combines the technologies and expertise of both companies. NEC CEO Takayuki Morita described the agreement as an important step toward developing a defense system based on Japanese technology and knowledge.

One interesting aspect of the partnership is the growing role of AI-powered unmanned systems. In the future, drones and other autonomous platforms could collect information, identify potential threats, and share data with command centers much faster than traditional systems. This means that the ability to process and securely exchange information may become just as important as the physical capabilities of military equipment.

The partnership also reflects a broader global trend: countries are increasingly trying to develop their own AI and defense technologies instead of relying heavily on foreign suppliers. For Japan, this could become an important step toward maintaining greater independence in an increasingly digital and automated security environment.

A solo exhibition by contemporary artist Ali Seyran Imanzade has opened at the Vajiha Samadova Exhibition Hall of the Azerbaijan Union of Artists, attracting considerable attention from art enthusiasts and visitors.

Guests viewed the artist’s works with interest, admiring his distinctive approach to colour, form and composition.

Speaking at the opening, Farhad Khalilov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Artists, People’s Artist and professor, highlighted the artistic significance of Imanzade’s work and noted his distinctive style and approach to colour, form and composition.

Much of the 58-year-old artist’s career has been spent in Europe. Over the past 24 years, he has lived and worked abroad, particularly in France and Belgium, where his works have been exhibited.

The exhibition offers an insight into Imanzade’s artistic world, where Eastern traditions meet European avant-garde influences. Fauvism, Cubism and elements of medieval Azerbaijani miniature painting come together to form his distinctive visual language.

Human figures, faces, interior objects and landscape elements are broken down into geometric components such as planes, triangles and trapezoids. These shapes overlap and interlock, giving the compositions a mosaic-like quality.

Beneath the bold interplay of colour and form lies a strong connection to Azerbaijan’s artistic heritage. Imanzade draws on the visual language of medieval Azerbaijani miniatures, reinterpreting it through the vocabulary of contemporary art. From miniature painting come the decorative quality, poetic character and sense of narrative; from Cubism, the geometry, structure and idea of viewing an object from several perspectives at once. Figures and objects become part of a unified composition, at times resembling the patterns of an ornamental carpet.

Colour plays a central role in his work. Pure, saturated tones enclosed by sharp contours create an internal rhythm and emotional intensity. Scenes that initially appear static acquire a sense of movement through contrasts of colour and geometric form.

At the same time, this visual dynamism does not disrupt the balance of the compositions. The people portrayed by the artist often appear immersed in moments of silence and contemplation. Against the energetic geometry surrounding them, they remain calm and focused. This contrast between the movement of the forms and the quietness of the figures gives the paintings much of their character.

The exhibition in Baku offers an opportunity to see how an artist who has spent many years working in the European art scene has maintained a connection with his cultural roots while continuing to develop his own voice in contemporary art.

In Imanzade’s paintings, East and West do not appear as opposing worlds. They meet within the same artistic space, shaped by colour, geometry, memory and contemplation.

A unique ‘kindergarten’ for robots has been opened in China, where researchers are testing a new approach to machine learning. Instead of teaching robots every action in advance, scientists want them to learn independently through experiments, mistakes, and repeated attempts.

The training center was created by the Chinese company Tashan Technology. Researchers believe that this method could allow robots to continue adapting even after they are deployed in the real world, including in situations they were never specifically trained for.

For example, if a robot crashes into a wall during training, it can analyze the failure, change its route, and try again. In this way, mistakes become useful learning data rather than simply being treated as failures.

Wang Peng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said that independent exploration of the environment could help robots move beyond narrow training for specific tasks. Instead, they may gradually develop a more fundamental understanding of the physical world and how objects around them behave.

However, this type of learning requires much more time. Robots may need to make hundreds or even thousands of attempts before they learn how to deal with a new situation. Still, researchers believe that the ability to make mistakes and learn from them could become an important part of the future of robotics.

