Month: April 2026
For the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified a clear boundary of the Milky Way’s star-forming disk by analyzing the ages of more than 100,000 stars. The study shows that active star formation in our galaxy is largely confined to a radius of about 40,000 light-years from the galactic center, AzerNEWS reports.
Journalist Natig Javadli, who was arrested in connection with the “Meydan TV case,” writes from detention:
As I write these lines, there were only days left until the 55th spring of my life. For the second year already, I am spending my birthday in prison. I could not be with you on your birthdays either. In February 2025, I still cannot forget how Aychichek cried over the phone, saying: “Why do I have to spend my 25th birthday without you? Why was all this necessary? Society does not even know about you, and those whose complaints you brought attention to have already forgotten you…” And how you said, “We celebrate holidays and birthdays without you. Why did you make us go through this, Father?” Those questions still linger in my mind.
Children always ask difficult questions. But it is my duty to answer them. Of course, Aychichek’s protest was also influenced by the illegal actions of the police during the search of our home, which took place without the presence of my lawyer, Ms. Zibeyda.
Children, you probably remember that when I left home, I hugged your mother and you and said:
“Be kind, focus more on your studies, do not be afraid of these injustices, stay strong, and I expect successful results from your exams.” And these wishes came true. Aychichek entered her specialization program, Deniz got into university, and Turkel increased his sense of responsibility in his studies. Hearing this within the cold walls of Shuvalan strengthened me and increased my confidence. During my time in prison, I find strength and motivation in both books and your accomplishments.
My children, forgive me for the pain I caused you on the evening of December 6, 2024. But I will not forgive the tears of your grandmother and of you. I am sure that one day these tears will turn into tears of joy. However, there are things I will never forget. Let me list them.
When they brought me home, I asked the officers to remove their masks out of consideration for my elderly mother and for you, who were preparing for exams, but they refused. The same happened when I asked for my lawyer to be present. Their answer was that lawyers do not participate during special operations. My God, a special operation. I am astonished. In Azerbaijan, special operations against independent journalists have not stopped for years. The murder of Elmar Huseynov, the brutal beating of Bahaddin Haziyev, blocking of websites, and so much more.
Second, the officers asking your mother where the gold jewelry was. This question still rings in my ears. The answer was precise. There was nothing except her wedding ring, and your grandmother showed her earrings. Look, these are the government’s national and moral values. Bravo!
Third, they asked me whether I had a safe. It was ridiculous. I have been in journalism for 30 years, and I have never once thought about having a safe. I am not an official or a businessman.
Finally, my greatest loss that day was the confiscation of the archive I had built over years. The philosophical and historical books on my hard drive, my notes, and our family photos. According to my lawyer, all of it has been destroyed. As you know, the police took my two laptops, my phone, two voice recorders, a flash drive, and my hard disk. The latter contained the works of my teacher Asif Ata, including his books, essays, and interviews, as well as works by other philosophers, historians, and scholars from various fields. All of this was the result of years of labor.
What happened reminded me of the tragic fate of ancient manuscripts confiscated by the NKVD from Azerbaijani scholar Salman Mumtaz in the 1930s, which were later destroyed under workers’ feet during building renovations. Or the similar fate of Asif Ata’s diaries and writings confiscated by the KGB. The destruction of my archive by the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a continuation of that same policy.
How could these people understand what it means to love philosophy, history, and literature? For them, power and ambition outweigh everything.
Unfortunately, I will never be able to collect that archive again, and this pain will follow me for the rest of my life.
Children, you know that I do not accept your frequent claim that Azerbaijani society still does not understand the meaning of free speech and diversity of opinion, otherwise they would not remain so silent about my arrest. The issue is not what society understands or accepts. Society once silently watched as Nasimi was flayed and as Jan Hus was burned, even adding fuel to the fire. Society may not even know Seyid Azim, who was tortured and killed for calling people to education. Society might never learn of the Azerbaijani independence figures Rasulzade, Khoyski, Yusifbeyli, and Topchubashov, who were killed or died in exile longing for their homeland.
