Category: Azer News

Autumn is a magical time of year, filled with magnificent natural beauty. It’s a perfect season to enjoy so many outdoor activities, including apple picking, hiking, outdoor festivals, and other things.

The arrival of autumn means that nature will soon put on a breathtaking show. Trees explode into beautiful hues of gold, red, and orange. It’s a wonderful time to start curling up with hot drinks, a cosy blanket, and a good book.

Autumn is perfect for a trip in nature. Spectacular landscapes await us in every corner of Azerbaijan. The country offers its visitors pristine nature and many wonderful places to enjoy this special time of year.

Cooler temperatures, beautiful nature and stunning foliage are all top reasons to visit the Ganja region.

Located some four hours away from the capital of Baku, Goygol National Park is the adornment of the region.

Goygol National Park, being one of the pearls of Azerbaijani nature, has always attracted attention for its spectacular nature.

The special beauty of the park is attached to the lakes located here, one of which is Goygol.

Goygol can be enjoyed for the whole year around but the best time is definitely autumn.

A large mountain lake surrounded by the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus was formed as a result of a devastating earthquake that destroyed the Kapaz Mountain in the 12th century.

The color and clarity of the waters of Goygol Lake, located 1,600 meters above sea level, are striking. The banks of the lake are covered with forests and rich with flora and fauna.

Here you can enjoy the beauty of fallen leaves and crystal-clear air.

This area is ideal for walking, traveling, and family picnics.

Yardimli mesmerizes viewers with its colorful nature, rivers, springs and a lot of historical monuments. The region bursts into colors with the arrival of the autumn season.

A vast part of the region’s territory is covered by forests. The region has rich fauna. There are wolves, jackals, boar, bears, and some other kinds of animals here.

The crisp temperatures, spectacular foliage and abundant wildlife in Yardimli won’t leave anyone indifferent.

Don’t miss a chance to hunt this beautiful scenery.

Shirvan National Park is worth the trip for nature lovers. Established in 2003, it was created with a view to the conservation of the foremost components of a semi-desert landscape, the protection of goitred gazelles listed in the “Red Data Book” of Azerbaijan and species of fauna that are typical to this territory. Its functions also include the implementation of environmental monitoring, public environmental education, as well as creating conditions for tourism and recreation.

Spend a day strolling around Shirvan National Park and enjoy the nature in all its autumn glory.

The park provides habitat for many animals. A chain of hills is the main terrain that developed as a result of the wind’s work and serves as an excellent refuge and shelter for gazelles.

The gazelle is considered lesser spread species in the world among mammalian fauna. In this regard, it exists mostly in Azerbaijan, Front, Middle and Central Asia. The territory of Azerbaijan is considered the main habitat area of gazelles.

If you’re looking to take in some of the most amazing sights of the season, then visit the country’s northwestern Gakh region.

Gakh have a stunning array of beautiful fall colors, ranging from vibrant oranges and reds to rich yellows.

A small, stone-built village of Ilisu, located at the northwest tip of Azerbaijan in the Gakh region, is a great place to visit at any time of year.

Favorable natural conditions make the place a perfect destination for mountain climbing and hiking, fishing and hunting. You can also take a tour of the neighborhoods on horseback.

The area has numerous historical monuments and is known for thermal waters and wonderful waterfalls.

Guba is a treasure for lovers of picking berries and mushrooms.

During the whole year you can harvest berries, which is enough for the whole year and protect against various diseases. Among them are briar, hawthorn and medlar, which the locals call Ezgil.

Apple orchards can be wonderful places to visit in autumn.

Guba country has always been known as the region where the best apples of the country are grown.

Traditional Apple Festival is celebrated annually in Guba every October.

The farmers and gardeners present their best apples, including palmet, semekinka, fudji, gizilehmed, which also participle in various competitions, such as the biggest apple or the most delicious apple.

At the same time, music and dance groups prepare interesting shows to demonstrate beautiful samples of the national traditions and music.

