Category: Azer News

This year marks the 145th anniversary of Abdulla Shaig, one of the most influential figures in Azerbaijani literature, AzerNEWS reports.

A poet, prose writer, playwright, translator, and educator, Shaig was honored as an Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1941.

Born on February 24, 1881, in Tiflis (now Tbilisi, Georgia), Abdulla Shaig came from a family of scholars. His fascination with poetry and literature emerged at the age of seven while studying at the city school in Tiflis, where he memorized poems in Azerbaijani, Russian, and Persian. His first textbook, “V?t?n Dili”, included the fables of I.A. Krylov, translated by Hasanaliaga Khan Garadaghi.

After completing his early education, Shaig moved with his family to Khorasan, Iran, where he studied Persian, Arabic, and classical Eastern literature. Spending about eight years in Iran, he returned to Tiflis and shortly thereafter relocated with his family to Baku.

In Baku, Shaig mastered Russian through self-education and passed the exam to become a teacher in Russian-Azerbaijani schools. He combined his pedagogical work with literary pursuits, creating stories and poems that vividly depicted the lives of workers and peasants. His early short story “The Letter Did Not Arrive” tells the tragic tale of a worker from Iran who dies in a Baku oil well.

The writer began publishing in 1906, producing plays, stories, poems, and long-form narratives. In the 1920s, he taught in schools while continuing to write, publishing the play “Lightning” and completing “Deceived Stars”, an adaptation of a story by M.F. Akhundov.

Abdulla Shaig is widely recognized as Azerbaijan’s first writer for children. His whimsical, lyrical tales “Tyk-Tyk Khanum”, “Good Friend”, and others as well as plays like “Good Spring” and “The Shepherd”, remain beloved by Azerbaijani schoolchildren to this day.

His plays also enjoyed great success on stage. Beginning in 1938, works such as “Khasay” and “El-oglu” captivated audiences at the Theater of the Young Spectator. That same year, a collection of his translations of 97 Krylov fables was published. In 1946, his play “Nushabe” premiered at the Azerbaijan Drama Theater.

A prolific translator, Abdulla Shaig introduced Azerbaijani readers to the works of Nizami Ganjavi, Ferdowsi, Saadi, Rumi, Shakespeare, Swift, Defoe, Krylov, Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, Chekhov, Gorky, and others. His own works have been translated into Russian, Georgian, Uzbek, and numerous other languages.

Abdulla Shaig passed away on July 24, 1959, in Baku at the age of 78.

His name lives on through the Azerbaijan State Puppet Theater, founded in 1931 and named after him in 1974, and the Abdulla Shaig House Museum, opened in Baku in 1990 in the very apartment where he and his family once lived.

The Italian automaker Lamborghini has decided to abandon plans for a fully electric car, citing high development costs and limited consumer interest, AzerNEWS reports.

‘This decision comes after more than a year of extensive internal discussions, engagement with customers and dealers, as well as thorough market analysis,’ said the company’s CEO. He added that investing in fully electric vehicles ‘when the market and our customer base are not ready would be an expensive hobby and financially irresponsible toward shareholders, customers, employees, and their families.’

In 2023, Lamborghini unveiled a concept for the all-electric Lanzador, featuring two electric motors and all-wheel drive. Production had been tentatively planned for 2028, but the project has now been shelved.

Instead, Lamborghini will focus on developing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). According to the company, by 2030 all of its models will feature hybrid powertrains, while traditional internal combustion engines will continue ‘for as long as possible,’ preserving the brand’s iconic sound and performance.

Lamborghini is part of Audi, which in turn belongs to the German Volkswagen Group. In 2025, the company set a record by selling 10,747 cars. Europe and the Middle East remain its largest markets, while U.S. sales declined by nearly 10%.

The strong performance of Lamborghini’s Revuelto hybrid supercar contributed significantly to these results, with prices starting at £450,000 ($605,000). The plug-in hybrid Urus SUV, starting at around £210,000 ($285,000), also sold well. Last year, Lamborghini expanded its hybrid lineup with the Temerario, priced from £260,000 ($350,000).

