US Vice President Vance to Visit Armenia and Azerbaijan Amidst Rising Gold Prices and Cybersecurity Threats
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Armenia next Monday, followed by a trip to Azerbaijan later this month, signaling a renewed U.S. focus on the South Caucasus, according to Euronews. The visit underscores Washington's efforts to promote trade, investment, and infrastructure in the region through the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity corridor (TRIPP).
Vance's trip comes as Azerbaijan's State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) is benefiting from rising gold prices, generating significant revenue for the country, Euronews reported. Sovereign investors worldwide are increasing their gold holdings in response to global instability. SOFAZ uses gold as a hedge against external shocks, inflation, and broader market stress, with a larger allocation helping to protect capital and reduce exposure to volatility, according to Euronews. SOFAZ manages revenues from oil and gas exports to support long-term economic stability.
Meanwhile, cybersecurity remains a concern as Microsoft released an urgent Office patch after Russian-state hackers exploited a critical vulnerability, Ars Technica reported. The threat group, tracked under names including APT28, Fancy Bear, Sednit, Forest Blizzard, and Sofacy, pounced on the vulnerability, CVE-2026-21509, less than 48 hours after Microsoft released the security update late last month. Researchers said the hackers compromised devices inside diplomatic, maritime, and transport organizations in more than half a dozen countries. The group reverse-engineered the patch and wrote an advanced exploit that installed previously unseen backdoors.
In other news, a US House committee unanimously passed a reauthorization act for NASA, Ars Technica reported. The legislation, which still needs approval from the full House and the Senate, provides the space agency with a general sense of direction from legislators. These reauthorization bills are distinct from appropriations bills, which provide actual funding for specific programs, but play an important role in establishing space policy.
Separately, TechCrunch reported on Anthropic's Super Bowl commercial, one of four ads the AI lab dropped on Wednesday. The commercial features a chatbot offering advice, highlighting that while ads are coming to AI, they won’t be coming to its own chatbot, Claude.
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