Fall is pomegranate season. The history of Azerbaijan is inseparably connected with cultivating pomegranates, extending deep into the centuries. Pomegranate is the national symbol of Azerbaijan, that’s why a special holiday is held every autumn devoted to this king of fruits.

Pomegranate holiday is traditionally held every year in Goychay region since 2006. All 55 species of Azerbaijani pomegranate can be found in Goychay.

In the surrounding forests you can meet boar, raccoon, jackal, pheasant, wolf, fox, rabbit, sparrow, crown, gluttonous mountain dove spread.

The region’s beautiful landscapes and bright fall colors make it a must-visit place.

The Jafar Jabbarli Republican Youth Library has prepared a presentation titled “A Creative Journey from the Press to the Silver Screen” and a bibliographic review titled “A Master Who Valued the Wisdom of Words.”

The materials were prepared to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of Seyfaddin Dagli, a prominent representative of Azerbaijani literature, Honored Art Worker, writer, playwright, journalist and publicist.

The materials were prepared to bring the writer’s literary heritage to a wider audience, promote his works, and enable young readers in particular to become more familiar with the work of prominent representatives of Azerbaijani literature.

The presentation provides extensive information about Seyfaddin Dagli’s life and creative journey, literary activities, contributions to journalism, main areas of his creative work, his works and his place in Azerbaijani literature. The presentation, published on the library’s official website, was created using artificial intelligence technologies, allowing Seyfaddin Dagli’s rich creative heritage to be presented to the younger generation in a more modern, engaging and visual format.

The bibliographic review titled “A Master Who Valued the Wisdom of Words” contains information about playwright Seyfaddin Dagli’s meaningful life and multifaceted creative work, the full texts of official documents, and valuable remarks made by prominent figures about the writer.

The material also presents the full texts of articles including “A Master Who Valued the Wisdom of Words” by Honored Journalist Gafar Asgarzade, “A Masterful and Courageous Artist” by Honored Journalist Flora Khalilzada, “Seyfaddin Dagli – a Figure Distinguished by His Physio-Ideological Image, Personality and Sense of Belonging to Himself (and Everyone) …” by writer and publicist Tahir Abbasli, and “Whatever He Wrote, He Wrote the Truth” by journalist Zohra Farajova.

The resource also includes a bibliographic review of books authored by Seyfaddin Dagli, as well as a list of periodical press materials.

The bibliographic review has been published on the library’s official website.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted his own ranking of American presidents on Truth Social, placing himself alone at the top in a category labeled “The Greatest.”

Trump ranked Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson as “Great.”

He placed both of his immediate predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, among the “worst” presidents. Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, and Jimmy Carter were also included in that category.

Trump has already published a list of “the greatest presidents,” but then he placed himself in second place after Lincoln. In addition, he drew a parallel between himself and Lincoln. The current ranking was the first where he put himself above everyone else.

In early March 2026, about 20 pastors from all over America gathered in the Oval Office of the White House to read a collective prayer for the “sending down of power” to Trump.

On August 30, an exhibition and rally of classic cars will be held under the organization of the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation (AAF).

The event will begin with a display of classic cars in front of the ‘Panorama’ attraction (Ferris wheel) at the Seaside National Park. Vehicles registered with the AAF for the event, as well as several cars from the Federation’s permanent classic car exhibition at the Heydar Aliyev Center, will be put on display.

Vehicles from different years will not only reflect the stages of development of the automotive industry, but will also evoke a sense of nostalgia from a visual perspective.

The retro cars will then take part in a rally along the route Azneft Circle – Neftchilar Avenue – Yusif Safarov Street – Heydar Aliyev Avenue – Airport Road – Zagulba – Sea Breeze, including the central streets of the city.

An exhibition of the classic cars participating in the rally will be held at the Sea Breeze Marina Bay area.

At the end of the entertainment programme, the owners of the winning cars will be presented with awards in various categories.

Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and overhaul how Facebook and Instagram operate for young users, bringing a landmark US legal battle over social media addiction to an abrupt end and opening a new front in the fight over Big Tech’s influence on children.

The settlement, announced Wednesday, resolves claims brought by a coalition representing 47 states, the District of Columbia and several US territories. The agreement cuts short a closely watched federal trial in California in which Meta had faced allegations that it deliberately designed its platforms to keep young users engaged while concealing the potential harms.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among the 29 states that initially sued Meta in 2023. The case had threatened to put the company’s youth-focused product strategy under intense courtroom scrutiny and potentially bring senior executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to the witness stand.

Instead, the settlement shifts the battle from the courtroom to the platforms themselves.

Under the agreement, Meta will impose a combined two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook use for children, introduce mandatory pauses designed to interrupt extended scrolling, block access overnight and suspend push notifications during school hours. The company will also strengthen age verification, parental controls and safeguards against bullying, eating-disorder content and material involving suicide and self-harm.

The settlement also targets some of the features critics say turn social media into a constant competition for attention. Meta will restrict visible ‘like’ counts and certain beauty filters for young users, while an independent auditor will assess the implementation and effectiveness of the new measures.

For state attorneys general, the agreement represents something larger than a financial penalty. They are presenting it as a blueprint for forcing technology companies to change the way they design products for children.

‘This is a landmark agreement that sets the standard for future cases,’ Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said, while calling on other major platforms to follow Meta’s lead.

Meta, meanwhile, has denied wrongdoing and framed the settlement as an effort to establish common industry standards. The company has urged rivals including TikTok and YouTube to adopt comparable protections, arguing that youth safety measures will be more effective if they apply across competing platforms.

The financial figure is enormous by ordinary corporate standards but relatively small for Meta. The company generated about $201 billion in revenue in 2025, meaning the $17.1 billion multistate settlement represents only a fraction of its annual business.

The agreement could nevertheless prove more consequential than the cheque.

The central issue is whether governments can force social media companies to redesign products whose commercial success depends heavily on keeping users engaged for as long as possible. By imposing time limits, nighttime restrictions, age-assurance requirements and limits on engagement features, the settlement reaches directly into the architecture of Meta’s platforms.

That could make the case a potential turning point for the wider technology industry.

The settlement also does not end Meta’s legal exposure over youth safety. Separate cases and regulatory battles remain, while the states’ push for similar restrictions on other platforms could turn the agreement into the beginning of a broader regulatory campaign rather than the end of one.

For Meta, the immediate threat of a potentially damaging trial has disappeared. For Silicon Valley, the more important question may be what comes next: whether the rules negotiated with one of the world’s largest social media companies become the template for an entirely new set of expectations around children, algorithms and the economics of online attention.

Neurosurgeons in London have used artificial intelligence in real time during brain tumor removal surgery for the first time in the world, assisting the surgeon throughout the procedure.

According to a statement from University College London Hospitals, the operation was performed at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Forty-eight-year-old Riz Hibbert became the first patient to undergo surgery using the AI system.

Without the operation, the tumor could have caused him to lose his vision. During the procedure, the AI system analyzed camera footage in real time and identified critical structures at the base of the brain. Nerves and blood vessels in this area are located very close to one another, and the system helped surgeons avoid dangerous areas while removing the tumor.

The system was developed by specialists at University College London with support from the National Institutes of Health and Google.

Before the operation, Hibbert needed a walking stick because of his impaired vision. Just one week after the procedure, he was able to walk independently.

The second day of the 5th SALAM International Youth Film Festival was held at Nizami Cinema Center in Baku.

The programme gave young participants an opportunity not only to watch films but also to create their own short movies and discuss one of the most pressing issues of adolescence – bullying.

The festival day opened with a screening of the Chinese film “The Answer to Forever”, directed by Zheng Yunchang. The story left a strong impression on the young audience. After the final credits, the discussion continued in the cinema hall, with participants sharing their impressions and views on the characters’ actions.

