Category: Azer News

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Friday that an “emergency meeting” of the Strategic Political Defense Committee of the Mecca Defense Alliance will be held next week in Riyadh in response to attacks by Houthis against Saudi Arabia, as per a translation of Iran International.

Dar did not provide further details on the exact date of the meeting, which is seen as a first assessment of the new security pact.

Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, weeks before the Houthis began attacks against Saudi Arabia and amid the war between Iran, the US and Israel.

Fans of The Mummy franchise have finally got their first look at Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser back in their iconic roles for the long-awaited fourth film.

New set photos released this week show Weisz filming as Evelyn O’Connell in London, while Fraser was photographed on set in Suffolk, England, returning as adventurer Rick O’Connell. The two actors last appeared together in the roles in 2001’s The Mummy Returns.

Weisz was seen outside London’s British Museum wearing a vintage-inspired outfit featuring a mustard-yellow polka-dot skirt, brown jacket, wide-brimmed hat and leather gloves. Fraser, meanwhile, was photographed behind the wheel of a vintage silver-and-red rocket car during a sequence reportedly connected to 1957 speed trials.

The reunion marks Weisz’s return to the character of Evelyn after she did not appear in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where Maria Bello played the role.

Several other familiar faces are also returning. John Hannah, Oded Fehr and Kevin J. O’Connor are among the returning cast, while Michael Johnston and Numan Acar are joining the franchise.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the new film is keeping its plot details under wraps. Fraser previously teased that the movie would bring the original “band” back together and revisit locations associated with the earlier films.

The Mummy 4 is currently scheduled to hit cinemas on October 15, 2027.

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday an $8.4 billion enhanced oil recovery project under the United States’ deal with South Korea, saying the initiative would support American energy production.

“I am thrilled to announce the Republic of Korea Deal keeps getting BETTER! 8.4 Billion Dollars for an enhanced Oil Recovery Project,” the president said on Truth Social.

Trump did not identify the project’s location, participating companies, or financing arrangements. The announcement follows the framework outlining an expected $200 billion in investment in liquefied natural gas and nuclear energy projects.

The number of international flights at Tehran’s main international airport has fallen by 42% following the entry into force of U.S. sanctions against Iranian airlines.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, despite the decline, flights on some of the most in-demand routes from Tehran’s airport are still operating.

The United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s entire aviation sector in early September. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures were aimed at increasing pressure on the Iranian economy.

Bessent said that no company would be allowed to refuel or service Iranian aircraft or sell tickets for them, warning that companies violating the restrictions could be excluded from the dollar-based financial system.

According to flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, after the sanctions came into effect on September 23, the average number of daily international flights to and from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport fell to 53, compared with 91 previously.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Transport Ministry said on Tuesday that the United States had authorized the country’s national airline to operate flights between the city of Najaf and Iran starting in October.

Despite the U.S. sanctions, some of the most popular air routes to Tehran have remained in operation.

Peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia must be established not only on paper but also implemented in practice, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said Friday.

Hajiyev made the remarks while speaking on the second day of the CAMCA 2026 Regional Forum in Baku.

‘We have always said that we won the war, but there was another task that had to be accomplished – it was important to win in peace as well. This is indeed a difficult task,’ Hajiyev said.

He noted that Azerbaijan is effectively living in a state of peace today, but stressed that the peace process should not remain merely a document on paper.

‘We are de facto living in peace on the ground, but peace should not remain on paper,’ the presidential aide emphasized.

According to Hajiyev, Azerbaijan is seeking to establish a regional architecture based on peace that will ensure long-term peace and stability for both the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples.

Hajiyev also said that Azerbaijan expects provisions in Armenia’s Constitution containing territorial claims against Azerbaijan to be amended.

‘After that, I think the signing of a final peace agreement will become a reality,’ he said.

At the same time, Hajiyev stressed that Azerbaijan wants to establish peace not only with the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but also with the Armenian people.

‘We would like to make this peace with the Armenian people,’ Hajiyev said.

He added that trade and business ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia are already developing, while measures are being taken to strengthen mutual trust in areas that would have appeared impossible only a few years ago.

