Category: Azer News

The United States Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) re-designated Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Thursday, “for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.”

The Treasury also sanctioned 10 individuals that are part of a network responsible for transferring cash to the militia. The department claimed that the network uses couriers travelling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the UAE, and Iran to move up to hundreds of millions of dollars between jurisdictions.

Hezbollah was originally designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department in 1997 and under global terrorism authorities in 2001, meaning the move updates and reinforces existing terrorism classifications rather than introducing a brand-new legal authority.

Jyrtdan and Goychay Fatma, two beloved characters from Azerbaijani folklore, have been named the official mascots of the 2026 CEV Women’s Volleyball European Championship matches in Baku.

The two fairy-tale characters will play a special role during the tournament, helping create a lively atmosphere for fans while highlighting Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage.

Jyrtdan, known for his courage, resourcefulness and energy, is expected to bring excitement to the stands and entertain spectators throughout the competition. Goychay Fatma, known for her grace and sincerity, will represent Azerbaijani hospitality and help introduce the country’s traditions to visiting fans.

The two characters will serve not only as the mascots of the championship but also as symbols promoting Azerbaijan’s rich cultural heritage and national values.

The 2026 CEV Women’s Volleyball European Championship will be jointly hosted by Azerbaijan, Turkiye, the Czech Republic and Sweden from August 21 to September 6. Group C matches will be played in Azerbaijan, with the national teams of Azerbaijan, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and Spain competing in the group.

Baku will host the Group C matches at the National Gymnastics Arena from August 21 to 28.

Bulgaria will provide pound 20 million this year to support preparations for the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Burgas, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said following a meeting with Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov.

Ivo Hristov, who is overseeing the interdepartmental committee responsible for organizing the contest, said the government intends to provide full support for the event. The funding will cover the initial costs of hosting Eurovision, including a pound 15 million guarantee required to begin the organizational process. The remaining funds will be used for preparations and other immediate expenses.

Additional funding is expected to be included in Bulgaria’s 2027 state budget as work on the contest continues.

One of the city’s main priorities is getting the venue ready for the competition. A test concert is planned before the end of 2026, with experts from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) expected to take part. The event will allow organizers to assess the venue’s logistics, acoustics, technical equipment and overall suitability for Eurovision.

Preparations will also involve improving transport, accommodation and other infrastructure needed to accommodate the large number of visitors expected during the competition.

Burgas was selected as the host city for Eurovision 2027 earlier this month after Bulgaria secured its first-ever victory in the contest. Bulgarian singer DARA won Eurovision 2026 in Vienna with her song ‘Bangaranga’, earning 516 points. She finished 173 points ahead of Israel’s Noam Bettan, setting the largest winning margin in Eurovision history.

The 2026 victory marked a historic moment for Bulgaria, which returned to the competition after a three-year absence. DARA’s win also means the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Bulgaria for the first time in 2027.

The 2027 contest will take place in Bulgaria in May, bringing one of Europe’s biggest television and music events to the country’s Black Sea coast.

Nijat Tagizade, a graduate of the European Azerbaijan School (EAS) and a high-achieving student of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, has been admitted to Stanford University in the United States. With an IB Diploma score of 43/45, Nijat will pursue a degree in Data Science at Stanford.

The achievement marks the launch of the EAS Scholarship Programme for Leading Universities, an initiative established by European Azerbaijan School founder Tale Heydarov to support high-achieving graduates of the school in pursuing studies at the world’s leading universities.

Under this initiative, the school will cover the full cost of Nijat’s tuition at Stanford. In addition to financial support, the programme offers selected students mentorship throughout their university studies, as well as ongoing engagement opportunities through the EAS alumni network.

Nijat Tagizade studied at EAS for 12 years, starting from pre-school age, during which time he took part in international olympiads, science, robotics, and leadership projects alongside his academic achievements. According to him, his years at the school played an important role not only in building academic knowledge but also in developing leadership skills, open-mindedness, and the ability to work in teams, while the IB Diploma Programme helped him both in the Stanford admissions process and in adapting to a demanding academic environment. His academic record also includes a score of 1530 on the SAT and 8.0 on the IELTS.

