http://www.today.az Covering Azerbaijan inside and outside http://www.today.az/images/logo_small.gif http://www.today.az http://www.today.az/news/politics/122933.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 15:52:00 +0500 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today visited the redeveloped Highland Park in Baku.The Head of State was told that redevelopment included the creation of a waterfall complex, the installation of modern lighting system, and the building of a 600-seat cafe.The President viewed the Independence Museum, which was built under a presidential order dated August 2, 2011.***President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today attended a ground-breaking ceremony of Baku White City Boulevard.The Head of State first viewed photos reflecting the layout of the boulevard.The Azerbaijani President was informed about work to be done here.President Ilham Aliyev laid a foundation stone for the Baku White City Boulevard.President Ilham Aliyev views Highland Park in Baku after redevelopment President Ilham Aliyev lays foundation stone for Baku White City Boulevard /AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122932.html Weird / Interesting Sat, 25 May 2013 14:15:00 +0500 Somewhere, from the counter of the all-night doughnut shop in the sky, Buford T Justice is shaking his fist in the direction of the United Arab Emirates.With their recent acquisition of an Aston Martin One-77, police in the capital city of Dubai have made driving a squad car look a lot more interesting.The bespoke coupe, limited to a run of 77 examples, has less to do with helping officers solve crimes than with enhancing Dubai’s hyper-rich image. While it is not the first time that a police department has drafted a supercar into service, Dubai’s latest action has certainly upped the game.Workaday, sedan-based squad cars factor less and less in the world’s police departments, and officers have grown accustomed to protect and serve from behind the wheel of faster, more luxurious vehicles of varying body styles.But some vehicles blow out the departmental spend sheets. And while nobody would hope to score a ride in these cars’ back seats (where back seats exist), there is a lot to like about law enforcement when it is administered in such machinery./BBC/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122931.html Society Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:00 +0500 “Red Bull X Fighters Jams” motorbike festival will be held in Baku Saturday.Organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the festival will take place in one of the central squares of the Azerbaijani capital, Azadliq Square.The festival will bring together motorbike riders from Russia, Sweden and Italy./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122929.html Sports Sat, 25 May 2013 13:45:00 +0500 Watch the stunning goals scored in different championships throughout the world.1.Gareth Bale - Tottenham (England)2.Massimo Gobbi - Parma (Italy)3.Viktor Gayzulin - Zenit (Russia)4.Ozgur Chek - Eskishehirspor (Turkey)5.Johnny Hawson - Norwich City (England)6.Antonio Di Natale - Udinese (Italy)7.Michel - FC Dallas (USA)8.Ron Vlaar - Aston Villa (England)9.Helder Postiga - Zaragoza (Spain)10.Franck Ribery - Bayern Munich (Deutschland)<br /></div> </body> </html> http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122926.html Weird / Interesting Sat, 25 May 2013 13:30:00 +0500 SeaWorld Orlando opened its "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins" on Friday, a new attraction that will be coated with 10 tons of fresh snow each day.To recreate a cold, dry climate suitable for penguins in hot, humid Florida, designers used airtight doors, humidifiers and air purifiers, SeaWorld said. Icicles and glittering ice crystals were created out of hand-blown Pyrex and glass.Housed in a facility kept at 30 degrees, it is the coldest exhibit ever featured at Florida's major theme parks, which include Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.The attraction features almost 250 so-called "flippered flyers" from such penguin varieties as Gentoo, Adelie and Rockhopper and a ride that allows visitors to follow a penguin named Puck as he demonstrates what life is like for his species in Antarctica, according to SeaWorld.Courting, nesting and molting behaviors of penguins are affected by light. SeaWorld used a computerized lighting system that alters the light in the habitat almost daily to recreate natural sunrise-to-sunset and seasonal light patterns from their natural habitat./Reuters/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122927.html Sports Sat, 25 May 2013 13:15:00 +0500 Inter Milan sacked coach Andrea Stramaccioni Friday and replaced him immediately with Walter Mazzarri.Stramaccioni departs after a dismal season for the famed Nerazzurri, who finished the season a lowly ninth in Serie A and missed out on European competition.By contrast, Mazzari, who has been at Napoli for four seasons, has guided them back into the Champions League and they finished second to champions Juventus in this year's standings.He recently announced he would be leaving at the end of the season and was immediately linked with Inter, who will be appointing their sixth coach since the departure of Jose Mourinho three years ago./CNN/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122930.html Society Sat, 25 May 2013 13:00:00 +0500 Subunits of the Armenian Armed Forces shattered ceasefire in Krasnoselsk region of Armenia, nameless hills of Gadabay region, occupied Merzili village of Agdam region, Ashagi Abdulrahmanli village of Fuzuli region, Gyzil Oba village of Terter region, nameless hills of Kuropatkino village of Khojavend region, on May 24-25.The Armenians were silenced with a retail fire, the Defense Ministry said./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122923.html Sports Sat, 25 May 2013 12:47:00 +0500 Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp believes that the team that "makes the right decisions at the right moment" will come out on top in the Champions League final, claiming that on a one-off occasion such as this one, "it's not important which team is stronger".While adamant that his side is "obviously" not the favourite ahead of the match, Klopp added that "small details" will have a bigger impact on the outcome than "mentality or talent".The charismatic German tactician stressed that the encounter at Wembley should be taken in isolation, claiming that the four previous meetings between the sides this season – in which Dortmund failed to win – will have no bearing."It will be an absolutely special match. It's a one-off clash and no one wants to lose or walk away from having given it up. We want to give our all over the 90 minutes, or however long it lasts, and take our chance", he stated.Klopp, who has led Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles, claimed that if this were the last final of his career, it would be a "perfect" last hurrah, considering the opponent and the venue.Though "luck will have a role to play", Klopp noted that Dortmund will try to use its "tactical wherewithal" to take pre-match favourites Bayern out of their comfort zone. "We need to bring them down to our level. If we do that, we can beat them", he stressed.Finally, Klopp argued that having "risen from the ashes", occasions like this one are "more exciting" for Dortmund than for teams for whom "winning is the norm", such as Bayern and Manchester United./Marca.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122921.html World news Sat, 25 May 2013 12:34:00 +0500 By AzerNewsBy Gene FriedaGlobal strategist for Moore Europe Capital ManagementAs Europe's financial crisis goes from acute to chronic, the dispute over who will bear the costs of resolving it is fueling the emergence of a new generation of political movements.In the so-called periphery, political upstarts promise citizens an alternative to austerity. In the eurozone's "core" countries, they purport to protect taxpayers from relentless demands for debtor-country relief. How Europe's leaders respond to these new political challengers will determine whether the monetary union stabilizes or fractures.Europe's political elite have, for the most part, been strongly integrationist. Given that they are largely of the post-World War II generation, they are acutely aware of the benefits of a peaceful Europe. In the 1990's, differing visions of European integration led to a problematic compromise. In order to secure France's backing for German reunification, Germany agreed to create a monetary union - but not a fiscal union. Now, Europe is suffering the consequences of that Faustian bargain.At the same time, Europe's leaders are under pressure from a new generation of voters, who grew up in the shadow of the Berlin Wall's collapse. The lifting of the Iron Curtain gave the West access to a vast supply of cheap labor in Eastern Europe. China's subsequent emergence expanded that supply further, culminating with China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001. As a result, many of Europe's economies began to fall behind.European leaders hoped that a monetary union would help Europe's less competitive economies catch up to the richer countries of the north. And, during its first decade, the euro ostensibly delivered. Just as cheap mortgage financing papered over the cracks of growing income inequality in the United States, cheap capital from the north accelerated Europe's apparent economic convergence.The post-Wall generation seemed to have all the luck - at least for a while. But income inequality was worsening steadily in all member countries, with more highly educated citizens benefiting from the booming services industry, while the less educated suffered as manufacturing moved to cheaper locations. Then, the global financial crisis struck, income inequality rose sharply, and the post-Wall generation in southern Europe suffered the largest drop in living standards since WWII.Unlike the US, which was founded on a political cause - opposition to British colonialism - that forged a common national identity, countries joining the European Union sought simply to avoid further warfare on the continent. While laudable, this cause was inadequate to foster a shared European identity. On the contrary, it allowed national identity to flourish.The post-Wall generation, whose members are less than 40 years old and thus far removed from WWII, has little appreciation for this cause. For them, debtor and creditor countries' increasingly divergent economic objectives are much more meaningful.Citizens of debtor economies, who grew up complacent about economic convergence, have lost their savings and, in many cases, have run out of hope. Meanwhile, citizens of creditor countries are focused on protecting the gains made before the crisis; after all, it was their savings that financed