Azerbaijan's long-serving president and New Azerbaijan Party leader since 2003
Volodymyr Zelensky has warned airlines and insurers that growing Ukrainian long‑range drone sorties are making Russian airspace unsafe and that Russia's skies are effectively closing. He has said Ukraine will not target civilian aircraft. Vladimir Putin has called the warning "state terrorism" and Russia is signalling a tougher military response.
Former head of Rwanda’s presidential guard Tom Byabagamba has died in prison, raising concerns about jail conditions and political repression. Rights groups describe a pattern of silencing critics; the cases of Byabagamba and Rusagara are cited amid ongoing debates about President Kagame’s government.
Armenia is expanding its foreign policy with Western partners even as Moscow remains a key security ally. A US-backed TRIPP corridor is developing, while parliamentary votes set a course for the South Caucasus nation amid ongoing regional tensions.
Israeli forces have carried out strikes and patrol operations in southern Lebanon since a US‑brokered framework was signed, killing and wounding civilians and soldiers and prompting Hezbollah to warn of retaliation. Washington and Tehran have pushed ceasefire mechanisms and talks, but Israel is keeping troops in a south Lebanese security zone while Lebanon resists disarming Hezbollah.
Armenia has received EU support to diversify its trade away from Russia as Moscow’s sanctions bite. The EU will grant tariff-free access to about 80% of Armenian exports and supply an additional 18 million euros to bolster trade, while Armenia seeks to expand ties with Brussels amid broader regional tensions.