Category: Azer News

The Chinese Literature Congress, a major international scientific conference organized by the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has convened in Beijing to foster intercultural dialogue and global academic cooperation, AzerNEWS reports.

The prestigious event drew more than 100 leading scholars from China’s top scientific and higher education institutions, alongside international researchers from Azerbaijan, Italy, Spain, and other nations. The congress served as a vital platform for expanding scientific collaboration and addressing contemporary issues in literary studies.

Azerbaijan was represented at the conference by Dr. Agshin Aliyev, Head of the Azerbaijani Language Department at the Faculty of Asian Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University. Dr. Aliyev delivered a keynote lecture titled “Azerbaijan’s Literary Relations on the Ancient and Modern Silk Roads: Chinese Motifs in Azerbaijani Literature.”

In his presentation, Dr. Aliyev highlighted how Azerbaijan’s strategic geographic position bridging East and West played a critical historical role in shaping cultural and literary exchanges along the ancient Silk Road trading routes. He noted that Chinese motifs have been woven into Azerbaijani literature since the era of oral folklore, persisting through classical and contemporary literary works as a testament to the rich, enduring cultural heritage shared by the two nations.

The congress also featured the official book launch of Chinese Modernization and New Mass Art and Literature, prepared by the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Attendees emphasized the publication’s significance in analyzing the evolving trends of contemporary Chinese art and literature.

As part of the ongoing Vagif Poetry Days, Shusha has officially launched its first-ever open-air library, named “Kitab Dayanacagi” (Book Stop), right in the center of the historic city, AzerNEWS reports.

The project is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Ministry of Culture, the Shusha City State Reserve Administration, Azercell Telecom LLC, and Aztelekom LLC. According to the Ministry of Culture, the initiative aims to showcase the cultural and literary heritage of Azerbaijan’s cultural capital while expanding reading opportunities for both residents and visitors.

The grand opening ceremony drew notable figures, including Orkhan Fikratoglu, Advisor to the Minister of Culture; Tural Novruzov, Executive Director of the Shusha City State Reserve Administration; and Sona Abbasova, Director of the Corporate Communications Department at Azercell.

Speakers at the event highlighted that the 24-hour open-air facility will allow locals and tourists to freely access and enjoy the library’s diverse collection of books at any time of day.

Renowned People’s Poet Vahid Aziz, a prominent figure in contemporary Azerbaijani poetry, was honored as the library’s very first guest. The opening concluded with a literary session focusing on the poet’s career, moderated by Farid Huseyn, poet, essayist, and Chairman of the Youth Council of the Writers’ Union of Azerbaijan. During the gathering, Vahid Aziz recited some of his most celebrated poems and took questions from the audience.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have declared the entire Gaza periphery a closed military zone to prevent a mass demonstration organized by right-wing and far-right activists aiming to enter the enclave, AzerNEWS reports.

According to Al-Hadath television network, the security measure was implemented ahead of a planned “March of Thousands”. The event was expected to draw several high-profile political figures, including eight cabinet ministers. Among those slated to attend were National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The stated goal of the demonstration was to advocate for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements inside the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in March, Minister Smotrich claimed that preparatory plans to establish three new settlements within Gaza had been finalized. Although he publicly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to advance the project, no official government actions were taken.

The current war in the Gaza Strip erupted on October 7, 2023, following a cross-border attack by Hamas into southern Israel. According to Israeli authorities, that assault resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of approximately 250 hostages.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of hostilities. The conflict has displaced the vast majority of the enclave’s population, leaving roughly two million residents confined to narrow coastal zones, heavily reliant on temporary tent encampments and damaged structures for shelter.

The Czech government is preparing legislation that would prohibit the use of mobile phones and other electronic communication devices in schools across the country, AzerNEWS informs.

According to Czech media reports, the bill, drafted by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Education Minister Robert Plaga, would introduce the ban in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and multi-year grammar schools.

The proposed legislation would extend beyond classroom instruction, covering school breaks and extracurricular activities as well.

Supporters of the measure argue that limiting the use of mobile devices will help improve students’ concentration, reduce distractions and encourage greater face-to-face interaction among pupils.

