Latest news with #Azerbaijani
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Shels will be pragmatic despite need to attack Qarabag lead
Uefa Champions League second round, second leg, 5pm Irish time: Qarabag (3) v Shelbourne (0) Shelbourne will be praying for a miracle from the Gods in a Baku stadium named after the man who awarded the most famous ghost goal in history. Tofiq Bahramov was the linesman who infamously and erroneously raised his flag for Geoff Hurst's shot crossing the line in the 1966 World Cup final. Such was England's hat-trick hero's gratitude to the deceased Azerbaijani that he unveiled a statue honouring the generous official in Baku on the eve of England's visit in 2004. Shels require a glut of gifts to overturn their three-goal deficit from the first-leg against Qarabag. It was heading for a narrow 1-0 margin until the Azeris defied their out-of-season rustiness to pounce for two more late on. Joey O'Brien's Reds have the consolation of two more ties within the Uefa structure as a fallback, starting with the Europa League clash against either Ludogorets (Bulgaria) or Rijeka (Croatia), starting next week on foreign soil again. What the ex-Irish international is eager to avoid is facing whichever European challenge looms with another heavy defeat. Group stage participation later in the season, which Qarabag have perfected over the past 11 years, is the ultimate objective for the reigning Irish champions. 'We can't have a repeat of what happened last season in Switzerland,' said O'Brien, referencing a goal conceded within the first minute away to FC Zurich. 'Although we're behind in the tie, we can't go off on a mad one. We like to play on the front foot, but the hot conditions here won't allow that. You get picked off at this level as we saw by making a critical mistake right at the start last year. 'We saw how damaging that can be, turning the leg into a long, long night.' Nobody within the Shels camp is countenancing the language around a free hit but the nature of the Champions path means there are realistic tasks to forethink. Even if the Reds exit the Europa, their first-round win over Linfield has sealed a shot at the Conference League group phase through a playoff. 'Coming to a big stadium like this and having the opportunity of playing a top team in their back garden, our players are chomping at the bit,' O'Brien said about the experience of top-tier competition for his players. 'We'll have a gameplan to try to win the game, even if we'll have to be more pragmatic.' Last year's campaign for Shels, their first for 18 years, had O'Brien in the assistant's role to Damien Duff. Now O'Brien is the gaffer, directly into the upper echelons of Uefa's hierarchy to test himself against the best. Last week's ruthlessness by his opponents supplied an early glimpse.
OC Media
15 hours ago
- Business
- OC Media
Part-time Social Media & Marketing Intern
OC Media is looking for a part-time intern to help with the daily operations of our Social Media and Marketing team. This opportunity is open to students and recent graduates who want to gain experience working in a multinational newsroom. Your responsibilities will include: Assisting with social media management and content creation Helping the marketing team with daily tasks Supporting the production and distribution of newsletters Monitoring on news coverage across the Caucasus We're looking for someone with: Basic graphic design skills and strong attention to detail Basic video editing abilities Fluency in English Knowledge of the Caucasus region Proficiency in Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, or Russian is a plus Previous experience in content creation is an advantage If you have any samples of your work, please include them with your application. What we offer: Renumeration to be discussed in the interview Flexible schedule (20 hours in a week) Training and mentorship from experienced journalists and editors A place in a supportive, multinational editorial team The opportunity to pitch creative ideas and projects How to apply: Email with the subject line: Multimedia Intern / Your name Advertisement Include: Your CV. A one-page cover letter telling us why you're interested and what makes you a good fit. Contact details for two references (name, position, email, phone number). Deadline - August 17
OC Media
2 days ago
- Business
- OC Media
Ukraine signs gas deal with Azerbaijan's SOCAR
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz has signed its first deal with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) to import natural gas via the Trans-Balkan route. Naftogaz announced the deal via a press release on Monday. 