Day: May 4, 2026

With nearly half of its petroleum imports passing through this single maritime chokepoint, Pakistan faces immediate threats of fuel shortages and economic inflation, News.Az reports, citing Pakistan Today.
To mitigate these risks, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offers a strategic framework to move beyond a fragile, import-dependent model by diversifying supply routes and strengthening domestic resilience.
***
A primary opportunity lies in developing Gwadar Port into a regional energy logistics hub. By establishing large-scale strategic petroleum reserves at Gwadar, Pakistan could expand its emergency buffers beyond the current limit of a few weeks. Furthermore, Pakistan can look toward Central Asia’s vast hydrocarbon and hydropower resources. Potential energy corridors linking through western China or direct electricity transmission projects could provide alternative supply lines that bypass volatile maritime routes.
Domestically, the transition requires a shift toward decentralized renewable energy systems, such as microgrids in remote regions, and the electrification of the transport sector to reduce the national oil import bill. Under CPEC 2.0, attracting industrial investment for electric vehicle manufacturing and battery technology is essential. Ultimately, the current crisis illustrates that national security depends on a diversified energy architecture that prioritizes strategic storage, regional Eurasian connectivity, and a move away from fossil-fuel-based power generation toward a resilient, modernized grid.

The post Reimagining Pakistan’s energy security through CPEC and regional connectivity appeared first on azeritimes.com.

The company, formed from the merger of McAfee Enterprise and FireEye, stated that upon identifying the breach, it immediately engaged outside forensic experts and notified law enforcement, News.Az reports, citing Gov Info Security.
Despite the intrusion, Trellix emphasized that its initial investigation has found no evidence that the source code release or distribution processes were affected, nor that the accessed code has been exploited in the wild.
***
The incident highlights a growing trend of targeting security vendors, following similar recent repository breaches at firms like Checkmarx and Cisco. While the extent of the stolen data and the identity of the attackers remain undisclosed, Trellix has pledged to share further technical details once its full investigation concludes. The company currently protects over 200 million endpoints globally, making the security of its internal code a matter of significant interest to its 50,000 business and government customers.

The post Trellix discloses unauthorized access to source code repository appeared first on azeritimes.com.

Brent futures rose $6.79, or 6.3 percent, to $114.96 per barrel at 12:54 p.m. EDT (1654 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $4.23, or 4.2 percent, to $106.17, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
***
A South Korean ship was hit by an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and Iranian drones caused a fire at a UAE oil port, as Tehran demonstrated its grip on Middle East oil after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Navy would open the strait.
The U.S. military said it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran as the U.S. launched an operation to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, said on Monday.
Iranian military officials, meanwhile, denied that Iranian small boats were sunk.
About 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the strait before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy issued a map that it said was expanding the areas controlled by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz to include the UAE’s ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan as well as the coast of Umm Al Quwain emirate in the UAE, according to Iranian news agencies.
“The path for prices remains skewed to the upside as long as flows through the strait remain restricted,” UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. military said two U.S. merchant ships had made it through the strait, without saying when. Iran denied any crossings had taken place.

The post Iran’s assault on UAE oil hub, vessels in Hormuz lifts oil prices 6% appeared first on azeritimes.com.

The West African country remains in a security crisis more than a week after an alliance of jihadists and separatist rebels launched their nationwide raids, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
***
During the offensive, Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital, Bamako.
A decree read on state television on Monday said Goïta would replace Camara as defence minister. He will be assisted by army chief ​of staff Gen Oumar ⁠Diarra, who has been appointed minister delegate.
On 25 April, residents in cities and towns across Mali woke to gunfire and explosion, as an alliance of two groups – the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM – launched coordinated attacks.
The scale of the offensive, which led to the withdrawal of Malian and allied Russian forces from the northern city of Kidal, has fuelled doubts about the strength of Goïta’s military government, which came to power in a coup in August 2020.
Over the weekend, the Malian authorities said they had arrested a group of soldiers allegedly linked to the offensive.

The post Mali junta leader appoints himself defence minister after predecessor killed appeared first on azeritimes.com.

The shift occurred after Apple quietly removed the $599 entry-level model—which featured a 256GB SSD and 16GB of RAM—from its online store. As a result, the 512GB storage variant, previously a mid-tier option priced at $799, has become the new “base” model for the compact desktop, News.Az reports, citing Extreme Tech.
***
The decision follows an earnings call where CEO Tim Cook highlighted “higher-than-expected demand” for the Mac Mini and Mac Studio, driven largely by their popularity for running local AI and agentic tools. Analysts suggest that by cutting the lower-margin 256GB version, Apple is managing a global shortage of high-performance memory chips. While the newer, budget-friendly MacBook Neo remains available at a $599 starting price, the removal of the cheapest Mac Mini significantly raises the barrier to entry for the Mac desktop ecosystem.

The post Apple effectively raises Mac Mini starting price by discontinuing base model appeared first on azeritimes.com.

On May 4, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev hosted a working dinner in honor of President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Giorgia Meloni, News.Az reports, citing AZERTAC.

The post Aliyev hosts working dinner for President of Italian Council of Ministers appeared first on azeritimes.com.

The new band features a vibrant, neon-inspired design with “Pride” woven directly into the fabric, utilizing a technique that creates a three-dimensional appearance. The color palette incorporates the traditional rainbow alongside colors representing the transgender and non-binary communities, as well as those living with or lost to HIV/AIDS, News.Az reports, citing GSM Arena.
The Pride Edition Sport Loop is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, compatible with various Apple Watch generations. The matching Pride Radiance watch face and wallpapers are designed to react to user movement, such as wrist raises or screen taps. A portion of the proceeds from this collection supports global LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, continuing Apple’s long-standing partnership with community groups. The new band is available for purchase through Apple’s online store and physical retail locations.

The post Apple launches new Pride Edition Sport Loop for Apple Watch appeared first on azeritimes.com.

Mayor Stelios Angeloudis convened an emergency meeting on Monday with regional tourism officials and stakeholders to address the potential loss of international routes and connections, News.Az reports, citing EN.Protothema.

As a result of the meeting, an online session has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, at 16:00, where city representatives and the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) will meet with Ryanair management to clarify the airline’s intentions.

***

The Irish low-cost carrier has reportedly cited increased charges at the airport as the reason for the potential withdrawal. While the airline currently stations three aircraft at the base, local officials have requested clarification from Fraport Greece regarding the terms of their cooperation. This move follows a pattern of Ryanair closing bases in locations like Berlin, Chania, and Kos to shift capacity to lower-cost markets. Local stakeholders plan to meet again at the end of the week to coordinate a response, emphasizing that the city’s tourism growth—which saw a 5.1% increase in passenger traffic in early 2026—must be protected.

The post Thessaloniki leaders to meet Ryanair over potential base closure​ appeared first on azeritimes.com.