Lando Norris will test McLaren's new MCL-HY hypercar at the Algarve International Circuit ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The test at the Portimao circuit is set to take place on Monday 14 September and will allow the Woking outfit to continue its development of the MCL-HY with feedback from the 2025 Formula 1 champion. The McLaren MCL-HY is the machine that will compete in the FIA ... Keep reading
SOFAZ is the only founder from outside East and Southeast Asia, reflecting Azerbaijan’s position on the trade corridor between Asia and Europe.
Euronews11 Sept
The Somali-flagged TEDY was hit near Odesa and struck twice more overnight, with two other crewmembers hospitalised with burns. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry did not attribute responsibility for the attack.
Euronews11 Sept
Forward’s spurned opportunity to level the match proved decisive in the Champions League newcomers’ loss to Manchester United Football – like much of life – can be a story of what might have been, and on 39 minutes Joy-Lance Mickels had an experience that was a sliding doors moment for the centre-forward and Sabah that may haunt a long time. Azerbaijan’s champions were trailing to Matheus Cunha’s opener when Kaheem Parris spiralled the ball up to the far post of Manchester United’s goal. The lurking Mickels had a gilded chance, unmarked and close-in, yet when the delivery dropped, the 32-year-old snatched at his header and the ball fell wide. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Jamie Jackson at Old Trafford10 Sept
It was a night for romance given the astonishing story that Sabah brought with them to Old Trafford for their Champions League debut. This is a club that did not even exist a decade ago and nobody saw their bolt to the title in Azerbaijan coming last season; in 2024-25, they had finished 41 points off the top. The job that their manager, Valdas Dambrauskas, has done since taking over in the summer of last year is extraordinary. It was also a night for cold, hard reality. Manchester United were back in Europe’s elite competition after a two-year hiatus and in need of something to soothe them after the trauma of their last-gasp coughing up of two points in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Everton. And ahead of the extremely serious business of Sunday’s derby here against Manchester City. They got it on the back of a first-half performance that burned slowly before catching fire. Continue reading...
The Guardian•David Hytner at Old Trafford10 Sept
It was a night for romance given the astonishing story that Sabah brought with them to Old Trafford for their Champions League debut. This is a club that did not even exist a decade ago and nobody saw their bolt to the title in Azerbaijan coming last season; in 2024-25, they had finished 41 points off the top. The job that their manager, Valdas Dambrauskas, has done since taking over in the summer of last year is extraordinary. It was also a night for cold, hard reality. Manchester United were back in Europe’s elite competition after a two-year hiatus and in need of something to soothe them after the trauma of their last-gasp coughing up of two points in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Everton. And ahead of the extremely serious business of Sunday’s derby here against Manchester City. They got it on the back of a first-half performance that burned slowly before catching fire. Continue reading...
The Guardian•David Hytner at Old Trafford10 Sept
Click to expand Image Anar Mammadli, human rights defender and election monitor, Baku, Azerbaijan, February 6, 2024. © 2024 Hannah Wagner/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo A court in Azerbaijan on September 7 sentenced the prominent human rights defender and election monitor Anar Mammadli to 13 years in prison following a trial marred by serious due process violations. His co-defendant, civic activist Anar Abdullayev, received a 12-year sentence. Mammadli, 48, spent more than two years in pretrial detention before the Baku Grave Crimes Court convicted him on politically motivated charges including currency smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, money laundering, and document forgery. The proceedings raise serious fair trial concerns. The court repeatedly rejected the defense’s requests to scrutinize prosecution evidence, question key witnesses in open court, and address inconsistencies in the case materials. Mammadli was also repeatedly denied release on bail. Mammadli chairs the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, Azerbaijan's only remaining independent election monitoring group. He has monitored elections and documented electoral violations for more than two decades and was a founding member of the Climate of Justice Initiative, a civil society coalition established ahead of the COP29 climate conference in Baku in November 2024. This is Mammadli's second imprisonment. Azerbaijani authorities arrested him in 2013 and sentenced him in 2014 to five-and-a-half years in prison on similarly dubious finance-related charges. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights found that his detention had been intended to silence and punish him for his election-monitoring work. While imprisoned, Mammadli received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2014. He was released by presidential pardon in 2016. Mammadli’s conviction comes amid an intensifying government assault on independent civil society and media. In July, a court imposed 12 to 15-year prison sentences on nine journalists and media workers affiliated with Toplum TV. In 2025, AbzasMedia journalists received sentences of up to nine years, while the authorities continued prosecuting journalists and activists associated with other independent outlets and civic groups. Azerbaijan’s international partners should make clear that deepening political and economic ties cannot come at the expense of human rights and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mammadli and Abdullayev. The Council of Europe should insist that Azerbaijan fully implement European Court of Human Rights judgments concerning politically motivated prosecutions and freedom of association, including by carrying out the legal and institutional reforms needed to prevent similar abuses.