Despite halting its fully electric program, Lamborghini continues to push technological boundaries. The hybrid models combine the brand’s signature roar with eco-friendly efficiency, offering a glimpse into the future of high-performance supercars that balance speed, style, and sustainability.

The British Embassy in Azerbaijan has stated that the United Kingdom is ready to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan in the water sector.

As reported by AzerNEWS, speaking at a roundtable in Baku titled ‘Water Security in Azerbaijan: Regulation, Risks and Responsible Business Conduct,’ embassy representative Elvin Raziyev noted that both countries face similar water-related challenges.

‘Both of our countries are dealing with aging infrastructure, rising demand, flood risks, and the urgent need to modernize water treatment systems. These shared challenges create real opportunities for cooperation. The UK is ready to work with Azerbaijan in the water sector through expertise, innovation, and financing of concrete projects,’ he said.

Raziyev also emphasized that relations between the UK and Azerbaijan are currently at their strongest point in history. Last year, the two sides agreed to elevate ties to a strategic partnership level, with a particular focus on expanding cooperation in energy, connectivity, infrastructure, and innovation. According to him, the water sector is among the areas with significant potential for deeper collaboration.

The UEFA Champions League play-off round continues today with the start of the second-leg matches, AzerNEWS reports.

The opening match of the day will take place in Spain, where Atlético Madrid will face Belgian club Club Brugge. The first leg of this encounter ended in a 3-3 draw.

Other matches will see Bayer Leverkusen host Olympiacos, Inter Milan take on Bodø/Glimt, and Newcastle United face Qarabag.

The schedule for the UEFA Champions League play-off round second-leg matches on February 24 is as follows. Atlético Madrid will play against Club Brugge at 21:45, with the first leg having ended 3-3.

Bayer Leverkusen will host Olympiacos at midnight, after winning 2-0 in the first leg. At the same time, Inter Milan will face Bodø/Glimt, having lost 1-3 in the first leg. Also at midnight, Newcastle United will host Qarabag, following a 6-1 victory in the first leg.

The remaining play-off matches will take place on February 25.

The UEFA Champions League is a continental tournament that brings together the best teams from Europe’s top domestic leagues.

It is widely regarded as the pinnacle of club football, attracting millions of fans worldwide.

Clubs from UEFA’s member countries compete for the title, which is seen as the ultimate achievement for European club teams.

The format of the UEFA Champions League has evolved over time.

The current structure includes several stages: Qualifying Rounds, Group Stage, Knockout Rounds and Final.

The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League marks the 71st edition of Europe’s top club football competition, and the 34th since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

The final will take place on May 30, 2026, at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

With the support of Azercell, Azerbaijani students successfully participated in the 10th ‘Info1Cup’ programming competition

The 10th ‘Info1Cup’ programming competition was held in Romania, bringing together 189 students from 16 countries. Azerbaijani students joined the competition online and achieved remarkable results, securing a total of 6 medals: 1 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze.

The gold medal was awarded to Fateh Ahmadzade, a 10th-grade student of the Lyceum named after Academician Zarifa Aliyeva. Silver medals were earned by Omar Alimammedzade, a 10th-grade student of the Trkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) Baku Turkish High School, as well as Elay Verdiyev and Akbar Ahmadov, 10th-grade students of the Physics, Mathematics and Informatics Biased Lyceum. Bronze medals were won by Atilla Mustafa, a 10th-grade student of the Trkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) Baku Turkish High School, and Merd Jafarzade, a 10th-grade student of the Sumgayit Natural Sciences Gymnasium.

Since 2017, Azercell Telecom has been supporting the preparation of Azerbaijani students for international informatics Olympiads. Through this long-term initiative, students representing various age groups and regions of the country have achieved significant success in prestigious international competitions, earning a total of 114 medals to date.

Slovakia has stopped supplying electricity to Ukraine, Slovak media reported, citing Prime Minister Robert Fico, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the TA3 TV channel, Fico said that from today, Slovakia will not provide electricity to Ukraine even if Kyiv requests assistance to stabilize its energy system.