Nijat’s achievements extend well beyond his IB results. He has won silver medals at competitions such as VILIPO, iWise, and the BUCE IMSEF Mathematics competition, reached the semi-final of the National Informatics Olympiad, and won two gold medals at the World Scholar’s Cup. Through the “Tomorrow’s Scientists” competition, he secured a place at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), where he won the Grand Award, making him only the second participant from Azerbaijan in the competition’s history to receive this honour. He has also served as captain of Azerbaijan’s FIRST Global robotics team, founded the “React Right” initiative focused on support technologies for natural disasters, participated in summer programmes at Stanford and Boston universities, and presented his research on wildfire risk forecasting at an international conference.

His father, Dayanat Taghizade, noted that this achievement reflects both Nijat’s personal hard work and the environment fostered by the school, adding that the family worked closely with the school throughout the admissions process. Nijat, for his part, said that his parents’ financial and emotional support played an important role along the way.

Gulzar Abbasbayli, Mathematics Teacher and Olympiad Coordinator at EAS, noted that Nijat had been consistently preparing for projects, research, and Olympiads, and that the school’s continuous support had played a significant role in this process.

The school’s University Admissions Counseling Service also played an important part in Nijat’s admission to Stanford. University Counselor Gulnar Guliyeva said that his interest in data technologies had been evident since his school years, and that Stanford provides the right environment for developing this interest further, adding that she takes great pride in his success.

EAS Chief Executive Officer Francesco Banchini said that Nijat’s achievement is a great source of pride for the entire school community.

“Nijat is one of EAS’s highest-achieving students, and we are immensely proud to see him begin this new chapter of his education at Stanford University,” said Francesco Banchini.

According to him, the Scholarship Programme established by the school is intended as a long-term support mechanism to help high-achieving students realize their ambitions of studying at the world’s leading universities.

This success story demonstrates the significance of the European Azerbaijan School’s commitment to educational support and its Scholarship Programme for leading universities. The school’s high academic standards, ongoing mentorship, and the professional approach of its University Admissions Counseling Service enable high-achieving graduates to realize their ambitions of studying at the world’s top universities. This initiative reflects not only individual success stories but also the long-term contribution of investment in quality education in Azerbaijan, laying the groundwork for more talented young people to achieve similar accomplishments in the future.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder and longtime leader of Apple, may have owed part of his success to an unexpected customer: the U.S. intelligence community. In the 1980s, his new company, NeXT, reportedly received a major order for computers from U.S. government agencies. The story was reported by The Wall Street Journal, based on excerpts from a book by former WSJ journalist Sharon Weinberger.

In 1985, Jobs left Apple after a serious conflict with the company’s management and founded NeXT. The company produced powerful workstations with high-quality displays, but they were extremely expensive for ordinary consumers. Jobs hoped that universities would become the main customers, but sales were far below expectations.

Things changed when U.S. intelligence agencies became interested in NeXT computers. According to Weinberger, government officials wanted around 20,000 machines and expected the entire order to be delivered within about a year. To help NeXT increase production, specialists from Sun Microsystems were brought in. Sun was already working with U.S. government agencies, which made the cooperation easier.

NeXT computers were reportedly used by organizations involved in intelligence and satellite-image processing. In particular, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) used the machines to process satellite imagery and prepare briefing materials for government officials and national leaders. Some of the workstations were later modified with more powerful components and specialized graphics hardware to improve their performance.

The government deal gave NeXT valuable financial support at a critical moment and helped the company expand its production capabilities. But the most interesting part of the story came years later. In 1996, Apple acquired NeXT for about $400 million, and Steve Jobs returned to the company he had co-founded.

