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The State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population continues implementing the self-employment program for residents resettled in the territories liberated from occupation, Azernews reports.

The Agency reported that another group of residents in the districts of Aghdara, Jabrayil, Lachin, and Zangilan has received goods and equipment within the framework of the program.

With the assets provided, participants have established small businesses in various fields, including men’s barbershops, auto repair services, flour product manufacturing, small tailoring workshops, women’s beauty salons, sheep and goat farming, beekeeping, and more.

The program participants expressed their gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the support provided. They emphasized their commitment to further expand their businesses established under the self-employment initiative.

As part of the Great Return program, nearly 500 families who have been resettled in their native lands have already set up their own farms and small enterprises through the self-employment program.

Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Ecology Sadiq Qurbanov and MP Kamal Jafarov will pay an official visit to Trkiye from October 12 to 18, Azernews reports, citing the Milli Majlis Press and Public Relations Department.

The Azerbaijani lawmakers will hold bilateral meetings in Ankara and Istanbul with representatives of Trkiye’s Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Zero Waste Foundation.

During the visit, they will also participate in the Zero Waste Forum, which focuses on sustainable environmental management, waste reduction, and climate resilience initiatives.

The visit aims to further strengthen environmental cooperation between Azerbaijan and Trkiye, promoting the exchange of expertise in green policy, urban sustainability, and climate adaptation practices.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially designated Google with Strategic Market Status (SMS) in both general search and search advertising services. This follows a months-long investigation launched in January under the UK’s new digital markets regime, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

The CMA confirmed that Google holds “substantial and entrenched market power,” with over 90% of all online searches in the UK conducted on its platform. While Google’s Gemini AI assistant was excluded from the SMS designation, other AI-driven features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode were included.

It’s important to note that the SMS designation is not an accusation of wrongdoing, but rather a regulatory tool that empowers the CMA to explore potential interventions aimed at promoting fairer competition in the digital market later this year.

The UK’s new digital markets regime is one of the world’s most ambitious attempts to regulate the tech giants. By targeting firms with SMS, the CMA aims to ensure that dominant platforms like Google cannot unfairly stifle innovation or disadvantage smaller competitors in rapidly evolving fields such as AI-powered search.

An expanded meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council was held in Dushanbe on October 10, Azernews reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the event.

Speeches were delivered by President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev, and Tatyana Moskalkova, Chairwoman of the CIS Human Rights Commission and Russian Human Rights Commissioner.

The event concluded with the signing of final documents.

During the meeting, President Emomali Rahmon was awarded the ‘For Merits in the Development of Humanitarian Cooperation’ medal.

Kylian Mbappé has emphasized the importance of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match against Azerbaijan, stressing that the French national team must give it their full attention before turning their focus to Iceland, Azernews reports.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference in Paris, the 27-year-old forward remarked that every game presents unique challenges, and securing a win remains crucial. He highlighted Azerbaijan’s recent draw with Ukraine in Baku, noting that this result demonstrated the team’s resilience and should not be underestimated.

“This match is just as important as the one against Iceland,” Mbappé said, underlining that the ultimate objective is to qualify for the World Cup. He added that the team must remain fully committed until that goal is achieved.

Discussing his own readiness, the French star confirmed that he felt physically fit and prepared to play. He expressed confidence in his ability to contribute and mentioned that the head coach had no objections to his involvement. Mbappé also noted that he would be participating in the final training session ahead of the fixture and reported no health concerns.

The France vs. Azerbaijan qualifier is set to take place on October 10 at the Parc des Princes stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 22:45 (Baku time).

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe to take part in the meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council, Azernews reports.

President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed by President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.

On October 10, the Baku Military Court continued the trial of citizens of the Republic of Armenia accused of committing war crimes and crimes against peace and humanity, Azernews reports.

During the hearing, the court reviewed documents detailing criminal incidents, as well as statistical information received from Azerbaijani state institutions regarding the number of people killed and missing, and the extent of damage caused by the Armenian armed forces’ attacks on Azerbaijani territories.