In the long term, scientists also hope that robots will be able to share their experiences with one another. If one robot learns how to overcome a particular obstacle or complete a new task, other robots could potentially use that knowledge instead of learning everything from scratch.

Interestingly, this approach is similar to the way young children learn. They do not simply follow instructions – they explore, make mistakes, and gradually understand how the world works. Perhaps the idea of a ‘kindergarten’ is therefore more than just a funny name: it reflects a completely different way of teaching machines.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Syria attempted to construct a nuclear reactor at a site in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor under ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

In a confidential report circulated to member states and seen by news agencies on Tuesday, the UN nuclear watchdog said its inspectors visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification activities.

Based on observations at the Deir Az Zor site, the IAEA said it had confirmed that ‘the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor.’

The agency said it would continue monitoring activities at the site as excavation work progresses.

Syria had previously been suspected of operating an undeclared nuclear programme under al-Assad, including a reactor reportedly constructed with North Korean assistance at Deir Az Zor.

The facility became publicly known after Israel carried out an air strike against the site in 2007, destroying the suspected reactor. Syria subsequently levelled the site and did not provide full answers to the IAEA regarding the facility and the wider questions surrounding its nuclear activities.

The IAEA has for years sought clarification from Damascus over the nature and purpose of the Deir Az Zor facility as part of its investigation into Syria’s undeclared nuclear activities.

Following al-Assad’s removal from power in December 2024, Syria’s new authorities agreed to allow IAEA inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites, opening the way for renewed verification efforts.

The latest findings could provide further evidence for the IAEA’s long-running assessment of Syria’s nuclear activities under the previous government.

Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity and neither confirms nor denies having an atomic arsenal. It is generally regarded as the only state in the Middle East believed to possess nuclear weapons.

Kuwaiti air defense forces actively engaged incoming hostile missile and drone threats on Thursday, according to an official statement issued by the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces.

Military officials reassured the public that any loud explosions heard across the region stem from air defense interception operations engaging hostile aerial targets. Authorities strongly urged citizens and residents to remain vigilant and strictly follow safety and security guidelines issued by relevant state agencies.

The incident comes amid heightened regional instability. Local channels report that the incoming strikes targeted U.S. military installations in Kuwait, allegedly launched from Iranian positions, signaling continued defiance against recent warnings issued by Washington. Military authorities have not yet confirmed the full extent of potential damage or casualties resulting from the interception efforts.

The issue of the Russian 102nd Military Base in Armenia was not discussed during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

“There were no discussions about the military base. We have never raised this issue during this period. It is not the case that we consider the presence of the 102nd Military Base in Armenia a vital necessity,” Pashinyan noted during a briefing with journalists.

According to him, Armenia would not object if Russia decided to withdraw the base from the country.

“If Russia decides to withdraw the base from Armenia, we will not object. If they express a desire to remain, we are also ready to discuss that. But we have never raised this issue,” Pashinyan added.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, said that Russia would leave Armenia “as early as tomorrow” if Yerevan decides that the military infrastructure is no longer needed.

“We are not going to impose anything on anyone. If the Armenian people want there to be some kind of Russian military presence nearby, we will stay, work and cooperate,” Putin emphasized at a press conference in Bishkek.

The 102nd Russian Military Base has been stationed in Gyumri, northern Armenia, since 1995.

Azerbaijan has called for greater international support for mine action, arguing that demining should be treated not only as a humanitarian responsibility but also as an essential component of peacebuilding and the long-term normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Addressing the second day of the 4th International Mine Action Conference in Baku on Thursday, Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments, said peace could not be considered complete while landmines continued to threaten lives, obstruct the return of internally displaced persons and hinder economic recovery.

‘The shooting has stopped. But the mines have not,’ Amirbayov said.

He stressed that the physical consequences of war continue to affect the prospects for sustainable peace.

‘Peace cannot be considered complete while the physical consequences of war continue to threaten lives, block movement, limit economic activity, slow down return of IDPs and stand in the way of normalization of inter-state relations,’ Amirbayov said.

