Category: Azer News

The program of the international Azerbaijan Dance Festival 2026 has been announced, AzerNEWS reports.

The festival will take place in Baku from October 29 to November 1 and will bring together more than 1,000 participants from over 20 countries, according to the organizers.

One of the region’s largest dance projects will feature prestigious international competitions, educational events, master classes, professional meetings, and the spectacular gala show “Night of the Dancing Diamonds.” The festival will be held under the motto: “The wind of change, the light of ideas, the fire of dreams… A meeting place for every dancer!”

Azerbaijan Dance Festival will serve as a unique platform combining sports, art, education, and cultural exchange. The competitions will involve solo performers and dance couples across various age and professional categories, from juveniles and juniors to youth and seniors, as well as amateurs, professionals, and Pro-Am participants.

The festival program will include competitions in the European and Latin American programs, Smooth, Rhythm, salsa, bachata, and Argentine tango.

More than 1,000 participants will compete in the WADF World Championships, SRDS Super Trophy Series ranking tournaments, open international Ballroom, Latin, and Smooth championships, the World Pro-Am Dance Cup, as well as AzDC championships in Argentine tango, salsa, and bachata.

On October 29 and 30, the International Dance Congress will take place. Its program will feature master classes, private training sessions, and professional knowledge exchange with leading international experts. The congress aims not only to support participants’ development but also to contribute to the further growth of Azerbaijan’s dance industry.

On October 30, the festival’s grand opening ceremony will be held to mark the fifth anniversary of the “Night of the Dancing Diamonds” gala show. Guests will be presented with a large-scale theatrical performance featuring world-renowned dance stars, champions, and young talents. The performances will be accompanied by the Boris Myagkov Orchestra.

The show will celebrate international unity, cultural dialogue, and the highest standards of dance artistry. The evening will continue with an energetic Salsa Party for festival participants and guests.

Tickets are available on the festival’s official website: https://azdf.world

The number of tickets is limited. Organizers recommend purchasing tickets in advance to become part of this unique event, which promises to be one of the brightest cultural highlights of 2026.

On October 31, the festival will host the WADF World Championships, Open to the World tournaments, and SRDS Super Trophy Series competitions. On the same day, participants will be offered an interactive tour introducing them to Azerbaijan’s traditions and cultural heritage.

The day will conclude with a spectacular final featuring representatives of the global dance elite.

On November 1, the festival will host a stage of the international World Cup Pro-Am Dance Series – one of 15 exclusive events held in different countries around the world. The program will conclude with the official farewell party “My Azerbaijan.”

The festival is organized by Smooth and Rhythm Dance Style (SRDS) under the leadership of its founder and president Olga Krasnyanskaya, together with the Azerbaijan Dance Council (AzDC), headed by Azerbaijan’s People’s Artist Tarana Muradova. The project’s co-founders are six-time world dance champions Eldar Jafarov and Anna Sazhina.

Azerbaijan Dance Festival 2026 is the flagship and largest project of the global initiative “7 Dance Wonders of the World,” officially recognized by CID UNESCO. The project aims to develop the international dance community, strengthen professional connections, and promote Azerbaijan as one of the leading centers of dance art and cultural exchange.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.

The Perseid meteor shower will be visible until August 24, with its peak activity expected on August 13 at 06:00 Baku time, AzerNEWS reports, citing the Astrophysics Department of the Physics Faculty at Baku State University.

The Perseids occur when Earth passes through a trail of dust and small rocky particles left behind by the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet. As these fragments enter the atmosphere at a speed of around 59 km per second, they burn up and create bright streaks of light across the night sky.

From Baku, the meteor shower will be observable throughout the night, with the best viewing conditions expected on the night of August 12-13, particularly in the hours before dawn. Under clear skies, observers may be able to see up to 140 meteors per hour.

No telescope or binoculars will be needed – the best way to watch the event is simply to find a location away from city lights.

This year’s Perseid peak will also coincide with the new moon, providing especially dark skies and improving visibility. As a result, the meteor shower is expected to offer one of the best viewing opportunities in recent years.

Wildberries is continuing to strengthen its presence in Kazakhstan by constructing two major logistics centers in Almaty and Astana with a combined area of more than 260,000 square metres, AzerNEWS reports.

The announcement was made by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliyev, during a government briefing.

According to the minister, the largest facility is being built in Almaty and will cover approximately 160,000 square metres, while a second logistics complex of around 100,000 square metres is under construction in Astana. Both projects are expected to be completed and become operational in the first quarter of 2027.