their neighbors' reckless spending.Throughout the eurozone, rising income inequality has created an underclass that is increasingly suspicious of the monetary union. As the post-war generation ages - with most of its members now at least 60 years old and its leaders either in senior leadership positions or acting as senior statesmen - the remaining support for integration is waning.Many post-Wall voters stand on the margins of established parties or are forming parties of their own, while a more pragmatic group is being pulled between the old order and new movements. The muddled, reactive response to the euro crisis reflects the compromises that traditional political parties have made in order to remain in power as generational differences have become increasingly extreme.Political revolutions rarely arise out of brief periods of acute crisis. Rather, they follow one or more generations of chronic decline, when fear of economic loss gives way to targeted anger, and charismatic voices surface to orchestrate the response. This pattern has recurred throughout history, from the French Revolution all the way to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Although markets may have been cowed into submission for now, the cracks in the eurozone's political foundations are beginning to show.For now, the post-Wall generation lacks a clear focus for its anger. New populist parties in Italy, Greece, and Germany reflect the direction in which politics is moving, not the final destination. Their ability to win support from both the left and the right suggests a shared aspiration to rebuild the protective national barriers that the post-War generation demolished.Against this background, most European leaders are afraid that their electorates will reject anything that seems to imply more integration. It is a classic prisoner's dilemma: all countries are better off if they contribute to a common cause, but the pressure of national elections impedes politicians' ability to champion that cause. The ultimate test of leadership will be a commitment to EU treaty reform, with all the thorny negotiations and referenda that this entails.The post-war generation's political leaders must respond promptly and effectively to the challenge posed by emerging political movements while they are still immature. If they wait too long, the old walls will be restored and the euro's guardians will be left out in the cold.Copyrights: Project Syndicate http://www.today.az/news/society/122928.html Society Sat, 25 May 2013 12:20:00 +0500 On May 30, presentation of the book “Personality of the two epochs” published in Ukrainian and English languages and devoted to the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev will be held at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (DAU), the embassy of Azerbaijan in Ukraine said.Publication of the book was realized by the Directorate General for Service to the Diplomatic Missions of the Kyiv City State Administration, the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.The event will take place in the framework of a large-scale celebration of the 90th anniversary of great leader Heydar Aliyev, with the participation of the heads of diplomatic missions and Ukrainian public figures.On May 28, the Azerbaijani Embassy will arrange a reception on the occasion of Republic Day./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122925.html Business Sat, 25 May 2013 12:10:00 +0500 According to the Georgian Union of Petroleum Product Importers, imports of petroleum products (petrol and diesel fuel) amounted to 67,900 tons in Georgia in April. Petrol imports amounted to 26,700 tons and diesel fuel 41,200 tons.According to the union, imports of oil products in Georgia amounted to 222,000 tons in the first four months of 2013, including petrol - 102,700 tons and diesel fuel - 119,300 tons. Imports of petrol reduced by 3200 tons and diesel fuel by 7400 tons compared to the same period last year.This year, Georgia has imported petrol from Romania (54,900 tons), Bulgaria (30,100 tons), Azerbaijan (7400 tons) and Italy (7100 tons).As for imports of diesel fuel to Georgia, the biggest import was made from Azerbaijan for 49,700 tons, Russia (24,500 tons), Romania (21,500 tons), Bulgaria (14,200 tons) and Greece (5600 tons) in January-April."The situation with imports can be considered as satisfactory," the union said. "Taking into account that car owners have recently been using gas, one can say that gas has become a real competitor to petrol."/Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122922.html Sports Sat, 25 May 2013 11:55:00 +0500 Johan Cruyff has expressed his opposition to Barcelona signing Neymar. It has nothing to do with his quality as a player, of which there is absolutely no doubt, but is rather a question of pairing up the Brazilian star with Leo Messi. "I wouldn't put two captains on the same ship... we have to learn from the past," assured the Dutchman./Marca.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122924.html Weird / Interesting Sat, 25 May 2013 11:43:00 +0500 TechCrunch has a nice look at a new API from Lambda Labs, an "early-stage startup" (meaning, brand-new) from San Francisco, that's causing a bit of consternation. Lambda Labs makes a facial recognition API, which you can actually try out here in your browser. But now Lambda has released a version of that API specifically for Google Glass.There are certain software restrictions that hold back what the hardware can do--in this case, you can't use the facial recognition API to get a real-time identification. Instead, you have to take a picture, send it to the app's developers for it to be analyzed, and then receive the ID. That doesn't take long, but it's not exactly a Robocop-level ID system.But the Glass hardware is capable of that kind of real-time information flow, to a degree. Glass isn't an augmented reality system; it's more like a tiny notifications screen in the corner of your field of view. You won't see a face with a name under it, but you might see a face, then tilt your eyes up and to the left and see text with an ID on it.The bigger and perhaps more interesting issue here is whether this will fly with Google and the US government. In a New York Times article, Steve Lee, director of project management for Google Glass, said: "We’ve consistently said that we won’t add new face recognition features to our services unless we have strong privacy protections in place." And then there's the inquiry from eight members of Congress about Google Glass's potential privacy implications.I've written about how Google Glass isn't a surveillance device, but this is something a little bit different: the debate here is all fine lines and shades of gray. The API already exists, the technology is common, and the hardware is out there. Does it really matter if you're performing this action with a smartphone or Google Glass? Can you ethically stop someone from accessing previously-accessible data just because it's in a slightly different form? It's a nuanced and complex question, one we don't have an answer to--but one that Google and lawmakers will have to address./Popsci.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122919.html Business Sat, 25 May 2013 11:30:00 +0500 By AzerNewsDespite the global financial crisis, the main indicators and objectives of Azerbaijan's state budget for 2012 were successfully implemented, a senior lawmaker was quoted by Trend news agency as saying.The remarks by Ziyad Samadzade, chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament's economic policy committee, came as the committee was discussing the draft law on the execution of last year's budget."The successful execution of the budget speaks volumes about the harmony of the economic life of the country," Samadzade said.Finance Minister Samir Sharifov said in his speech at the meeting that the successful execution of the 2012 state budget has created the conditions for maintaining macroeconomic stability, increasing incomes and improving the economic power of the state. According to him, the rate of income growth is several times higher than the rate of inflation."Foreign exchange reserves of the country last year amounted to $46.5 billion, an increase of 14 percent," Sharifov said.He said revenues of Azerbaijan's budget in 2012 amounted to 17.282 billion manats, and its implementation amounted to 101.4 percent, which is 1.581 billion manats or 10.1 percent over 2011."The share of budget revenue in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country amounted to 32 percent, which is 1.9 percent more than in 2011," Sharifov said. "The revenues of the state budget through the Ministry of Taxes were implemented by 101.9 percent or in the amount of 6.026 billion manats, which is 544 million manats (or 10.1 percent) more compared to last year. The revenues through the State Customs Committee were carried out by 100.7 percent or in the amount of 1.208 billion manats with annual growth of 5.9 percent. Transfers from the State Oil Fund were implemented in the predicted amount -- 9.905 billion manats."The minister also noted that according to the results of 2012, other incomes of the state budget amounted to 143 million manats (with growth by 1.6 times).In 2012, within the implementation of the state budget, stable financing of all envisioned projects, in particular, financing of social conditions of citizens - pensions, salaries, allowances, etc. -- was carried out, Sharifov said.Sharifov also said the budget expenditure was implemented by 98.6 percent or in the amount of 17.417 billion manats, which is 2.019 billion manats (or 13.1 percent) more compared to the indicators posted in 2011."53.3 percent (9.278 billion manats) of the budget expenditure was allocated to the current expenditure, 45.5 percent (7.926 billion manats) -- to the main spending, and 212 million manats to covering state debt, which makes up only 1.2 percent of all budget expenditures," the minister said.According to Sharifov, in 2012, Azerbaijan spent 1 billion manats from the attracted funds on the implementation of road construction, water and social infrastructure and other projects."Azerbaijan has shifted to a new principle of financing investment projects through the state budget. The new principle provides for joint financing of investment projects with international finance and credit organizations, which envisages the provision of a part of funds for their financing through the state budget and another part - through international financial institutions," Sharifov said.According to him, 300 million manats derived from the Reserve Fund of the State Budget of Azerbaijan were allocated for the implementation of several projects of social purposes."These funds were allotted for the improvement of cities and regions of the country, construction of roads between villages and other projects of social