Category: Azer News

A former Islamic religious leader was sentenced to life in prison on Monday in the latest Syrian court trial of officials affiliated with the rule of ex-President Bashar Assad, AzerNEWS reports, citing Arab News.

Former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, an Assad loyalist who was vocally in support of the government’s policies, was convicted of inciting violence and justifying murder. He held the position of mufti from 2005 to 2021, when the position was abolished.

Judge Fakhreddine Al-Aryan, head of the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, said the official religious establishment under Assad’s rule had ‘justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas and caused widespread destruction, which constitutes a violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.’

Several other senior Assad-era officials – including Assad himself and his brother, Maher – have been sentenced to death in recent weeks, many of them in absentia. Hassoun was in custody and present in the court.

Some human rights groups have expressed concerns that the trials are being rushed and are potentially unfair, but the sentences have been welcomed by many Syrians who had previously expressed frustration that the new government was not moving with enough speed or strength against Assad-era figures.

Mass anti-government protests erupted in Syria in 2011 and were met by a brutal government crackdown, spiraling into a nearly 14-year civil war that left about half a million people dead and displaced more than half of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million.

The war ended with the ouster of Assad in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led insurgents in December 2024.

Footage of President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the Ismail Samani Mausoleum in Bukhara was posted on the president’s social media accounts.

The post reads:

‘The presidents and first ladies of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan visited the mausoleum of Ismail Samani in Bukhara.’

Saudi Arabia’s space economy is projected to expand nearly fourfold to $31.6 billion by 2035 from $8.7 billion in 2024, as the Kingdom seeks to build space and digital technologies into new engines of economic growth and sustainability, AzerNEWS reports, citing Arab News.

More than 50 percent of essential climate variables can be measured from space, according to the Digital and Space Sustainability Report 2026, published by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission with the support of the International Telecommunication Union. The report highlights the role of satellite technologies in climate monitoring, water management, agriculture, desertification and disaster response.

This comes as Saudi Arabia was projected last year to see its space economy grow at a compound annual rate of 12 percent through 2035, according to CST’s KSA Space Market Report 2025.

The expansion is part of a broader push to develop digital infrastructure and space-based services while using technology to address environmental challenges.

In opening remarks in the report, Abdullah Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: ‘Saudi Arabia is committed to unlocking the full potential of artificial intelligence and digital innovation as powerful enablers of sustainable development.’

He added: ‘We see AI as a force that can strengthen economies, empower people, protect the environment, and help address the defining challenges of our time.’

Internet penetration in the Kingdom reached 99.6 percent in 2025, placing Saudi Arabia among the world’s most connected countries, while fiber-optic coverage extended to more than 3.9 million homes, the report said.

The report also highlighted the Kingdom’s performance in the ITU’s ICT Development Index 2025, where Saudi Arabia scored 99.2 points, the highest score globally.

Digital adoption

Women’s participation in the digital sector climbed to 35 percent, the highest rate in the Middle East and North Africa region and above G20 and EU averages, up from 7 percent in 2018, according to the report.

Affirming the growth of Saudi Arabia’s technology sector, a report released by the General Authority for Statistics in June found that AI adoption among businesses in the Kingdom rose 20 percent from 2024 to 33.1 percent in 2025.

Contributing to economic growth

The digital economy contributed 15 percent to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, equivalent to SR459 billion ($122.4 billion), in 2024, according to the report. It also described Saudi Arabia as having the region’s largest ICT market.

Since 2012, Saudi Arabia has secured 16 World Summit on the Information Society awards and 47 certificates of excellence, the highest tally of any country in the region, the report said.

Sustainability gains

The report also records broader sustainability gains under the Saudi Green Initiative, saying more than 85 initiatives have been launched since 2021, including 10 that are fully completed.

It said the Kingdom had rehabilitated 1 million hectares of land, connected more than 3.6 gigawatts of renewable energy to the national grid, planted more than 161 million trees, protected 18.1 percent of terrestrial areas and 16.1 percent of marine areas, and released 10,000 wild animals into nature reserves and national parks.

The initiative aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, reduce emissions by 278 million tonnes annually by 2030, and protect 30 percent of the Kingdom’s terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, according to the report.

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) initiative could strengthen regional connectivity and support trade and investment over the medium term, according to SandP Global Ratings.

‘While the framework agreement on TRIPP establishes key principles for governance and sovereignty within the project, its implementation remains at an early stage. The project area, financing arrangements and precise terms of the concessions have yet to be agreed,’ SandP analysts said.

The agency also said the outcome of Armenia’s parliamentary elections could provide fresh momentum for the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and increase the prospects for the signing and implementation of a peace agreement.

‘In 2025, Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed the text of a peace agreement, but its signing and implementation remain dependent on the fulfillment of a number of conditions. In the view of experts, the prospects for progress toward formalizing the agreement could improve after the election period ends,’ SandP Global Ratings said.

According to the agency, further normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan could stimulate transit and trade across the region.

The TRIPP initiative is intended to establish a new transport connectivity framework in the South Caucasus, with its potential implementation expected to have implications for regional trade, investment and transit routes.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeted logistics centers operated by Ozon in the Russian cities of Adygeysk, Makhachkala, Nevinnomyssk, and Krasnodar.

