Category: Azer News

President of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, congratulated Azerbaijan’s First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva on the occasion of her birthday.

According to AzerNEWS, the letter reads:

Dear Mehriban Arifovna,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

Your patriotism and selfless service to Azerbaijan, as well as your attention to and contribution to key areas of the country’s development, evoke feelings of deep respect and admiration.

In Belarus, we highly appreciate your contribution to strengthening the strategic partnership between Minsk and Baku, as well as to fostering an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. Our relations have rightly become a true example of friendship.

I am confident that your fruitful activities will continue to facilitate the implementation of joint projects and the further expansion of cooperation between Belarus and Azerbaijan in a spirit of open and constructive dialogue.

Dear Mehriban Arifovna, I sincerely wish you good health, prosperity, and success in achieving new accomplishments.

Respectfully,

Aleksandr Lukashenko

President of the Republic of Belarus

The “ALUFAR IRONMAN 70.3 BAKU” triathlon will be held in Baku on September 5, marking the first time in Azerbaijan’s sporting history that the city hosts an “IRONMAN 70.3” event.

The race is being organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Azerbaijan Triathlon Federation, and the Baku City Circuit Operating Company.

Hosting an “IRONMAN 70.3” event in Baku is a significant milestone for Azerbaijani sport. The event will place Baku among the cities around the world that host international “IRONMAN 70.3” races. Athletes from 62 countries are expected to take part, with around 1,500 participants in total.

The race will begin with a 1.9-kilometre swimming segment in the Caspian Sea. The 90.1-kilometre cycling course will pass through various parts of Baku, offering participants views of different parts of the city. The 21.1-kilometre running segment will take place along the Baku Boulevard, with the finish line located near the “Seven Beauties” fountain.

The top 25 male and female athletes will qualify for the 2027 IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon World Championship in the United States.

IRONMAN is one of the world’s best-known international triathlon series. The first IRONMAN race was held in Hawaii in 1978. As part of IRONMAN Week, the “IRONKIDS” and “Fun Run” races will also take place on September 4 for participants of different age groups. Children aged 5-8 will run 500 metres, those aged 9-13 will cover 1 kilometre, and participants aged 14-17 will complete a 2-kilometre course in the “IRONKIDS” race. The 5-kilometre “Fun Run” will be open to participants aged 18 and above.

Alongside the main triathlon, these events will expand the IRONMAN Week programme and bring together participants from different age groups.

A triathlon consists of three disciplines: swimming, cycling and running.

It is worth noting that Baku holds the title of World Sports Capital for the first time in 2026. Hosting the “ALUFAR IRONMAN 70.3 BAKU” further strengthens Baku’s position as a host city for major international sporting events.

A fire broke out at the Atyrau Oil Refinery (ANPZ), one of Kazakhstan’s largest oil-processing facilities, the plant’s press service reported.

The fire started at approximately 12:35 p.m. local time at a closed-type mechanical wastewater treatment settling facility. Oil sludge inside the unit caught fire.

The cause of the incident is currently being investigated.

No injuries were reported in the fire at Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Oil Refinery, the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

“The causes of the fire are being established. The situation is under control,” the ministry noted.

About 65 emergency personnel and 19 pieces of equipment were involved in firefighting operations.

The Atyrau refinery is one of Kazakhstan’s three major oil refineries. The facility was built during the Second World War and was commissioned in 1945.

About 99 percent of the refinery’s shares are owned by KazMunayGas, Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company. The plant has a designed processing capacity of 5.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year.

Global crude steel production declined 0.3% to 149.2 million tons in July, the World Steel Association stated on Monday, AzerNEWS reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Output from the top producer China dropped 3.6% to 76.9 million tons.

India boosted its production by 1.9% to 14.4 million tons, US producers increased their output by 4.4% to 7.4 million tons, and Trkiye’s production jumped 7% to 3.4 million tons.

Japan recorded a 0.4% rise, reaching a total of 6.9 million tons while Russian production increased by 3.3% to an estimated 5.7 million tons.

Estimated data showed Germany produced 2.8 million tons with a 3% increase, and Brazil reached 2.8 million tons with a 0.1% rise.

January-July

Global crude steel production totaled 1.08 billion tons in the January-July period, falling 0.6% compared to the same period last year.

