Category: Azer News

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that declining funding could leave around 8.3 million refugees and internally displaced people without assistance this year and lead to the collapse of protection systems in some countries.

The agency has received only 32% of the $8.5 billion it requested for 2026 as of July, leaving a funding shortfall of $5.7 billion.

UNHCR said the funding gap is severely affecting refugee registration, child protection and services for survivors of gender-based violence. The agency estimates that the number of people under its mandate will reach 131.2 million by the end of 2026. It has already reduced its workforce by 33% in 2025, closed offices in 140 locations and suspended operations in 15 countries.

The agency also warned that further cost-cutting measures would not be enough to offset the funding shortfall.

“When registration stops, safe houses close or child protection services disappear, the very risks that people fled – violence, exploitation and abuse – reappear in displacement, trapping families in a cycle of vulnerability and forcing some to move again in search of safety or fall prey to traffickers,” said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations.

According to him, protection cannot be reduced indefinitely without systems collapsing.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has vowed to burn the body of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the bodies of other Palestinians involved in the October 7 attack if he becomes defense minister in Israel’s next government.

Speaking in an interview with Israeli public broadcaster Kan Reshet Bet on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir reiterated his demand to receive the defense portfolio following Israel’s upcoming election.

‘After I get the defense portfolio, I will make sure to burn Sinwar’s body and the bodies of the October 7th terrorists. As Defense Minister, I will lead a significant change in approach,’ Ben-Gvir said, according to Israeli media.

The remarks come during Israel’s election campaign, with Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, party seeking control of senior government portfolios as part of its demands for participating in a future coalition.

Ben-Gvir announced last week that he would demand the Defense Ministry for himself in the next government. He also presented a security agenda that includes encouraging what he describes as the ‘voluntary emigration’ of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, disarming the Palestinian Authority and arresting senior PA officials whom he accuses of supporting terrorism.

The national security minister has a history of criminal convictions. In 2007, he was convicted of incitement to racism against Arabs and supporting Kach, a group that was on Israeli and US terrorism blacklists.

Ben-Gvir has also repeatedly called for the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza.

Speaking at a rally organized by the Nahala settler movement near the Gaza border on Sunday, he again expressed his ambition to become defense minister and advocated Israeli settlement throughout the enclave.

‘I hope, with God’s help, to be the defense minister of the State of Israel, to return us to Nisanit, and to the entire northern perimeter, and to all of Gaza! To settle more and more!’ he said.

Sinwar, who headed Hamas in Gaza during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and later became chairman of the group’s political bureau, was killed by Israeli troops in Rafah in October 2024.

Israeli forces recovered his body following the firefight, and it was subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location under Israeli military control.

Cremation is prohibited under Islamic burial practices, which generally require the deceased to be buried.

Ben-Gvir’s latest remarks form part of a broader hardline platform he has presented ahead of the election. Beyond his proposals concerning Gaza and the Palestinian Authority, he has called for changes to Israeli military rules of engagement and other security policies should he obtain the defense portfolio.

Nvidia Corporation CEO Jensen Huang said on Monday that OpenAI “absolutely” is a “great investment,” despite the incident with its AI agents that broke containment to hack the open-source AI platform Hugging Face.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Huang said that it is a “privilege” to work with OpenAI, and that he would like the AI company to be involved in Nvidia’s new project, Open Agent Safety Platform, whether it is by using the platform itself or being inspired by it and creating another similar platform. He also said that he hopes more companies will join the platform, so that it becomes more “robust” and “resilient.”

The Nvidia CEO also stated that the safety problems with AI agents are “solvable,” and the focus on a rights-provisioning system is crucial. He noted that Nvidia Sentry will be able to monitor the AI agents’ behavior because the chip is placed between the agent and the large language model (LLM) and it intercepts “everything.”

The United States has deployed two squadrons of fighter jets to Israel’s Ovda Airbase in the south of the country, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

The aircraft arrived at the base over the past day and joined other US fighter jets already stationed there, the Israeli network reported.