significance. According to the results of 2012, 838 million manats from the Reserve Fund of the State Budget were spent on unplanned projects," Sharifov said.Sharifov also said the amount of the state budget deficit is only 0.3 percent of the GDP -- 1.1 percent below the forecast.According to him, as of January 1, 2013, residue in the single treasury account amounted to 465 million manats, which is planned to be spent on the possible budget deficit of 2013 as well as the expenditure on covering state debt.It was earlier reported that the budget income for 2013 was predicted at 20.729 billion manats while expenditure - at 24.5 billion manats.Speaking at the parliamentary committee meeting, chairman of the Chamber of Accounts Heydar Asadov said that the chamber considers the 2012 budget as successfully implemented.According to him, as a result of implementing proper economic policy and while expecting another recession in the world economy, Azerbaijan was able to maintain the stability of its economy in 2012.While in previous years failures on some points were observed when considering the implementation of the budget, in 2012 this was not the case."The state budget of Azerbaijan in 2012 was implemented by 98.6 percent, which is the highest indicator in recent years, while the implementation of the budget by 100 percent is absurd. Furthermore, last year 64 million manats were saved through wages and 59 million manats - through the purchase of goods and services and other spending," Asadov said.Asadov went on to say that 2012 was remembered with the implementation of all planned social projects as well as the compensation of the Soviet-era deposits of the population.The draft law on the execution of last year's budget was recommended for consideration at the plenary session of the Milli Mejlis and will be submitted for discussion on May 31. http://www.today.az/news/regions/122915.html World news Sat, 25 May 2013 11:15:00 +0500 Iran's Ambassador to Turkey Alireza Bigdeli urged Turkish media to refrain from publishing articles which may cause problems in Tehran-Ankara ties, IRNA reported.The ambassador made the remarks in Turkish News website 'Today's Zaman' while reacting to assertions that Iranian forces are present in Syria.According to the website, Bigdeli asked Turkish media 'to consider all aspects of the issue, while covering news on Syria'.Certain Turkish media have recently published news claiming that Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces are present in Syria.Deputy Foreign Minister in Asia and Pacific Affairs and Spokesman of the Ministry Seyed Abbas Araqchi, who was in Ankara, denied the claim and called it a conspiracy by anti-Syria forces.Araqchi, who arrived in Ankara on Thursday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, told IRNA that Iranian forces have never been in Syria./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122918.html Business Sat, 25 May 2013 11:02:00 +0500 U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google, the top player in Web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some advertising sales, according to sources.A source said on May 23 that that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation.The new line of inquiry focuses on tools acquired when Google bought display ad company DoubleClick in 2007; other firms which specialize in helping Web publishers sell ads to put on their websites are complaining to the FTC, the source said.The firms have accused Google of leveraging some of its most popular DoubleClick products, such as the ad managing system which has an estimated 80 percent of the market, to push websites to use other products, including Ad Exchange where websites swap ads, the source said.According to a second source familiar with the situation, Google has not been notified of any antitrust investigation so far. Google and the Federal Trade Commission declined comment on the matter. The sources did not want to be named in order to protect their business relationships.The FTC wrapped up an earlier investigation into Google just four months ago, concluding that the search giant had not manipulated its Web search results to hurt rivals.Google number one in US display ad marketGoogle was the number one player in the $15 billion U.S. display ad market in 2012, with a 15.1 percent market share, compared with Facebook Inc’s 14.6 percent share, according to industry research firm eMarketer. Google is expected to widen its lead to 20.7 percent of the market in 2014.Google is currently trying to convince European antitrust investigators to wrap up a separate antitrust probe, and has offered to change some search pages to give more space to rivals in order to satisfy their concerns.In that case, Google is accused of hiding links to rival shopping, travel and other websites to protect its ad revenues. It said it would offer consumers links to three rival sites in some searches and would label its products. /HurriyetDailynews.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122916.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 10:50:00 +0500 The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region on May 23-24 and met with Azerbaijani President Aliyev in Baku on 23 May, and Armenian President Sargsyan in Yerevan on 24 May, OSCE statement released on Friday says.The Presidents and the Co-Chairs discussed developments since their last meetings, reiterated their commitment to the peace process, and exchanged views on the need for a summit later this year.The Co-Chairs expressed their readiness to explore ideas for moving the process forward, and reiterated the need to avoid actions or rhetoric that could raise tensions or damage the negotiations. They will meet with the Foreign Ministers in the coming weeks to explore mutually-acceptable approaches to resolving the conflict.The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan.Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the occupied territories./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122917.html Sports Sat, 25 May 2013 10:37:00 +0500 Borussia Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp describes FC Bayern München as "perfect opponents" in the UEFA Champions League final with Jupp Heynckes confident of success at last.They have already met four times this season so the UEFA Champions League final should hold few surprises for Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München – yet there is little danger of familiarity blunting the edge at Wembley.Ahead of Saturday's first all-German European Cup final, both teams were keen to emphasise how much victory would mean. Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes described the possibility of coming out on top against domestic rivals as "the crowning glory" while Dortmund counterpart Jürgen Klopp called the occasion "absolutely special". Neither, however, will settle for second best in the seventh final to be played in north London.Following his 1998 success with Real Madrid CF, Heynckes could become the 16th coach to lift the trophy twice, and only the fourth to do so with different clubs. The 68-year-old is certainly drawing on all his years of experience. "I've been involved in some pretty big matches, we've had victories and titles, but as a sportsman you have failures as well. This will be a special game for my players and my club. For our players who are 28, 29 and 30, winning against a German team would be the crowning glory of their careers, and for me as well – but perhaps with a little more detachment because I've experienced this before. For Bayern it would be really important, for me it's just another match."Bayern, in their third final in four campaigns, finished 25 points clear in the Bundesliga to deny Dortmund, a distant second, a hat-trick of titles – and their coach is looking to continue that imperious form at Wembley. "This season we've achieved extraordinary things," said Heynckes. "It's been the best season any team has had in 50 years of the Bundesliga. In recent weeks we've had one draw and won all our other games – and of course we have the aspiration to carry that on."While Bayern have prevailed in all but one of their last 14 fixtures – the exception the 1-1 draw in Dortmund on 4 May – Klopp's charges are without a victory in four matches. The coach, however, was unperturbed as he plotted the path to European glory, saying: "You can win with the right decision at the right moment. Both teams are very strong; that's why we're here. Small things can decide the game, but to be prepared for those you have to do the big things right."Bayern are unbeaten against Dortmund this term – although prior to the current campaign Dortmund had won five in a row against their Munich rivals – and Heynckes believes that, if his side perform as they can, it will be another favourable outcome. "I've always tried to think positively – I know what my team can achieve. I said the same before Juventus [in the quarter-finals] and before Barcelona [in the semis], when we weren't the favourites. I've always thought we could win this competition. We have an extraordinary team and they play as a unit. If we can draw on that, we're going to win."Klopp agreed Dortmund are "outsiders", but the charismatic trainer is convinced his squad can scale new peaks. "You need to enjoy what you're doing and focus on your task, but be aware that it can go wrong," the 45-year-old explained. ""People have climbed Mount Everest aware they might have to turn back ten metres from the top. They try anyway and so will we"."Beaten in last year's showpiece in their own Fußball Arena München home, Bayern and Heynckes are hoping north London proves a happier hunting ground. "Wembley is a place with tradition in English, European and international football, and that's a particular incentive for players, to be in such a venerable location for a Champions League final," he said. "The atmosphere is going to be unique. Maybe another city will bring us luck. Last year we were the better team and perhaps the football gods will be on our side this time."Dortmund's Bayern-bound playmaker Mario Götze misses out with a hamstring injury picked up in the semi-final second leg – although centre-back Mats Hummels has overcome an ankle problem – and Klopp had plenty of warning of the likely absence. "I guessed Mario wouldn't have time to recover," he said. "We tried everything but it would have been a surprise if it had worked. We have to play really well, otherwise we don't stand a chance. We have to try our utmost, we only have one chance and we must make the most of it."While Bayern are in their tenth European Cup final, for Dortmund this is just the second. Munich, the venue where they beat Juventus on their previous showcase appearance in 1997, seems inextricably linked to their fortunes in the competition. "This is an absolutely special game," Klopp added. "Nobody wants to lose. We want to give our all, for however long it takes to win. If this is the only final I get to in my life, it would be perfect – perfect opponents in a perfect venue."