China’s production dropped 3.1% to 577 million tons in the first seven months, while India increased its output by 6.1% to 101.1 million tons.

The US produced 50.2 million tons with a 6% increase, and Japan’s output fell 0.3% to 47.3 million tons.

Estimated data revealed a 6.1% drop in Russian production to 38.1 million tons, while South Korea boosted its output by 2.7% to 37.4 million tons.

Trkiye maintained its strong growth by increasing its crude steel production by 7.9% to 23.2 million tons in the first seven months.

Germany increased its production by 8.1% to 21.4 million tons, whereas Brazil experienced a 1.2% decline to 19.1 million tons.

Iranian state television has broadcast a video targeting Barron Trump, the 20-year-old son of US President Donald Trump, claiming that his movements have been monitored and that a $10 million bounty has been placed on him.

The roughly three-minute video was produced by media affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and aired on Channel 3 of Iranian state television under the title ‘Where and how should we kill Barron Trump?’

The footage purports to identify the location of Barron Trump’s university, his escort vehicles and the positions of his US Secret Service protection, while claiming that his movements have been ‘fully monitored.’ The reported $10 million bounty, however, could not be independently verified.

The broadcast also claimed that a woman had managed to get past Barron Trump’s security detail and meet him privately before allegedly providing information to those behind the programme. It further claimed that he communicates privately through voice and text on Xbox away from his security detail. These claims could not be independently verified.

The broadcast is the latest in a series of threats and targeting efforts by Iranian state-affiliated media involving members of the Trump family. A similar IRGC-linked video released in July focused on Melania Trump, purporting to detail her movements and potential security vulnerabilities.

The Azerbaijani women’s volleyball team secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Romania in their Group C match at the European Volleyball Championship, held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku.

Playing in front of a home crowd, Azerbaijan delivered a strong performance to claim a hard-fought victory.

The result keeps Azerbaijan at the top of Group C with eight points and marks the team’s third consecutive win in the tournament. They previously defeated Portugal 3-1 and Spain 3-0.

Azerbaijan’s next matches will be against Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 2026 CEV Women’s Volleyball European Championship is jointly hosted by Azerbaijan, Turkiye, the Czech Republic and Sweden from August 21 to September 6.

Group C matches are being played in Azerbaijan, with the national teams of Azerbaijan, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and Spain competing in the group.

Baku is hosting the Group C matches at the National Gymnastics Arena from August 21 to 28.

Singapore has unveiled a new package of measures aimed at encouraging families to have more children, offering parents more than $55,000 in financial support for each child. The city-state is facing a serious demographic challenge, with a declining birth rate and a rapidly aging population.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a review of the country’s child benefits and parental leave system during his annual address on August 23. The government wants to make it easier for Singaporeans who wish to have children to start families and raise them, he said.

Singapore has a population of more than 6 million people. In 2025, the country recorded a record-low fertility rate of 0.87 children per woman, down from 0.97 in 2024. For comparison, South Korea recorded an even lower rate of around 0.8, one of the lowest in the world.

Demographers generally consider a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman necessary to maintain a stable population without net immigration. Singapore’s falling birth rate, combined with longer life expectancy and advances in healthcare, is pushing the country toward becoming a ‘super-aged’ society. According to the UN definition, this means that more than 21% of the population is aged 65 or older. By 2030, experts expect roughly one in four Singaporeans to be over 65.

‘We want every family to know: if you decide to have children, the government will be with you,’ Wong said, promising more substantial support over a longer period of time.

According to the prime minister, families will receive nearly 70,000 Singapore dollars (about $55,000) in direct financial support for each child up to the age of 17. The package includes a 10,000 Singapore dollar payment at birth as well as additional support for education.

Childcare subsidies will also be expanded, particularly for larger families. The government plans to cover a greater share of childcare costs and provide additional support to working parents. Families with children will also have easier access to schemes designed to help them purchase their first home.

However, the government admits that financial incentives alone may not be enough to reverse the demographic trend. Wong said Singapore’s fertility rate will likely remain well below the replacement level even with the new measures. If the country relied entirely on births, its population would eventually decline.

For this reason, Singapore will continue its long-standing policy of carefully managed immigration. Wong said the country would welcome new arrivals ‘at a measured and steady pace’ while ensuring that Singaporeans remain the majority of the population.

Singapore has been trying to boost its birth rate for decades, using everything from financial bonuses and tax benefits to childcare subsidies and parental leave. Yet the fertility rate continues to fall, showing just how difficult it is for governments to reverse demographic trends once they become deeply rooted in society.

The situation is not unique to Singapore. Many wealthy Asian economies, including Japan, South Korea and China, are also struggling with low birth rates, making population decline one of the biggest long-term economic challenges facing the region.

The second day of the Silk Road Finance and Technology Forum has begun in Tashkent, focusing on the practical application of digital currencies across the Greater Silk Road region, the development of cross-border fintech corridors and efforts to strengthen investment cooperation.

The forum is jointly organized by the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Singapore-based international network Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN).

The event has brought together more than 6,000 participants and around 200 speakers from 74 countries, including heads of regulatory authorities, representatives of relevant ministries, international financial institutions and investors whose combined assets under management exceed $4 billion.

During the key sessions on the second day, delegates and experts are discussing practical steps for transitioning from traditional banking to digital financial ecosystems, the development of Open Banking, and regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

Other key topics include the launch of Regulatory Sandbox 2.0 by Uzbekistan’s financial regulator, the implementation of venture capital programs and legislative initiatives related to Islamic finance.

Forum participants are also placing particular emphasis on cybersecurity and personal data protection amid the growing use of artificial intelligence in the financial sector. Discussions will also focus on creating a favorable environment for attracting international technology startups.

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese has set a new WNBA record for the most rebounds in a single regular-season game.

In a 78-71 victory over Los Angeles, the American forward grabbed an incredible 26 rebounds, breaking the previous WNBA record of 24 rebounds, which had been set by Chamique Holdsclaw in 2023.

Reese, 24, joined the Atlanta Dream this season after previously playing for the Chicago Sky. Chicago selected her with the 7th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she quickly established herself as one of the league’s most dominant rebounders.

Her record-breaking performance is another milestone in what has already been an impressive young career. Reese has become known for her physical style of play, strong rebounding ability and consistency around the basket.

Reese’s 26 rebounds are not only a WNBA record but also a remarkable example of her impact on the game beyond scoring. A performance like this can completely change the rhythm of a match, giving a team many more second-chance opportunities and extra possessions.

At just 24, Reese is already making WNBA history – and her record-breaking night could be another sign that she is becoming one of the league’s biggest stars.

The Canadian government plans to invest 11.2 billion Canadian dollars (about US$8 billion) in the construction of six new icebreakers for the country’s Coast Guard.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the project during a speech in Lévis, Quebec. According to Carney, construction is expected to begin in autumn 2027, with the ships scheduled to be completed over the following five years. The project is also expected to create around 5,000 jobs.

The vessels will be built by Quebec-based shipbuilder Chantier Davie and will gradually replace Canada’s aging fleet of heavy and medium icebreakers. Carney described the agreement as the largest shipbuilding contract in Quebec’s history.

The new ships are intended to strengthen Canada’s ability to operate in the Arctic, where melting sea ice is opening previously inaccessible routes and increasing interest from major powers. Canada has one of the world’s largest icebreaker fleets, although Russia operates a significantly larger and more powerful fleet, including several nuclear-powered icebreakers.

Ottawa has increasingly focused on the Arctic because of its strategic importance. The region is rich in natural resources and is becoming more accessible as climate change reduces sea-ice coverage. At the same time, Canada faces the challenge of monitoring and protecting one of the largest coastlines in the world.

Carney has previously emphasized that Canada must be able to defend and monitor its vast Arctic territory without depending entirely on other countries. The new icebreakers are expected to play an important role in this strategy by supporting Arctic patrols, resupply missions, scientific research and emergency operations.

Canada’s Arctic coastline is so vast that it accounts for a huge share of the country’s total coastline. Icebreakers are therefore important not only for national security but also for maintaining access to remote communities, supporting commercial shipping and responding to emergencies in waters that can remain covered by ice for much of the year.

The project also highlights a broader trend: as the Arctic becomes more accessible, countries are investing heavily in ships, ports and other infrastructure to strengthen their presence in the region. Canada’s new icebreakers are expected to become a key part of that effort.