'This is a small volume but strategically important step that paves the way for long-term cooperation. It is also another example of diversifying supply sources and strengthening Ukraine's energy security', the CEO of Naftogaz, Serhii Koretskyi, said. In the press release, Naftogaz also extended its gratitude to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the Ukrainian government, and Ukraine's Energy Ministry 'for their support in reaching this agreement', as well as to its Azerbaijani colleagues 'for their trust'. Ukraine announced the new Trans-Balkan route through Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova in May 2025 'Having phased out Russian energy carriers, Ukraine, like our partners in the EU, is actively working to find alternative gas supply routes. The use of the Trans-Balkan route is important in this context', a press release by Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said at the time. A source told Reuters in June that the new route could allow Ukraine to import up to 1 billion cubic metres of gas between June–October 2025, with a daily import capacity of 7,000 cubic metres. Advertisement The Ukrainian government reportedly previously announced that the country needed to import at least 4 billion cubic metres of gas for the 2025–2026 heating season. As part of its effort to shift away from dependency on Russian energy, the EU has increasingly turned toward Azerbaijan. However, there are concerns that Azerbaijan still works to launder Russian fossil fuels to be sold in the European market. Previously, in May, the UK sanctioned a state-owned Azerbaijani tanker as part of efforts to block Russia's oil trading shadow fleet. An investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that the ship in question, the Zangazur, was owned by the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company and that the Azerbaijani government owned the entirety of the company's shares. Based on shipping data, the OCCRP recorded the Zangazur paying regular visits to the Russian port of Primorsk, west of Saint Petersburg, which features an oil terminal, as well as to the Turkish port of Nemrut, where Azerbaijan's state-owned STAR oil refinery is located. According to data collected by the advocacy group Global Witness, Azerbaijan's STAR refinery processed a large amount of Russian crude oil in 2024. 'The vast majority of STAR products imported by the EU this year have likely been made from Russian oil', Global Witness stated in a July 2024 report. Such imports follow a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), according to which Azerbaijan would double its supply of gas to the EU, which would allegedly, as European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen highlighted at the time, 'compensate for cuts in supplies of Russian gas and contribute significantly to Europe's security of supply'.
OC Media
2 days ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Monday, 28 July 2025
Regional * Nearly 90 members of the US Congress are calling on the Trump administration to ensure the safe return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 87 members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties write that the return of Nagorno-Karabakh residents is consistent with international law and the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the region. * Yesterday, Azerbaijani pro-government NGOs criticised the letter, calling i
OC Media
4 days ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Police violently evict residents of Baku neighbourhood ahead of plans to demolish 120 houses
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Azerbaijani police have reportedly violently dispersed protests by residents of Montin-Keshla, a town in the Narimanov district of Baku, who have been protesting the demolition of 120 houses in their community. Independent news outlet Meydan TV reported that the residents claim that there were no documents confirming the authorities' right to demolish the houses. 'Here, 145 families live, and more than 120 houses are located in this area', a Montin-Keshla resident told OC Media on the condition of anonymity. 'No one from the authorities talked to us about this and we don't know what will happen with the residents. We are being forced to leave the area and now we are moving', they continued, adding that many of the houses being demolished had been there since 2005. 'On Thursday, in front of my eyes, around five people were detained. People were forcibly kicked out of their houses, that is why they confronted police', the resident said. The demolition of the houses is part of the Baku City Plan, a project where Baku will construct again and the old buildings in the many streets will be demolished. As the plan has unfolded, pro-government media has downplayed how it is impacting local residents. Pro-government TV Khazar has quoted as a representative of Azerbaijan Railways as saying that the main reason the houses were being demolished in the area is to remove obstacles around railways forcing trains to go slower when passing through the town. Advertisement The demolition of these houses has been in the pipeline since 2015, with local media reporting that there were 2,840 illegal buildings in the area — of these, 2,304 are residential buildings. At the time, the Transportation Ministry indicated that 883 buildings should be demolished immediately. Several similar incidents have taken place in Baku before; in March, the construction company Melissa Group demolished a house in Baku's Yasamal district while a resident was still inside. After the footage of the incident spread on social media, the foreman and driver of the excavator carrying out the demolition work were detained, in addition to the head ofthe construction company. In February, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) fined the Azerbaijani government approximately €1.7 million ($1.8 million) for illegally demolishing a number of properties in central Baku in 2010 in order to create a new park.