/UEFA/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122920.html World news Sat, 25 May 2013 10:25:00 +0500 By AzerNewsBy Kenneth RogoffFormer chief economist of the IMF, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard UniversityThere is no magic Keynesian bullet for the eurozone's woes. But the spectacularly muddle-headed argument nowadays that too much austerity is killing Europe is not surprising. Commentators are consumed by politics, flailing away at any available target, while the "anti-austerity" masses apparently believe that there are easy cyclical solutions to tough structural problems.The eurozone's difficulties, I have long argued, stem from European financial and monetary integration having gotten too far ahead of actual political, fiscal, and banking union. This is not a problem with which Keynes was familiar, much less one that he sought to address.Above all, any realistic strategy for dealing with the eurozone crisis must involve massive write-downs (forgiveness) of peripheral countries' debt. These countries' massive combined bank and government debt - the distinction everywhere in Europe has become blurred - makes rapid sustained growth a dream.This is hardly the first time I have stressed the need for wholesale debt write-downs. Two years ago, in a commentary called "The Euro's Pig-Headed Masters," I wrote that "Europe is in constitutional crisis. No one seems to have the power to impose a sensible resolution of its peripheral countries' debt crisis. Instead of restructuring the manifestly unsustainable debt burdens of Portugal, Ireland, and Greece (the PIGs), politicians and policymakers are pushing for ever-larger bailout packages with ever-less realistic austerity conditions."My sometime co-author Carmen Reinhart makes the same point, perhaps even more clearly. In a May 2010 Washington Post editorial (co-authored with Vincent Reinhart), she described "Five Myths About the European Debt Crisis" - among them, "Myth #3: Fiscal austerity will solve Europe's debt woes." We have repeated the mantra dozens of times in various settings, as any fair observer would confirm.In a debt restructuring, the northern eurozone countries (including France) will see hundreds of billions of euros go up in smoke. Northern taxpayers will be forced to inject massive amounts of capital into banks, even if the authorities impose significant losses on banks' large and wholesale creditors, as well they should. These hundreds of billions of euros are already lost, and the game of pretending otherwise cannot continue indefinitely.A gentler way to achieve some modest reduction in public and private debt burdens would be to commit to a period of sustained but moderate inflation, as I recommended in December 2008 in a commentary entitled "Inflation is Now the Lesser Evil." Sustained moderate inflation would help to bring down the real value of real estate more quickly, and potentially make it easier for German wages to rise faster than those in peripheral countries. It would have been a great idea four and a half years ago. It remains a good idea today.What else needs to happen? The other steps involve economic restructuring at the national level and political integration of the eurozone. In another commentary, "A Centerless Euro Cannot Hold," I concluded that "without further profound political and economic integration - which may not end up including all current eurozone members - the euro may not make it even to the end of this decade."Here, all eyes may be on Germany, but today it is really France that will play the central role in deciding the euro's fate. Germany cannot carry the euro on its shoulders alone indefinitely. France needs to become a second anchor of growth and stability.Temporary Keynesian demand measures may help to sustain short-run internal growth, but they will not solve France's long-run competitiveness problems. At the same time, France and Germany must both come to terms with an approach that leads to far greater political union within a couple of decades. Otherwise, the coming banking union and fiscal transfers will lack the necessary political legitimacy.As my colleague Jeffrey Frankel has remarked, for more than 20 years, Germany's elites have insisted that the eurozone will not be a transfer union. But, in the end, ordinary Germans have been proved right, and the elites have been proved wrong. Indeed, if the eurozone is to survive, the northern countries will have to continue to help the periphery with new loans until access to private markets is restored.So, given that Germany will be picking up many more bills (regardless of whether the eurozone survives), how can it best use the strength of its balance sheet to alleviate Europe's growth problems? Certainly, Germany must continue to acquiesce in an ever-larger role for the European Central Bank, despite the obvious implicit fiscal risks. There is no safe path forward.There are a number or schemes floating around for leveraging Germany's lower borrowing costs to help its partner countries, beyond simply expanding the ECB's balance sheet. For meaningful burden-sharing to work, however, eurozone leaders must stop dreaming that the single currency can survive another 20 or 30 years without much greater political union.Debt write-downs and guarantees will inevitably bloat Germany's government debt, as the authorities are forced to bail out German banks (and probably some neighboring countries' banks). But the sooner the underlying reality is made transparent and becomes widely recognized, the lower the long-run cost will be.To my mind, using Germany's balance sheet to help its neighbors directly is far more likely to work than is the presumed "trickle-down" effect of a German-led fiscal expansion. This, unfortunately, is what has been lost in the debate about Europe of late: However loud and aggressive the anti-austerity movement becomes, there still will be no simple Keynesian cure for the single currency's debt and growth woes.Copyrights: Project Syndicate http://www.today.az/news/business/122911.html Business Sat, 25 May 2013 10:12:00 +0500 The price of oil has continued to fall in the world markets.On the New York Stock Exchange NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) cost of the US Light crude oil has fallen 3 cents to stand at $94.25.Price of British Brent crude oil at the London ICE (InterContinental Exchange Futures) has decreased 16 cents to trade at $ 102.44.The Department of Marketing and Economic Operations of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) informed that, a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil decreased $1.02 to stand at $103.36./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122913.html World news Sat, 25 May 2013 10:00:00 +0500 Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has approved a plan of action for implementing a cyber security strategy for 2013-2015.Georgia's Cyber Security Strategy is the main document for the determination of the state policy in the field of cyber security, which has been worked out by the permanent inter-ministerial coordination committee for strategic national security documents under the Security Council, the Security Council's office said.The strategy aims to conduct the measures required to establish a cybersafe sphere in the country that will ensure security for state bodies, the private sector and civil society in cyberspace./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122912.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 09:52:00 +0500 Azerbaijan's independent policy is based on the determination of people and national interests, Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov said.He made the remarks at a workshop on "Role of youth in country's social and political life", organized by the Youth Association of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and the public association for assistance in the intellectual development of young people.Hasanov called the reasons of overlapping some countries' interests in Azerbaijan."While extracting resources in the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan is selling them to foreign countries," he said. "It also transports Kazakh and Turkmen oil through the Caspian Sea and supplies it abroad, being a transit country. Azerbaijan receives an average of $1 billion in profits as a result of this transit. Some countries oppose us by acting against Azerbaijan, to carry out the transit themselves," he underscored.Hasanov went on to say that some several countries intend to place their troops in Azerbaijan."So we ask them - will these intentions help to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem? Will the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan be secured, and its violation prevented in the future? They say they do not interfere in these issues. Then why should we offer our territory to some country for placing its troops here? Some countries say the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is insufficient. Why? Because they want to carry out the transit themselves," he said.According to Hasanov, some countries want the situation of 1991-1993 to return to Azerbaijan, when the rallies were held, roads were being blocked, and shops were being robbed."They want this kind of society. Why do they say that the democracy in Azerbaijan doesn't suit them? Because we demand responsible democracy. We say that there must be a balance of human rights. The rights of one person begin where the other one's rights end. The balance is a resource of governance in the hands of authorities. A rally must take place where the human rights of citizens are not violated during recreation. Individual will of one person should not be above a desire of another person," Hasanov noted./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122910.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 09:39:00 +0500 The embassy of Azerbaijan in the US hosted a solemn reception dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, one of the most grandiose historical buildings of Washington.The event was attended by senior officials of the US Administration, congressmen, high-ranking individuals of the US military forces, diplomats, as well as representatives of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Jewish communities.Prior to the beginning, the Argentine singer Maria Entraigues performed the national anthems of Azerbaijan and the United States.Addressing the event, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the US Elin Suleymanov stressed the role of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in restoration of the country`s statehood traditions. He said that Azerbaijan, which regained its independence in 1991, had become a regional leader both in terms of politics and economy.US Department of State special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, Ambassador Carlos Pascual conveyed congratulations of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.Pascual stressed the invaluable role of Azerbaijan in realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. “It is not just a pipeline. It was an indication of independence. Today, we see Azerbaijan in that leadership position once again. As it develops Shahdeniz 2 project it looks for the first time to create Southern Corridor gas coming from Caspian region to Europe. The United States supports this project,” said Carlos Pascual.Pascual praised Azerbaijan`s contributions to Europe`s energy security, as well as its role as a logistics point for NATO forces in Afghanistan.