Category: Azer News

‘Sabah’ secured a dominant victory over NTD in the 12th round of the Azerbaijan Basketball League.

As reported by Azernews, the match, held at the ‘S?rh?dçi’ Sports Center, ended with a convincing 121:76 win for ‘Sabah.’

Another game is scheduled later today as part of the round. At 17:00, ‘Neftçi’ will face ‘S?ki’ at the same venue.

Earlier matches of Round XII saw ‘Ordu’ defeat ‘Quba’ 116:111, ‘L?nk?ran’ edge past ‘S?rh?dçi’ 72:69, and ‘Naxçivan’ overcome ‘Sumqayit’ 97:81. The 12th round of the league will conclude on January 11.

The National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) in Pabbi, Pakistan, is hosting the 13th joint military exercise, Inspired Gambit-2026, Azernews reports, citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

The two-week exercise focuses on counterterrorism operations and involves professional military contingents from both Pakistan and the United States.

The maneuvers aim to enhance mutual understanding and operational interoperability through experience sharing in counterterrorism.

They also seek to refine the tactics, techniques, and procedures necessary for effective counterterrorism operations.

Azerbaijan has taken a significant step toward the digitalization of its education sector, Azernews reports. New regulations approved by the Cabinet of Ministers allow state-issued education documents to be provided in digital format, greatly improving citizens’ access to these records and enhancing efficiency in education administration.

Under the new rules, diplomas, certificates, and supporting documents for higher, secondary, vocational, and general education will be issued digitally and carry full legal validity. The process of presenting state education documents will now be fully digital.

Citizens can access their education documents through the ‘mygov’ platform. By selecting the ‘Education’ category under the ‘Services’ section, users can view their records, share them via QR code, or download documents in PDF format. The platform’s ‘Shared Information’ section also allows users to track when, with whom, and on which platform their education data has been shared.

Previously, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Education, integrated various education data into the ‘mygov’ platform. Currently, users can access information on diplomas and foreign diplomas, student IDs, student and graduate status, education under state and intergovernmental scholarship programs, vocational and general education documents, as well as current higher and secondary education records and examination admission sheets. Efforts are ongoing to gradually expand the scope of available documents and make more education information accessible via the platform.

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Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Mexico Seymur Fataliyev has presented a copy of his credentials to Jonathan Chait, Director General of Protocol at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Azernews reports, the information was shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Mexico.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the current state of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico and reviewed prospects for expanding cooperation in various areas.

It should be noted that Seymur Fataliyev was appointed as Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Mexico on October 27 last year.

The head of the Baku Media Center, Arzu Aliyeva, and Alena Aliyeva, visited the Social Rehabilitation and Shelter Department for Vulnerable Groups, under the Social Services Agency of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, specifically the unit for visually impaired individuals, Azernews reports.

The visit began with the guests watching a small artistic and musical performance organized with the participation of the children. They then became closely acquainted with the department’s activities and visited the medical, psychological, and spatial orientation rooms.

During the visit, the children also presented the guests with handmade gifts.

The visit concluded with a commemorative group photo.

The Saudi Royal Commission for AlUla announced on Thursday the discovery of horseshoe crab fossils dating back approximately 465 million years, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

The discovery was detailed in a peer-reviewed study published in Gondwana Research, a leading international journal in geological sciences, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The fossils were unearthed in the AlGharameel Nature Reserve in AlUla, located in northwest Saudi Arabia. They date to the Ordovician period (approximately 485-444 million years ago), making them among the oldest horseshoe crab fossils ever discovered worldwide.

Notably, the fossils are exceptionally large compared to other specimens from the same era. Remarkably, all fossils were found preserved upside down, a mode of preservation never previously recorded. Alongside them were trace fossils showing attempts by the animals to right themselves, providing rare insights into ancient behavioral patterns.

Geological analysis suggests that these organisms lived in shallow coastal environments subject to intense seasonal storms, which likely contributed to their unique preservation in sedimentary deposits.

