live U.S. confirms troop deaths: All the latest news on Middle East conflict
The widening war between Iran, U.S. and Israel is leaving civilians and soldiers caught in its wake. Thousands are stranded across the Gulf, flight...
The Azerbaijani government has announced its proposed 2025 state budget, prioritizing socio-economic development, national security, and post-conflict reconstruction in line with the directives of President Ilham Aliyev.
The Azerbaijani government has announced its proposed 2025 state budget, prioritizing socio-economic development, national security, and post-conflict reconstruction in line with the directives of President Ilham Aliyev. The budget also aligns with the nation's Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (2022-2026), emphasizing rebuilding efforts in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, reintegrating liberated territories, and facilitating the safe return of displaced persons.
Finance Minister Samir Sharifov presented the budget plan to the Azerbaijani Parliament on November 25, highlighting its total projected expenditures of 41.4 billion manat ($24.3 billion). Of this amount, 27.7 billion manat ($16.2 billion), or two-thirds, will be directed toward key national priorities.
Sharifov noted that 4 million manat ($2.3 million), representing 9.7 percent of the total budget expenditures, is allocated to the First State Program for the Great Return. This funding will focus on developing residential areas and villages in liberated territories as part of ongoing reconstruction efforts.
A significant portion of the budget—8.4 billion manat ($4.9 billion), or 20.3 percent—is earmarked for enhancing the country’s military capabilities and modernizing its defense sector. This figure marks a 17.8 percent increase from the 2024 forecast and a substantial 43.4 percent rise compared to 2023, underscoring Azerbaijan's commitment to strengthening its national security infrastructure.
"The proposed budget reflects Azerbaijan's dedication to achieving its strategic goals, ensuring stability, and fostering sustainable development," Sharifov stated in his address.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
China expressed serious concern over the escalating conflict in Iran, confirming that one Chinese national was killed in Tehran. Beijing called for an immediate halt to military operations and a return to diplomatic talks, while other Asian countries have also voiced their positions on the crisis.
The widening war between Iran, U.S. and Israel is leaving civilians and soldiers caught in its wake. Thousands are stranded across the Gulf, flights are grounded, and Washington has confirmed the first American troops killed as fears grow of further casualties.
The U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in its retaliatory attacks throughout the Middle East so far.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the country's gas exports to Europe and renewable energy development at the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council 12th Ministerial Meeting and Green Energy Advisory Council 4th Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday (3 March) in Baku.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and NATO ally refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
An Israeli strike on a four-storey residential building has killed at least four people and wounded six others in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek with rescue teams working to pull families from beneath the rubble, state news agency NNA said on Wednesday.
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