Israeli security officials cited by Channel 12 said the deployment was part of broader US military movements and repositioning across the Middle East rather than an indication of a new escalation with Iran.

The officials stressed that transferring the aircraft from another location to Israel did not represent a change in the level of US military readiness concerning Iran.

‘The Americans are still ‘very far’ from the force buildup they had on the eve of the war in Iran,’ a security official was quoted as saying.

The US military has been rotating fighter units across the Middle East in recent weeks, bringing fresh aircraft and personnel into the region while allowing units that have been deployed for extended periods to return to their home bases.

Ovda Airbase, located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, has previously hosted US military aircraft.

Earlier in 2026, US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters were deployed to Ovda amid heightened military tensions with Iran. Those aircraft were subsequently withdrawn from the base in July.

The latest deployment comes as the US continues to reposition military assets throughout the Middle East to maintain operational readiness and flexibility.

However, Israeli security sources cited by Channel 12 emphasized that the current US military presence remains significantly below the force levels assembled ahead of previous major operations against Iran.

Neither the US Department of Defense nor Israeli authorities had publicly confirmed the deployment at the time of the report. The specific fighter squadrons involved and the types of aircraft deployed to Ovda were also not immediately disclosed.

Argentina has given the United Kingdom a two-week ultimatum to halt oil production at the Sea Lion field near the Falkland Islands. Otherwise, Buenos Aires plans to take the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Argentina is demanding that the UK take measures within two weeks to prevent oil production near the Falkland Islands, which Argentina refers to as the Malvinas. The demand was outlined in a statement by the office of Argentine President Javier Milei.

If the UK fails to comply, Argentina intends to file a case with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

ITLOS is an international court established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Based in Hamburg, Germany, it handles disputes between states concerning maritime boundaries, rights to marine resources, navigation and other issues governed by the convention. The tribunal can order legally binding provisional measures, including requiring certain activities to be suspended pending a final resolution of a dispute.

The Sea Lion project is at the center of the dispute. It is being developed by UK-based Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum. The field is located about 220 kilometers from the Falkland Islands and is estimated to contain up to 1.7 billion barrels of oil.

The latest demand is another step by Buenos Aires against oil companies operating in the area around the Falkland Islands. Argentine authorities have previously initiated legal proceedings against Navitas Petroleum, as well as Canadian companies JHI Associates and Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said European countries are facing serious challenges, particularly in the areas of security and migration.

Rubio made the remarks in an interview with Fox News.

Speaking about Europe’s migration policies, Rubio stressed the importance of countries maintaining control over their borders and ensuring effective border management.

The U.S. secretary of state also said that both the United States and Europe had experienced uncontrolled migration flows in recent years, highlighting migration as one of the major challenges facing Western countries.

Azerbaijan and Iran have discussed prospects for new agreements and the implementation of joint economic and transport projects.

The discussions took place during a meeting between Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh as part of the Azerbaijani delegation’s visit to Iran.

Mustafayev and Sadegh serve as co-chairs of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran.

The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation in the economic, trade, transport, communications and humanitarian spheres, as well as the further development of the International North-South Transport Corridor.

The sides noted progress in the construction of the Aghband-Kalaleh road bridge and reviewed issues related to the commissioning of infrastructure at the border crossing.

Discussions also covered the completion of work at the Astara freight terminal and measures to expand its cargo-handling capacity. The terminal represents an important component of efforts to increase freight movement along the North-South Corridor connecting Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran with markets further south.

The two sides agreed to accelerate the implementation of joint projects and ensure the consistent fulfillment of agreements reached during the 17th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran State Commission, held in Baku in February.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has welcomed Q8’s decision to join efforts to stabilize fuel prices in the country and highlighted SOCAR’s contribution to the initiative.

In her statement, the Italian prime minister thanked Kuwait and the group operating Q8 fuel stations in Italy for responding to the government’s call for energy companies to help lower fuel prices.

“Following the decision by Eni and SOCAR, another important sign of attention to Italian families came today from Q8,” Meloni said.

