Preparations for a military parade to be held in Baku, June 26 on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are underway.

Military sources told APA that military compounds and military educational institutions of the Defense Ministry started preparation of military staff to be involved in the parade early in May and the other military organizations in the end of last week.

The Defense Ministry will be represented by a large staff in the parade and it will be followed by the State Border Service. The Interior Troops, the National Guard and the Civil Defense Troops will be represented the personnel of 100 people.

At present the preparation is being held separately for every military compound. The joint preparation of all personnel will start in mid-June.

The preparation of military equipments to be deployed in the parade will start early in June.

Moreover, a number of new military equipments, helicopters and drones of Azerbaijani Armed Forces acquired over the past two years are also expected to be demonstrated in this yearв's parade.

Azerbaijan`s foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have made joint press statements following their talks in Moscow, which culminated with the signing of a 2013-2014 plan of consultations between the two countries` foreign ministries.

Minister Mammadyarov hailed the Azerbaijan-Russia relations as "positive on different fronts".

"Our relations are developing in line with the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by the heads of state of Azerbaijan and Russia in 2008."

Mr. Mammadyarov said he discussed with his Russian counterpart "the agenda of relations between Baku and Moscow, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".

"Azerbaijan hopes that an impasse in the talks to find a solution to the Karabakh dispute will be broken."

"Considering Russia`s role in the region and its role as a co-chair (of the OSCE Minsk Group) we do hope that a deadlock in the negotiations will be broken," Mr. Mammadyarov added.

The Azerbaijani FM said his country would continue increasing its military power following this year`s presidential elections.

Russian Minister Lavrov said stability in the Caucasus was among key priorities in Russia`s foreign policy, adding his country will make every possible effort to move the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations forward.

"One should not draw hasty conclusions now. Work continues on this front."

"There has been a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian ministers recently. We must extend every possible assistance in finding a compromise and ways of solving the conflict, and we also must take into consideration domestic political calendars of all the parties involved."

"Nobody is going to lose heart. We will provide every assistance for solving this problem," Mr. Lavrov added.

The Russian FM also touched upon the termination of an agreement on the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline, saying official Moscow had revoked the contract "solely because of economic reasons".

"Energy companies of the two countries are now drafting a new agreement that complies with the new realities," said Mr. Lavrov.

The two FMs also touched upon disappearance of votes awarded by Azerbaijan to Russia`s entry at recent Eurovision song contest.

"The outrageous action at Eurovision regarding the Russian contestant will not go unanswered," said the Russian Minister.

Mr. Mammadyarov said that "a significant part of the Azerbaijani population voted for the Russian singer", and added that a full investigation would be carried out to see where the "stolen votes" went.

He said data from Azerbaijan`s three major mobile operators indicated that the Russian contestant received the second-highest number of votes submitted via mobile phone text messages, giving her 10 points overall.

"The biggest obstacle in the negotiations is the presence of Armenian posts in the Azerbaijani territories'ќ

"There has been no concreteness in Nagorno Karabakh negotiations over the last two years,'ќ said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at the joint press briefing with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, APAв's Moscow correspondent reported.

According to him, the resolute position of Azerbaijan is that the status quo must be changed: "According to the Prague process, which started in 2004, the Armenian side assumed to empty the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh. The Azerbaijani side assumed to ensure security. Then the two states were to establish economic relations. The Madrid principles were agreed in 2007. New clauses were added to the Madrid principles at the meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Athens, 2009. Following this, more than 10 meetings were held on various levels. The Moscow declaration, the first and only document on the level of presidents, was signed. Stagnation was observed in the negotiations after the Kazan and Sochi meetings.'ќ

Elmar Mammadyarov said that he supports the continuation of the Prague process: "I am delighted that my Armenian counterpart issued a statement that the Armenian side have accepted six-point principle. The principle will play a role of skeleton. Peace agreement can be developed around it. In my opinion, the biggest obstacle in the negotiations is the presence of Armenian posts in the territories of Azerbaijan.'ќ

Sergei Lavrov stated that the status quo is unacceptable: "Of course, the status-quo is unacceptable. The status quo is unacceptable both for Azerbaijan and Armenia. As well as for the people in Nagorno Karabakh... It is especially inadmissible for Russia, because Russia supports peace and stability in the South Caucasus.'ќ

Chairman of the Milli Majlis, Azerbaijani parliament, Ogtay Asadov has today met chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), senator Edgardo Angara.

