Azerbaijan news stories on Newser

Azerbaijan Plans World's Tallest Building

Matt Cantor — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:55:09 CDT

Azerbaijan's got oil money to burn, and officials want to show off the country's modernity—so they're planning to construct the tallest building on the planet. The Azerbaijan Tower is set to rise nearly 3,450 feet over a collection of 41 artificial islands near the capital, Baku. The Caspian...

2012 London Gold Medals 'Sold' for $10M: BBC

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:41:13 CDT

A boxing official made arrangements to "sell" two 2012 Olympic gold medals to the Azerbaijani team for $10 million, according to an investigation by the BBC . Millions of dollars in secret payments have already been made to international boxing organization World Series Boxing, sources say. In exchange, the head of...

Before Gulf, BP Had Azerbaijan Spill: WikiLeaks

Matt Cantor — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:10:06 CST

Eighteen months before the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company experienced a similar huge leak in Azerbaijan, WikiLeaks cables reveal. The firm was tight-lipped about the incident, angering its partners, the cables note, adding that BP was fortunate in getting its 212 workers to safety, the...

12 Killed in Azerbaijan School Shooting

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:32:06 CDT

A gunman opened fire at Azerbaijan's prestigious oil industry academy today, killing 12 and wounding 13 before turning the gun on himself. The suspect, Georgian citizen Farda Gadyrov, entered the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in Baku and climbed five floors of the building, shooting everyone he met along the way,...

US to Expand Routes Into Afghanistan

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:40:00 CST

More than four-fifths of the supplies for allied troops in Afghanistan travel via Pakistan along a treacherous route, prompting the US to plan new supply lines in the embattled region. The fragility of the current setup was laid bare after a Pakistani counter-militant offensive shut down the Khyber Pass yesterday,...

Cheney Set to Visit Georgia

Nick McMaster — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:33:01 CDT

Dick Cheney will visit Georgia next week to strengthen ties with the battered US ally, the AP reports. The vice president will also visit Azerbaijan and Ukraine to emphasize the US commitment to the former Soviet republics, a White House spokesman said today in announcing the trip, which is to...

Moscow Backs Down on Missile Shield

Wesley Oliver — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:55:49 CDT

After weeks of exchanging sharp criticism with US officials, Vladimir Putin today suggested a truce over a controversial missile shield in Eastern Europe. In talks with President Bush at the G8 summit, the Russian president reversed course and said Moscow would support US plans for the shield if it is...