Category: Azer News

Azerbaijani Senior Wrestling Championship will take place on January 7-11, Azernews reports. The names of the national champions in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling will be determined at the Baku Sports Palace.

Wrestlers who place in the top three will be included in the national team. Matches will be officiated not only by local referees but also by invited experienced referees of the I-S category from abroad.

Preliminary matches will begin at 10:00, while the decisive bouts will start at 18:00. The opening ceremony of the championship will take place on January 7.

Wrestling continues to be the most popular sport in Azerbaijan and is overseen by the National Wrestling Federation, which was founded in 1993.

The Rio Olympic Games marked a significant milestone in Azerbaijan’s wrestling history, as the country became one of only two nations to increase its medal count in five consecutive Olympics.

In 2020, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers secured third place in the overall medal standings at the Individual World Cup held in Serbia, winning two medals-a silver and a bronze-behind Russia, which led the table, and Turkiye.

In 2022, Osman Nurmagomedov (92 kg) claimed the World Championship title in Belgrade, defeating a Russian opponent in the final match.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Azerbaijan earned three bronze medals in wrestling: Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg) in Greco-Roman, and Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg) and Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg) in freestyle.

Starting January 1, 2026, all foreign nationals entering Georgia will be required to have valid health insurance for the entire duration of their stay in the country.

As reported by Azernews, citing the press service of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the new rule applies to all foreign visitors entering Georgia for tourism, business, or transit purposes.

AZAL advises passengers planning to travel to Georgia after January 1, 2026, to consider the new requirements during their trip preparation and to obtain health insurance prior to departure.

Under the new regulations, foreign visitors must hold health and accident insurance valid from the date of entry until the date of exit. The minimum coverage amount is 30,000 Georgian Lari (GEL).

Georgian or foreign insurance companies can issue insurance and must be presented in electronic or paper format in either Georgian or English.

The insurance document must include:

The parties to the insurance contract

The territory where the insurance is valid

The subject of the insurance

Start and end dates of coverage

Covered risks

Insurance coverage amounts (limits)

Insurance premium

Payment terms and location

This requirement is introduced under Georgia’s ‘Law on Tourism.’ The Georgian government’s decision titled ‘On Approving the Rules and Conditions for Mandatory Health and Accident Insurance for Tourists Visiting Georgia’ will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, recently visited the ‘YASA’ Center located in Baku’s historic Icherisheher district to meet with members of the senior community.

At the centre, elderly participants engage in various handicrafts, decorative and applied arts, and other creative activities. Regular educational and cultural events are organised to enrich their lives and foster social interaction.

According to Azernews, during her visit, Leyla Aliyeva held heartfelt conversations with the seniors, listened to their recited poetry, observed their handmade creations, and received information about the content of ongoing activities and the centre’s future plans.

The ‘YASA’ network of centres has been established to support active, healthy, and meaningful lives for older adults. These centres are not only operating in Baku but also in Mingachevir and Shamakhi, providing opportunities for social engagement, learning, and active living for elderly citizens across various regions.

The court hearing scheduled for December 26 in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan has been postponed, Azernews reports.

The postponement followed an appeal by the defendant’s defense attorney, Emil Babishov, who requested that the hearing be delayed due to health-related issues. The court considered the lawyer’s request and decided to adjourn the proceedings.

The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for December 30.

Ruben Vardanyan is accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, and a range of other particularly serious offenses under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The charges include planning, preparing and waging a war of aggression; deportation and forced transfer of population; persecution; enforced disappearances; deprivation of liberty contrary to international law; torture; mercenary activity; violations of the laws and customs of war and international humanitarian law; intentional murder and attempted murder; illegal entrepreneurship; terrorism-related crimes; creation of a criminal association; acts threatening aviation safety; forcible seizure or retention of power; creation of illegal armed formations; and illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan.

Trkiye has launched its first national climate and disaster preparedness training program for children aged 4 to 8, responding to growing concerns over the country’s vulnerability to earthquakes and climate-related hazards, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

The initiative, developed through a partnership between Trkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the humanitarian organization Save the Children Trkiye, was officially unveiled on December 24, marking the start of a phased nationwide rollout, Save the Children Trkiye reported.

Implemented in coordination with the Ministry of National Education, the program aims to help children understand climate and disaster risks in an engaging and empowering way.