At present, Wildberries operates in Kazakhstan by leasing around 46,000 square metres of warehouse space. The new logistics hubs will significantly increase the company’s storage capacity, allowing it to process orders more efficiently and reduce delivery times for customers across the country.

Shakkaliyev also noted that the Ministry of Trade and Integration has not received any official requests from Wildberries regarding the construction of additional warehouse facilities beyond the two projects currently underway.

The expansion reflects the rapid growth of e-commerce in Kazakhstan, where demand for online shopping continues to rise. Larger logistics centers are expected to improve supply chains, create new jobs, and support local businesses by making product distribution faster and more efficient.

Kyrgyzstan has officially banned the cremation of human remains following the signing of amendments to the country’s law “On Burial and Funeral Services” by President Sadyr Japarov, AzerNEWS reports.

Under the new legislation, all legal provisions allowing the burial of urns containing human ashes have been removed, while previous regulations recognizing cremation as a method of human burial have been declared invalid.

The revised law introduces a new definition of “cremation,” limiting the term exclusively to the sanitary incineration of biological materials generated through medical activities. As a result, crematoriums are now legally defined as specialized facilities used for the thermal disposal of medical biological waste rather than for the cremation of deceased individuals.

The amendments also clarify procedures for the burial of unidentified or unclaimed bodies, as well as aborted and stillborn fetuses. According to the law, these remains will be buried by specialized funeral services in designated sections of cemeteries with the approval of the relevant internal affairs authorities.

In addition, a separate section of the legislation now regulates the establishment and operation of crematoriums, specifying that such facilities may only be used for the sanitary destruction of biological materials produced by medical institutions.

The changes reflect Kyrgyzstan’s traditional and religious approach to funeral practices. As a predominantly Muslim country, burial has long been the customary method of laying the dead to rest, while cremation has remained extremely rare. Supporters of the amendments say the new law brings the legal framework into line with the country’s cultural and religious traditions, while also providing clearer rules for the handling of medical biological waste.

Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: A Brand New Day has become one of the biggest cinematic events of 2026, earning approximately $355 million at the North American box office during its opening weekend, AzerNEWS reports.

In the film industry, the term ‘opening weekend’ usually refers to the period from Thursday – when premieres begin in many countries – through Sunday. This initial box office performance is considered one of the most important indicators of a movie’s commercial success and audience interest.

According to Variety, Spider-Man: A Brand New Day achieved the second-biggest opening in Hollywood history, ranking just behind another Marvel blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame. The new Spider-Man movie earned $355 million in the United States and Canada, while international markets contributed an additional $573 million. As a result, the film’s worldwide opening total reached an impressive $927 million.

For comparison, Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019, opened with around $357 million in North America and earned approximately $1.2 billion worldwide during its debut period, excluding inflation.

Although Spider-Man: A Brand New Day narrowly missed surpassing Avengers: Endgame in total opening weekend revenue, it managed to set a new record for first-day earnings in North America. The film collected $167 million on its first day in the United States and Canada, beating Avengers: Endgame, which earned about $157 million on its first day in 2019.

The movie marks Tom Holland’s fourth solo appearance as Peter Parker. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film also features Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, and Jacob Batalon. The previous installment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, became one of the most successful superhero films ever, earning around $1.91 billion worldwide.

The worldwide premiere of Spider-Man: A Brand New Day took place on July 31. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the production budget was estimated at $225 million, while the global marketing campaign reportedly cost around $309 million. One of the most unusual promotional moves was the participation of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi in one of the film’s advertising videos, helping the movie reach an even wider audience.

The film’s record-breaking debut once again demonstrates the enormous popularity of the Spider-Man franchise. With a beloved character, a large international fan base, and Marvel’s powerful marketing strategy, A Brand New Day has quickly become one of the most talked-about releases of the year.

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) has proposed a new two-stage method for dealing with large asteroids that could potentially threaten Earth, AzerNEWS reports.

The proposed strategy involves using a high-speed metal projectile to create a deep crater on the asteroid’s surface. In the second stage, a spacecraft would deliver a nuclear device into the crater and trigger a controlled underground explosion. Scientists believe that placing the explosive charge beneath the surface could significantly increase the effectiveness of the impact compared with a simple surface explosion.

According to a report published in the journal Space: Science and Technology, computer simulations show that a 3-megaton nuclear explosion – roughly equivalent to the power of about 200 Hiroshima bombs – could completely break apart an asteroid around 100 meters in diameter. The researchers also discovered that placing the charge approximately 30 meters below the asteroid’s surface could more than triple the asteroid’s trajectory change compared with a shallow explosion.

