Azerbaijan, Iran presidents hold call amid regional tensions, stress need for de-escalation

Azerbaijan is seeking to strengthen its position within the European Union’s Global Gateway infrastructure strategy as Brussels intensifies efforts to diversify transport routes, energy supplies and digital connectivity across Eurasia, according to analytics of Turan.

Global health authorities have intensified monitoring of hantavirus infections following an outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, where several severe illnesses and deaths were reported among passengers and crew members.

State railway operator Azərbaycan Dəmir Yolları (ADY) said construction of the strategic Horadiz-Aghband railway line, part of the planned Zangezur transport corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave, has reached 72% completion as the country accelerates reconstruction and logistics integration in territories recaptured after the 2020 war.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has announced the finalists of its 2026 Literature Prize, highlighting growing international attention toward literature from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East amid rising interest in translated fiction.