Category: Azer News

Arzu Ursha’s film ‘Following the Dream’ has won in the ‘Documentary – Individual Sport’ category at the FICTS International Sports Film Festival held in Milan, Italy, Azernews reports.

According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the documentary – produced with the ministry’s support and premiered in Baku on August 8 – portrays the inspiring journey of mountaineer Elmira Aslanova on her path to conquering Mount Everest.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the glorious Victory in the Patriotic War, SOCAR organized a special event titled ‘Football Day’ for the children of its employees who were martyrs and veterans that fought for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The event was held in partnership with the ‘Neftçi’ and Turkish ‘Galatasaray’ football clubs, Azernews reports.

The children of martyrs and veterans first visited the ‘Palms Sports’ Football Center, where they were provided with detailed information about the ‘Neftçi’ club and shown a video on its history.

During the visit, the children met with the head coach of the ‘Neftçi’ club’s A team, Samir Abbasov, as well as the players, and took commemorative photos. They also enjoyed interactive games with the footballers in the recreation room.

The young visitors later watched a friendly match between the A and B teams of ‘Neftçi’ and received special commemorative gifts on behalf of the club.

In the second half of the day, the event continued at the SOCAR Head Office. Greeting the children of martyrs and veterans, Asad Mammadov, Head of SOCAR’s Social Responsibility Department, emphasized that care and support for the children of martyrs and veterans remain one of the key directions of Azerbaijan’s state policy. He also highlighted SOCAR’s ongoing efforts in this field.

The event concluded with the screening of a special video prepared by the ‘Galatasaray’ Football Club featuring messages from its players to the children of martyrs and veterans. The participants were presented with official ‘Galatasaray’ jerseys as a gesture of solidarity and remembrance.

The date for Nicolas Sarkozy’s imprisonment will be set tomorrow after the right-wing former French president was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his winning 2007 campaign with funds from Libya, Azernews reports.

Mr Sarkozy maintains his innocence, has denounced the verdict as ‘a scandal’ and filed an appeal.

He is the first former president of modern France sentenced to actual time behind bars.

Mr Sarkozy, who was involved in several other legal cases, was France’s president from 2007 to 2012. He has been retired from active politics for years but remains influential, especially in right-wing circles.

In a surprise decision, the Paris court said the prison sentence, which would otherwise have been suspended on appeal, is effective immediately.

Mr Sarkozy must be incarcerated without delay, the court explained, because ‘of the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offence.’

Still, Mr Sarkozy was given 18 days from the ruling to ‘organise his professional life’ before his summoning by the National Financial Prosecutor’s office to set a date for incarceration.

The court said Mr Sarkozy, as a presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position ‘to prepare corruption at the highest level’ from 2005 to 2007, to finance his presidential campaign with funds from Libya – then led by Muammar Gadaffi.

Adding to the deep sense of political crisis in France, the country’s current President Emmanuel Macron renamed Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister late on Friday just days after he stepped down and sparked a week of chaos.

A statement from the French Communist Party (PCF) described the reappointment of Mr Lecornu as an illustration of President Macron’s ‘refusal to change course.’

The PCF called for a broad mobilisation of unions, youth and other forces and that the time has come ‘to give the power over money, production and the Republic back to the people.’

Renewable energy sources are projected to overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity in the first half of 2025, Azernews reports IFLScience.

Experts describe this shift as a pivotal milestone in the global transition away from fossil fuels.

According to data from a recent report by Ember, solar and wind energy continue to expand rapidly, with solar power leading the growth. Solar energy alone accounts for 83% of the current increase, as its production rose by 31% in the first six months of last year.

Analysts note that this development highlights the accelerating pace of global decarbonization efforts and the growing role of renewables in ensuring sustainable energy security.

Polls have opened in Cameroon in an election that could see the world’s oldest serving head of state extend his rule for another seven years, Azernews reports via Al Jazeera.

The single-round election on Sunday is likely to return 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya as president for an eighth term in the Central African nation of 30 million people.

Biya, in power for 43 years, faces off against 11 challengers, including former government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who has generated unexpected momentum for a campaign calling for an end to the leader’s decades-long tenure.

Bakary – a close ally of Biya for 20 years, who resigned from the government in June to join the opposition – is considered the top contender to unseat the incumbent after another leading opponent, Maurice Kamto, was barred from the race.

But analysts predict Biya’s re-election, given his firm grip on state machinery and a divided opposition.

The Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China stated that while it does not want a trade war with the United States, it was “not afraid of it,” warning the country to “promptly correct its wrong practices” or it would be forced to “take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests”, Azernews reports.

The ministry stated that “willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China,” clarifying that its “position on the trade war is consistent: we do not want it, but we are not afraid of it.” It urged US to “promptly correct its wrong practices, adhere to the important consensuses of the phone calls between the two heads of state, protect the hard-won outcomes of consultations,” or it would “surely take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”

Security sources have confirmed that Pakistan launched heavy response after what it describes as unprovoked firing from across the Pak-Afghan border, inflicting significant losses on Afghan positions and foreign formations, security sources said, Azernews reports via DND News.