Countries: Lebanon, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Pakistan, Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye, Turkmenistan Source: International Organization for Migration Please refer to the attached file. On 17 June 2026, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached an agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning the cessation of hostilities. The escalation in the Middle East and beyond had triggered a humanitarian crisis affecting multiple regions in an already fragile context. A resurgence of hostilities in recent weeks are placing pressure on humanitarian access and threatens civilian and essential services. Mobility dynamics across the region and beyond due to renewed escalation remains uncertain. The situation continues to be highly fragile, requiring sustained monitoring and operational preparedness. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, some families have begun returning to their homes amid signs of de-escalation. However, thousands continue to shelter in hotels due to damage to housing and civilian infrastructure. As of 01 June, approximately 9,000 individuals remain displaced, unable to return to their homes due to the extent of the damage. Overall, population movements remain localized, temporary, and economically driven, with no signs of mass displacement. In Lebanon, displacement nationwide remains significant despite continuing returns. As of 01 September 2026, 329,240 people remain internally displaced across 628 cadasters, a 5.6 per cent decrease compared to the previous reporting period (as of 19 August 2026). Of the total IDPs in Lebanon, 21,758 individuals remained displaced in 218 collective shelters. Returns have continued, with 856,316 returned IDPs reported as of 19 August 2026, marking a 4.7 per cent increase from the previous round (as of 12 August 2026). Humanitarian and protection needs remain acute, driven by the destruction of homes and services, prolonged displacement, explosive ordnance risks, protection concerns, and declining coping capacities. Meanwhile, cross-border flows into the Syrian Arab Republic are continuing, with a total of 761,319 movements recorded as of 07 September 2026. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) is on the ground, actively tracking displacement and cross border mobility while scaling operations in coordination with local authorities and partners to better understand how the crisis is impacting human mobility in the region.
ReliefWeb•International Organization for Migration10 Sept
Rwanda forward Joy-Lance Mickels has helped Azerbaijan's Sabah reach the Champions League proper on their competition debut, and is now looking to down the team he supports.
BBC9 Sept
Click to expand Image Students in a pre-primary school classroom in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2021. © 2021 Bede Sheppard / Human Rights Watch The global push to make free education accessible for every child gained momentum, as 81 states met at the United Nations in Geneva on August 31 to September 2 to discuss a proposed treaty that could strengthen children’s right to education and remove financial barriers that keep many out of school. The new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child would recognize early childhood care and education as part of the right to education, guarantee at least one year of free public pre-primary education, and strengthen the promise of free public secondary education. The initiative has been led by Sierra Leone, the Dominican Republic, and Bulgaria, which already provide free education for their children from pre-primary through secondary. During the three-day meeting, Guatemala became the 62nd country to publicly support the initiative. However, there were differences about next steps: Some states including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay supported moving forward to draft the treaty while others, including Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Egypt, and Slovenia, called for more time to consider different options. Children played a central role at the meeting. Child delegates from all five regions shared recommendations based on consultations with more than 80 children worldwide. Tuition-free education is not genuinely free if families still need to pay for transport, uniforms, school materials, and other essential costs, the delegates said. Free pre-primary education gives children a stronger start and children from disadvantaged families a fairer chance to succeed. Free secondary education can change the course of a child’s life by reducing the likelihood of child marriage and opening doors to further education and decent work. For children with disabilities, removing financial and practical barriers can enable them to participate fully and learn alongside their peers. Further consultations will take place before the next formal meeting in October 2027. The Sierra Leone chair called for continued review of the proposals for the treaty and expert advice, while stressing that children should continue to have a meaningful, safe, and inclusive role in the next stages. The momentum now needs to become action. Governments should move this process forward so that millions of children are not left waiting for the education to which they are entitled.
A Russian-born businessman heads the investment fund financing the so-called "Trump Route," a planned corridor through Armenia linking Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. Who is Konstantin Sokolov, and what role does he play?
Deutsche Welle29 Aug
Azerbaijan confirms secret talks between Germany and Russia on Ukraine. Ceasefire agreement by December 31, 2026 at 35.5% YES.
CryptoBriefing•Estefano Gomez21 Jul
Azerbaijan's Aliyev reveals former German and Russian officials met in Baku to discuss ending the Ukraine war, with implications for energy and
CryptoBriefing•Editorial Team21 JulAzerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) will launch a new non-stop service between Baku and Brussels on 8 May 2027, further expanding its European network. The route will operate four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—providing direct links between the capitals of Azerbaijan and Belgium. AZAL said the new service is intended to strengthen business, tourism […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban1 Jul
The diplomatic tension may influence Israel's geopolitical strategy and Netanyahu's political future amid complex regional alliances.
CryptoBriefing•Estefano Gomez1 Jul
Williams' new car could shift market perceptions and competitiveness, but its true impact on the Constructors' Championship remains uncertain.
CryptoBriefing•Estefano Gomez1 Jul
Azerbaijan has completed a draft law to regulate virtual assets and submitted it for review, with the Central Bank expecting the legislation to be adopted before the end of the year. According to remarks by Central Bank of Azerbaijan Financial…
There are now ten 747-400 freighters registered in Moldova. The most recent addition is a 2001-vintage, RB211-powered production 747-400F (32571) that had exited service with Azerbaijan-based Silk Way West Airlines at the beginning of the year. The freighter flew to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (AAN), from Baku (GYD) on June 6 under the call […]
The prospects of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia are weakening Russia’s influence