NeXT’s technology turned out to be far more important than its sales numbers suggested. Its operating system, NeXTSTEP, became the technological foundation of Mac OS X and later influenced the software platforms used across Apple’s ecosystem.

There is an interesting twist to the story: a company that Jobs created after being pushed out of Apple, and which struggled to sell expensive computers, eventually provided the technology that helped transform Apple into the company we know today.

So, in a strange way, a government order for computers may have helped keep NeXT alive long enough for Steve Jobs to return to Apple-and ultimately reshape the future of the tech industry.

Karabakh is entering a new phase of development as large-scale reconstruction increasingly shifts towards the creation of industrial, logistics and investment opportunities, Euronews reported in a feature titled ‘This region’s reconstruction drives investment, industry and new opportunities.’

The report highlighted the emergence of new economic zones in the Aghdam and Jabrayil regions, where manufacturing, industry and logistics projects are being developed to attract businesses and investment. Tax incentives are also being used to encourage private-sector activity and support the region’s economic revival.

The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Shusha region said the objective is to build a region oriented towards long-term and sustainable development rather than simply restore what existed before.

The reconstruction of Shusha, meanwhile, presents a particularly complex challenge. The Chief Architect of the Shusha City State Reserve, who has been involved in the city’s restoration, described the task as starting ‘almost from scratch.’

According to the report, the reconstruction process is also incorporating modern technologies and approaches. Renewable energy resources, digital planning, drone-based aerial surveys and advanced mapping technologies are being used to help redesign the region in accordance with future development needs.

The report noted that the transformation is therefore extending beyond the reconstruction of residential areas and infrastructure. New industrial and logistics zones are intended to create employment, encourage investment and establish the economic foundations for the long-term development of Karabakh.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on August 30, opening a new chapter in the study of exoplanets, dark energy and the large-scale structure of the universe.

The observatory is designed to investigate some of the biggest questions in modern astronomy, including why the universe’s expansion is accelerating and how galaxies and planetary systems have evolved. Its wide field of view will allow scientists to survey huge areas of the sky far more efficiently than the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA says Roman’s field of view will be at least 100 times larger than Hubble’s, allowing it to capture vast panoramic views of the cosmos.

One of Roman’s main goals will be to study dark energy, the mysterious component believed to be responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. By mapping billions of galaxies and studying how their distribution changes across cosmic history, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of how dark energy has influenced the universe.

The telescope will also search for exoplanets. Using gravitational microlensing, Roman is expected to discover thousands of planets beyond our solar system and provide researchers with a broader picture of planetary systems in the Milky Way.

Roman will also help scientists study dark matter by mapping the distribution and evolution of galaxies. Its observations will provide information that can be used to examine weak gravitational lensing, a phenomenon in which the gravity of massive objects subtly distorts the light coming from more distant galaxies.

Another important feature of the mission is access to its data. NASA says Roman’s survey data will be made publicly available without a proprietary period, allowing researchers around the world to work with the observations.

The telescope was originally proposed in 2010 as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). It was later renamed the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in honour of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and one of the key figures behind the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. She is widely known as the ‘mother of Hubble.’

NASA currently plans to launch Roman on August 30 at 7:26 a.m. EDT (11:26 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy will carry the telescope into space.

After launch, Roman will travel to the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. From this position, the telescope will have a stable and largely unobstructed view of the universe.

The mission is currently planned to operate for five years, with the possibility of an extended mission.

Its observations are expected to produce an enormous amount of data and give astronomers new opportunities to study everything from distant galaxies and black holes to planets within and beyond our galaxy.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted on Friday that its forces opened fire at Palestinians, including a teenager, who were throwing stones at Israeli settlers in the area of the village of Sa’ir, north of Hebron in the West Bank.

The military explained that the group of Israeli civilians “were on an unauthorized excursion” along the outskirts of the village when they were targeted with stones.