It should be noted that recently, Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) and Italian energy company Eni S.p.A. exchanged a protocol confirming the completion of a deal under which SOCAR acquired a 10% stake in the development project of the Baleine oil and gas field in Côte d’Ivoire.

According to SOCAR, following the completion of the transaction, the project’s participating interests are distributed as follows: Eni – 37.25%, Vitol – 30%, Côte d’Ivoire’s national oil and gas company Petroci – 22.75%, and SOCAR – 10%.

“The acquisition of the stake will provide SOCAR with access to Africa’s oil and gas sector and forms part of the company’s long-term strategy to expand its global upstream activities in exploration and production,” the company said.

Scientific cooperation between Azerbaijan and China has been discussed during a meeting in Baku between representatives of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) and the Hong Kong Core Academy.

The meeting was attended by ANAS President, Academician Isa Habibbayli, and President of the Hong Kong Core Academy, Academician Di Zhang.

Isa Habibbayli said that Azerbaijan-China relations have reached the level of strategic partnership in recent years. He noted that political, economic, scientific and cultural ties between the two countries have also expanded.

He said that ANAS has developed close cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Hebei Academy of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Core Academy, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Hebei Normal University. He also noted that a Chinese Culture Center operates at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS.

Habibbayli congratulated Di Zhang on his election as President of the Hong Kong Core Academy and said the meeting could contribute to further developing scientific cooperation between the two institutions.

Di Zhang said that the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and China provides opportunities for joint scientific work. He stressed the importance of developing cooperation in new areas.

The meeting also included discussions on strengthening contacts between Azerbaijani and Chinese scientists, carrying out joint projects and research, organizing scientific events and publishing academic works.

Di Zhang later presented the diploma and certificate of full membership in the Hong Kong Core Academy to ANAS Academic Secretary, Academician Arif Hashimov.

The delegation also visited Gabala district together with ANAS President Isa Habibbayli. They toured the Gabala Archaeological Center and viewed archaeological excavations being carried out in the area.

The heads of the Gabala archaeological expeditions, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Gafar Jabiyev, and Doctor of Philosophy in History Jeyhun Eminli, provided information about the excavations and the material cultural remains found at the site.

The Chinese delegation also visited the Nij monastery in Gabala district.

Professor Li Lei, a member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Core Academy, Professor Raymond J. Wu, Executive Deputy Secretary-General, and academy staff member Liu Mei also attended the meetings and visits.

The Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) is the country’s main state scientific institution. Established in 1945 as the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, it became the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences after Azerbaijan regained independence.

Based in Baku, ANAS brings together research institutes and scientific centers working in areas including natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering, earth sciences, information technology and other fields.

Its institutions include the Institute of Manuscripts, Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature, Institute of History and Ethnology, Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology and Institute of Information Technology.

ANAS also carries out work related to the preservation and study of Azerbaijan’s manuscripts, archaeological materials, historical documents and other cultural heritage. The academy maintains scientific ties with universities, academies and research institutions in different countries.

The Hong Kong Core Academy is an international academic organization working in science, technology, education and the humanities. Its full name is the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities, also known as CORE Academy.

The academy promotes cooperation among researchers and academics and supports exchanges, joint research and contacts between academic institutions in different countries.

Its membership includes scholars working in various fields, while its activities cover scientific research, technology, education, culture and the humanities.

Academician Di Zhang is the President of the academy. Li Lei serves as a member of its Executive Council, while Raymond J. Wu is Executive Deputy Secretary-General.

Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) saw no change in July compared to the previous month, the country’s official statistical office revealed in a report on Tuesday.

While the construction sector rose 1.3% and the utilities sector increased 1.7% month on month, their gains were offset by decreases in other sectors, making the aggregate figure for goods-producing industries flat.

The services-producing industries aggregate was also unchanged, “as increases across several sectors were offset by declines in retail trade and wholesale trade,” with 10 of 20 industrial sectors expanding in July overall, the statistical office detailed.