The First European Games in Baku started at the Olympic Stadium on June 12, fans and press have been monitoring the competitions for medals.
Commenting on the idea of the European Games in an interview with Azerbaijanskiye Novosti, president of the European Olympic Committee Patrick Hickey reminded that Asia, Africa, America and even Oceania had their own tournaments. In his words, many Olympic and world champions have arrived for the Games, some of them will use the opportunity to progress to the Olympic Games. Hickey expressed regret that Holland will not host the Second European Games.
Spyros Kapralos, the head of the Coordination Commission of European Olympic Committees, pointed out that the organizers of the First European Games had had only 30 months to prepare for the event. The official reminded that karate and beach football have joined the Olympic sports family. He added that Baku will host the Chess Olympiad in 2016, the Islamic Games in 2017 and the UEFA Euro 2020.
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The Georgian parliament has discussed a large package of legislative amendments to the structure of the Interior Ministry, the Civil Georgia internet portal reports.
According to the bill, the state security service will be a special body under direct control of the government and subordinate to the parliament.
As stated by Deputy Interior Minister Levan Izoria, who presented the legislative initiative, the gist of the document was to deconcentrate power from the Interior Ministry and keep it in charge of only police functions. The reform will merge the State Security Service with the Counter-Terrorism Center, the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Information and Analysis Department, the Special Operations Department and the Operational and Technical Department. The latter conducts secret operations.
The bill says that the head of the new structure will be appointed by the government and approved by the parliament. A candidate for the post needs to be under 35 years, have only Georgian citizenship and not be a member of any party. The candidate will have a 6-year tenure. One person cannot head the organization twice in a row. The official will report to the parliament annually. As a figure elected by the parliament, the official will attend hearings at committees.
The State Security Service will open in August 2015, the bill stipulates. About 36.7 million laris will be assigned to keep it running. According to preliminary assessments, the new body will have about 4,000 officers.
Opposition deputies of the United National Movement whipped the reform of the Interior Ministry as an attempt at using the State Security Service as a weapon to fight political opponents. They said that it was not a consistent theory that would face the outstanding challenges, it was a 'mechanical' element of the Interior Ministry. MPs criticized the institution of officers of the Security Service working in different state structures as a remnant of Soviet times, demanding that it be abolished or modernized in the fashion of the best European practice. They also expressed fears that the organization would copy the functions of the Interior Ministry.
Further debates about the issue will be held on June 24-26.
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Armenian economists, analysts, public functionaries, public organizations, MPs, businessmen have discussed the origins of the most serious barriers in improving the investment climate at a session of the Economy and Entrepreneurship organized by the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia, the Delovoy Express daily reports.
Mger Shakhgeldyan, a member of parliament, said that the country needed to form an economic democracy and step up mechanisms for protection of chattel and income-gaining within its framework. In his opinion, the population was concerned about the court system. There are problems with the legislature, the interests of different groups collide. Despite all that, the population has a very high demand for justice. He noted that constant legislative changes were seasawing business, especially small and medium-sized businesses that cannot keep up with the changes. 'Stability is needed, a moratorium for changes should be imposed temporarily, otherwise the legal field is becoming unpredictable and people cannot work,' the MP emphasized.
The President of Aktsern Holding, Akop Bagdasaryan, accused Armenian state structures of unfulfilled duties. He believes that the country needs to form an institution responsible for high-ranking functionaries in the mayor's office, the tax service, the judicial system, etc. He noted that Armenia was missing out on over $1 billion in investments annually in the construction sector because the mayor's office was not impartial in issuing permits. Speaking about taxation, the businessman reminded that the construction boom in 2000-2007 was a result of tax relief. Average investors offered $1-10 million each. After taxation amendments adopted in 2007 and 2009, when investors' income was looked at 'under a microscope', the construction sector, which had animated the banking system and opened numerous jobs, started going downhill.
Economist Vartan Bostanjyan agrees, stating that the existing practice, when the income businessmen may use to modernize and expand production, 'looked at through binoculars' is to be taken away, entailing a disheartening situation. 'When an investor visits us, let us not think how much money we can diddle out of him. Investors see that and leave us. Everyone making decisions needs to think about opportunities to revive the country, not the packet he can make,' the economist reckons.
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The Dagestanskaya Pravda newspaper and RIA Dagestan say that FabLab of the Dagetsan State Technical University will produce unique medical simulators developed based on latest world achievements in virtual reality and automatic systems. FabLab is a unique project co-organized by the Dagestan State Technical University, the Corporation for the Development of Dagestan and Eidos-Meditsina (one of the leading Russian robot simulator developers). In fact, the factory is producing medical simulators for virtual practice for doctors in 32 specialities. Students of medical universities will use the simulators to practice in surgery. The university will organize the manufacturing of the simulators, assemble and service them.
Azat Khayrullin, the technical director of Eidos-Meditsina, said that the hallmark of the simulators was a unique imitation system, a hybrid. All the components the simulators consist of – software, instruments, etc. – are manufactured in Russia. The tactile sensor is magnet-based, not mechanical like its foreign analogues. In other words, a surgeon can actually feel the objects he interacts with.
It was noted that FabLab was assembling components from Tatarstan. Production will also be launched in Makhachkala. Currently, FabLab can manufacture up to three components of the simulators a month. Furthermore, if production develops, the factory will produce up to 30 sets a month. Khayrullin emphasized that a foreign analogue will cost twice as much as the Russian model, about 12-17 million rubles.
The official website of the Dagestan State Technical University, dstu.ru, quotes Tagir Ismailov, the University's rector, who is confident that systems teaching medics using mannequins improve their skills. The main achievement of FabLab is the creation of simulation technologies of the 6th and the 7th levels. Hybrid operational table simulators will be developed to create full-cycle simulator exercises. Students, post-graduates and teachers of the State University are engaged in the development process.
The rector noted that the Russian Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Emergency Situations showed interest in the production of medical equipment, ordering some products.
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The scale of illegal archeology in Abkhazia has reached catastrophic magnitude, the Sputnik-Abkhazia internet portal says. Illegal archeologists cause significant damage, plundering archeological relics.
It is often revealed that very careless excavation was conducted in remote areas of Abkhazia. They steal valuable items to sell them on black markets. Other items are being disposed of. Scientists may conduct full-scale analysis of archeological material only on untouched ruins. After visits by illegal excavators, a monument cannot be dated. Monuments of the kind were found in about 10 areas of Achmarda, in the Gagra District. Archeologists say that a tomb there was one of the largest and most significant in the Caucasus. The websites of illegal archeologists offer a wide range of Abkhaz relics. Many museums of the world are decorated with Caucasian bronze as a result. Museums face the following dilemma in such cases: by buying items from illegal archeologists they encourage them, but otherwise an item may simply be lost to science.
Tengiz Jopua, the head of the smuggling control department of the Abkhaz State Customs Committee, explained that the people involved in the business were very ulterior. Little information can be extracted from them. They are not ordinary criminals, they are intellectuals, quite educated and skilled. The illegal archeologists have the necessary knowledge and good contacts with the local population. Jopua reckons that police officers themselves need good knowledge in order to combat the archeologists. The lack of X-rays on the Russian-Abkhaz border exacerbates the problem, total customs control is impossible. Only systemic collaboration between police and residents can put an end to the archeological smuggling.