China’s railway network has set a new record for daily passenger traffic. On October 1, more than 25.2 million passenger trips were recorded across the country, according to the China State Railway Group.

Railway authorities expect another 20.39 million passenger trips on October 2. To handle the surge in demand, an additional 1,462 trains are scheduled to operate across the national rail network.

The sharp increase in passenger traffic is linked to the start of China’s week-long National Day holiday, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Millions of people traditionally use the holiday to visit relatives, travel to major cities, and explore popular tourist destinations.

Authorities expect approximately 284 million railway passenger trips to be made nationwide during the holiday period. To accommodate the huge number of travelers, railway operators have added extra services and coordinated with other forms of public transportation, including buses, to improve connections and reduce congestion.

The exceptionally high level of travel is expected to continue through October 8, when the holiday period comes to an end. Railway officials are also closely monitoring passenger flows at major stations and transport hubs to help maintain safe and efficient operations.

The record highlights the enormous scale of China’s railway system, which plays a crucial role in connecting the country’s major cities and regions. During major holidays, the network effectively becomes one of the world’s busiest transportation systems, handling tens of millions of journeys within just a few days.

Kyrgyzstan has successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite into orbit. The launch took place on October 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by SpaceX.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov attended the launch ceremony during his working visit to the United States. The Kyrgyz satellite was deployed into orbit alongside a group of other spacecraft and will be operated from a dedicated control center in Bishkek.

The satellite is designed to provide detailed monitoring of Kyrgyzstan’s natural resources and environment. Its capabilities will allow authorities to observe agricultural land, glaciers, rivers and other water bodies, forests, and pastures, while also tracking changes in ecosystems over time.

The data is expected to have a number of practical applications. It can be used to identify the illegal extraction of natural resources, unauthorized landfills, and other sources of environmental pollution. Satellite imagery could also help authorities monitor remote areas that are difficult or costly to inspect from the ground.

Another important task will be the early detection and monitoring of natural hazards, including droughts, floods, landslides, mudflows, and forest fires. According to the presidential administration, access to timely satellite data will help identify potential threats earlier and allow authorities to respond more quickly, potentially reducing damage to communities and the environment.

The launch marks an important step in Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to expand its use of space-based technologies for environmental monitoring and disaster management. Beyond scientific research, the satellite could provide valuable data for agriculture, water management, land-use planning, and the protection of the country’s mountainous ecosystems.

With much of Kyrgyzstan covered by mountains and glaciers, satellite monitoring is particularly valuable for tracking environmental changes in remote and hard-to-reach regions.

The Louvre is strengthening its security following last year’s theft of French crown jewels, with the museum’s new director, Christophe Leribault, seeking to establish what he describes as a new “culture of security” across the institution.

Leribault, who was appointed president-director of the Louvre in February 2026, outlined the museum’s security efforts in an interview with the Financial Times. The measures form part of the museum’s response to the October 2025 robbery and its wider modernization programme.

On October 19, 2025, two burglars broke into the Galerie d’Apollon and stole eight 19th-century jewels from the French Crown Jewels collection. The stolen pieces included jewellery associated with Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, Queen Marie-Louise and Empress Eugenie. The Louvre estimated the value of the stolen jewellery at pound 88 million. The jewels have not been recovered.

The robbery exposed weaknesses in the Louvre’s security infrastructure. An administrative investigation by France’s Ministry of Culture found a long-term underestimation of the structural risk of theft and intrusion, as well as insufficient security equipment, particularly for external surveillance. It also called for changes to security governance, procedures, equipment and staff training. At the same time, the ministry said the procedures and protocols had been followed by the museum staff present during the robbery and that the alarms had functioned.

The museum had also received a security warning shortly before the robbery. A confidential report dated August 29, 2025 identified security weaknesses, according to reporting by Le Monde. The report was issued about six weeks before the theft.

The Louvre has since accelerated security work. Measures include additional surveillance, perimeter protection, improvements to access points and stronger security coordination. The museum’s security master plan is estimated by the Louvre at pound 80 million. The plan includes the modernization of security control posts, expanded perimeter protection and other technical measures, with implementation continuing through 2026 and beyond.