Baku Turns into Film Set

Following the screening, participants of CINEMARATHON began filming their own short movies. This year’s theme is “A Stranger Among Your Own, One of Your Own Among Strangers.”

The teams worked at different locations. Some filmed at Nizami Cinema Center, while others headed to Vapiano and the streets of Baku. For several hours, cameras, scripts, rehearsals and the search for the right shot turned the festival into a real film laboratory.

For the CINEMARATHON participants, the project is more than a creative assignment. They develop their own stories, distribute roles, operate cameras and learn how to turn their ideas into complete screen productions.

When Conversation Becomes Personal

One of the most powerful moments of the second day was a meeting with actor, director, theatre educator and producer Leonid Klets. The event was organized with the cultural support of Nine Senses Art Center.

Klets has worked for many years on social and theatre projects addressing teenagers and bullying. He is one of the authors of the “I’m Not a Scarecrow!” project and a producer and co-writer of the short film Igor-Chair.

Before the meeting, participants watched the social drama Igor-Chair, directed by Konstantin Soldatov. The film centres on what initially appears to be an innocent joke directed at a classmate but gradually develops into serious bullying with significant consequences.

Following the screening, the discussion went far beyond a traditional film review. The participants spoke about teenage cruelty, the indifference of those who witness bullying and the personal responsibility of each individual.

Leonid Klets then led an interactive master class and social experiment, encouraging the young participants to engage in an open dialogue. The atmosphere in the hall gradually changed as some participants found the courage to share personal experiences of bullying or situations they had witnessed.

The conversation became particularly emotional after the official programme. Several young participants approached Klets individually to ask questions and share stories that they had found difficult to discuss in front of the entire audience.

Cinema as Way to Be Heard

After the meeting, the participants returned to work on their films as part of CINEMARATHON.

The second day of SALAM highlighted that, for young people, cinema is not simply about screens, cameras and stories. It can also be a way to speak about issues that genuinely matter, ask difficult questions and be heard.

This is perhaps what gives the festival its distinctive atmosphere. Young people are not simply watching films; they are learning to tell their own stories, listen to others, work together and find words for subjects that can sometimes be difficult to discuss openly.

The 5th International SALAM Youth Film Festival is taking place in Baku from August 24 to 27. The festival is organized by Narimanfilm.

PASHA Holding is the general sponsor. The festival is held with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Azerbaijan Film Agency (ARKA). Nizami Cinema Center is the venue partner, while Nine Senses Art Center is the special partner for the cultural and educational programme.

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

Amy Carlon, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, has congratulated Azerbaijan’s First Vice President, Mehriban Aliyev, on the occasion of her birthday.

According to AzerNEWS, the letter reads:

Madam Vice-President,

On behalf of the United States, I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes as you celebrate your birthday.

Over the past year, we have seen cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan advance to its highest level since our countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.

The August 2025 Summit hosted by President Trump at the White House laid the groundwork for a durable regional peace after over three decades of conflict and marked the first step toward a new chapter in our bilateral relationship. Since then, we have upgraded U.S.-Azerbaijan ties to a Strategic Partnership, which Vice President Vance and President Aliyev signed in Baku in February. Participating in that historic day alongside you, Vice President Vance, and President Aliyev is already one of the fondest memories of my diplomatic career.

Over the past year, we have seen an unprecedented number of visits by high-level officials in both directions, as we seek to advance commercial, cultural, educational, and security ties between the United States and Azerbaijan.

I look forward to continuing our important work together to strengthen the U.S.-Azerbaijan relationship for the mutual benefit of both our countries. Once again, I wish you and your family good health and happiness in the year ahead.

The Israeli youth movement Hamahanot Haolim, which describes itself as a pioneering socialist-Zionist organization, is exploring the establishment of a new kibbutz in the occupied West Bank, arguing that the area should be populated by left-wing Israelis rather than far-right settlers, Haaretz reported.