“Energy resources, I know have also become a huge factor in a way that Azerbaijan is trying to diversify its economy at home. So that is not just an energy state, but it is state that is growing on sound economic foundations,” said the special envoy.Pascual expressed confidence that the Azerbaijan-US cooperation would further develop.Congratulating the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of the Republic Day, co-chair of the congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, Congressman Steve Cohen spoke of the importance of further enhancing the current cooperation between the US and Azerbaijan.Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said the US would continue to develop the friendly relations with Azerbaijan. The Congressman described Azerbaijan`s independence as a “great historical event”. He expressed confidence that this independence would be sustainable and invincible.Later, chief of protocol and international affairs at Washington government Patricia Elwood read out the congratulatory declaration of Mayor Vincent Gray.The reception was followed by a concert program. /AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122914.html Society Sat, 25 May 2013 09:26:00 +0500 The National Hydrometeorology Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources forecasts changeable cloudy and chiefly rainless weather will be intermittently gloomy in Baku and Absheron peninsula. Southern wind will blow and infrequently intensify in the noon. The temperature will be +14-18C at night, +24-29 in the afternoon. The main course of weather is predicted to be dry in the main and misty in the morning for the regions of Azerbaijan. Eastern wind to waft and interruptedly strengthen in separate places. The temperature will be  +14-18C at night, +28-33C in the afternoon, while +7-12C in mountains at night and +19-24C in the afternoon./eco.gov.az/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122909.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 09:13:00 +0500 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok.The Head of State hailed the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European institutions as successfully developing.The President stressed the importance of defining prospects for expanding the partnership relations.President Ilham Aliyev expressed hope Elmar Brok`s visit would contribute to enhancing the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European institutions.Elmar Brok said the European Parliament was interested in expanding the cooperation with Azerbaijan.He touched upon Azerbaijan`s relations with the European institutions, noting the importance of cooperation as part of the Eastern Partnership program.They discussed prospects for the Azerbaijan-European Parliament cooperation. /AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122897.html Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 09:00:00 +0500 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has opened the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations` Khatai “ASAN” Service Center. Fuad Alasgarov, head of the department for work with law-enforcement bodies of the Presidential Administration, informed the Head of State that the center will serve to residents of Baku`s Khatai, Nizami and Surakhani districts. He said the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations has served 100,000 people since its establishment.The President toured the Centre.The Head of State was informed about the Electronic Data Center, Biometric Data Collection System and “Asankart”.The Azerbaijani President was told that the selected youth are involved in training courses to serve citizens on a voluntary basis.President Ilham Aliyev met with volunteers. /AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122908.html Society Fri, 24 May 2013 18:35:00 +0500 On May 24, the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan adopted a Migration Code on its second reading. The updated bill was presented by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building Ali Huseynli.The code set standards for public policy in migration, the regulation of the migration processes and relationships that arise in this field, as well as rules on the legal status of foreigners and persons without citizenship in Azerbaijan, he saidPeople of Azeri origin living abroad are concerned that they are being treated as foreigners, parliamentary Ganira Pashayeva said during the discussions on Friday.The MP said that Azerbaijanis who are citizens of foreign countries are treated differently, and despite the fact that Azerbaijan does not provide dual citizenship, it is important to grant benefits to the citizens of foreign countries whose parents are Azerbaijanis.In some cases, parents may face problems while traveling with children abroad because this requires the permission of both parents, parliamentary Tahir Rzayev noted. It is necessary to create conditions allowing parents to leave the country with a child with a certificate issued by local executive authorities and with the consent of one of the parents, he suggested.Children with Azerbaijani parents should be granted all the conditions for a stay in Azerbaijan until the age of majority, MP Chingiz Ganizadeh said during his speech.A child who was born and lived abroad for awhile and brought to Azerbaijan has to make a visa run every three months until they are 18, because foreigners can stay in the country only for three months, he said.In the recent years the number of foreign nationals who come to work in Azerbaijan sharply increased, Deputy Chief of the State Migration Service Parviz Musayev said.According to Musayev, the dynamic development of Azerbaijan's economy has made the country attractive for foreigners. "Foreigners come to Azerbaijan in search of jobs. The number of foreigners in Azerbaijan grows every year, hence why the Migration Service was created."Today, the Migration Service fully implements the tasks assigned by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev," Musayev said./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122904.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 18:22:00 +0500 By AzerNewsGovernment officials of Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia have signed a memorandum of understanding, support and cooperation in the construction of two new pipelines - Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), Azerbaijani news agency Trend reported with reference to RIA Novosti.The memorandum was signed on May 23 in Tirana.The TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further into Western Europe. TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, but it is easily expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.The proposed IAP natural gas pipeline in the Western Balkans would run from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Croatia.The parties undertook a commitment to promote the development, financing and implementation of projects on the construction of gas pipelines, as well as to prepare the domestic markets for receiving gas from Azerbaijan and the entire Caspian region.The consortium developing Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea is considering TAP and Nabucco West, another pipeline project, for gas export. The consortium will make its final decision on the pipeline route in June and a final investment decision by October 2013.Earlier this week the governments of Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey adopted a joint declaration at the fifth Nabucco Committee meeting in Bucharest stressing the potential of the Nabucco gas pipeline to supply the energy markets of the Western Balkans and the Visegrad group countries (Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary).Nabucco West, a short-cut version of the Nabucco project, which envisages construction of a pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria, and TAP are part of the Southern Gas Corridor -- one of the EU's priority energy projects. The Southern Gas Corridor aims at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply, thereby increasing secure delivery.The governments of the five mentioned countries further expressed their commitment to engage in developing the necessary gas interconnections to ensure that Nabucco can also supply the countries in the Southern and Central-North dimension of Europe.The State Parties called on the European Council which will meet on May 22 to address the completion of the Internal Energy Market to note the wider potential of Nabucco to provide access to new sources of gas for promoting growth and competition at the European level.According to Nabucco Gas Pipeline International CEO Reinhard Mitschek, Nabucco is the shortest route to the markets of South Eastern Europe and remains the best option to open the Southern Gas Corridor.The gas which will be produced within the second stage of Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the Nabucco West and TAP projects.The Shah Deniz field, which is one of the world's largest gas-condensate fields, was discovered in 1999. Its reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.Overall, the Shah Deniz field has proved to be a secure and reliable supplier of gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey as well as Europe. http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122906.html Weird / Interesting Fri, 24 May 2013 18:07:00 +0500 Earth is pushing the moon away faster now than it has for most of the past 50 million years, mostly a result of tides, a U.S. researcher says.Matthew Huber of Purdue University says his models of the influence of tides on the moon`s orbit help solve a longstanding mystery concerning the moon`s age, NewScientists.com reported Wednesday.The moon`s gravity creates a daily cycle of low and high tides that dissipates energy between it and Earth, slowing the planet`s spin on its axis and causing the moon`s orbit to move farther away by about an inch and a half a year.If that rate has always been the same, given where the moon`s orbit is now the moon should be 1.5 billion years old, Huber said, yet some lunar rocks are 4.5 billion years old.Huber and his colleagues gathered data on ocean depths and continental contours existing 50 million years ago to create a model of ancient tides. The model suggests the energy dissipation then was only half what it is today, so the moon was pushed away at a slower rate, Huber said.The key is the North Atlantic Ocean, which is much wider today than it was 50 million years ago -- wide enough for water to slosh across once per 12-hour cycle, creating larger waves and very high tides that result in shoving the moon faster, he said./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122907.