“A security officer fired shots in the area and there are Palestinian casualties as a result of the gunfire,” it said.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry previously said that a Palestinian 17-year-old died after being shot by Israeli settlers in the incident.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has referred to the village of Tigranashen in Armenia’s Ararat Province by its Azerbaijani toponym, Kyarki, while discussing the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Speaking at a briefing, Pashinyan said the border should be established in a manner that avoids creating difficulties for residents living on either side. He recalled that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to base the delimitation process on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration and the maps in force at the time.

According to Pashinyan, those maps show Artsvashen as Armenian territory, while Kyarki, Barkhudarlu and Yukhari Askipara are not part of Armenia.

“According to these maps, Artsvashen is Armenian territory, while Kyarki, Barkhudarlu and Yukhari Askipara are not,” Pashinyan said.

He noted, however, that there are other sections where the maps do not correspond to the situation on the ground, including areas around Jermuk, other parts of Vayots Dzor and Tavush.

Pashinyan said these issues would have to be resolved but ruled out a military solution.

“This is a chapter of the past that has been closed,” he said, stressing that a solution should be found that is acceptable to both sides and takes into account the interests of people living in the affected areas.

The Armenian prime minister also addressed the situation of people displaced from Artsvashen, an Armenian village that came under Azerbaijani control following the first Karabakh war.

Pashinyan said he had met with Artsvashen residents several times and that not all displaced people want to return to the village.

He added that Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet reached formal agreements on how to address the issue of the affected territories and displaced populations.

According to Pashinyan, the matter should ultimately be resolved peacefully and without conflict, as part of the broader process of Armenian-Azerbaijani border delimitation.

Armenia plans to formalize peace with Azerbaijan and normalize ties with Trkiye

The Armenian government plans to formalize peace with Azerbaijan, establish diplomatic relations with Trkiye and deepen strategic ties with the European Union and the United States under its 2026-2031 government programme.

The programme was presented by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a government meeting, outlining Yerevan’s foreign-policy priorities for the coming five years.

According to the programme, the Armenian government will continue the delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border while working toward the institutionalisation of peace between the two countries. This is expected to include the signing of a peace treaty and other legal agreements, as well as expanding contacts between the two countries’ civil society and business communities.

Yerevan also plans to pursue the normalisation of relations with Trkiye, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the land border.

The government intends to open at least two modern border checkpoints with Trkiye. One of them, the Margara checkpoint in Armenia’s Armavir Province, has already been prepared on the Armenian side.

The programme also envisages the relaunch of energy infrastructure as part of the broader process of Armenian-Turkish normalisation.

At the same time, Armenia plans to develop strategic relations with the European Union, the United States, Iran and Georgia, while maintaining multilateral relations with Russia.

Azerbaijan Culture Ministry has held a meeting with writers and publishers to discuss publication purchases, upcoming book fair preparations, and ongoing library reforms.

The meeting discussed the results of the competition for the purchase of publications, the 12th Baku International Book Fair to be held in October, and reforms being carried out in the library sector.

Deputy Culture Minister Farid Jafarov said that the purchase of publications is being carried out transparently by the Commission on the Preparation of the Publishing Plan and the Purchase of Publishing Products. Priority is being given to increasing the number of children’s books, as well as academic and popular science publications that are underrepresented in library collections.

It was noted that the 12th Baku International Book Fair, scheduled to take place from October 21 to 27, will be dedicated to children.

This year’s fair will be held under the slogan, “Life Is Bigger Than a Screen: One Child, One Book, One Real World.” Registration for participation in the fair will remain open until September.

The country’s largest book exhibition-festival is organized by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry in accordance with the “Azerbaijan Culture – 2040” Concept.

Speaking about the reforms being implemented in the library sector, Farid Jafarov noted that the goal is to bring the level of library services in line with modern requirements and ensure greater access to books for readers.

Writers and publishers who spoke at the meeting emphasized the importance of improvements being made in the library sector and expressed their support for the process.