This approach could provide a more powerful alternative to traditional asteroid-deflection methods, which usually focus on gently changing an asteroid’s path rather than destroying it. One example of such technology is NASA’s DART mission, which successfully tested the ability to alter the orbit of a small asteroid moon by using a spacecraft impact.

However, scientists emphasize that using nuclear devices in space would be a last-resort option. The main goal of planetary defense programs is to detect potentially dangerous objects as early as possible and redirect them safely before they become a serious threat.

With thousands of near-Earth asteroids being monitored by space agencies around the world, developing reliable defense strategies remains an important challenge for modern astronomy and space exploration.

Turkiye’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) has approved a series of senior military appointments and promotions during its annual meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

AzerNEWS reports that the meeting, held on August 4, was attended by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, National Defense Minister Yasar Gler, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Chief of the General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroglu, and other senior government and military officials.

Among the key decisions announced following the meeting, Rafet Dalkiran was appointed as the new Commander of the Turkish Air Force.

The council also approved a broad promotion package, elevating 25 generals and admirals to higher ranks. In addition, 69 colonels were promoted to the rank of general or admiral, as part of a wider leadership rotation across Turkiye’s armed forces.

The personnel changes are scheduled to take effect on August 30, 2026.

The annual Supreme Military Council meeting is one of the most significant events in Turkey’s defense establishment, determining promotions, retirements, and senior command appointments within the Turkish Armed Forces.

Relations between Armenia and Russia continue to show signs of strain as trade disputes, diverging foreign policy priorities and growing political mistrust reshape what was once one of Moscow’s closest alliances in the South Caucasus.

The latest tensions emerged after Russia imposed restrictions on imports of Armenian milk and dairy products, prompting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to raise the issue directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent telephone conversation. Pashinyan argued that the measures contradict both bilateral agreements and the rules governing the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Alongside the economic disagreements, another issue has once again resurfaced in Armenian political debate: the future of Russia’s 102nd military base in Gyumri.

Although no official indication suggests that Yerevan intends to seek the base’s closure, growing public discussion has fueled speculation over whether Armenia’s broader geopolitical reorientation could eventually affect Moscow’s long-term military presence.

Speaking to AzerNEWS, Armenian activist and public figure Ishkhan Verdyan argues that, despite increasing public debate, the legal and political realities make such a scenario highly improbable.

‘The Armenian government has never considered the early closure of the 102nd base in Gyumri and has repeatedly stated that such an agenda does not exist. This is logical, as the base’s presence is regulated by interstate treaties that cannot simply be terminated by a decree of the prime minister.’

The legal foundation of the Russian military presence dates back to 1995, when Armenia and Russia signed an agreement granting Moscow the right to station troops at the Gyumri base for 25 years.

That arrangement was significantly expanded in 2010, when both countries signed an additional protocol extending the agreement until 2044. The revised document also broadened the mission of the base, placing greater emphasis on contributing to Armenia’s national security rather than simply protecting Russian strategic interests in the former Soviet space.

Because the agreement constitutes an interstate treaty rather than a domestic political decision, Verdyan believes its termination would require considerably more than a change in political mood.

‘The base has the legal right to remain until 2044, and the agreements regulating its presence include strategic military and political commitments, making early denunciation extremely difficult.’

Could Armenia legally withdraw?

International law does provide mechanisms allowing states to withdraw from treaties under exceptional circumstances. One argument occasionally raised within Armenian political circles concerns Russia’s perceived failure to fulfill its alliance obligations during recent military escalations involving Azerbaijan.

Verdyan acknowledges that such an argument could theoretically be advanced.

‘International law allows for unilateral withdrawal from a treaty if one party fundamentally breaches its obligations. Armenia could, in principle, interpret the inactivity of the Russian base during recent military escalations with Azerbaijan as a refusal to fulfill allied commitments, which could formally provide grounds for denouncing the agreement.’

However, he stresses that legal possibility should not be confused with political feasibility.

‘Such a scenario remains highly unlikely because it would effectively amount to a long-term rupture in relations with Russia, bringing serious short-term consequences for Armenia.’

Here comes the biggest dilemma. While Armenia has significantly deepened relations with the European Union, the United States and several Western partners over the past two years, Russia continues to remain one of Armenia’s principal economic partners, a major energy supplier and an influential actor within the Eurasian Economic Union.

Completely dismantling that relationship would carry substantial economic and security risks. Recent statements by Prime Minister Pashinyan appear consistent with that cautious approach. Earlier this year, he publicly stated that Armenia was not considering the withdrawal of the Russian military base.