The Speaker said Mr. Angara`s visit will contribute to developing and strengthening the relations between Azerbaijan and GOPAC.

Mr. Asadov said Azerbaijan attaches particular emphasis to expansion of relations with GOPAC.

He highlighted what the Azerbaijani government had done to strengthen fight against corruption.

Mr. Asadov noted discussions towards the establishment of GOPAC`s Azerbaijan office.

Mr. Angara said Azerbaijan`s long-term cooperation with GOPAC is a vivid evidence of transparent governance in the country.

1news.az reports with reference to the official website for the President of Azerbaijan that the head of state extended condolences on his own behalf and on behalf of the Azerbaijani people to the relatives of the victims.

Ilham Aliyev hoped for the soonest recovery of the injured and elimination of consequences caused by tornado.

8 out of 686 candidates have been approved to run for presidency

Iranв's Guardians Council has released the approved list of candidates for June 14 presidential election.

APA reports quoting Mehr news agency that 8 out of 686 candidates have been approved to run in the 11th presidential elections.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, advisor on International Affairs to the Supreme Leader of Iran, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former speaker of Iran's parliament Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'ўMohsen Rezai, Director of the Iranian Expediency Council's Center for Strategic Research Hassan Rohani, former vice-presidents Mohammad Aref and Mohammad Gharazi are among approved candidates.

The Guardian Council has rejected former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confidant of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Azerbaijani Interior Minister, Colonel General Ramil Usubov received the Georgian delegation led by Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, the Interior Ministry told APA.

It was stressed that new laws based on democratic principles regulating public relations, activity of law-enforcement bodies have been adopted in Azerbaijan, which has declared human and civil rights and freedoms as priorities, it was said that specialists from the developed countries and international organizations played a great role in this field.

It was noted that the documents signed by the ministries during the previous years, especially the agreement signed by Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey on cooperation in fighting against terrorism, organized and grave crimes have contributed to the developing the relations both on bilateral level and within the international organizations.

Interior Minister also spoke about the existing problems, underlined that struggle against illicit drug turnover, international terrorism, human trafficking and illegal migration is in the focus of attention, said efficient fight against them is possible only through joint efforts.

Irakli Gharibashsvili said his country attaches great importance to the strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. Speaking about the legal reforms in Georgia, Minister expressed his confidence that the relations with Azerbaijan, kind neighbour, close friend and the state, where security is ensured on the highest level, will be further developed in all spheres.

Irakli Gharibashvili is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of Ramil Usubov.

President Barack Obama urged the president of Myanmar on Monday to take steps to halt violence against Muslims in his country and move ahead with economic and political reforms.

Thein Sein became the first head of Myanmar to visit the White House in 47 years, and he and Obama sat down for talks in the Oval Office.

Obama said the Myanmar leader had assured him that he intends to move forward on releasing more political prisoners and institutionalizing political reforms that have already taken place. Thein Sein also vowed to resolve ethnic conflicts by incorporating all communities into the political process, Obama said.

"I also shared with President Sein our deep concern about communal violence that has been directed at Muslim communities inside Myanmar. The displacement of people, the violence directed towards them needs to stop," Obama said.

Sein, speaking through a translator, said his country faces a "daunting task" in carrying out reforms but said for democracy to flourish in Myanmar the reforms must be carried out in the years ahead.

Myanmar will need the "assistance and understanding" of the international community, including the United States, as it goes through the process, he said.

Rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers fear Obama has moved too quickly since forging a dramatic breakthrough in relations in 2011 after half a century of military rule in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

U.S. officials argue that reforms by Myanmar`s quasi-military government - freeing democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of political prisoners, scrapping censorship, legalizing trade unions and protests - are transformative and deserve support from Obama, who confirmed the end of Myanmar`s pariah status with the West with a landmark visit last November.

However, ethnic or sectarian violence, particularly in the western state of Rakhine, has worsened since Washington started easing sanctions, and a Reuters special report published last week found apartheid-like policies segregating minority Muslims in prison-like ghettos there.

