Category: Azer News

A one-on-one meeting has commenced between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council António Costa, AzerNEWS reports.

President Ilham Aliyev and António Costa first posed for a joint photograph.

A satirical sculpture depicting Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appeared on the National Mall on March 10, drawing attention from visitors and passersby.

As reported by AzerNEWS, citing foreign media, spray-painted in gold and standing nearly 12 feet tall, the installation recreates the famous bow scene from the film Titanic, showing Trump standing behind Epstein on a replica ship’s prow as they face the Washington Monument. The sculpture is titled ‘King of the World,’ referencing the iconic line from the movie.

The installation was accompanied by banners displaying photographs of the two men alongside the slogan ‘Make America Safe Again,’ prompting many visitors on the National Mall to stop and examine the artwork.

According to a plaque at the site, the sculpture was installed by an anonymous artist collective known as ‘The Secret Handshake.’ The plaque describes the relationship between the two men as a ‘tragic love story,’ using satirical language referencing ‘luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches.’

The text echoes the famous scene from Titanic, stating that the monument ‘honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein,’ which it claims was similarly built on ‘luxurious travel, raucous parties and secret nude sketches.’

The installation quickly attracted public attention and debate online, with visitors gathering around the sculpture to take photos and discuss the message behind the artwork.

Dubai Media Office is reporting that four people have been injured after two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai airport, AzerNEWS reports.

Explosions rock Tehran as Iran says US and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country, and killed more than 1,300 civilians since the war began 11 days ago.

Israeli forces bomb a building in central Beirut, causing extensive damage.

Hezbollah and the Israeli military trade fire as Iranian missiles set off sirens in Tel Aviv and central Israel overnight.

Iranian counterattacks continue, with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE reporting missile and drone interceptions in recent hours.

The US military says it has destroyed 16 inactive Iranian mine-laying vessels after President Donald Trump warned of grave consequences if oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.

The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East is costing the region’s tourism industry approximately $600 million per day, AzerNEWS reports, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), cited by The Financial Times.

WTTC President Gloria Guevara warned that even short-term disruptions could rapidly trigger serious economic losses across the region’s tourism destinations, businesses, and workforce.

‘Even brief interruptions can quickly lead to significant economic losses for tourism destinations, businesses, and employees across the region,’ Guevara stated.

Before the outbreak of the conflict, the WTTC had projected that international tourists would spend around $207 billion in the Middle East in 2026.

The ongoing instability now threatens those expectations and poses a major risk to the region’s travel and hospitality sector.

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India has permitted the withdrawal of life support for a 31-year-old man who has remained in a vegetative state for more than a decade, AzerNEWS reports.

The ruling allows the removal of life-sustaining treatment for Harish Rana, marking the first instance of court-approved passive euthanasia in India in a case where the patient had not left a written directive regarding medical treatment.

Passive euthanasia refers to the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining medical care, such as ventilators or feeding tubes, when recovery is deemed impossible. Rana had not prepared a ‘living will’ before suffering the accident that left him in a prolonged vegetative condition.

India formally recognized passive euthanasia in 2018, when the Supreme Court ruled that individuals have the right to refuse life-prolonging treatment and allowed living wills outlining end-of-life medical decisions.

However, active euthanasia – any deliberate act intended to help a person end their life – remains illegal in India, and is punishable under the country’s criminal law.

Legal experts say the ruling may set an important precedent for future cases involving long-term vegetative patients without advance medical directives, while also highlighting ongoing ethical and legal debates over end-of-life care in the country.

In this case, Rana was not able to give his consent or expressly state that he wanted to be taken off life support as he was in a coma since the accident.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court noted that Rana has not been responding to treatment.

“He experiences sleep-wake cycles but exhibits no meaningful interaction and has been dependent on others for all activities of self-care,” the judges said, according to legal news website Bar and Bench.

Rana was an engineering student at Punjab University in Chandigarh when he fell from the fourth-flour balcony of his paying guest accommodation.

Since then, he has been breathing with the help of a tracheostomy tube and is fed through a gastrostomy tube. He cannot speak, see, hear or recognise anyone, his parents have said.

‘We pay a very big importance to your visit and I am sure it will play an important role in further development of our bilateral ties, which have been developing very successfully especially in recent times. We have a very active dialogue,’ President Ilham Aliyev said during a joint press statement with President of the European Council António Costa.

The head of state noted, ‘we are in the very active phase of cooperation.’

Germany will release part of its oil reserves as part of an internationally coordinated effort to mitigate price increases on international markets stemming from the Iran war, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche told reporters on Wednesday, AzerNEWS reports.