Yet they represent the people. They are the conscience of the people, and they listen to that conscience. The requirement isn’t that people should be aware of your actions. Rather, what matters is that you work with consistency, perseverance, and tireless effort. All of this is essential to prevent the conscience from falling into the slavery of darkness.
Create history within yourself and live by that history!
My children, I could have worked in pro government media. But then I would have had to become hollow, alien to my own essence, to my conscience. That alienation would have reduced me to an echo, ultimately to spiritual slavery. A person’s misery does not begin by bowing before others. It begins when one surrenders to one’s own lack of conscience, lies, flattery, and hypocrisy. That is why the hardest thing in the world is to face your own conscience. The difficult questions begin there, and you must endure the pain of being sincere.
Today, Azerbaijan is full of so called intellectual slaves. We hear their voices and see their faces every day. Being educated is important, but if you do not reflect on what you learn and grasp its meaning, your knowledge will remain superficial. For such people, questions like what is justice and what is freedom are frightening.
My children, I want to live by listening to my conscience, because we come into this world only once. Even if it is heavy and full of pain, it is also honorable. My sense of pride lies in this.
I love you, my children. Study, learn, understand the world, and make a dignified life your goal. Then you will love people too.
You have no greater joy than your burden!
Natig Javadli, Kurdakhani, March 5, 2026
The post Natig Javadli: To my children, Aychichek, Deniz, and Turkel! appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
The post Natig Javadli: To my children, Aychichek, Deniz, and Turkel! appeared first on azeritimes.com.
After speaking about social isolation, Aykhan Israfilov, a member of the “Worker’s Table” Confederation of Trade Unions, has faced even harsher conditions in prison.
This was reported to Meydan TV by “Worker’s Table.”
Aykhan Israfilov stated that he faced greater pressure after exposing the conditions in the barracks.
“A few days ago, the post I shared did not solve the problem; it even created a situation as if my executioners had been informed by the letter I wrote. I feel that the pressure has increased. The few people who communicate with me have decreased further, and they only greet me with ‘hello’ or ‘thank you.’ The last time I experienced such isolation was in my childhood. I was in second or third grade. There was no money at home to cut my hair. My hair was long. Once a teacher made me stand up and scolded me for it. Then she told the whole class that I supposedly had lice. No one came near me. I am ‘grateful’ to the entire government of the country, starting with the Penitentiary Service, for not letting me forget my childhood traumas. If the prison administration does not solve this problem soon, I will solve it myself, and decisively. I’ve had enough.”
Aykhan Israfilov reported on March 17 that he was subjected to social isolation in the barracks.
Aykhan Israfilov was arrested on August 11, 2023.
He is accused of obtaining and possessing narcotic substances. The Baku Court on Grave Crimes sentenced him to three years of imprisonment for this charge.
However, he does not admit guilt and says he was framed and imprisoned over drugs.
Aykhan Israfilov has stated that he was punished on orders because of his advocacy for workers’ rights, critical opinions, and political views.
The post Prison pressure intensifies on Trade Union Activist Aykhan Israfilov after he exposes barracks conditions appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
The post Prison pressure intensifies on Trade Union Activist Aykhan Israfilov after he exposes barracks conditions appeared first on azeritimes.com.
🇦🇲#AramManukyan sent #HovhannesKajaznuni (the future first Prime Minister of Armenia), following the #Ottoman entry into World War I, to the Caucasus (#SouthCaucasus) to prevent the formation of Armenian military units.
Some representatives of the Armenian elite in the Ottoman
— Arthur Maghakian (@ArMaghak) Apr 30, 2026
42 years together: Proof that true love only gets better with time pic.twitter.com/uQCG5ZCUh7
— Seth (@fiercepatricks) April 30, 2026
The world’s third most valuable company, Apple Inc., with an estimated valuation of around $3.97 trillion, is set to report its fiscal second-quarter 2026 results after Wall Street closes on Thursday. Earlier this month, the company briefly surpassed a $4.03 trillion market capitalization, having previously crossed that milestone in October 2025, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.
