Nation

President to help education

Azeri President Aliyev is expected to move proposals soon for construction of new schools and improvement of logistics, the President has said.

He was speaking to a ceremony at school #175 in Suraxani district of Baku Monday to mark the beginning of a new school year.

"The education vote is 22 percent of the state budget, with allocations from other financial sources in stock", the President has promised.

Touching upon the wages of education workers, President Aliyev said they had been increased by 28.8 times since 1996 and would rise the following year.

Walking through classrooms, the Azeri President got familiarized with the education of schoolchildren and textbooks. He was discontent with the textbooks of history, which tells about Azeri history until 2000, reproaching head of the President's Office Humanitarian Policy Department Fatma Abdullazada and Education Minister Misir Mardanov.

Mayor bans child labor in public transport

Baku Mayor Hacibala Abutalibov has banned rampant child labor in public transport. The edict warned that drivers would be laid off in case children were found helping them collect fees.

The punishment came immediately with 40 bus drivers being dismissed for hiring children in public transport.

The Mayor that was appointed last year has been noted for his activity ‘to clean up’ the city in a bid to return its old fame.

Particularly, he has taken firm measures to improve Baku’s sanitary and social status, control over urban constructions and public transport and make the city greener.

Suburban kids protest

Children and their parents in Nardaran settlement of Baku protested Saturday against the outstanding social problems, scanty job opportunities and illegal arrests. The kids warned they wouldn't go to school if their demands were not complied with. Many have said the protests of children were inappropriate.

Municipality-NGO co-op still to thrive

A seminar "The environment and we; problems with municipality-NGO cooperation" opened at the Abseron Hotel of Baku Thursday. Participants in the gathering spoke of the lack of cooperation between municipalities and NGOs and joint efforts in ecological cleanness. The necessity of taking advantage of scientific potential, huge force of municipalities and public relations of NGOs was stressed to prevent spoiling the atmosphere with household wastes, air contamination with different chemical wastes in Sumqayit and settle other problems. Organizing the seminar with financial support from the World Bank is Ecoil scientific-ecological organization.

Occupation of Azeri province marked

Executives of the opposition minded Qarabag Liberation Organization paid tribute to the Cemetery of Martyrs with Qubadli refugees Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Armenian occupation of the province in southwest Azerbaijan, laying wreaths on the graves of martyrs and reading prayers. On the same day chairman of the Musavat Party Isa Qambar met with a group of Qubadli refugees. Media have also given a broad coverage of the occupation. Qubadli, which was seized in 1993, extended over a territory of a bit more than a thousand square kilometers with a population of 31,000 people.

Artesian wells show nitrate abundance

Sorge Child Care charity society has discovered in its latest researches that nitrates in artesian wells in Buzovna, Mardakan, Kesla and Mastaga settlements outside Baku and vegetables cultivated there are 5 to 6 times as much as the allowed rate. It is because of different chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen widely used by landowners in vegetable growing, according to the society chairperson, Ph. D in Medicine Tamara Dadasova. Like in most of the CIS countries, organic fertilizers should be used, as too many nitrates are dangerous for children. Naturally manufactured medicaments are applied not only to increase the productivity in a number of states, but also destroy kitchen-garden insects.

Exxon marks Day of Knowledge

Disabled children marked the Day of Knowledge, 1 September in a colorful Festival of Flowers organized by Sahib and Ekostet NGOs with financial support from Exxon Azerbaijan operating company, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Over 60 kids listened to lectures on world arts, participated in Ikebana lessons on how to design flowers, made ecological placards and suits, joined dancing and painting contests, and performed in a play. Exxon Azerbaijan endowed the handicapped with its sponsored new edition of the Child Encyclopedia and school effects.

The company has also donated school effects to Umid Yeri orphanage and orphaned children from Xocali.

Doctors for Saudi Arabia

A group of 63 Azeri doctors are expected to leave for Saudi Arabia to work on a contract in a trip organized by the Azeri Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Saudi Ministry of Health and the Saudi embassy in Baku.

Saudi ambassador Ali Hasan Jafar has met with Azeri Public Health Ministry officials for this purpose.

This is the third team of Azeri doctors to work in the Saudi Kingdom.