'Land of Fire' enjoys increased global exposure as Simeone's men march onwards and upwards As well as raucous celebrations inside Stamford Bridge, where Atlético Madrid fans partied until they were turfed out on to the Fulham Road to contend with the tube strike, and in the red and white half of the Spanish capital, there would also have been dancing on the streets of Baku on Wednesday night....
An Azerbaijani journalist who was deported from Turkey on Saturday (19 April) was arrested on his arrival at the airport in Baku, the Azerbaijan capital. Two days later, Rauf Mirgadirov appeared before a court and was remanded in custody for three months pending trial on espionage charges. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 10 years to life in jail. Continue reading... ...
Ukraine crisis brings questions over human rights in countries such as Azerbaijan, Algeria and Qatar to the fore George Osborne and Boris Johnson were lined up to speak, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) was to provide the venue and the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra the evening entertainment. A plush red carpet was rolled out by the British establishment last month but not for senior politicians or business...
Foreign ministers consider holding joint exercises with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldova after annexation of Crimea Nato has drawn up plans to strengthen military co-operation with the former Soviet states on Russia's southern flank after the Kremlin's seizure of Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. ...
s takeover of the Crimean peninsula Russia's takeover of the Crimean peninsula has drawn condemnation from the west, but reaction has been more varied in the 14 former Soviet republics in Russia's "near abroad". Many have played a balancing act between Russia and the west, and almost all have significant Russian-speaking populations – like the one that served as a justification for Moscow's intervention...
facilitated by former Renault principal Flavio Briatore' Azerbaijan is set to host a Formula One grand prix in the 2015 or 2016 season after signing a deal with Bernie Ecclestone. "We're going to Azerbaijan," the sport's ringmaster told the Daily Mail. "The people out there are talking about holding a race in 2015. That may be a bit soon – unless it's at the end of the season; that's a possibility....
Azerbaijan announces resort proposal as Moscow's lease on Gabala station expires amid dispute over renewal rate A radar site in Azerbaijan for which Russia's lease has expired could be turned into a resort, according to officials. Russia's lease on the Gabala station, part of a warning network for the former Soviet Union, ran out on Sunday and the two former Soviet republics could not agree on the...
About 4,000 protest against disputed results of presidential election that gave Ilham Aliyev third consecutive term Police beat and detained demonstrators in the capital of Azerbaijan on Saturday after a protest against a disputed presidential vote that gave President Ilham Aliyev a third consecutive term in the oil-producing former Soviet republic. Witnesses saw police kick and thump protesters as...
The couple, Artak and Armine, received £470 at their wedding, then £150 for their first child. Families with six kids get a house' In 2011, the world's population reached 7 billion . When I looked into this more, I found that reduction programmes like China's one-child policy had been well documented – but nothing had been done on birth-encouragement schemes. Nagorno-Karabakh , a small region in Azerbaijan...
independent' society in Mayfair promotes a very different view to MPs and officials Hancock It operates from an exclusive Mayfair address and throws lavish parties for politicians of all parties. Ostensibly an independent trade body, the European Azerbaijan Society (Teas) regularly takes MPs, MEPs and government officials on trips to the former Soviet state, where they are put up in luxury hotels....
s most critical finding is deceptively simple: elections do not take place in a vacuum, and their quality cannot be judged solely by what happens during the vote. We must also examine what happens before and after elections, and survey the long-term rights landscape, particularly the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Election periods are a time for citizens to express their collective...
s worst nationalist rioting in three years . Orkhan Zeinalov was apprehended in Kolomna, about 60 miles (100km) from the spot in southern Moscow where he is alleged to have fatally stabbed Egor Shcherbakov, 25, on Thursday. The murder was blamed on a migrant from the Caucasus region thought to be working in a local vegetable warehouse which was ransacked amid nationalist rioting over the weekend. The...
s camp claims landslide victory amid accusations of widespread voter fraud from opposition supporters Azerbaijan's president has won a third five-year term by a landslide, according to exit polls, extending decades of dynastic rule in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation, an ally of the west. An independent poll by the company Prognosis said Ilham Aliyev took nearly 84% of the vote. Two other exit polls...
s misrule of my country, and restoring Azerbaijani democracy. Since the incumbent, Ilham Aliyev, inherited power from his late father 10 years ago, Azerbaijan has become mired in rampant corruption , and the ruling regime has grown ever more authoritarian and ruthless . Most importantly, the ongoing conflict with Armenia has still not been resolved and Azerbaijani territories remain under occupation....
fake challengers' Ilham Aliyev, the long-standing ruler of Azerbaijan, is set to win a third term in office in elections this week despite opposition claims that the vote is both illegitimate and skewed heavily in the incumbent's favour. Aliyev took over the oil-rich Caucasus country in 2003 after the death of his father, Heydar, who was a KGB boss and the leader of communist Azerbaijan before becoming...
s stance towards corrupt dictators should be up for debate, jazz receptions or not Whichever way you turned in Brighton last week there was a limp sandwich or warm glass of wine at hand. The Labour party conference brought with it the usual deluge of lobby group drink receptions. Should delegates have steered away from Fujitsu's business connector's reception or WWF's Coca-Cola-sponsored water policy...
s biggest gas sales agreements, worth up to $100bn (£62bn) over 25 years, after signing a deal to supply energy from a Caspian Sea project that could reduce Europe's reliance on Russian fossil fuels. Over 10bn cubic metres of gas a year will be produced via a $40bn scheme – the biggest ever undertaken by BP – to unlock new reserves from the huge Shah Deniz field located in the territorial waters of...
s contestant was deprived of 10 points issued by Azerbaijan Russia's foreign minister has taken time out of a busy schedule that includes defending arms sales to Syria and criticising US policy around the world to wade into a growing scandal over the Eurovision song contest. Sergei Lavrov issued a stern warning over the contest on Tuesday following reports that the Russian contestant, Dina Garipova,...
s Media Foundation courage in journalism award in 2012, hosts a weekly programme on Radio Free Europe where she reports on corruption and the business dealings of the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. Sources: Radio Free Liberty / Index on Censorship / International Women...
powerful political activist' and opposition has 'no programme, nothing' Gérard Depardieu has heaped praise on Vladimir Putin and criticised the Russian opposition, a week after receiving Russian citizenship from the president. "I like this man very much, he is a very powerful political activist," the French actor told the state-run Rossiya television. "He has political wisdom." Dépardieu then delved...