‘Many children in Trkiye are growing up facing a variety of risks, from earthquakes and fires to floods and the broader impacts of the climate crisis,’ said Berna Koroglu, Country Director of Save the Children Trkiye. ‘By working alongside AFAD, we have taken an important step to make these risks safer and more understandable for children.’

What’s in the Program?

The program features 16 interactive educational modules tailored for two age groups: 4-5 and 6-8 years old. Using stories, songs, art, and movement-based activities, the modules introduce basic concepts about climate, weather events, and practical actions children can take before, during, and after disasters.

Organizers say the content will be integrated into national education activities and gradually expanded across preschools and primary schools, with the aim of reaching millions of children.

The first rollout phase is currently underway in Istanbul, where teachers from all 39 districts are receiving specialized training. Implementation in other provinces will follow in stages.

AFAD officials emphasized that teacher training is essential for ensuring disaster awareness becomes a permanent part of classroom learning.

‘Teachers are our most valuable guides-the first point of contact for children, guiding them and reinforcing their sense of security,’ said Damla Dereli Bulut, Education and Awareness Services Branch Manager at AFAD’s Istanbul provincial directorate. ‘By bringing disaster awareness into classrooms, we can help ensure it becomes permanent and widespread across the country.’

Experts highlight that this initiative not only equips children with critical knowledge but also helps build resilience in communities, fostering a culture of preparedness from an early age.

A concert presentation titled “MughaMix”, featuring the teacher of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, international competition laureate, young talent award recipient, and tar player Ibrahim Babayev as the author and soloist, has taken place at the grand hall of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, Azernews reports. The concert showcased a fusion of traditional and modern musical elements.

The project showcased new presentation opportunities for national musical heritage by focusing on the synthesis of the traditional sound capabilities of the tar with modern electronic sounds.

At the opening of the event, the Rector of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, People’s Artist, Doctor of Art History, and Professor Kamila Dadash-zade, as well as the Advisor to the Culture Minister Jahangir Salimkhanov, spoke and emphasized the significance of the project in the development of national music traditions in line with the artistic and aesthetic demands of the modern era.

In the concert program, pianist Parviz Mammadov and percussionist Vafadar Ramiz performed as accompanists.

The concert program opened with the composition “MughaMix” by the author. Following this, the pieces included Hajibaba Hasanov’s “Unuda bilmir?m”, the Azerbaijani folk dance “Yayliq”, and “Fantasy” by Lala Jafarova based on the themes of Uzeyir Hajibayli’s operetta ” The Cloth Peddler” (arranged by the soloist), as well as Ibrahim Babayev’s “Portrait”. During the concert, live stage experiments involving the tar and pedal were also presented by Ibrahim Babayev and his students.

The event was attended by the faculty and student body of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, as well as art figures and art enthusiasts.

Azercell has significantly enhanced the digital entertainment experience by launching a fully updated and customer-focused version of the ‘Kinon’ application for Android devices. The latest update introduces expanded functionality and more flexible, user-friendly features designed to meet the evolving needs of subscribers.

The upgraded ‘Kinon’ app delivers faster content loading and smoother, more stable video playback. Its redesigned interface aligns with modern design principles, while optimized memory and battery management ensures efficient use of device resources.

The application offers access to over 260 local and international TV channels, and integrates leading global online cinema platforms, including Premier, Viju, and Wink, within a single seamless interface.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Quedlinburg became the venue for the presentation of the exhibition ‘Human and Nature in the Age of Loneliness,’ organized by I-opener e.V. and curated by Zuleykha Ibad, Azernews reports.

The eight-day program brought together artistic works, science-adjacent mediative formats, and public events prepared in collaboration with regional partners. The project was realized with the support of the city of Quedlinburg and Germany’s federal program ‘Demokratie leben!’.

The exhibition explored loneliness not only as a personal feeling, but also as the result of an environment overloaded with signals, information, and visual images, as well as technological, ecological, and institutional structures. The curatorial approach incorporated beer garden benches as symbols of public space, emphasizing that public life is only possible through active, practical participation.

The exhibition featured video works, paintings, and interactive digital projects by international artists. In the projects ‘Apocalypse Now?’ and ‘Spatium Fantasma,’ Benjamin Klo addressed the politics of images and signals; Vincent Jondot, in ‘Pelke,’ revealed the tension between restoration and exploitation; Clara Huang, in ‘Ontologies,’ contrasted different ways of understanding nature; and Ilyas Grunt investigated traces of infrastructure and ecological damage. The exhibition concluded with a video installation by Oliver Huang, inviting visitors to rethink the concepts of the ‘natural’ and the ‘artificial.’