More recently, commenting on Russia’s new legislation allowing the deployment of military forces to protect Russian citizens abroad, Pashinyan dismissed concerns that the law could expand the authority of the Gyumri base.

Instead, he emphasized that the base operates exclusively within Armenia’s legal framework.

That position suggests Yerevan is seeking greater oversight of Russia’s military presence rather than questioning the legal basis of the deployment itself.

The distinction is important.

Since the 2020 Second Garabagh War, Armenia has increasingly pursued what many observers describe as a multi-vector foreign policy, expanding ties with Western partners while attempting to preserve workable relations with Moscow.

That balancing strategy has become increasingly difficult as geopolitical competition between Russia and the West intensifies.

Moscow also has reasons for restraint

Verdyan argues that an outright confrontation over the Gyumri base would be damaging not only for Armenia but also for Russia.

‘Such a development would only become possible in the event of open Russian aggression, leaving Armenia with no alternative. However, even that scenario is hardly being considered by Moscow because, while the consequences for Armenia would be local, for Russia they would be geopolitical.’

Azerbaijani wrestlers won multiple medals, including four gold medals, at the Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilgen Memorial Wrestling Tournament in Kocaeli, Turkiye, AzerNEWS reports.

In freestyle wrestling, Ruslan Abdullayev (65 kg) claimed the gold medal, while Musa Agayev (65 kg) earned bronze.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, Ruslan Nurullayev (72 kg) and Tuncay Vazirzade (87 kg) won gold medals, and Nihat Mammadli (63 kg) took bronze.

On the opening day of the competition, Azerbaijani athletes also achieved strong results. Khetag Karsanov (125 kg) won a silver medal and Ramik Heybatov (70 kg) secured bronze in freestyle wrestling.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, Serkhan Mammadov (130 kg) earned silver, while Beka Kandelaki added another bronze medal in the heavyweight category.

The Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilge Memorial Wrestling Tournament was organized in memory of two legendary Turkish wrestlers, Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilge, who made significant contributions to the country’s wrestling history.

Both athletes became Olympic champions, with Gemici winning gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and Bilge claiming Olympic gold at the 1948 London Games. Their achievements continue to serve as inspiration for future generations of wrestlers.

The competition brought together wrestlers from different countries to compete across various weight categories.

Around 600 athletes, coaches, and team officials from 16 countries participated in the event, including representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, France, the United States, Georgia, India, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and other nations. Athletes competed in 20 weight categories in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

Raising capital requirements has significantly strengthened the resilience of Azerbaijan’s banking sector, according to a new report by Moody’s Ratings, AzerNEWS informs.

The agency said Azerbaijan has already introduced new capital buffers under the Basel III regulatory framework and is expected to achieve full compliance with Basel III standards by 2027.

According to Moody’s analysts, the alignment of Azerbaijan’s regulatory framework with Basel III, alongside the introduction of risk-based supervision and stricter capital requirements, has reinforced oversight of the country’s banking sector.

“Banking regulators across Central Asia and the Caucasus-including Kazakhstan (Baa1, Stable), Azerbaijan (Baa3, Positive), Georgia (Ba2, Stable), Armenia (Ba3, Positive), Uzbekistan (Ba2, Stable), Tajikistan (B2, Stable), and Kyrgyzstan (B3, Positive)-are strengthening supervisory frameworks and improving prudential regulation in line with international standards,” the report said.

Moody’s noted that these reforms are credit positive because they contribute to higher-quality loan portfolios, enhance banks’ ability to absorb losses, and gradually reduce systemic risks.

The report added that regulatory reforms across most countries in the region have led to tighter prudential requirements and stronger risk management frameworks.

“These measures include larger capital buffers, more conservative asset classification, stronger provisioning for potential loan losses, and improved liquidity management. Several countries have also made progress in establishing more effective bank recovery and resolution frameworks. Enhanced supervision has reduced delays in recognizing losses, while regulators have adopted a more proactive approach,” Moody’s said.

According to the agency, higher capital requirements have strengthened the solvency of banks in both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In Uzbekistan, the gradual reduction of directed lending has improved loan portfolio quality and encouraged wider adoption of risk-based lending practices. However, the report notes that government influence over the banking system remains significant.

Looking ahead, Moody’s expects governments across the region to continue strengthening prudential standards and refining supervisory practices, with a particular focus on preserving financial stability, increasing transparency, and limiting contingent liabilities related to the banking sector.

At the same time, the agency cautioned that the pace and effectiveness of reforms will vary considerably from country to country. Their success will largely depend on the quality of public institutions, the independence of banking supervisors, and governments’ commitment to developing market-based banking systems.