Organization director Ilan Gazit acknowledged that Israeli settlements can cause harm to Palestinians but argued that since new settlements are likely to be established regardless, they should be populated by people from the Israeli left.

‘The Israeli left needs to be in the Jordan Valley; otherwise, other people will be there,’ Gazit said.

‘We aren’t ashamed of this and we aren’t hiding it,’ he added. ‘This is in line with our worldview: A strong security border is needed in the east that will be defensible and create a necessary condition for peace.’

Gazit maintained that the movement remains committed to its left-wing ideology.

‘We are leftists who believe in equality between people and are guided by a humanistic, socialist, democratic worldview,’ he said.

Hamahanot Haolim has established 41 kibbutzim since its founding. However, its activities in Israeli settlements have previously drawn criticism from international socialist organizations.

The movement was expelled from the International Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational International in 2012 after the organization said it had failed to end its activities in settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

Nvidia generated more revenue in a single quarter than the company that manufactures its chips generated in the whole of last year, a comparison that, financial advisory giant deVere Group CEO Nigel Green says, puts the scale of the result into sharp focus.

Nvidia reported quarterly revenue of $96.2 billion, up 106% year on year, with Data Center revenue alone reaching $89 billion, up 117%.

To put that pace in context, a 106% increase means Nvidia’s revenue has more than doubled in a single year, something almost never seen in a company already generating tens of billions of dollars every quarter.

The Data Center division alone, at $89 billion for the quarter, now generates more in three months than most global corporations generate in an entire year, and it grew even faster than the group as a whole.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the firm that physically produces Nvidia’s chips, generated $88.268 billion across the whole of 2024. Nvidia matched that in three months.

Nigel Green comments: “One company produced more revenue in a single quarter than its own chip manufacturer produced in an entire year. People have run out of ordinary language to describe growth like that.”

He continues: “A growth rate of 106% at this size doesn’t happen by accident, and it rarely happens at all.

‘Companies typically grow fast or grow big. Doing both at once, at this pace and this scale, is exceptionally rare.’

The company also guided to third quarter revenue of $108 billion, ahead of the roughly $104 billion Wall Street had pencilled in, and gave a first ever year ahead forecast pointing to 70% revenue growth through fiscal 2028.

Nigel Green flags the size of that beat too. “A $4 billion beat against consensus, in one quarter’s guidance alone, reflects genuine confidence rather than a rounding difference. Companies that are unsure of their own momentum do not guide that far above what the market already expects.’

The deVere CEO argues the scale of that forecast deserves more attention than it is getting.

“Companies this large do not usually hand investors a two-year growth number, because the risk of being wrong is enormous.

‘Nvidia just did it anyway, and set the bar at 70%. It signals a company that has seen something extraordinary from customers and decided to say so out loud.’

Perhaps the most striking admission in the entire report was about supply rather than demand. Nvidia indicated it could be growing even faster were it not constrained by how much hardware it can physically produce.

‘Most companies blame slowing demand when growth cools.

‘Nvidia is doing the opposite, telling investors demand has outrun its ability to build. This is an extraordinary position for any company to be in, let alone one already this large.’

Nigel Green welcomes the market reaction, but questions whether it has gone far enough.

‘Shares moved higher and futures followed, and that, for me right now, seems the correct direction.

‘What I’m not convinced of yet is whether the market has genuinely absorbed what a 70% two year growth forecast from a company already this size actually implies for the wider AI supply chain.’

He points to the earlier volatility around the report as evidence investors are still processing the numbers in real time rather than settling on a clear view.

‘The share price wobbled in both directions within the same session. Sentiment clearly has not caught up with the substance yet, and that gap is worth watching closely in the weeks ahead.’

The broader question for investors appears to be less about one company and more about the AI infrastructure buildout it sits at the centre of.

‘Every supplier, every partner and every customer named in this report is now operating inside a growth curve most of them did not expect this early, and that, in my view, reshapes the entire AI supply chain and ecosystem, not just one stock,’ concludes Nigel Green.