Overall, the exhibition raised questions about the nature of contemporary loneliness and possible forms of attention in conditions of digital oversaturation.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov is holding a press conference on the results of 2025, Azernews reports.

The minister will answer questions from media representatives at the press conference.

The Azerbaijan Composers’ Union has hosted another event in the series dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Azerbaijani professional music, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Azernews reports.

The event featured the presentation of five books, the publication of which was timed to coincide with this significant anniversary. The publications were realized on the initiative of, and with the direct participation of, a member of the Azerbaijan Composers’ Union, outstanding musicologist, honored figure of science and art, recipient of the Sharaf Order, and academician Zemfira Safarova.

The authors of these works are researchers from the “History and Theory of Music” department of the Institute of Architecture and Art. The following books were presented: Zemfira Safarova – “The Patriarch of Azerbaijani Music Uzeyir Hajibayli” (in Russian, published by CBS, 2025); Zemfira Safarova – “Uzeyir Hajibayli: Life and Creative Career” (in English, published by Elm, 2025); Lala Kazimova – “Fuzuli Ghazals in Azerbaijani Music” (published by S?rq-Q?rb, 2025); Ulkyar Talibzade – “Academician Zemfira Safarova” (published by Elm, 2025); Sekhrana Gasimi – “Development of Azerbaijani Music: Analysis in the Cultural-Historical Context” (published by Elm v? T?hsil, 2025).

The presentation was opened with a welcoming speech by the Chairperson of the Azerbaijan Composers’ Union, People’s Artist, Corresponding Member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Professor Firangiz Alizade.

She noted that Academician Zemfira Safarova has devoted more than half a century to promoting the values of Azerbaijani musical culture:

“Being the founder of music source studies in the republic, she is the author of numerous scientific works illuminating previously unexplored pages of the country’s musical culture, as well as books and monographs dedicated to the history of Azerbaijani music. A special place in Zemfira Safarova’s scientific activity is occupied by the personality and creative work of the founder of Azerbaijani academic music, Uzeyir Hajibayli; she is the creator of a unique “Uzeyiriana,” presented in various foreign languages beyond our country,” F. Alizade said.

At the presentation, the President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Academician Isa Habibbayli, and the Director of the Institute of Architecture and Art, Corresponding Member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Professor Ertekin Salamzade, highlighted the significant contribution of Academician Zemfira Safarova to the development of musical science in the republic at the modern stage.

The presented books were discussed by Doctor of Arts, Professor Naila Rahimbayli; Doctor of Arts, Professor Irada Kocharli; Honored Cultural Worker, Doctor of Philosophy in Art Studies, Ulkar Talibzade; and musicologist Raya Abbasova.

The presentation was musically complemented by a performance of the music of the great Uzeyir Hajibayli: a fantasy on themes from the operetta “The Cloth Peddler” was performed by composer and pianist Sevda Mammadli.

The event concluded with a closing speech by Academician Zemfira Safarova, who thanked the leadership of the Azerbaijan Composers’ Union, represented by Firangiz Alizade, for the excellent organization of the presentation, after which all attendees had the opportunity to receive copies of the presented books.

Uzeyir Hajibayli significantly shaped national musical identity, achieving the distinction of composing the first opera in the Islamic world.

His opera “Leyli and Majnun” (1908) drew upon traditional folk music and dance, forms of expression transmitted orally.

Hajibayli’s subsequent operas, including “Sheyh Sanan,” “Rustam and Sohrab,” “Asli and Karam,” “Shah Abbas,” “Khurshudbanu and Harun,” and “Leyli,” also prominently featured national folk music elements, particularly mugham.

Beyond opera, Hajibayli composed three comedies: “Husband and Wife” (1910), “If not this one, that one” (1911), and “Arshin Mal Alan” (1913).

“Arshin Mal Alan,” or “The Cloth Peddler,” stands out as one of his most beloved and enduring operettas.

This operetta has enjoyed widespread international success, with performances in numerous languages across over 60 countries, encompassing the U.S., Austria, France, China, Greece, India, Russia, and Turkiye.