According to the company’s press service, several employees were injured and a fire broke out at the logistics center in Makhachkala. No employees were injured in Adygeysk or Nevinnomyssk, and no significant damage to the facilities or goods was reported.

A fire also broke out at an Ozon warehouse in Krasnodar following the UAV attack. Employees were promptly evacuated, with no injuries reported among them. The facility has temporarily suspended the acceptance of deliveries.

Krasnodar came under a large-scale UAV attack during the night of August 23-24. According to Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, debris from one of the UAVs fell on a private children’s center, killing two children and injuring seven others. Two adults were also injured and hospitalized.

In addition, UAV debris fell on several apartment buildings and a facility under construction.

Ozon shares fell sharply following reports of attacks on the marketplace’s warehouses. On August 24, the company’s shares dropped 12.71% on the Moscow Exchange compared with Friday’s close, reaching 2,600.5 rubles per share.

Ozon is one of Russia’s largest online marketplaces and a major player in the country’s e-commerce sector. The company sells millions of products, ranging from clothing and electronics to food, while also operating its own network of pickup points and logistics centers.

Beyond its core marketplace, the Ozon Group includes Ozon Fresh, which provides express delivery of everyday goods; Ozon Global, which handles international deliveries; Ozon Bank, its financial services arm; and Ozon Travel, which offers bookings for air and rail tickets, hotels, and tours.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a scathing critique of Israel during an address to parliament, accusing international powers of cynically exploiting the “Armenian Genocide” for their own geopolitical motives.

Pashinyan explained that his administration decided to remove the international recognition of the events from Armenia’s foreign policy priorities, noting that recent actions by foreign governments validated this shift. He highlighted Israel’s short-lived momentum toward official recognition, which was abruptly halted shortly after it began.

The Prime Minister’s remarks follow decisions in Israel to drop the recognition issue from the Knesset’s agenda, preventing a vote following significant diplomatic pushback from Baku. Analysts point out that Israel’s initial move was never a genuine effort to address historical justice, but rather a tactical maneuver to pressure Ankara amid heightened diplomatic friction with Trkiye.

Pashinyan emphasized that Yerevan will no longer serve as a proxy tool in foreign conflicts. He warned that even if Armenians naively believe this historical narrative functions as a weapon in their own hands, history has proven that they ultimately suffer the consequences when it is discharged. By stepping back from this global campaign, Armenia aims to establish a more pragmatic foreign policy centered on current national interests rather than historical exploitation.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev told TASS News Agency on Sunday that Ukraine is “essentially close to a civil war.”

Medvedev commented on the nature of the conflict in Ukraine, arguing that during foreign invasions, such as World War 2, nations grow more united, which is not the case in Ukraine.

Last week, Medvedev claimed that Russia’s eastern neighbor “lost half of its population.” He assured that Russia will acquire “more and more” Ukrainian territories and is successful in withstanding the economic pressure from Western countries, which he described as “cynical scoundrels.”

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev concluded his state visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan on August 24.

At Bukhara International Airport, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were seen off by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his spouse, Ziroatkhon Mirziyoyeva.

Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), met with Kang Kim-gu, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Azerbaijan.

The sides discussed prospects for developing Azerbaijan-Korea economic relations, the growing strategic importance of the Middle Corridor in global supply chains, artificial intelligence and data-driven governance, regional data strategies, green transport corridors, and opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy.

Vusal Gasimli noted that the Middle Corridor is not merely a transit route connecting Asia and Europe, but also a multifaceted economic platform promoting trade, investment, production, energy cooperation, and regional integration. Azerbaijan’s strategic geographic location and modern transport and logistics infrastructure further strengthen its role as one of the corridor’s key hubs.

The meeting also highlighted that combining Korea’s advanced technological capabilities and expertise in smart logistics with Azerbaijan’s regional connectivity potential could create new opportunities for cooperation. The sides discussed prospects for digitalizing port and railway infrastructure, developing intelligent logistics systems, enabling real-time cargo tracking, and expanding paperless trade mechanisms.

It was emphasized that artificial intelligence, big-data analytics, and forecasting models can help optimize cargo flows, identify logistics risks in advance, and accelerate border-crossing procedures. The parties also exchanged views on cooperation in green logistics, reducing carbon emissions, using renewable energy sources, and transmitting green energy.

The meeting concluded with discussions on opportunities for joint research between analytical centers and research institutions of the two countries, expert exchanges, and the organization of joint events in relevant areas.

Azerbaijan’s national para-swimming team is continuing its preparations in Ganja ahead of the upcoming European Championships in Turkiye.

Raman Salei, Ali Valiyev and Murad Mammadov have been training at the Ganja Sports Palace since August 19 under coaches Faiq Asgarov and Fyodor Kirillov. The camp is scheduled to run until September 4, just days before the team heads to Kocaeli.

The 2026 World Para Swimming European Championships will take place from September 7 to 12 at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool in Kocaeli. The competition will bring together elite para-swimmers from across Europe and will feature 166 medal events over six days.

This year’s championship will be the eighth edition of the European Para Swimming Championships and the first time Turkiye has hosted the event. The competition is also an important stage for athletes working towards the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

The programme includes a wide range of events across different para-swimming classifications, from freestyle and backstroke to breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley, as well as mixed relay races.

For Azerbaijan’s swimmers, the training camp in Ganja provides the final opportunity to sharpen their form before the six-day European competition begins.