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 17:52:00 +0500 SOCAR plans to begin constructing a new gas processing plant south of Baku in mid-2014, SOCAR's senior representative told the media today.This plant will be built as part of a project on a new Oil and Gas Processing and Petrochemical Complex (OGPC).The representative added that the detailed engineering of the new plant, which will be built in two lines of six billion cubic meters each, must be completed by late 2013. It is planned to announce a tender in six months to choose the contractors for new enterprise construction to begin construction work by the middle of 2014.Regarding the construction of two other enterprises included in the complex of oil processing and petrochemical production plants, SOCAR representative stressed that currently, the possibility of coordinating the existing enterprises with a new complex is being considered. The modernization operations may be conducted there.In case of expediency of coordinating the old and new enterprises, the costs envisaged for the OGPC establishment may be reduced.SOCAR representative said that the operations within OGPC creation are conducted in accordance with the schedule. According to it, the complex will be put into operation in stages during 2018-2021.Construction of a new complex worth $17 billion (including interest on bank loans) entails the construction of a petrochemical enterprise with a capacity of 1.7 million tons of finished products, an oil refinery with a capacity of 10 million tons per year as well as a gas processing plant with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year. The depth of oil processing at the plant will be at about 95 percent, and the yield of light oil products - 85 percent.A thermal power plant with a capacity of 250 megawatts will be built as part of the new complex.The complex will be located in 60 kilometers from Baku. Commissioning of the entire OGPC complex is scheduled for the end of 2020./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122899.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 17:37:00 +0500  Flights between the capitals of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays on a comfortable aircraft, Embraer-190. The time of flights` departure and arrival will remain the same.Recall that the first flight from Astana to Baku was operated on May 21, 2012. For this period, one has carried over 15,000passengers.“Given the high demand for air travel on this destination and for the passengers` convenience, the Airline has decided to increase the frequency of flights between the two countries. We hope that this move will promote to further development of business, cultural and diplomatic ties between the capital cities of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan,” noted Erbolat Baysalykov, Regional Manager of Air Astana in Azerbaijan.One-way air tickets` cost from Baku to Astana in economy class is AZN 220+, including the airport tax and other taxes, and AZN 530+ in business class. The roundtrip air flight costs AZN 400+ in Economy Class and AZN 1,040+ in business class, including the airport tax and other taxes.Air Astana is a full member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is a joint venture of the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund JSC and the British company, BAE Systems PLC, with a share participation of 51% and 49% respectively. Air Astana is one of the airlines in Kazakhstan certified to perform aircraft maintenance on Part-145 standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The Air Astana`s present air fleet consists of Boeing 767-300s, Boeing 757-200s, Airbus A321s, Airbus A320s, Airbus A319s and Embraer-190s. Air Astana provides operation of 43 international and 20 domestic flights. In 2012, Air Astana was the first airline in the CIS and Eastern Europe that was awarded with the Skytrax four-star rating, and it was recognized, as the “Best Airline in Central Asia and India”./AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122901.html Weird / Interesting Fri, 24 May 2013 17:22:00 +0500 The 27-year-old primate painted two colourful abstracts which raised £2,000 towards his £13,000 annual care bill.As the King of Pop’s beloved pet, Bubbles had a brush with life in the lap of luxury.Now Michael Jackson’s chimp has to use a brush to help pay for his upkeep after being abandoned by the late singer’s family.The 27-year-old primate painted two colourful abstracts which raised £2,000 at auction towards his £13,000 annual care bill.Patti Ragan, of the Center for Great Apes, said: “To take all our apes to the ends of their lives will cost £25million. We need help.”Bubbles was doted on by the Bad singer, who adopted him in 1983. He was trained to Moonwalk and met star pals like Brooke Shields.The Mirror revealed this year that the Jackson family hasn’t donated anything to his upkeep in Wauchula, Florida, since Michael’s death in 2009.As well as selling his art, Ms Ragan is appealing for Jackson fans to donate £100 a year each to help them look after Bubbles, who could live to around 60 years old.Donor Scott Ponoroff said: “It’s a disgrace. If Michael’s own brothers and sisters aren’t giving money then I guess it’s up to the fans.”/Daily Mirror/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122895.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 17:07:00 +0500 Azerbaijan and Russia are successfully cooperating in the field of transport, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told Trend on Friday."We have traditionally good relations not only at the level of our teams, but also at a personal level with my Azerbaijani counterpart," Sokolov said at the International Transport Forum in Leipzig.According to Sokolov, Azerbaijan and Russia are developing and implementing a number of joint projects which are gradually moving forward.In particular, the most important project to date is the new bridge across the River Samur. According to the minister, the project was recently discussed at a meeting with the Acting President of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov.In addition, according to Sokolov, the parties are developing the Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran transit railway project."Work in underway within the North-South project and the optimal route is being selected. However, it is still too early to talk about the concrete results of the project," Sokolov said.As explained by the Assistant Minister of Transport of Russia, Yuri Petrov, the governments of Azerbaijan and Russia are considering two options to address the issue of the border crossing over the River Samur.The first option provides for the reconstruction of the existing bridge which is currently in poor condition, he said. The second option allows for construction of a new bridge near the old one. Petrov said experts from both countries are inclined to think that construction of the new bridge would be more cost-effective."However, even in the case of construction of a new bridge, reconstruction of the old one may not be excluded in the future for provision of pedestrian and vehicular crossings, while the new bridge will be used to transport goods," Petrov said.However, it is necessary to conclude an intergovernmental agreement for the implementation of each of these projects, Petrov said. Drafts of these agreements have been prepared and are under consideration by the governments. The dates for signing the agreements have not yet been determined./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122894.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 16:53:00 +0500 Specialists of creative agency FuelFX, LLC from the U.S. will develop new websites for CJSC Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) and The Silk Way Group, FuelFX agency said on Friday."FuelFX will comprehensively redesign multiple websites including ones for the CAA; Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the country's premiere passenger airline; and Silk Way Airlines, the flagship air-cargo company of The Silk Way Group," the report says.Additionally, FuelFX will produce a fully animated 3D walkthrough of the new terminal at the Heydar Aliyev International Airpor, opening of which is scheduled for summer of 2013.According to the report, senior management and marketing directors at both AZAL and The Silk Way Group stated that they "are both excited and pleased with the cooperation with FuelFX, and expressed their hope for a fruitful, long-lasting relationship./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122905.html Society Fri, 24 May 2013 16:40:00 +0500 According to a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan adopted on May 23, 2013, school certificates will be issued to all high school graduates./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122902.html World news Fri, 24 May 2013 16:27:00 +0500 Preparations for the celebration of Independence Day of Georgia,which is marked on May 26, have started in Tbilisi. A dress rehearsal for the military units was carried out overnight at Liberty Square and at dawn planes carried out training flights over Tbilisi.On May 26 an exhibition of military equipment will be organised instead of a military parade. A military band will perform and an oath of allegiance ceremony will be held.The Defence Ministry of Georgia stated that this time the holiday will be celebrated in a different way when the army and the people will come closer to each other./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122898.