“The International Energy Agency yesterday evening asked its member states to release oil reserves of 400 million barrels. We will accede to this request and make our contribution,” Reiche said in Berlin.

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that her country would release oil reserves as early as next week to ease pressure on the prices of petrol and other energy sources. Spain approved the move as well.

Earlier Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven advanced economies, said the G7 would this week discuss a possible release of strategic oil reserves.

A possible meeting of G7 leaders on the energy issue could take place this week, Macron told journalists on his way to Cyprus.

However, speaking to reporters after chairing a video meeting of G7 finance ministers, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the group was “not there yet”.

Asked if they had agreed on releasing stockpiles to lower prices, Lescure said from Brussels: “What we’ve agreed upon is to use any necessary tools, if need be, to stabilise the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles.”

Such a measure can only be effective if it is implemented in a “coordinated” manner, Lescure added.

The war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran is fuelling fears for the global economy, with global stock markets sinking and oil rocketing above $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The U.S.-Azerbaijan Trade and Business Conference held in Washington focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, expanding economic cooperation, and boosting bilateral trade relations, AzerNEWS reports, citing the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).

According to a statement from the company, the conference featured an opening session titled ‘Strengthening Bilateral Trade and Strategic Cooperation.’

Speaking at the session, SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf emphasized that more than three decades of successful energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States have made a significant contribution to the development of Azerbaijan’s energy sector. He noted that U.S. companies were among the first partners involved in Azerbaijan’s major oil and gas projects, adding that the foundation of this cooperation was laid with the signing of the ‘Contract of the Century.’

Najaf said that cooperation between SOCAR and U.S. companies has expanded over the years across multiple areas of the energy sector. In addition to exploration and production, the partnership now includes engineering, digital technologies, and sustainability initiatives.

He also highlighted the growing importance of data centers, noting that demand has increased alongside the expanding use of artificial intelligence in business.

Najaf further stressed that Azerbaijan continues to provide reliable natural gas supplies to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor, playing an important role in strengthening Europe’s energy security.

According to him, Azerbaijan’s strategic geographic location, developed infrastructure, and long-standing experience in international cooperation have reinforced the country’s position as a regional energy hub and a key gateway to the Caspian region.

Addressing regional connectivity, Najaf noted that initiatives such as TRIPP create significant opportunities to promote trade and enhance regional integration, contributing to economic cooperation and long-term stability in the South Caucasus.

The conference also included several panel discussions on cooperation opportunities in the energy, technology, and finance sectors. SOCAR Vice President Afgan Isayev spoke during a panel session titled ‘Development of Energy Infrastructure and Capital Flows into the Future Energy Sector.’

Last month, the Strategic Partnership Charter between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United States was signed. In this context, the U.S.-Azerbaijan Trade and Business Conference is seen as an important platform for expanding business ties and identifying new investment opportunities between companies from both countries.

Azerbaijani judokas have secured four medals at the Grand Prix Upper Austria 2026, AzerNEWS reports.

Jamal Gamzatkhanov (+100 kg) claimed the bronze medal, Ruslan Pashayev (66 kg) won gold, Vusal Galandarzade (81 kg) took silver, and Omar Rajabli (81 kg) earned bronze.

With a total of 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals, the Azerbaijani team ranked third overall among 59 countries and first in the men’s competition.

The 2026 Grand Prix Upper Austria, held in Linz, featured 479 judokas.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art worldwide.

The President of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation is Rashad Nabiyev, who also serves as the Minister of Digital Development and Transportation.

The country’s modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country’s top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

The world is entering a period of intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, and Europe must choose a third path to avoid being forced to align with one of the competing camps.

This view was expressed by Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, during an interview with the television channel France 2, AzerNEWS reports.

Barrot said the emerging global order is increasingly defined by the strategic competition between two major powers. ‘The world that is taking shape is one of growing rivalry between two superpowers: the United States, the superpower of the 20th century, and China, the rising superpower,’ the minister said.

According to him, this strategic competition could eventually lead to conflicts as geopolitical tensions deepen between the two global powers.

Against this backdrop, Barrot stressed that for France and its European partners the key challenge extends beyond the current crises unfolding in the Middle East. Instead, he suggested that Europe must focus on its long-term strategic positioning in an increasingly polarized world.

The French minister also emphasized the importance of Europe’s strategic autonomy. ‘Our vision of the world-and of ourselves-is a strong and independent France and Europe,’ he said, underscoring the need for the continent to strengthen its political, economic and security capabilities.

Barrot’s remarks reflect a growing debate within Europe about how the continent should navigate the evolving global power balance while maintaining its independence in foreign and security policy.