Security sources say Pakistani forces carried out a strong and sustained retaliation after unprovoked firing from Afghan positions along the Pak-Afghan border. Several Afghan soldiers were reportedly killed and multiple foreign formations suffered heavy losses, the sources added.

According to available information, Afghan Taliban provided shelters to terrorists to infiltrate into Pakistan from Kunar, Nagarhar, Khost, Paktia and Hemond and Pakistani troops were vigilant, and they responded with lighting speed, destroying Tashkeels (columns) of terrorists.

Related Story: ‘We Stand with India,’ says Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi after approving permanent presence of 15,000 Indians in Afghanistan

According to the same security officials, Afghan posts did not provide covering fire for the foreign fighters sheltering among them. Pakistani strikes reportedly hit several Afghan posts and bases believed to be hosting TTP and ISIS and other armed groups that Pakistan called as Fitna-e- Khawarij.

Related Story: Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi will meet Indian NSA Ajit Doval today, October 10, 2025

The operations reportedly involved artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons. Air assets and drones were also used to target suspected hideouts of TTP and ISIS terrorists. The headquarters of the Afghan forces that sheltered ISIS and Fitna al-Khawarij were also targeted, the report added.

All casualty and damage figures in this account are attributed to unnamed security sources and remain unconfirmed by independent or bilateral authorities.

It has been confirmed by independent sources also that several Afghan soldiers and foreign fighters were killed; multiple Afghan posts hit. Targets included ISIS and Khawarij hideouts; headquarters sheltering those groups were also struck with FATAH GMLRS that are also being used by Pakistan Army to target TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan, sources claimed.

Credible sources confirmed that the coordinated assaults originated from across several key sectors, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha in Balochistan facilitating the illegal entry of Khawarij and troops responded immediately and decisively, the counteroffensive targeted and destroyed multiple Afghan border posts and dozens of Afghan soldiers and Khawarij were killed instantly.

Official spokesperson of Afghan Taliban Zabihullah Mujahid said to an international News Agency that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has decided to stop attacks on Pakistan.

Meanwhile security forces in Rawalpindi state that Afghanistan started this and now Pakistan will finish according to its own choice of time.

‘At present, Pakistan’s political, military and intelligence leadership are sitting together and formulating an immediate and effective strategy to fully defend Pakistan and respond to the aggression from Afghanistan with full force. So far, Pakistan’s brave forces have responded vigorously not only with small and large weapons but also with long-range air strikes and artillery, as a result of which not only the Afghan forces but also the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, i.e. Fitna-ul-Kharij, included in their ranks, have suffered heavy losses. This war will continue until our objectives are achieved’, said an official source in Islamabad.

On October 10, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif categorically said that Pakistan will exercise the right to protect its soil from terrorists that come from Afghanistan.

Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure linked to the country’s military-industrial complex, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday, as tensions rose over a possible US decision to supply long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev, Azernews reports via Ria.

The ministry, cited by RIA news agency, said the attacks targeted energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s war production.

Separately, Interfax reported that Russian air defences had shot down 72 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours.

Kremlin alarmed by potential US missile transfers

The Kremlin said it was ‘deeply concerned’ about the possibility of the United States providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, warning that the conflict had reached a ‘dramatic’ point with escalation ‘from all sides.’

‘The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television. ‘Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of tensions escalating from all directions.’

Peskov cautioned that Moscow would treat any Tomahawk launch as a potential nuclear threat. ‘Just imagine: a long-range missile is launched, and we know that it could be nuclear. What should Russia think? How should it react?’ he said.

Tomahawks can strike targets up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) away – enough to reach Moscow – and older versions of the missile are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to US data.

Putin warns of ‘new stage’ if missiles delivered

President Vladimir Putin earlier this month said the missiles cannot be used without direct US military involvement, warning that any supply to Ukraine would mark a ‘qualitatively new stage of escalation.’

Washington has not yet announced a final decision. US President Donald Trump said Monday that he would ‘want to know what Ukraine plans to do with them’ before agreeing to provide the missiles, though he added he had ‘sort of made a decision.

The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the US has quietly helped Ukraine carry out long-range drone strikes on Russian energy facilities for months, providing intelligence to guide route planning, altitude, timing, and mission coordination to evade Russian air defences.

On October 12, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Egypt for a working visit at the invitation of President of the United States Donald Trump and President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to participate in the Middle East Peace Summit, Azernews reports.

A guard of honor was lined up for the President of Azerbaijan at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport.

President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed by Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy and other officials.

Iranian representatives will not attend the Peace Summit scheduled to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, held to mark the signing of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Azernews reports via Tasnim News Agency.

Although Iran received an invitation to the event, no government representatives plan to travel to Egypt to participate in the summit.

It should be recalled that Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Egypt, which came into force on October 10 following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.