Slovakia stopped emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine on Monday after Bratislava’s ultimatum over the Druzhba oil pipeline expired, escalating a dispute over Russian oil transit halted by what Kyiv says was a Russian drone attack last month.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the decision in a video statement, saying Ukraine will no longer receive assistance to stabilise its energy network.

“From today, if Ukraine asks Slovakia for help stabilising its energy network, it will not receive such help,” Fico said.

The Slovak leader issued an ultimatum on Saturday, demanding Kyiv restore oil flows by Monday or face the cut-off of emergency electricity supplies.

Fico said Slovakia’s ambassador in Kyiv was prevented from visiting the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline. “Stopping oil flow is a purely political decision to blackmail Slovakia,” he said.

If Ukraine does not restore oil transit, Slovakia is prepared to take further measures including reconsidering its support for Ukraine’s EU membership, Fico warned.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the move, describing Fico’s ultimatum as “blackmail” that plays into Russia’s hands. “Ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv,” the ministry said in a statement Sunday.

The Druzhba pipeline stopped operating on 27 January after what Ukraine said was a Russian drone strike on equipment near Brody in western Ukraine.

Ukraine said at the time its technicians were conducting detailed technical inspections of the damaged equipment while working under constant threat of further Russian strikes. In the meantime, Kyiv has proposed alternative transit routes including the Odesa-Brody pipeline while emergency repairs continue.

Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán dispute Ukraine’s account, claiming there are no technical obstacles to resuming supplies.

Fico said Slovakia’s ambassador was prevented from visiting the damaged section of the pipeline. He has not mentioned the Russian drone attack in any public statements.

Hungary suspended diesel deliveries to Ukraine last week and threatened to block a pound 90bn EU loan package to Kyiv if Russian oil supplies are not restored.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also said Budapest would block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia.

Several EU foreign ministers criticised Budapest’s decision, including Germany’s Johann Wadephul, who said he was “astonished by the Hungarian position”.

Slovakia declared a state of oil emergency after the pipeline shutdown to ensure its refinery can meet domestic demand.

Tuesday marks the fourth year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Over the course of the past four years, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets in its daily drone and missile attacks, aiming to demoralise Ukrainians, especially during the harsh winter months.

As the dust settles on the Chinese New Year celebrations of 2026, the global technology landscape finds itself staring at a new reality. While traditional fireworks illuminated the skies over Beijing and Shanghai, a different kind of brilliance was being showcased on television screens and in laboratory corridors. From the fluid, brush-stroke precision of ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 to the uncanny agility of Unitree’s humanoid robots, China has signaled that its “100 Model War” in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved beyond domestic competition into a phase of global leadership.

Seedance Breakthrough

The most visual testament to this progress appeared during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. In a segment titled “A Song of the Wind,” the national treasure-grade ink painting “The Six Jaguars” was brought to life. Historically, animating traditional Chinese ink wash paintings, a medium defined by its ethereal textures and deliberate use of negative space, was considered a monumental challenge for computer graphics. Yet, through ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0, the six horses were not merely animated; they were imbued with a “galloping spirit” that maintained the rhythmic strength of the original brushwork.

Seedance 2.0 represents a pivot in the evolution of generative AI. While much of the global focus has remained on large language models (LLMs) centered on text, Chinese tech giants have pivoted toward complex video generation and multi-modal interaction. Tan Dai, President of Volcano Engine, noted that the model was trained on vast repositories of oriental aesthetic materials. This cultural tailoring allows the AI to handle camera language and complex interactive presentations with a level of nuance that previous iterations lacked.

The industry had projected that such breakthroughs in high-fidelity, aesthetically controlled video generation would take another two to three years. The arrival of Seedance 2.0 suggests that China’s development cycle is accelerating. This is not just about entertainment; the ability of AI to interpret and generate high-density visual information is a precursor to more advanced applications in digital twins, urban planning, and sophisticated human-computer interfaces.