Experts say the discovery offers an unprecedented glimpse into the behavior and ecology of early marine life. ‘It’s not just the age and size that make these fossils extraordinary, but also the story they tell about the challenges these creatures faced hundreds of millions of years ago,’ said one paleontologist involved in the study.

The finding also highlights AlUla’s significance as a window into Earth’s deep past, supporting ongoing efforts to develop the region as a hub for geological research and heritage tourism.

Animal markets in Azerbaijan’s Shamakhi and Goychay districts have been brought into compliance with biosecurity requirements, allowing them to resume operations.

As reported by Azernews, according to the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, the decision followed a thorough evaluation of both markets by the agency.

Authorities confirmed that sanitary, hygienic, and veterinary standards have been fully implemented at the markets to ensure safe operations.

Previously, animal markets in Barda, Salyan, and Goygol districts were also approved to reopen.

The Walt Disney Company and Naver’s Webtoon Entertainment have finalized a strategic partnership to create a new digital comics platform that will merge Disney’s extensive portfolio with Webtoon’s original content, the companies announced Thursday, Azernews reports, citing Korean media.

The platform will feature over 35,000 titles from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century Studios, and Disney, including both archived classics and ongoing series. It will also host select Webtoon Originals, offering readers both traditional page-by-page layouts and vertical-scroll formats optimized for mobile devices.

Developed and operated by Webtoon, the new service builds on Disney’s existing Marvel Unlimited platform. For the first time, Disney’s entire comics catalog will be available under a single subscription, making it easier than ever for fans to explore decades of storytelling.

The two companies had previously collaborated to adapt popular Marvel and Disney titles into Webtoon’s vertical-scroll format and to create new original webcomic series for mobile audiences. The new platform aims to expand that effort globally, offering a wider selection and deeper engagement with readers worldwide.

‘With this platform, combining our technical expertise with Disney’s full comic catalog, we’re giving new and longtime fans around the world a fresh way to experience these legendary characters and stories,’ said Webtoon CEO Kim Jun-koo.

‘Disney’s extraordinary storytelling legacy is unmatched, and we’re honored to work with them to build the future of digital comics,’ added a Disney representative. ‘This partnership marks a powerful next step for our growing global business and lays the groundwork for even greater collaboration with Webtoon in the years ahead.’

The collaboration was first announced in September 2025 through a nonbinding term sheet, with Disney taking a roughly 2% equity stake in Webtoon Entertainment as part of the deal. Industry analysts suggest the move could reshape the digital comics landscape, combining Disney’s iconic brands with Webtoon’s mobile-first innovation, and potentially attracting millions of new subscribers worldwide.

The U.S. government has detained another oil tanker as part of its cooperation with Venezuela’s interim government.

As reported by Azernews, U.S. President Donald Trump announced this on the social media platform Truth.

Trump said the tanker had left Venezuela without authorization from Washington and was detained in coordination with the country’s interim government.

‘Today, the United States, working in coordination with the interim government of Venezuela, detained an oil tanker that departed Venezuela without our approval. The tanker is now being returned to Venezuela, and the oil will be sold under a major energy agreement we have prepared for such transactions,’ Trump said.

Indonesia has temporarily suspended access to the Grok application amid concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence to generate fake pornographic content, the country’s Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, announced on Saturday.

As reported by Azernews, according to the minister, the decision aims to protect women, children, and the wider public from the risks posed by AI-generated content, particularly non-consensual sexual deepfakes. Hafid emphasized that such practices constitute a serious violation of human rights, personal dignity, and citizen security in the digital space.

She noted that in several countries women have reported their photos being manipulated using the application to create unauthorized nude images, raising alarms over Grok’s failure to adequately prevent or control such abuse.

The ministry has also requested Platform X to urgently clarify the negative impacts associated with Grok’s use. The application was developed under the oversight of billionaire Elon Musk through the social media platform X and the X.AI Corp.