Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and other senior officials of the ministry have viewed the newly built and overhauled military infrastructure in the military unit dislocated in the Lachin district, the Ministry of Defense told APA.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
The next meeting of advisers to the leaders of the Normandy format countries is scheduled for March, and the talks held in Berlin revealed the difference in the positions of the parties, APA reports citing TASS.
According to the report, negotiations in Berlin were difficult and clearly revealed the differences in positions and options for resolving the conflict in Donbas. Nevertheless, all participants expressed readiness to adhere to the Minsk agreements, the agency said.
On Friday night, after almost 9 hours of negotiations, the meeting of the Quartet’s political advisers ended in Berlin. According to Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Kozak, the negotiations did not bring any significant results.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
Unidentified gunmen on Thursday attacked the convoy of Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli, said Libya’s Interior Ministry, APA reports.
“Earlier today, the convoy of the prime minister was subjected to an armed attack in Souk al-Juma district (central Tripoli) by individuals in a vehicle with no license plates,” Abdulmenem al-Arabi, the ministry’s spokesman, said in a statement.
Confirming that the attack caused no casualties, al-Arabi said the incident happened after a protest against “the political developments in the country.”
“The Interior Ministry condemns this criminal act,” the spokesman said, confirming that an investigation was underway “to bring the criminals to justice.”
The statement was issued a few hours after the House of Representatives (parliament) unanimously voted for Fathi Bashagha as the country’s new prime minister.
However, Dbeibah said on Tuesday that his government would remain in office until elections are held and will only hand over power to “an elected government.”
Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity was appointed by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February last year, ending years of political division in the North African country.
The Libyan parliament withdrew confidence from Dbeibah’s government in September last year and kept it as a caretaker government.
General elections in Libya had been scheduled for Dec. 24 last year, but were postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
Mishandling of the pandemic has been a bipartisan failure as the United States reached the grim milestone of 900,000 COVID-19 deaths early this month, and America still isn’t ready for the next pandemic, APA reports citing The Atlantic magazine.
The fact that the United States has logged more than 900,000 COVID-19 deaths “is somehow both unimaginable and unsurprising,” said the magazine in an article published on Monday.
Both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations failed to adequately protect vulnerable people, it added.
Both wrongly assumed that biomedical solutions like vaccines could end the pandemic alone, without addressing the deep-seated social vulnerabilities that make the United States so weak against a fast-spreading virus, the article said.
Every recent U.S. administration, from Barack Obama to Joe Biden, has faced a new or reemerging infectious threat, such as swine flu, Ebola, MERS, Zika, and COVID-19.
“Biden is still dealing with that (COVID-19), and might well have something else before his term is over, given the rate at which these threats arise,” the article said, noting that “America wasn’t ready in 2020. We still aren’t ready.”
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter of congratulation to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on the occasion of the national holiday of the Islamic Republic of Iran – Victory Day of the Islamic Revolution, APA reports.
“Dear Mr. President,
On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I convey to you and through you to all the people of your country my sincerest congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the national day of the Islamic Republic of Iran,-Victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran stem from the will of our two peoples, who have historically lived in an atmosphere of friendship and good neighborliness, and share common moral values. We attach special importance to our interstate relations built on such solid foundations.
Today, we are satisfied with the rapid development of our bilateral relations. High-level political dialogue, reciprocal visits and regular meetings, as well as signed documents give a strong impetus to strengthening of bilateral cooperation. The every day expansion of the framework of our cooperation in economic, trade, energy, transport and other fields is the clear example of this is.
I recall with pleasure our meeting with you in Ashgabat held in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. I think that an in-depth exchange of views and discussions that we held will contribute to further development of our bilateral ties and ensure elevating them to a qualitatively new stage.
I do believe that through our joint efforts, Azerbaijan-Iran relations will continue to develop and strengthen to the benefit of our peoples.
On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, success in your endeavors, and the friendly and brotherly people of Iran peace and prosperity,” the letter reads.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
Inflation in the US climbed to its highest level in 40 years in January, with prices rising by 7.5% from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday, APA-Economics reports citing The Wall Street Journal.
The rise in the consumer price index (CPI) survey – which measures the costs of a wide variety of goods – was the largest since February 1982. CPI rose 0.6% from December, higher than expected but still down significantly from last October when inflation rose 0.9% on a monthly basis.
Inflation in America has been driven higher by soaring demand and a lack of supply caused by Covid-19’s global impact on trade.
Price rises for food, electricity, and shelter were the largest contributors to the increase. The food index rose 0.9% in January following a 0.5% increase in December. The energy index also increased 0.9% over the month.
After stripping out food and fuel – whose prices are volatile – inflation still climbed 6% on an annual basis. A nationwide shortage of used cars also continued to drive the rise. Used cars prices were 40.5% higher in January compared to a year ago. Housing costs rose 4.4% from a year ago.
The Federal Reserve has signaled that it intends to raise interest rates at its meeting in March in an effort to dampen spending and bring down prices. In a note to investors, Oxford Economics argues the latest CPI news was likely to mean rate rises in the months ahead.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency
