Azerbaijan–Slovakia ties in focus: President Peter Pellegrini is in Azerbaijan, meeting Ilham Aliyev in Shusha and praising reconstruction in Garabagh, including a “smart village” project run by Slovak firms, while both sides highlight expanding security cooperation and new practical steps like direct flights from October. Cybersecurity: ESET warns of 11 old Microsoft-signed UEFI shim bootloaders that can bypass Secure Boot, affecting many UEFI systems that trust a specific certificate. Digital euro rollout: The ECB has picked 36 payment providers for the digital euro pilot, planned for the second half of 2027. EU sanctions on Russia: Fresh EU/UK measures target Russian cyber operators and intelligence officers over alleged cyberattacks and sabotage. Local culture & film: Fest Anča in Žilina is featuring Slovak and regional animated shorts—Bubble, Tourists, Bardo, and Quantum Jump—with themes ranging from labour oppression to agency, death/rebirth, and existential loops. Sports (Slovakia angle): Slovakia’s women’s beach volleyball pair reached the Sibiu Futures final, while the ECB and other EU stories dominated the policy headlines.