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 16:14:00 +0500 By AzerNewsThe Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) sees a need to amend the domestic legislation that would allow a number of commercial banks to undergo restructuring into non-bank credit organizations (NBCO).CBA Chairman Elman Rustamov said that the bank has already developed legal framework to transform some banks into NBCOs if they fail to raise their total capital to new regulatory requirements.Currently, Azerbaijani banks are required to have a total capital of no less than 10 million manats (over $12.7 million). However, the new requirements of the CBA will take effect from January 1, 2014, and from then onward the total capital should be at least 50 million manats.According to the latest CBA report, growth was recorded in the capital of the Azerbaijani banks in Q1 2013, though there are still banks in the market that do not meet the minimum regulatory capital requirements.During this period, the capitalization of the Azerbaijani banking sector increased by 23.3 percent to hit more than 2.667 billion manats as of April 1 compared to the first quarter of 2012.Rustamov said that turning the banks into NBCOs was one of the ideas while launching the consolidation process on the local market."There is no legal basis for such a transformation now. We will continue working on its creation. Its aim is to maintain the assets of the organization and the rights of consumers having deposits in such a transformation. Legal basis is required for this and it is being prepared in accordance with international practice," Rustamov said.CBA announced the start of the process of consolidation of the local banks in late 2012.In general, the CBA has identified the following development options for the banks: capitalization, consolidation or conversion into NBCOs or going out of business.The banking system of the country already has a successful practice of banks' consolidation with the assistance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).For instance, the present UniBank was formed through a merger in 2002 of two commercial banks, MBank and Promtexbank, and the EBRD acquired a 15 percent stake. This was followed by a merger of the Bank of Baku with IlkBank in 2005.International financial institutions may become involved in the current consolidation process. In particular, the EBRD, the International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, which are interested in acquiring capital of possible new groups, earlier expressed their interest in joining this process.Four or five banks on the Azerbaijani market have already started talks on merging their assets. By mid-2013 the first agreement on consolidation of bank assets is expected to be reached.The number of banks operating in Azerbaijan with capital exceeding 10 million manats reached 41 in Q1 2013. Their number was 42 in the first quarter of last year.Meanwhile, the share of banks with capital worth 3.5 million manats to 5 million manats in the total capital of all banks made up 0.3 percent.The number of profitable banks increased by three and the total profit of the sector increased 58.3 percent compared to Q1 2012.The number of unprofitable banks went down by four and the total loss was halved.43 banks operate in Azerbaijan. http://www.today.az/news/sports/122903.html Sports Fri, 24 May 2013 16:01:00 +0500 The cat is out of the bag. Real Madrid has had Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal on its radar for the last two seasons. Now, following Ancelotti's recommendation –he tried to sign him for PSG– the club is more interested than ever in the 'tuttocampista' (allrounder).This is how he's known in the Lega Calcio after two superb seasons with Juventus and two consecutive league titles. Vidal, together with Pirlo, is one of the key figures at Juventus. In fact, he's so important to the team that his coach, Antonio Conte, considers his transfer to be non-negotiable.The on-going negotiations between Los Blancos and Juventus over Higuaín’s transfer have led to the Chilean’s name popping up too.Last week, the Italian club threatened to make an official complaint about any clubs that contacted the player directly. Vidal's contract with Juventus runs until 2016. According to the English press, Juventus rejected an offer of €40 million and subsequently, a counter offer from Manchester City which included Argentine player, Tévez, as part of the deal. When Moyes joined Manchester United, they too made an attempt to sign him.Arturo Vidal is a midfielder with remarkable physical qualities which mean he can play in several different positions. One of his great strengths is the vast area he's able to cover and his constant presence in the game both in attacking and defending phases. On Antonio Conte's team, not only was he top scorer, but he also led the assists charts./Marc.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/interesting/122900.html Weird / Interesting Fri, 24 May 2013 15:50:00 +0500 Russian officials say the country's most popular social network, VKontakte, was mistakenly put on a blacklist of banned websites, but the error has now been fixed.In some parts of Russia, including St Petersburg, the mistake immediately blocked access to the site on Friday.But the state communications regulator says access has now been restored.VKontakte has 200 million registered users. Last year it was used heavily by opponents of President Vladimir Putin.A spokesman for the state regulator Roskomnadzor said Friday's incident was "a human error".Last November a controversial law took effect which blacklists websites considered harmful to children.The law allows the government to take sites offline without a trial.The authorities say the goal is to protect minors from websites featuring sexual abuse of children, offering details about how to commit suicide, encouraging users to take drugs and sites that solicit children for pornography.Critics see it as another attempt by President Putin to exercise control over the population and stifle opposition./BBC/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122893.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 15:37:00 +0500 The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) rejected accusations of Georgian Airzena airline which stated that oil company has exclusive rights to import aviation fuel into Georgia despite the fact Airzena can import it itself.As SOCAR representative in Georgia Irakli Zubitashvili told the Georgian Kommersant radio on Friday, the domestic market has no material or technical base for aircraft maintenance.According to Zubitashvili, Airzena is maintained by Georgian Petroleum which supplies fuel to around 30 of the largest foreign companies in Georgia.According to him, according to the agreement signed between SOCAR and Georgian Petroleum, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan helps the Georgian company to import fuel from Azerbaijan, but SOCAR has no right to interfere in the pricing and procurement processes.According to Zubitashvili, compared with foreign companies, Georgian Petroleum delivers fuel at relatively low prices./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122896.html World news Fri, 24 May 2013 15:25:00 +0500 The Syrian government has agreed to participate in a peace conference initiated by the United States and Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday, dpa reported."We received confirmation from Damascus that the Syrian government is in principle ready to take part," spokesman Alexander Lukashevich was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.A date for the conference has not been set because of the disparity among Syria's opposition, Lukashevich added."As long as there is no clarity about who will speak with which authority for the opposition, we cannot take demands seriously to form a concrete date," Lukashevich said./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122891.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 15:13:00 +0500 According to the Azerbaijani Central Bank, the exchange rate of manat compared to the world currencies and precious metals on Friday. Currencies and precious metals May 24,2013 May 23, 2013 1 U.S. dollar 1 USD 0.7846 0.7846 1 euro 1 EUR 1.0139 1.0081 1 Australian dollar 1 AUD 0.7584 0.7561 1 Argentinian Peso 1 ARS 0.1491 0.1493 100 Belarusian Rubles 100 BYR 0.009 0.009 1 Brazilian Real 1 BRL 0.3838 0.383 1 UAE dirham 1 AED 0.2136 0.2136 1 South African Rand 1 ZAR 0.0821 0.0819 100 South Korean Won 100 KRW 0.0694 0.0698 1 Czech koruna 1 CZK 0.0388 0.0386 1 Chinese Yuan 1 CNY 0.128 0.1279 1 Danish krone 1 DKK 0.136 0.1353 1 Georgian lari 1 GEL 0.4793 0.4799 1 Hong Kong Dollar 1 HKD 0.1011 0.1011 1 Indian Rupee 1 INR 0.0141 0.0141 1 British pound sterling 1 GBP 1.1835 1.1798 100 Indonesian rupiah 100 IDR 0.008 0.008 100 Iranian rials 100 IRR 0.0064 0.0064 1 Swedish Krona 1 SEK 0.1179 0.118 1 Swiss franc 1 CHF 0.8103 0.8017 1 Israeli Shekel 1 ILS 0.2119 0.2117 1 Canadian Dollar 1 CAD 0.7594 0.7562 1 Kuwaiti Dinar 1 KWD 2.7371 2.7376 1 Kazakhstan Tenge 1 KZT 0.0052 0.0052 1 Kyrgyz Som 1 KGS 0.0164 0.0164 1 Latvian lat 1 LVL 1.4473 1.4396 1 Lithuanian Litas 1 LTL 0.2939 0.2919 100 Lebanese pounds 100 LBP 0.0522 0.0522 1 Mexican Peso 1 MXP 0.0631 0.063 1 Moldovan Leu 1 MDL 0.0626 0.0628 1 Egyptian Pound 1 EGP 0.1124 0.1124 1 Norwegian krone 1 NOK 0.1346 0.1345 100 Uzbek soums 100 UZS 0.0378 0.0378 1 Polish Zloty 1 PLN 0.2416 0.2407 1 Russian ruble 1 RUR 0.025 0.025 1 Singapore Dollar 1 SGD 0.6195 0.6191 1 Saudi Riyal 1 SAR 0.2092 0.2092 1 SDR (IMF Special Drawing Rights) 1 SDR 1.1698 1.1706 1 Turkish lira 1 TRY 0.4247 0.4246 1 Tajik Somoni 1 TJS 0.165 0.1662 1 New Turkmen manat 1 TMM 0.2753 0.2753 1 Ukrainian hryvnia 1 UAH 0.0963 0.0961 100 Japanese yen 100 JPY 0.7713 0.7629 1 New Zealand dollar 1 NZD 0.6343 0.6299 Gold (1 ounce) 1 XAU 1083.1403 1105.1091 Silver (1 ounce) 1 XAG 17.63 17.7477 Platinum (1 ounce) 1 XPT 1141.593 1156.5004 Palladium (1 ounce) 1 XPD 579.8194 588.45/Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/regions/122892.html World news Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:00 +0500 The Turkish parliament has adopted a law restricting the sale of alcohol in the country, the Hürriyet newspaper reported on Friday.Under the new law, the sale of alcohol will be banned from 22.00pm until 6am in Turkey. During the reporting period, the ban on alcohol sales will be valid on tourist sites in Turkey.According to the newspaper, shops and enterprises that try to sell alcoholic beverages from 22.00 pm to 6 am will be fined anything from 5000 to 200,000 lira.In addition, changes were made to the rules of advertising alcoholic beverages on television in commercials, TV programmes and movies./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122885.