Nikol Pashinyan comments on Mustafayev’s visit
“We have never discussed with Azerbaijan, and are not discussing, the return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, responding to a journalist’s question about whether the issue had been included in the agenda of talks between the two countries’ deputy prime ministers. A day earlier, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev met his Armenian counterpart Mher Grigoryan in Aghveran.
In recent days, Armenian opposition politicians had claimed in media appearances and on social media that such an agreement existed, making the question expected at the prime minister’s weekly briefing.
Nikol Pashinyan rejected those claims. He also stressed that the reverse process is not under discussion either — meaning the return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku and other areas where they previously lived is not part of the current agenda for normalising relations.
“It is obvious that discussions in both directions have a provocative impact on the current political situation,” he said.
He described statements by local politicians as “cheap domestic political speculation.”
According to Nikol Pashinyan, the issue of return — both of Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijanis — is being amplified to create internal political tension. He said the initiators are forces seeking to reignite confrontation between the two countries, citing the “Strong Armenia” party as an example.
“For instance, I am 100% sure that the Kaluga oligarch does not understand what he is saying or why. He is told to say it — and he does,” Pashinyan added, referring to party leader and Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan.
As usual during the briefing, the prime minister addressed a range of domestic and foreign policy issues, including the significance of Mustafayev’s visit, discussions between Armenian and Azerbaijani business representatives, and the return of Armenian detainees from Baku.
- Yerevan vox pops: what residents say on peace with Azerbaijan
- ‘On security, we are in the same boat’: Armenian experts on visit to Azerbaijan
- ‘Changing Armenia’s constitution is our decision, not others’,’ Pashinyan says in briefing
“Vice-premiers’ meetings have historic significance”
Nikol Pashinyan attaches great importance to talks between the deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, who also head the border delimitation commissions. He described meetings between Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev as historic.
“They mark a new and important stage in institutionalising and strengthening peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the prime minister said.
In his view, relations between the two countries should gradually improve, with peace becoming more entrenched:
“It is necessary to establish normal relations, and in the long term — strategically — these should become good-neighbourly relations.”
The first meeting of the Armenian–Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions took place in 2022. Recently, the sides have begun holding meetings not in third countries or on the interstate border, as before, but directly in Azerbaijan and Armenia. On 28 November 2025, an Armenian delegation travelled to Azerbaijan, where the commissions met in Gabala. On 29 April, an Azerbaijani delegation visited Armenia, with talks held in Aghveran.
“No obstacles to exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan”
Journalists asked who from Armenia had taken part in discussions with Azerbaijani business representatives during the deputy prime ministers’ meeting.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he knows which Armenian business figures attended but declined to name them:
“If they consider it necessary, they will say so themselves. I will not name names, including for reasons you are aware of — to avoid bullying by certain marginal groups.”
Commenting on trade and economic ties, he noted that since November 2025 around 26,000 tonnes of goods have been delivered to Armenia via Azerbaijan.
“There are no political or technical barriers, no obstacles to exporting goods from Armenia to Azerbaijan,” he stressed.
He added that the sides have already exchanged lists of goods, expressing hope that Armenian exports to Azerbaijan will begin in the near future.
“We are discussing prisoner returns with Baku bilaterally”
Nikol Pashinyan again stressed that daily efforts are under way to secure the release of Armenian detainees held in Baku.
“When there are results, we will all see them. I say this not because I have information I do not want to share, but because my experience shows that until someone has crossed the border into Armenia, it is not serious to announce such a possibility,” he said.
According to the prime minister, Yerevan is discussing the issue with Baku in a bilateral format, which he considers the most effective.
“Our experience has shown that discussions in other formats do not bring significant results and have little potential. If we see potential for effective discussions in another format, we will not refuse that opportunity,” he added.
Nikol Pashinyan comments on Mustafayev’s visit