Beyond the screen, the intelligence driving these systems is becoming more autonomous. A key theme emerging from the recent upgrades by Alibaba and other tech leaders is the transition from “chatbots” to “intelligent agents.” Unlike standard AI that responds to prompts, these agents possess a functional IQ and EQ, capable of executing complex, multi-step tasks in the real world.

Alibaba’s release of the Qianwen 3.5 base model marks a significant milestone in this regard. Moving away from pre-training on simple text, Qianwen 3.5 is built on a mixture of visual and textual data. It can process up to two hours of video input, demonstrating spatial reasoning and disciplinary problem-solving skills that rival human performance in specific domains. A practical application of this is already visible in the Qianwen App’s shopping agent, which can navigate multiple parameters to resolve consumer issues without requiring the user to navigate through disparate platforms.

What makes this surge particularly noteworthy is the backdrop of international trade restrictions. Despite export controls on high-end semiconductors, Chinese firms are proving remarkably adept at “doing more with less.” US analysts have observed that China is achieving significant breakthroughs by optimizing software to run on domestic hardware. Huawei’s Ascend chips, for instance, are now providing the foundational training support for these massive models. This synergy between domestic silicon and home-grown algorithms suggests that the “bottleneck” intended to slow China’s tech ascent has instead acted as a catalyst for a more self-reliant and integrated ecosystem.

Humanoid Horizon

If Seedance 2.0 provides the “brain,” then firms like Unitree Robotics are providing the “body.” The sight of dozens of humanoid robots performing synchronized, fluid movements during the New Year festivities was more than a choreographed spectacle; it was a commercial declaration of intent. Unitree, a leader in the field, has set an ambitious target of selling 20,000 humanoid units following their gala performance, signaling that the era of the personal or industrial robot is no longer a distant sci-fi trope.

The technical specifications of these machines-capable of backflips, navigating uneven terrain, and mimicking human gait with startling accuracy-point to a maturation in mechanical engineering and sensory integration. In China’s vision of the future, these robots are the physical extension of AI agents. They are designed to work in factories, assist in elderly care, and perform hazardous tasks, bridging the gap between digital intelligence and physical labor.

International observers are taking note. While the US currently holds a lead in high-end general intelligence research, China is dominating the “application layer”-the phase where technology is scaled, commercialized, and integrated into the fabric of daily life. The “100 Model War” has created a hyper-competitive environment that forces companies to innovate at a breakneck pace.

The rapid succession of releases from the likes of Zhipu, Xiyu Technology, and the “Dark Side of the Moon” (Moonshot AI) indicates that China’s tech industry has reached a critical mass. The sheer volume of data, the massive domestic market, and a clear national strategy have converged to create a unique momentum.

The Economic Zones Development Agency (IZIA) has reported a banner year for Azerbaijan’s industrial sector, marked by a surge in foreign investment and robust export performance across its primary economic zones, AzerNEWS reports.

Seymur Adigozelov, Chairman of the Board of IZIA, shared the 2025 year-end results during a press conference, highlighting the transformative impact of the country’s industrial hubs on the non-oil economy.

As the largest industrial park in the South Caucasus, the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park continues to anchor Azerbaijan’s industrial output. With 40 registered residents currently operating in the zone, the park’s 2025 statistics reflect its dominant market position:

Total Sales: 2.2 billion manats (~$1.29 billion)

Total Exports: 1.1 billion manats (~$647 million)

Adigozelov noted that these figures underscore the park’s leading role in driving the nation’s overall industrial results and diversifying the export portfolio.

Now the second-largest park in the country by resident count, the Agdam Industrial Park has become a vital component of regional revitalization. To date, 32 business entities have been granted residency, with an additional 5 recognized as non-residents.

Key performance indicators for the Agdam zone include:

Total Investment: 145.8 million manats (~$85.76 million) invested by entrepreneurs.

Total Sales: 1.4 billion manats (~$823.53 million).

Total Exports: 62.3 million manats (~$36.65 million).

Employment: Approximately 1,000 permanent jobs have been created, with hiring preference given to residents of Agdam and surrounding regions.