However, the proposal has drawn criticism from Czech Children’s Ombudsman Martin Beneš, who opposes the nationwide ban. He argues that individual schools already have the authority to regulate mobile phone use through their own internal rules and policies, making additional legislation unnecessary.

The bill is expected to spark further debate as lawmakers consider the balance between creating a focused learning environment and allowing schools the flexibility to establish their own regulations regarding students’ use of electronic devices.

Japan introduced a single-person cooling cabin designed to help people quickly recover from extreme heat and reduce the risk of heatstroke, AzerNEWS reports, citing SoraNews24.

The device, called the Do Hiemon Box and described by its developers as a “human refrigerator,” maintains an internal temperature of around 15°C. Once a person sits in the built-in chair, the system directs 5°C cooled air toward the head, neck, shoulders, and back.

According to the developers, users begin to feel a noticeable cooling effect within five minutes, while a 10-minute session can help relieve symptoms of heatstroke and rapidly lower body temperature.

The cooling cabin features three cooling modes, automatically shuts off after 20 minutes, and consumes about half the electricity of a conventional portable air conditioner, making it an energy-efficient solution for coping with extreme summer heat.

The product went on sale in April and has already begun appearing in public spaces. Earlier this year, one unit was donated to Maebashi City Hall in Gunma Prefecture, where visitors can use it free of charge during opening hours if they need to cool down.

Economic normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia is beginning to produce measurable effects in trade, transit and regional connectivity. The most important point is that both countries have moved from a zero-sum confrontation toward limited, practical cooperation. That shift matters because in the South Caucasus, even modest changes in transport access, customs flows, and investor expectations can have outsized geopolitical and economic consequences.

Moody’s recent assessment clearly reflects this transition, as the growing economic cooperation between Baku and Yerevan, progress in the construction of transport corridors, and sustained international support for the peace process reduce geopolitical risks even in the absence of a fully ratified peace treaty. That is a cautious but meaningful judgment. It suggests that rating agencies now see normalization not merely as a diplomatic aspiration, but as a factor with real implications for state resilience, fiscal flexibility, and regional market integration.

Traditionally, sovereign rating agencies assessed the South Caucasus primarily through the lens of military tensions and political uncertainty. Today, they are increasingly evaluating the region based on economic integration, infrastructure development, and transport connectivity.

The agency also highlighted Azerbaijan’s strong fiscal position, emphasizing the government’s commitment to medium-term fiscal consolidation beyond the oil sector.

According to Moody’s, Azerbaijan has successfully narrowed its non-oil primary deficit through stronger non-oil revenue collection while maintaining more moderate expenditure growth as spending on the reconstruction of formerly conflict-affected territories gradually declines.

Another key strength identified by Moody’s is the continued expansion of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), whose assets reached approximately 97 percent of GDP in 2025, placing Azerbaijan among the countries with the strongest sovereign fiscal buffers relative to similarly rated economies.

Moody’s expects elevated oil prices during 2026 to generate additional fiscal gains through higher hydrocarbon revenues, allowing further accumulation of SOFAZ assets. These reserves significantly enhance Azerbaijan’s ability to absorb external shocks while preserving considerable fiscal flexibility.

The data from the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan reveals that Azerbaijan exported goods worth $17.129 million to Armenia in January-June 2026.

Meanwhile, more than 36,000 metric tons of grain, nearly 8,000 metric tons of fertilizer, 1,136 metric tons of propane, 133 metric tons of aluminum and 414 metric tons of anthracite have been transported from Russia to Armenia through Azerbaijan.

One of the most significant infrastructure initiatives linked to regional normalization is the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, also widely associated with the proposed Zangezur Corridor. The project aims to establish a transport connection between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Armenian territory while simultaneously creating broader regional transport opportunities. Beyond its bilateral significance, the corridor has the potential to become an important component of wider Eurasian transport networks linking Central Asia, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus, Trkiye, and European markets.

Modern transport corridors not only reduce shipping times and logistics costs but also stimulate investment, encourage industrial development along transport routes, and create new opportunities for customs cooperation, warehousing, and cross-border services.

For Azerbaijan, the project would strengthen its position as a regional logistics hub.

The positive assessment was also shared by S and P Global Ratings. In its report published in 2026, the agency revised Armenia’s sovereign outlook from Stable to Positive, citing improving regional geopolitical and security conditions.

According to S and P, the revision reflects growing confidence that continued normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan could substantially improve regional stability.

The agency specifically noted that progress toward restoring diplomatic relations and reopening trade links has the potential to reduce security risks that have weighed on the South Caucasus for decades.

However, the agency cautioned that lasting peace will ultimately depend on the signing of a legally binding peace agreement and its effective implementation.

Many analysts identify the August 8, 2025 trilateral meeting in Washington as a defining moment in the normalization process.

Following talks hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a Joint Declaration aimed at advancing peace between the two countries and restoring transport connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.

S and P describes the U.S.-mediated agreement as an important political milestone because it demonstrated high-level political commitment to de-escalation while contributing to improved regional security.

Although the declaration did not constitute a formal peace treaty, it created a political framework within which practical cooperation could begin.

In other words, while economic cooperation is advancing, institutionalizing peace remains essential for securing long-term stability.

The best way to understand the present phase is as a transition from hostile separation to conditional interdependence. Azerbaijan and Armenia are not allies, and they are not yet at the stage of deep normalization. But they are beginning to test whether limited economic cooperation can create stabilizing incentives that politics alone could not produce.

Yet the process remains incomplete and vulnerable. Without a ratified peace treaty, the new Armenian Constitution (without territorial claims), credible implementation mechanisms, and broader domestic acceptance, today’s gains could remain provisional. Normalization is already producing real economic and infrastructural effects, but its long-term stabilizing power will depend on whether these early gains are institutionalized before political resistance or regional shocks undermine them.

If that institutionalization succeeds, the South Caucasus could move from being known primarily as a corridor of conflict to becoming a corridor of connectivity. If it fails, the region may once again discover how quickly fragile openings can close.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Peru on Sunday, according to seismic monitoring authorities, AzerNEWS reports.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 131 kilometers southeast of Huancayo, a city with a population of more than 300,000, while the hypocenter was recorded at a depth of 22 kilometers.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties or structural damage, although authorities continue to monitor the situation for any potential aftershocks or further developments.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated significantly, with the total number of confirmed infections reaching 2,267 and the death toll climbing to 893, foreign media reported via official data, AzerNEWS reports.

The latest statistics reveal a sharp 24-hour surge, tracking 86 new infections and 29 additional deaths.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that this has quickly become the third-largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history, noting that the virus has spread at a faster initial rate than any previous epidemic.

The WHO chief highlighted the alarming speed of the current crisis. During the country’s previous major Ebola outbreak, it took more than 10 months to reach the 2,000-case threshold. That devastating epidemic eventually resulted in approximately 3,500 total cases and claimed 2,300 lives. Health officials are working intensely to contain the current transmission vectors as global agencies call for immediate response funding and resources.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) is stepping up its public safety campaign in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, focusing on educating residents and workers about vital fire prevention measures.

AzerNEWS reports that the Karabakh Regional Department of the State Fire Control Service recently conducted a series of preventative outreach sessions with local residents, laborers, and visitors across the region, according to the ministry’s press service.

The latest safety sweeps took place in the city of Shusha, as well as the Agdam, Fuzuli, Khojaly, and Lachin districts. Officials met with construction and restoration crews, public catering employees, and people visiting forests, open fields, and agricultural lands for work or leisure.

During the briefings, emergency officials detailed essential fire safety rules and distributed educational brochures. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reiterates its call for everyone living in, working in, or visiting the liberated areas to strictly follow fire safety regulations to protect lives and ongoing reconstruction efforts.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have entered a high-stakes transfer battle to secure the signature of Tottenham Hotspur and England defender Djed Spence, AzerNEWS reports.

Both powerhouse clubs have submitted official offers to Tottenham for the 25-year-old wing-back, who has emerged as one of the major breakout revelations of the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It remains unclear which project will ultimately convince the dynamic defender. Spence is currently tied to a long-term contract at Tottenham that runs until June 30, 2029.

A graduate of the Fulham youth academy, Spence has built a diverse resume through various spells with Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Rennes, Leeds United, and Genoa. In addition to the strong interest from Germany and France, Italian Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan are also closely tracking the player’s situation.