Category: Azer News

A joint meeting of the Committees on Legal Policy and State Building, Defense, Security and Combating Corruption, Human Rights, and Regional Issues of the Milli Majlis is underway to discuss the draft law ‘On the State Budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026’, Azernews reports.

The meeting focuses on reviewing key provisions of the draft budget, including projected revenues, expenditures, and borrowing limits for the coming fiscal year.

According to the draft, total revenues of the state budget for 2026 are projected at 38.6 billion manats (approximately $22.7 billion), while expenditures are expected to reach 41.7 billion manats (about $24.5 billion). Centralized revenues are forecast at 37.8 billion manats, and local revenues at 758.3 million manats. Expenditures include 40.9 billion manats in centralized spending and 759.1 million manats in local spending.

The upper limit of domestic borrowing is set at 2 billion manats ($1.17 billion), while foreign borrowing is capped at 6 billion manats ($3.52 billion). The ceiling for state guarantees to be issued during 2026 is projected at 3 billion manats ($1.76 billion).

The draft budget also sets the upper limit of the state budget deficit at 3.09 billion manats ($1.81 billion), to be financed through domestic and external borrowing as well as the balance of the unified treasury account, excluding privatization revenues.

The consolidated budget deficit, excluding revenues of institutions defined by the relevant executive authority, is projected at 16.9 billion manats ($9.9 billion).

The discussion of the draft law is expected to continue in upcoming committee sessions before being submitted for plenary consideration

TikTok has announced its first-ever TikTok Awards in the United States, set to take place on December 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Azernews reports.

The event will be streamed live on both TikTok and Tubi, the platform’s official streaming partner. Fans will be able to vote for their favorite creators through the TikTok Awards in-app hub, with voting opening November 18 and closing December 5.

This marks TikTok’s first major awards event in the U.S. Last year, the social media giant hosted similar celebrations in 21 countries, including South Korea, the UK/Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and Germany.

The awards are expected to highlight the most popular, creative, and influential TikTok creators, celebrating viral trends and content that have shaped the platform over the past year. Industry insiders suggest that the U.S. launch could be a major step toward TikTok establishing a global pop-culture presence, similar to traditional award shows like the Grammys or MTV Video Music Awards.

Meanwhile, TikTok’s rival, Instagram, recently announced its own Rings Awards program, in which the top 25 creators will receive both physical and digital rings, selected by a jury that includes Spike Lee, Marc Jacobs, and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. Analysts expect the competition between TikTok and Instagram for creator attention to intensify, as both platforms seek to cement their influence in the rapidly evolving social media landscape.

London, the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, hosted a concert titled ‘Melody of Unity, Harmony of Victory,’ featuring renowned Azerbaijani musician and Honored Artist Elchin Shirinov, who resides in England, Azernews reports.

The event took place at the prestigious Kings Place cultural center in commemoration of Azerbaijan’s Victory Day.

The concert, organized with the support of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan, brought together Azerbaijani compatriots residing in England, members of the local community, and distinguished guests. Among the attendees were Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Elin Suleymanov, and Head of Department at the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, Salhat Abbasova.

The event honored the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and provided a profound reflection on the nation’s illustrious history of Victory

Speakers recalled the unforgettable words of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, ‘Dear Shusha, you are free!’, once again emphasizing the profound historical significance of the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation, achieved through the resolve of the head of state and the bravery of the national army.

The event underscored the active involvement of Azerbaijanis abroad in the information campaign, as they joined the sacred struggle for the liberation of their homeland and conveyed the nation’s legitimate message to the international community through timely and persuasive evidence.

The concert presented jazz-style interpretations of Azerbaijani music performed by Elchin Shirinov, accompanied by a diverse ensemble of accomplished artists representing various national backgrounds.

Members of the Azerbaijani diaspora and the local community warmly received the performers’ exceptional artistry, once again emphasizing the significant role of ‘stage diplomacy’ in conveying Azerbaijan’s historic victory to the global audience.

? Persons who had special merits in the protection of territorial integrity have been awarded, Azernews reports.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree.

According to the decree, the persons were awarded for their special merits in preserving the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and for their bravery in carrying out combat missions.

The full list of the awarded personnel can be found here.

Energy cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan continues to play a crucial role in reducing the bloc’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, particularly Russian gas, as outlined in the EU’s ‘REPowerEU’ plan, Azernews reports.

EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen highlighted this in a written response to a European Parliament inquiry, noting the strategic importance of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC).

‘Since 2021, Azerbaijan’s gas supplies to the EU through the Southern Gas Corridor have increased by more than 40 per cent. The SGC is directly connected only to Azerbaijani gas fields and is not integrated with the country’s national gas transportation system. Therefore, it is not used to transport Russian gas to the EU,’ Jorgensen emphasised.

According to him, Azerbaijan imported less than 1 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia for domestic needs in 2023, a volume that sharply decreased in 2024-2025. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s total gas exports in 2024 exceeded 25 billion cubic meters, nearly half of which went to the EU market, a clear indication of the country’s major contribution to Europe’s energy diversification.

Jorgensen also reaffirmed the EU’s support for lasting peace in the South Caucasus, noting that ‘it is of utmost importance that both countries continue to make progress towards full normalisation of relations.’ He praised the initialling of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in Washington on August 8, 2025, calling it ‘a significant step toward ending the long-standing conflict,’ and reiterated that the EU ‘stands ready to support the implementation of the Washington agreements.’

Apple Inc. criticized European Union digital competition laws, warning that new regulations have made its platforms less secure, according to a letter CBS News unveiled on Thursday. The company said rules forcing it to open its App Store to rivals have increased risks of “fraud and scams”, Azernews reports.

In a letter to the European Commission, Apple Vice President Kyle Andeer accused officials of an “enforcement agenda” that weakens “the security and privacy of iOS and iPadOS.”

Earlier in April, Apple was fined pound 500 million for alleged App Store violations, citing that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requirements to allow external links have created new threats for consumers.

On November 7, Ganja State Philharmonic Hall will host a concert program titled “Eternal Brotherhood,” to mark the 5th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day Patriotic War, Azernews reports.

The event will take place with the joint organizational support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Ganja State Philharmonic Hall. The event starts at 18:00.

A special guest of the concert will be the Mehter Military Band of the Ministry of National Defense of Turkiye.

Azerbaijani artists will also participate in the program.

The concert, which reflects the spirit of Victory and the unbreakable brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, promises to deliver an unforgettable musical evening to the audience.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.

A joint lunch between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, took place on November 7, Azernews reports.

The European Union is reportedly regardingsuspending certain stages of the implementation of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) law following pressure from the United States and major technology companies, Azernews reports.

On November 19, the European Commission (EC) is set to unveil a ‘simplification package’, which aims to ease aspects of digital legislation, including the AI regulation that came into force in 2024.

According to the Financial Times, the proposal would give companies that violate AI rules a one-year ‘grace period’ to adjust their operations and comply with the new requirements. In addition, Brussels is considering postponing fines for breaches of transparency rules until August 2027, giving businesses more time to adapt to the regulations.

Negotiations over the package are ongoing within the EC and among EU member states, and the plan will need approval from a majority of member countries to take effect.

Industry analysts suggest the move could relieve regulatory pressure on tech firms, allowing them to innovate more freely while Europe works to balance innovation with ethical oversight. Critics warn, however, that delaying enforcement could weaken the effectiveness of the AI law, potentially allowing risky AI applications to continue without sufficient oversight.

Observers note that the debate highlights the delicate balance between technological competitiveness and regulatory responsibility, as Europe seeks to enforce ethical AI standards while remaining attractive to global tech companies. Some experts also speculate that the simplification package could set a precedent for other regions, influencing how AI regulation evolves worldwide.

Baku Music Academy (BMA) has hosted an international scientific-practical conference themed “Dialogue of Eastern and Western Music Cultures” as part of the festival dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibayli’s 140th anniversary, Azernews reports.

The conference was organised at a high level with the initiative of Narmin? Guliyeva, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Baku Music Academy, Honoured Teacher, PhD in Pedagogy, Professor, and Gulzar Mahmudova, Dean of the Department of History and Theory, Honoured Teacher, Doctor of Art Studies, Professor.

Scholars from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Russia, the USA, Germany, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the conference.

The hybrid format of the conference allowed over 50 participants from various countries to join. Presentations were made in four languages: Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian, and English.

The State Anthem was played at the opening of the conference.

The conference, moderated by Honoured Art Worker, PhD in Art Studies, Professor Zumrud Dadashzade, and Honoured Teacher, PhD in Art Studies, Professor Konul Nasirova, included presentations on various contemporary issues in music science.

BMA Rector, People’s Artist of the USSR and Azerbaijan, State Prize laureate, Professor Farhad Badalbayli, congratulated the participants and highlighted Uzeyir Hajibayli’s significant role in the development of Azerbaijan’s music culture.

Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Narmina Guliyeva, wished success to the conference participants.

The article collection titled “Uzeyir Hajibayli 140: A Lifetime in the Rhythm of War” and the “SABAH: Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow” journal, dedicated to the 140th anniversaries of Uzeyir Hajibayli and Muslim Magomayev, prepared by musicology students from Baku Music Academy’s SABAH groups, were presented as part of the international conference.

Representatives from the Baku Music Academy, the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, the Kazakh Kurmangazy National Conservatory, the Uzbekistan State Conservatory, the M. Tursunzade Tajikistan State Institute of Culture and Art, the M. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory, the S. Rakhmaninov Rostov State Conservatory, and the N. Zhiganov Kazan State Conservatory participated in the event and presented highly interesting and relevant topics.

At the end of the conference, all participants were awarded certificates.

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.