  Firefighters battle massive fire at Baku shopping mall March 26, 2019 - 14:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A massive fire has broken out in a shopping mall in Baku's Nizami district, RFE/RL reports. Azerbaijan's Emergency Situations Ministry said on March 26 that employees of the Diglas trade center had been evacuated. An RFE/RL correspondent reports from the scene that firefighters are trying to extinguish the blaze in the upper floors of the five-story building. Two helicopters have been dispatched to the site to help tackle the fire. Local media quoted the city's ambulance service as saying that 10 people had been diagnosed with smoke poisoning. Emergency Situations Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov, top police officials, and local authorities are at the site. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