At least 192 people died last year in violence between Buddhists in Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims, who are denied citizenship by Myanmar. Most of the victims, and the 140,000 people made homeless in the attacks, were Muslims. (Additonal reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Alistair Bell, David Brunnstrom and Eric Beech)

French Ambassador at large for Human Rights and Holocaust Issues François Zimeray will visit Azerbaijan tomorrow, the embassy of France in Azerbaijan told APA.

During the two-day visit, Zimeray will meet with representatives of government agencies and Jewish community. He will also meet with representatives of human rights organizations, journalists and youth organizations.

Even the minor noise that fills everyday life, from the ring of a cell phone to the conversation that follows, may have short-term effects on heart function, a small new study suggests.

In the study of 110 adults equipped with portable heart monitors, researchers found that people`s heart rate tended to climb as their noise exposure increased -- even when the noise remained below 65 decibels. That`s about as loud as a normal conversation or laughter.

There was also a negative impact on people`s heart rate "variability" -- a measure of the heart`s adaptation to what is going on around you. Greater variability in the interval between heartbeats is better. When people are relaxed, the space between heartbeats is usually a bit longer as they exhale, and shorter as they inhale.

When people are stressed, however, some of that natural variation is lost. And studies have linked lesser heart rate variability to an increased risk of heart attack.

So does all of this mean you need to wear earplugs to protect your heart? Probably not, experts say.

For any one person, the effects of everyday noise on heart function may be small, said Charlotta Eriksson, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden. Eriksson was not involved in the study.

But since we are all exposed to noise, even a minor effect on heart health could be important on the broad "population level," said Eriksson, who has studied the effects of loud traffic -- from roads or airports -- on people`s blood pressure and heart function.

Research has consistently found links between loud workplaces and an increased risk of heart disease, said Dr. Wenqi Gan, a researcher at North Shore-LIJ Health System`s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, in Manhasset, N.Y.

The evidence is more mixed when it comes to "community noise," like traffic sounds, said Gan, whose own research has found a connection.

He said the mixed results may be because it`s difficult to weed out the effects of community noise on individuals. You might live in a noisy section of a big city, but have good, sound-muffling windows, for example.

Azerbaijan`s pavilion arranged as part of the Cannes Film Festival has caused keen interest among visitors.

Azerbaijan`s delegation includes head of the unit at cinematography department at the Culture and Tourism Ministry Yusif Sheykhov, director of "Azerbaijanfilm" film studio Mushvig Hatamov, director of "Azanfilm" Fariz Ahmadov, and director Ayaz Salayev.

The Azerbaijani delegation held meetings with representatives of foreign film companies.

The pavilion features Azerbaijani films shot in recent years, as well as advertising and publishing products highlighting history and the present of the Azerbaijani cinema.

The French city of Cannes is hosting the 66th consecutive international film festival from May 15 to 26.

The festival opens with The Great Gatsby by Australian film director Baz Luhrmann, starring actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) will host NATO-CCEE Partnership Conference titled "Emerging Security Challenges: Enhancing Energy Security in the 21st century" on Wednesday.

The two-day conference will be co-organized by the Caspian Center for Energy and Environment of ADA, NATO`s Emerging Security Challenges Division, Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and the Embassy of Romania in Azerbaijan.

The aim of the conference, which will bring together experts from NATO and partner countries, politicians and scholars, is to discuss how to prevent potential risks in energy security and to strengthen scientific cooperation in security sphere.

The conference will feature discussions on the role of the Caspian basin in expanding the European energy security, cyber threat in security of energy infrastructure and terrorism and cross-border cooperation.

An official opening ceremony of the conference will see speeches by Azerbaijani deputy minister of foreign affairs, rector of ADA Hafiz Pashayev, Romanian ambassador to Azerbaijan Daniel Christian Ciobanu and head of NATO's Energy Security Section Michael Rühle.

The last day of the conference will feature speeches by U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar, NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Gaacute;bor Ikloacute;dy and Azerbaijani ambassador to NATO Khazar Ibrahim.

The 3rd Congress of the Association of Caucasus Universities has today kicked off in Azerbaijan`s capital.