The scale of previous security investment has also come under scrutiny. A parliamentary record citing findings by the French Court of Auditors states that the Louvre had spent pound 105.5 million on acquiring artworks between 2018 and 2024, while pound 3 million had been committed to the pound 83 million security master plan at the time of the audit. The same record said that only 39% of the museum’s rooms were equipped with video surveillance. The pound 83 million figure reflects the amount cited in the audit, while the Louvre subsequently describes the security master plan as an pound 80 million programme.

The security measures are being implemented alongside the Louvre’s much larger modernization project, “Louvre – Nouvelle Renaissance”. The programme, estimated at pound 1.1 billion, includes major infrastructure work, a new entrance and an expanded space for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Leribault has said the modernization will also address security, visitor flows, climate-related risks and ageing infrastructure.

The Galerie d’Apollon reopened to visitors on July 22, 2026, nine months after the robbery. The Louvre said the collection of precious objects previously held there had been removed, allowing visitors to focus on the gallery’s painted and sculpted decoration. The space has returned to its original ceremonial function.

The robbery also comes amid wider concerns about security at European cultural institutions. Leribault told the Financial Times that the nature of threats facing museums is changing, with criminal groups increasingly using aggressive methods. The Louvre is therefore carrying out its security programme while continuing with its broader transformation.

Nearly a year after the robbery, the stolen jewels remain missing. The Louvre is now continuing its security upgrades while moving forward with a major modernization programme intended to reshape one of the world’s most visited museums.

It is possible to triple trade along the Middle Corridor and halve transit times by 2030, Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said on Thursday at the CAMCA Regional Forum in Baku.

“Forms of energy consumption are changing. Oil played the leading role in the past, followed by gas. Today, we are talking about a green energy corridor for the same customers and the same markets. The difference is that this time we are working more closely with our neighbours and the wider region, particularly the countries on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea. Our partners to the west of Azerbaijan continue to participate in and support this process,” he stated.

Jabbarov noted that Azerbaijan’s lack of direct access to the open sea had pushed the country to pay particular attention to connectivity.

“On the one hand, Azerbaijan is a landlocked country. On the other hand, this feature has created a certain natural selection. It has meant placing a strong emphasis on connectivity to reduce our geographic vulnerability and being willing to invest in this area,” the minister emphasized.

He said the development of the Port of Alat, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Azerbaijan’s shipbuilding industry, as well as investments in ports and relevant terminals abroad, were all part of this strategy.

“The same applies to energy infrastructure, pipelines and fibre-optic connectivity, where we believe there is even greater potential. According to the World Bank’s 2023 assessment, if the necessary investments are made and efficiency measures are implemented, continued efforts to improve connectivity could triple trade along the Middle Corridor and halve transit times by 2030,” Jabbarov added.

According to him, Central Asia has remained Azerbaijan’s fastest-growing regional trading partner over the past five years.

Azerbaijani boxers will compete at the U17 European Boxing Championships, which will begin in Budva, Montenegro, on October 3.

A total of 21 Azerbaijani athletes, including eight girls and 13 boys, will take part in the nine-day competition.

The tournament is expected to feature nearly 500 boxers representing 40 countries.

Boxing is known as one of the oldest sports in the history of humankind.

The earliest evidence of boxing dates back to Egypt around 3,000 BC.

This sport was introduced to the ancient Olympic Games by the Greeks in the late 7th century BC.

In 1924, the International Amateur Boxing Federation (FIBA) was established.

Since 1946, it has been referred to as the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Boxing made its Olympic debut at the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

In 1926, the boxing championship was held for the first time in Azerbaijan, where national boxers took first place.

Since 1992, the Azerbaijani Boxing Federation has been a full member of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

Azerbaijani boxers have won many prestigious awards at many international championships.

Aghasi Mammadov has entered Azerbaijan’s history of boxing as the first national boxer to win a gold medal at the world championship.

Another Azerbaijani boxer, Fuad Asadov, was among the medallists at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

Many times, Azerbaijan has been chosen as the host country for major boxing championships.

The AIBA Youth World Championships were held in Baku in 2019. This world championship was the first licensed youth tournament to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Games held in Singapore.

The country also hosted the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, which was the first major qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympic Games.