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 14:45:00 +0500 Nissan is recalling tens of thousands of its Micra cars in the UK after some drivers reported that the steering wheel became loose in their hands.The Japanese firm announced it was calling back 841,000 cars worldwide over the glitch, the company's third major recall in less than a year.In the UK, the recall applies to 133,869 Micras made between December 2002 and May 2006 at the company's flagship Sunderland plant.The fault comes just weeks after Nissan announced a problem with 59,000 cars in the UK as part of a global recall involving 3.4m cars fitted with airbags that could catch fire or explode. Last September Nissan called back 51,000 cars – 7,000 in the UK – over a separate steering wheel problem with the Qashqai models.A company spokesman said the two steering-wheel recalls were unrelated. The September recall was triggered because of faulty moulding, which caused steering wheels to fracture, he said, whereas the current recall stems from the manufacturing process.A new metal was used in the manufacture of the steering wheel, causing it to expand and contract in hot and cold weather, gradually loosening the nut, the spokesman said. "If it is becoming loose it is quite evident to the driver because it feels wobbly," he said.Nissan has received about 75 complaints worldwide about the problem steering wheel, but no accidents, injuries or deaths have been reported, the company said. It is inviting customers to visit a Nissan dealership so the steering wheel can be checked free of charge. The fix takes around 15 minutes.The latest recall will focus unwelcome attention on the Sunderland plant, which has played a crucial role in the revival of the British car industry and produces just over half a million cars every year. David Cameron lauded British manufacturing when he visited the plant in April to launch the Nissan Leaf, the first all-electric car to be produced in Britain. The Leaf is not affected by the recall./The Guardian/ http://www.today.az/news/sports/122879.html Sports Fri, 24 May 2013 14:30:00 +0500 Dani Alves assured that Barcelona needs to sign his fellow countryman Neymar, as he would be a "great help", making the team even "more competitive", and felt that the Santos player would be a great help to Leo Messi in creating danger in attack."If he comes, he will be a great help, because he'll be there to back Messi up in attack. Sometimes you need a destabilising agent, something that maybe Neymar has a lot of, compared to other players in the squad", he pointed out during a marketing event.The Brazilian defender thinks that the Argentine ace and the Brazilian are compatible together, because as well as playing in "different positions", it's always better "to have two phenomenal players than one"."When two players are good, they understand each other better. They play in different positions. I don't think there could be a problem of incompatibility, because Neymar is a very humble lad. He doesn't want to be the star of the show off the pitch."Along these lines, he disagreed with the idea that the Santos forward was "egocentric" because each Barcelona player must "give his one hundred percent", no matter how big a public image he may have. "Being a great doesn't depend on appearing in the press and being egocentric. If a football player goes to a club thinking that he will be appearing more or less in the press, he is not going to come out a winner", he declared.Alves also took a moment to talk about his friend Thiago Alcantara, who in the last few weeks has been seen by many with one foot out of the Camp Nou this summer. According to the Brazilian, it would be a mistake if Barçá let him go, as he is "one of the most professional"./Marca.Com/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122889.html Society Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:00 +0500 By AzerNewsThe law "On ensuring intellectual property rights and fight with piracy" will be enforced in Azerbaijan in the near future, head of the legal department at the Copyright Agency, Khudayat Hasanli, has said.Azerbaijan's Copyright Agency is a body of the central executive authorities, which is charged with implementing state policy on copyright protection. The main aim of the agency is to provide favorable legal conditions for encouragement of the activity of creative people working in the fields of science, literature and art, protection of copyright and other rights pertaining to intellectual property.According to Hasanli, relevant laws and regulations are expected to be adopted in the near future, which will facilitate further reduction of piracy in the country.After enforcement of the law, sale of goods without control marks will be forbidden, according to Hasanli.Amendments which already came into force have been added to the Code of Administrative Offences and to the Criminal Code to step up the combat against illegal sales, he said.Hasanli noted that the level of piracy at the intellectual property market in Azerbaijan decreased in 2012 by 9-28 percent in different segments as compared to 2005.Currently, the piracy level at the book publishing market makes up 33 percent, while the figure on audio and video products is 68 percent, and in the software market it is 87 percent, he added. http://www.today.az/news/regions/122887.html World news Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:00 +0500 The candidate for upcoming presidential elections Mohsen Rezaei said that Iran should never give opportunity to foreigners during nuclear negotiations and keeping talks with increasing pressures on Iran is unacceptable.According to Fars News Agency, he went on to say that Iran would keep nuclear talks with P5+1, but never compromise against them.Iran and P5+1 (including France, the U.S., the UK, Russia, China + Germany) has held several times of nuclear talks during last two years, whiteout coming to common point or achieving a result.Rezaei mentioned Iran's economic problems, saying 70 percent of current situation has been made by mismanagement of Ahmadinejad's government.He said that international sanctions are heaven, but the major reason is internal.Iran will hold the 11th presidential election on June 14, 2013.The voters will select the successor of the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for the third term according to the country's constitutional laws.The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.According to Rezaei, Iran's national currency, rial, lost three times of its value in reality during a year, while the major problem is unemployment, inflations and poverty.The International Monetary Fund said on April 16 that Iran's economy contracted by 1.9 per cent in 2012 and is expected to shrink by 1.3 per cent this year as it reels from the impact of Western sanctions.The economy of the Islamic republic is, however, forecast to grow next year by 1.1 per cent, the IMF said in its annual World Economic Outlook.Official inflation rate in Iran is above 31.5 percent, while unemployment rate is about 14 percent./Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/politics/122890.html Politics Fri, 24 May 2013 13:45:00 +0500 Members of the working group for the Azerbaijan-Korea interparliamentary ties have met with a delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea led by Vice-Speaker Park Byeong-seug.Head of the group Malik Hasanov noted that such visits contributed to expanding friendly ties between the two nations. He briefed the delegation on the economic, political reforms put in place in Azerbaijan.He noted that Azerbaijan has a favorable strategic position in the South Caucasus through territory of which important international transport corridors run.Hasanov underlined the importance of reciprocal visits.Member of the friendship group Fattah Heydarov said there was huge potential for expanding cooperation between the countries.Park Byeong-seug expressed satisfaction with the meetings held during the visit. He noted Azerbaijan had developed rapidly in recent years. He expressed confidence that bilateral ties will be steadily developing.According to him, using its rich energy resources and economic potential of Korea, Azerbaijan can achieve huge successes.The Vice-Speaker said that Korea backs fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means.  /AzerTAc/ http://www.today.az/news/society/122878.html Society Fri, 24 May 2013 13:31:00 +0500 His journey around the world opens a new page as the world's best known parkour athlete Ryan Doyle pursues his adventurous dream in mesmerizing Baku, one of the world's fastest emerging cities, Redbull official page on one of the video hosting platforms reports."After Ryan Doyle, the 28-year-old freerunner and parkour athlete from Britain traveled across the globe in a quest to discover his own seven wonders of the world, he chose Baku, Azerbaijan as a place where he could make a totally different - spiritual journey and expand his freerunning horizons in a completely different way," the report says.Baku is known as City of Contrasts. Ryan decided to use that and create together with the production crew a special unique video, which would be a contrast to all other parkour videos - something quite surreal with different feel and different look - full of life philosophy and access to his private area and even his dreams, the report says."When you are a freerunner, it does not have to be all about destination and going from point A to point B, at the end of the day I am not trying to get anywhere and nobody is chasing me. I realized that it was time for me to do something really different - an artistic and poetic video, where nothing really makes a sense, nothing really connects to each other and I can just dance and play with the environment" - says Ryan.Heydar Aliev Cultural Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid - the major new venue and landmark building for Baku, Shirvanshahs' Palace in the Inner city of Baku, oil fields, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Public Library, towers of Philharmonic Hall, rooftops of old Baku were those remarkable buildings and places Ryan was "dancing" with during his inner and outer journey in Baku. /Trend/ http://www.today.az/news/business/122888.html Business Fri, 24 May 2013 13:18:00 +0500 Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have the right to lay the Trans-Caspian pipeline and the U.S. in general, agrees with it, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar said in Baku during the conference 'Maritime and Energy Law in Azerbaijan: international and national perspectives'."The U.S. position is that if the two countries reach an agreement there would be no obstacles to the laying of the pipeline," Morningstar said.However, each country must determine for itself the political implications of each attempted step in this direction, he said.The U.S. Ambassador also noted that the pipeline should be safe for the environment.According to Morningstar, the compromise is necessary with regards to the issue of delimitation of the Caspian Sea.Proceeding on the subject of compromise, the Ambassador said some sanctions could have been imposed with regards to the Shah Deniz field due to a 10 per cent stake of the Iranian Company NICO in the project, meaning a portion of gas belongs to Iran. Sanctions could have been imposed over cooperation with the Iranian oil and Gas Company. However, the U.S. Congress considered the compromise more expedient, the Ambassador said./Trend/