Category: Azer News

Bitcoin’s surge above $80,000 is once again forcing investors to ask a familiar question: is cryptocurrency entering another major bull market, or are markets simply witnessing another powerful but temporary rally?

The answer may lie less in Bitcoin itself than in what is happening across global financial markets.

Bitcoin has risen sharply in recent days, gaining more than 20% over three days and recording its strongest three-day rally since 2023. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds also attracted approximately $1.92 billion in net inflows last week, their strongest weekly result since October 2025. These figures suggest that the latest move is not being driven solely by retail speculation. Institutional money is returning to the asset in meaningful amounts.

Yet the most interesting part of the story may be the connection between Bitcoin and the U.S. Treasury market.

The U.S. Treasury recently announced that it would at least double the size of its buyback operations for long-term government bonds, increasing them from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation. The purchases will focus on securities with maturities of between 10 and 30 years. The decision came after a sharp sell-off in long-duration Treasuries pushed the 30-year yield to its highest level since 2007.

Technically, this is not quantitative easing. The Treasury is not creating money to purchase assets in the way the Federal Reserve does under QE. The program is primarily designed to improve liquidity and manage the composition of government debt. Nevertheless, financial markets interpreted the announcement as a signal that Washington is increasingly concerned about high long-term borrowing costs.

That interpretation matters for Bitcoin.

When government bond yields rise, investors have a stronger incentive to keep money in relatively safe, income-producing assets. Bitcoin, which does not generate an interest payment simply by being held, must compete with those yields for investment capital. When long-term yields decline, that competition becomes somewhat less intense, and investors may become more willing to move further up the risk curve.

This is one reason the Treasury announcement had such an immediate impact on financial markets. The announcement helped push long-term yields lower and contributed to a broader increase in demand for riskier assets. Bitcoin was one of the clearest beneficiaries, while gold also rallied.

But there is another important factor: positioning.

Bitcoin had spent a considerable period under pressure before the latest rally. As a result, many traders were positioned for further declines. When prices suddenly moved higher, short sellers were forced to close their positions, creating additional buying pressure. More than $4 billion in bearish crypto positions were reportedly liquidated during the sharp move. In other words, part of Bitcoin’s rally was probably mechanical: rising prices forced traders who had bet against Bitcoin to buy it back.

That does not make the rally meaningless. It simply means that investors should be careful when interpreting its speed.

The strongest argument in favor of a sustainable recovery is the return of institutional demand. The $1.92 billion weekly inflow into spot Bitcoin ETFs is significant because these products have fundamentally changed the way large investors can gain exposure to cryptocurrency. An investor no longer needs to manage a crypto wallet or use a cryptocurrency exchange directly. Bitcoin exposure can now be obtained through a conventional financial product.

This makes institutional participation easier and potentially more durable.

At the same time, investors should not confuse a powerful rally with a confirmed new bull market. The fundamental concerns that existed before the rally have not disappeared overnight. U.S. fiscal deficits remain enormous, inflation remains a concern, and long-term Treasury yields remain relatively high. The Treasury buyback program may temporarily improve liquidity, but it does not eliminate the underlying supply of government debt or solve the structural fiscal challenges facing Washington.

That is perhaps the most important lesson from Bitcoin’s latest move. Cryptocurrency is increasingly behaving not as an isolated financial experiment, but as part of the broader global liquidity and risk cycle.

When liquidity improves, yields fall and investors become more comfortable with risk, Bitcoin can benefit disproportionately. When financial conditions tighten, the same characteristic can work in the opposite direction.

Therefore, the question is not simply whether Bitcoin can remain above $80,000. The more important question is whether the broader financial environment can continue supporting demand for risk assets.

If institutional inflows remain strong and long-term yields continue to moderate, Bitcoin’s latest rally could develop into something considerably larger. If those conditions fade, however, the recent surge could prove to be another spectacular episode in an asset class famous for spectacular reversals.

Bitcoin may have crossed $80,000, but the real test has only begun: whether this is the beginning of a new cycle or merely another reminder that in financial markets, momentum can arrive long before certainty.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has responded to comments by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia Rahman Mustafayev about what he described as an extremely negative background surrounding Azerbaijan in the Russian information space.

Asked to comment on Mustafayev’s remarks, Zakharova pointed to the former activities of the Russian state-funded media outlet Sputnik in Azerbaijan, describing it as an example of media coverage that had contributed to a constructive information environment and supported bilateral relations.

‘I can give a wonderful example of an extremely positive background that, for example, the Sputnik agency, such a media outlet, created while working in Azerbaijan,’ Zakharova said.

According to her, Sputnik represented an example of professional journalism specifically focused on contributing to the development of Russian-Azerbaijani relations.

‘There were no materials, no information that would raise any problematic questions from the Azerbaijani side,’ she said, adding that Azerbaijan had subsequently terminated the outlet’s operations in the country.

Zakharova also referred to the detention of Sputnik journalists in Azerbaijan, saying that they eventually returned to Russia after spending months in custody.