According to him, humanitarian demining has therefore become ‘much more than a humanitarian task’ and should increasingly be viewed as a peacebuilding effort.

‘You cannot build peace on unsafe ground,’ he said, noting that the UN Peacebuilding Commission had also recognized mine action as an enabler of peacebuilding, reconciliation and recovery.

Amirbayov recalled the August 8, 2025 Washington process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, when the text of the peace agreement was initialled and the two countries’ leaders signed a joint declaration outlining a vision for relations beyond their decades-long conflict.

He said that since the Washington meeting, Azerbaijan and Armenia had experienced de facto peace, with no military escalation between the two countries, while government and civil-society dialogue, trade, economic interaction and connectivity initiatives had continued.

‘We hope that very soon the remaining obstacle will be removed to enable the parties to sign the peace agreement and to codify peace,’ Amirbayov said.

However, he argued that political agreements alone were insufficient to make peace tangible for communities.

‘Peace has to be made visible on the ground,’ he said, pointing to landmines as one of the major obstacles to this process in Azerbaijan.

Since the end of the 2020 war, 437 people in Azerbaijan have been killed or injured by landmines, according to Amirbayov. He said each new casualty not only represents a humanitarian tragedy but also affects public confidence in the normalization process.

‘Every mine explosion today has consequences far beyond the immediate victim. It hampers the atmosphere in which peace is being built,’ he said.

Amirbayov also highlighted the scale of the contamination, saying more than 13 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory had been affected by mines and unexploded ordnance, while 75 percent of mine-contaminated territory remained affected by the threat.

The issue has become particularly significant as Azerbaijan continues its large-scale reconstruction and Great Return process in the territories previously affected by the conflict.

Former internally displaced persons are returning, while residential areas, roads, schools, hospitals and economic infrastructure are being reconstructed.

‘You cannot rebuild a community before you can safely clear the ground beneath it,’ Amirbayov said.

Against this backdrop, he called for a stronger and more predictable international role in Azerbaijan’s mine-action efforts.

According to Amirbayov, approximately 95 percent of financing for mine action in Azerbaijan currently comes from the country’s own state resources, while only around 5 percent comes from international sources.

‘We believe that this imbalance can and needs to change,’ he said.

Amirbayov proposed the creation of a long-term international funding mechanism for Azerbaijan’s mine action, emphasizing the need for predictable, multi-year financing rather than relying primarily on emergency contributions and individual projects.

Such funding, he said, would allow Azerbaijan to plan operations, recruit and train personnel, invest in equipment and accelerate the clearance of contaminated areas.

‘We need to finance the solution, not simply manage the problem,’ Amirbayov said.

He also called for stronger international cooperation on mine-action technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, satellite imagery, advanced surveying, mechanical demining and data technologies.

‘Azerbaijan has the ambition to become a regional centre of excellence in mine action and is open to such cooperation,’ he said.

Amirbayov further proposed making mine action part of confidence-building efforts in the South Caucasus, arguing that humanitarian issues can create opportunities for practical cooperation even when political questions remain sensitive.

He described mine clearance as the opposite of the purpose of mines, which he said are designed to stop movement, prevent people from returning, keep land unproductive and preserve fear.

‘Demining does exactly the opposite. It opens roads, reconnects communities, restores livelihoods and enables return. It also creates confidence in the future,’ Amirbayov said.

He urged the international community to view each cleared area as part of the infrastructure of peace.

‘Perhaps we should begin to think of every mine clearance not simply as a humanitarian operation, but as a small part of peace infrastructure,’ he said.

Concluding his remarks, Amirbayov said Azerbaijan and Armenia had a ‘unique opportunity to turn a page’ and build a South Caucasus based on peace, connectivity, economic cooperation and good-neighbourly relations.

‘If we want peace to be sustainable, durable and irreversible, we must remove the remnants of war both from the ground and from existing political and legal framework,’ he said.

‘Let us make peace something people can walk on, live on, build on – and pass on to their children.’