Day: May 1, 2026

National team delivers strong results at the 17th International Advanced Tournament in Informatics with the support of Azercell

‘Escaped zebra’ in Armenia was a painted donkey  upi.com

Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has stated that fuel supplies from Azerbaijan have played a role in preventing a sharp rise in gasoline prices in Armenia amid ongoing volatility in global energy markets, AzerNEWS reports.

Patriarchal Locum Tenens Shio Mujiri, who temporarily governs the Georgian Orthodox Church ahead of the election of a new leader, met with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on May 1.

“The discussion touched upon meetings with Georgian diaspora communities abroad, where various events will be held to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in Georgia,” the Patriarchate said.

The meeting, which took place at the Patriarchate, was also attended by Botchorishvili’s deputies – Giorgi Zurabashvili and Khatuna Totladze – as well as Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili) of the Chiatura and Sachkhere Diocese and Andria Jaghmaidze, Head of Patriarchate’s Public Relations Department.

The meeting comes as Georgia’s Orthodox Church is set to have a new patriarch after Ilia II passed away on March 17. Metropolitan Shio of the Senaki and Chkhorotsku Diocese, whom the late Patriarch Ilia II named as locum tenens as early as 2017, is one of three candidates shortlisted by the Holy Synod, which must elect a new patriarch by May 17 at the latest.

Also Read:

• 03/04/2026 – After Synod Meeting, Clergy Hint at Next Patriarch’s Education Requirement, No Decision on Age
• 01/04/2026 – Who May Succeed Patriarch Ilia II, And How Could It (Re-)Define Georgian Orthodox Church
• 22/03/2026 – Obituary | Ilia II – The Man Who Reinvented the Church
• 18/03/2026 – ‘End of Epoch’ – Georgia Mourns Patriarch

The first session on “Design, Collections, and Product Development” has taken placeat the Baku Business Center as part of the 2nd International Carpet Forum 2026, AzerNEWS reports.

Meydan TV trial in Azerbaijan

A scheduled hearing in the Meydan TV case did not take place today at the Baku Court for Serious Crimes. Journalists instead marked World Press Freedom Day on 3 May by staging a protest, holding placards and chanting slogans.

During the hearing, only one motion was granted — a request by lawyer Shakhla Gumbatova to be recognised as defence counsel for journalist Shamshad Agha. The judge then announced that the session would be adjourned.

The hearing, chaired by Judge Ayten Aliyeva, was postponed after several defence lawyers arrived late. They said they would be in the courtroom within 15 minutes, but the judge did not take this into account.

The accused journalists then said they were staging a protest ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May and began chanting slogans:

“Freedom is the main artery of the press!”

“Together in freedom and in prison!”

“Words cannot be put in chains!”

“Free speech belongs to us — no prison can contain it!”

“The internet is free, but speech is blocked!”

During the protest, female journalists held up placards, including:

“We are in prison, but our pens are free” — Aysel Umudova
“Free media, free people” — Ulviya Ali
“To speak, not to remain silent, is gold” — Aytaj Tapdig
“Freedom is the main artery of the press” — Khayala Agayeva

The next hearing is scheduled for 22 May.

Meydan TV trial in Azerbaijan

The decision for Azerbaijan to officially sever ties with the European Parliament, a relationship already strained to the breaking point, is a stark manifestation of the deep fractures and institutional crises within the modern system of international relations. Baku’s decisive move is not merely an emotional reaction; it is the logical culmination of a process that has accumulated over years, characterized by systemic bias that has utterly exhausted the potential for constructive dialogue.