She then accused Azerbaijani media outlets of regularly publishing what Moscow considers anti-Russian materials.

‘We regularly pass materials to the Azerbaijani side concerning the information sphere of Azerbaijan with openly anti-Russian materials that do not correspond to reality,’ Zakharova said.

She argued that such coverage should not simply be viewed as criticism or an alternative point of view.

‘This is not criticism, this is not a point of view, this is such a frenzy under the guise of objectivity, and the Azerbaijani side knows about this,’ she said.

According to Zakharova, Moscow regularly raises the issue with Azerbaijani officials through consultations and bilateral contacts, while exchanging relevant materials concerning media coverage.

‘I think that the Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Moscow also knows perfectly well how we assist in removing issues when it really concerns the distortion of facts or unworthy materials concerning the sovereign state of Azerbaijan,’ she said.

At the same time, Zakharova acknowledged that the current situation in the media sphere requires improvement.

‘I can agree in that part that the situation that has developed in the media sphere requires correction,’ she said, again calling on Baku to discuss outstanding problems and develop ways to resolve them.

She said existing communication channels between the two sides continue to function and could be used to address disputes.

‘We regularly do this. So to speak, hotlines for resolving issues existed, exist and work perfectly,’ Zakharova said.

She linked such an approach to the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia on February 22, 2022, saying that constructive and mutually respectful dialogue would correspond to both its letter and spirit.

Zakharova also noted that several Azerbaijani media organizations continue to operate in Russia and, according to her, work constructively without Moscow raising complaints about their activities.

She specifically mentioned AZERTAC, AzTV and Real TV, among other Azerbaijani media organizations, and recalled that Russian and Azerbaijani journalists have participated in joint conferences, round tables and media forums.

‘All this can and should be developed in this sense, and all emerging issues should be resolved in a constructive and mutually respectful manner,’ Zakharova concluded.

The line-ups of Azerbaijan’s national teams that will compete in two prestigious international beach wrestling competitions at the Sea Breeze resort in Baku have been determined.

A total of 37 wrestlers, led by head coach Oyan Nazariani and coach Ibrahim Yusubov, will compete at the events. More than 200 athletes from 34 countries are expected to take part in the three-day competitions and vie for success on the sand.

Twenty-two Azerbaijani wrestlers will compete at the U-17 World Championships on August 27. In the boys’ competition, Alirza Heybatli, Elcan Hasanov and Omar Zeynalov will compete in the 60 kg category; Rashad Aliyev, Rashid Nazarov and Tunar Guliyev in the 70 kg category; Ruslan Valiyev, Nihad Suleymanli and Omar Valiyev in the 80 kg category; and Elvin Hajiquliyev, Elvin Najafzade and Elgun Karimli in the 90 kg category.

In the girls’ competition, Gulnar Agadashova, Nargiz Adilova and Vafa Orujova will compete in the 45 kg category; Ulviyya Musayeva, Gunel Karimli and Nazrin Ahmadli in the 55 kg category; Fidan Babayeva, Rana Nuriyeva and Madina Gasimova in the 65 kg category; and Simura Abdullayeva in the 75 kg category.

Fifteen Azerbaijani representatives will also compete in the fourth stage of the World Series, scheduled for August 28-29. In the men’s competition, Rubail Ibrahimli, Ibrahim Musayev and Imam Huseyn Nabiyev will compete in the 70 kg category; Sahib Dadashov, Vusal Aliyev and Javid Niftalizade in the 80 kg category; Ashraf Ashirov, Ramiz Hasanov and Farid Jabbarov in the 90 kg category; and Jamal Feyziyev and Ravan Musayev in the +90 kg category.

In the women’s competition, Asmar Cankurtaran will compete in the 50 kg category, Nargiz Samadova in the 60 kg category, and Nigar Mirzazada and Zahra Karimzada in the 70 kg category.

The daytime session will begin at 10:00 each day, while the evening session will start at 16:00.

The Uzbek historical film “Rise of the Conqueror,” about Amir Temur, has been screened at the Lachin International Film Festival (LIFF 2026), marking its first screening in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur.

The film, dubbed into Azerbaijani, has been shown at LaCinema, the festival’s main cinema venue in Lachin.

Produced by Eldar Yuldashev, the historical drama “Rise of the Conqueror” brought an Uzbek production to Azerbaijani audiences as part of the festival’s international programme.

The screening offered festivalgoers an opportunity to experience the story of one of Central Asia’s most prominent historical figures through Uzbek cinema and in the Azerbaijani language.

Running through August 27, LIFF 2026 features films from a range of countries, alongside meetings, panel discussions and other events bringing together Azerbaijani and international cinema professionals.

The festival programme includes films from Germany, Poland, Uzbekistan, Spain, Turkiye, Indonesia, Moldova, Greece, Serbia, Ukraine, India and several other countries.

The inclusion of “Rise of the Conqueror” adds a Central Asian historical perspective to the festival’s international programme while further enriching the cultural exchange between filmmakers and audiences in Lachin.

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.