The materials presented included data on destruction of administrative and residential buildings, ecological harm, and damage inflicted on religious and cultural monuments.

These documents were compiled based on information submitted by ministries, committees, agencies, regional and city executive authorities, and other relevant institutions.

It was emphasized that as a result of Armenia’s military aggression, the trial of its citizens accused of war crimes, terrorism, genocide, the forcible seizure and retention of power, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law continues in Azerbaijan.

At the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Azerbaijan presented key achievements in the socio-economic sphere and outlined its progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the meeting of the Third Committee on ‘Social Development’, Azernews reports.

According to Shahriyar Hajiyev, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, the country continues to implement consistent measures aimed at improving the well-being of citizens, enhancing social protection, and raising living standards.

He emphasized that these efforts align with the ‘Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development’ framework, approved by President Ilham Aliyev, which envisions a comprehensive set of reforms to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development.

By submitting its fourth Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2024, Azerbaijan demonstrated tangible progress toward the 2030 Agenda, presenting detailed information on the implementation of national commitments from 2021 to 2024.

Hajiyev noted that as a result of the ongoing socio-economic policy, the monthly minimum wage in Azerbaijan has increased 3.3 times, and the minimum pension has grown 2.4 times over the past decade – reflecting the government’s long-term focus on strengthening social welfare and human capital development.

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Azerbaijan, in cooperation with the embassies of EU member states, will hold the third edition of the European Delights Culinary Festival, Azernews reports.

The open-air event aims to showcase European cuisine to the Azerbaijani public.

Anyone interested in learning more about European cuisine and participating in masterclasses and culinary competitions is welcome to attend the festival, which will take place on October 11 from 13:00 to 19:00 at European Games Park (behind the Water Sports Complex).

At the festival, the embassies of Belgium, France, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine will present dishes from their national cuisines to guests.

At the EU Delegation’s stand, well-known food bloggers Elmira Gadirova and Nezaket Jafarova will host culinary master classes. Local farmers will also offer organic food products produced with the support of EU-funded projects.

“We are delighted to organize the European Delights Culinary Festival in Baku for the third time. We invite everyone to join us on a culinary journey through Europe and enjoy unforgettable flavors, live music, culinary quizzes, and much more,” said Gediminas Varanavicius, Chargé d’Affaires of the EU Delegation.

Winners of the quizzes held during the event will receive various prizes, including the “European Delights” cookbook, a collection of traditional recipes from all 27 EU member states, published by the EU Delegation and translated into Azerbaijani. The book is also available in electronic format on the official website of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan.

The event will also feature an award ceremony for the winners of culinary and art competitions on European cuisine, organized by the “Azeri Home Chef” Facebook page. Dishes prepared by the competition participants will be showcased at the event.

The festival will be accompanied by live performances by local musicians singing in both Azerbaijani and European languages.

President of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) Rovshan Najaf and Vice President Konul Mehdiyeva have been appointed to FIFA’s Standing Committees, Azernews reports.

This follows structural changes approved during the 74th FIFA Congress, where the organization announced the restructuring of its Standing Committees to better reflect its growing global responsibilities and enhance member association involvement in decision-making.

As part of this process, the FIFA Council has confirmed the chairs, vice-chairs, and members of the Standing Committees for the 2025-2029 term.

Under the new appointments, AFFA President Rovshan Najaf will serve as a member of FIFA’s Commercial and Marketing Advisory Committee, while Vice President Konul Mehdiyeva has been named to the Women’s Football Development Committee.

These appointments are in line with FIFA’s renewed governance approach, aimed at fostering wider participation and strengthening gender balance in global football leadership.

Formed in 1992, the Azerbaijani Association of Football Federations (AFFA) is the governing body of football in Azerbaijan.

The Association is responsible for overseeing all aspects of amateur and professional games in its territory.

It runs numerous competitions, the most famous of which is the Azerbaijan Cup. AFFA is a member of both UEFA and FIFA.