The Chairman also highlighted a massive shift in international investor confidence. Comparing current figures to the previous decade, the growth in foreign capital is stark:

2016 Foreign Investment: 10.4 million manats (~$6.12 million)

2025 Foreign Investment: 87.9 million manats (~$51.71 million)

NASA has once again postponed its historic Artemis II lunar mission after engineers detected a helium flow issue overnight on Feb. 20-21 in the agency’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

Artemis II had been scheduled to send four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon as early as next week. The launch is now targeted for no earlier than April, pending further technical assessments.

Engineers identified a problem with helium flow to the rocket’s upper stage, known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. Helium plays a critical role in purging the engine and pressurizing propellant tanks, ensuring stable fuel delivery. Without proper helium flow, safe launch operations cannot proceed.

To investigate the issue, NASA will roll the SLS rocket and its Orion capsule off the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center and return them to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). According to the agency, this step is necessary to diagnose the root cause and carry out repairs.

The delay comes just days after what appeared to be a major milestone. During a successful wet dress rehearsal, teams loaded more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and completed a simulated countdown. The smooth test prompted optimism from NASA officials.

Lori Glaze, NASA’s Moon to Mars program manager, described the growing anticipation, saying excitement for Artemis II was ‘really starting to build.’

However, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman later confirmed that the helium system issue prevented proper flow through the vehicle, forcing a delay.

NASA is now examining several potential causes, including ground-to-rocket interfaces, filters, and valves. Engineers are also reviewing data from Artemis I, which experienced a helium-related pressurization issue before its successful launch in November 2022.

Despite repeated setbacks – including previous hydrogen leaks and fueling challenges – Artemis II remains a landmark mission. It will mark the first time in more than 50 years that NASA sends astronauts toward the Moon since the Apollo program era. It will also be the first lunar mission to include a woman and a Black astronaut as part of the crew.

The 10-day flight will test life-support systems, navigation, and deep-space operations in preparation for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade. NASA ultimately intends to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and use it as a stepping stone for future crewed missions to Mars.

Current launch windows include April 1, April 3-6, and April 30, with April 30 serving as the latest possible date in this cycle. While NASA hopes the rollback will preserve the April opportunity, spaceflight remains inherently complex, and further adjustments cannot be ruled out.

Some space policy experts note that while delays can be costly and politically sensitive, they also underscore NASA’s safety-first culture – a lesson reinforced throughout the agency’s history. If Artemis II ultimately launches successfully, the recent setbacks may be remembered not as failures, but as necessary steps on the road back to the Moon.

Peter Mandelson, a former British ambassador to the United States, ex-member of the House of Lords and a senior figure in the Labour Party, was arrested in London on February 23, according to police sources. Authorities confirmed the detention but did not officially disclose the suspect’s name, AzerNEWS reports.

The 72-year-old is suspected of abuse of power in a case linked to his connections with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. US investigators consider Epstein to have been the organizer of a large human trafficking network, alleging that he recruited girls, including minors, into prostitution.

Mandelson was dismissed from his post as ambassador to Washington in September last year. Subsequent revelations indicated that his ties with Epstein were more extensive than previously acknowledged. His name reportedly appears in multiple documents from the so-called ‘Epstein dossier’ published by the FBI. According to the investigation, Mandelson allegedly shared sensitive information with Epstein during his tenure as a minister in the government of former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Earlier, on February 19, Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, was also detained in connection with the Epstein case, though he was released after 12 hours. The investigation into his role is ongoing.

In February, British authorities established a special coordination group to examine new allegations against high-ranking officials named in the Epstein-related documents.

Epstein was arrested in the United States in the summer of 2019 on charges of trafficking underage girls and coercing them into prostitution. In August of that year, the 66-year-old billionaire was found dead in prison in what authorities ruled a suicide. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for human trafficking and facilitating sexual exploitation.

Investigators note that numerous senior politicians, officials and business figures had contact with Epstein. Leaked documents indicate that both Prince Andrew and Mandelson maintained friendly relations with him.