The event brings together Azerbaijani Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov, Turkish Education Minister Nabi Avci, President of the Turkish Council of Higher Education Gokan Cetinsaya, chairman of the Association of Caucasus Universities Ramazan Korkmaz, Georgian deputy Minister of Education and Science David Zurabishvili, as well as rectors and educational experts.

A new window into the nature of the universe may be possible with a device proposed by scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno and Stanford University that would detect elusive gravity waves from the other end of the cosmos. Their paper describing the device and process was published in the prestigious physics journal Physical Review Letters ("Detecting high-frequency gravitational waves with optically levitated sensors").

"Gravitational waves represent one of the missing pieces of Einstein's theory of general relativity," Andrew Geraci, University of Nevada, Reno physics assistant professor, said. "While there is a global effort already out there to find gravitational waves, our proposed method is an alternate approach with greater sensitivity in a significantly smaller device.

"Our detector is complementary to existing gravitational wave detectors, in that it is more sensitive to sources in a higher frequency band, so we could see signals that other detectors might potentially miss."

Geraci and his colleague Asimina Arvanitaki, a post-doctoral fellow in the physics department at Stanford University, propose using a small, laser-cooled, tunable sensor that "floats" in an optical cavity so it is not affected by friction. Geraci is seeking funding to begin building a small prototype in the next year.

"Gravity waves propagate from the remote corners of our universe, they stretch and squeeze the fabric of space-time," Geraci said. "A passing gravity wave changes the physically measured distance between two test masses - small discs or spheres. In our approach, such a mass experiences minimal friction and therefore is very sensitive to small forces."

Azerbaijan`s and Tajikistan's national conservatories have signed an agreement on mutual cooperation.

The agreement was signed by Rector of the National Conservatory of Azerbaijan, People's Artist Siyavush Karimi and rector of Tajik National Conservatory Rajabmad Amirov.

Speaking to the signing ceremony, both Karimi and Amirov praised the Azerbaijan-Tajikistan relations. They said their countries were determined to deepen cooperation between musical organizations.

They stressed the importance of conducting experience exchange, increasing youth`s professional skills, and organizing meetings with youth in Baku and Dushanbe.

Azerbaijani short film "9x9", financially supported by PASHAbank, has been presented at the 66th Cannes Film Festival`s Short Film category.

The movie is co-produced by Azerbaijan`s Narimanfilm and Italy`s Torre companies. The film was directed by Radmila Gordich, produced by Nariman Mammadov and Radmila Gordich. Azerbaijan`s pavilion has also been organized at the festival.

The presentation ceremony of the Azerbaijani film was attended by representatives of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism, "Azanfilm", "Narimanfilm", Pashabank, Torre, and other film producers.

This year the jury is led by famous film director and producer Steven Spielberg.

The festival features 52 full-length feature films, with 20 contesting the "Palme d`Or".

Russian police reforms have proved so successful that, in some areas, Moscow outperforms New York on safety, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has boasted while on a visit to the United States.

According to RIA Novosti, Kolokoltsev made the claims during a meeting in New York late on Monday with New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"We have compared the crime situation in Moscow and New York, factoring in the number of residents and police personnel responsible for ensuring security," Kolokoltsev explained.

He claimed that, in some respects, parts of Moscow are even safer than New York, although he did not cite concrete statistics.

Kolokoltsev is in the United States for a series of meetings with law enforcement officials on a range of issues from day-to-day crime, to drug trafficking and terrorism, a press release posted on the Interior Ministry site on Tuesday says.

Kolokoltsev also praised the recent reforms of Russiaв's police service, highlighting that they built on the New York policeв's experience, particularly in "the direct responsibility of a commanding officer for his subordinatesв' actions, including suspension or even dismissal."

In 2011, Russia launched sweeping reforms of the 1.2-million-strong police force, which has long been notorious for corruption and abuse of authority.

Some 200,000 officers were dismissed, salaries were raised, and the force, which had continued to be known by the Soviet-era "militia" even after the Soviet Union collapsed, was renamed the "police."

These high-profile reforms, however, have so far done little to build public trust in the institution within Russia. According to a survey by the independent pollster Levada, public confidence in the police stood at just 29 percent in October.

In February Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the Interior Affairs Ministry, pointing out that 45 percent of crimes in Russia remain unsolved.