NEWS: Georgia News Digest 06-24-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

Foreign relations and conflicts
1. Diplomats say second Saakashvili-Medvedev meeting in works
2. Politicians comment on expected meeting of presidents
3. Georgia, Russia in talks for meeting of presidents
4. Tbilisi sets three demands ahead of Georgia-Russia summit
5. Speaker urges Russia to refrain from "threatening" Tbilisi
6. Normalization of Georgian-Russian relations to be discussed
7. GUAM: free political and economic zone from Russia
8. Lithuanian Formin with colleagues to seek ways of accelerating Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration
9. New EU policy on illegal immigrants may affect Georgian Diaspora
10. Georgian National Airlines launches flights to Vnukovo
11. Russia, Abkhazia planning gas pipeline to Sukhumi
12. Abkhazian president sets off on Moscow visit
13. Village placed under curfew in Abkhazia
14. Abkhaz leader: New railways for Sochi Olympics
15. Russia risks armed clash in Abkhazia to stop Georgia NATO bid
16. Abkhaz leader says peace talks to resume after Georgian troops' withdrawal
17. Abkhazia hopes for Russian peacekeepers' help in guarding sea border
18. Any attempt to close Abkhaz waters illegal
19. South Ossetian separatists cancel part of EU envoy's visit
20. EU ambassadors have breeched terms of their stay in South Ossetia
Politics
21. Opposition takes timeout, gears up for a new tactic
22. Tortladze and Tsagareishvili have declared a boycott to the authorities
23. Goguadze will replace Ugulava
24. Diplomatic passes for former MPs
25. MPs approve vice-speakers, committee chairs
26. Parliament plans group to work on election code
27. Christian-Democrats blame government for raiding petty street traders
28. Opposition to take one seat in Justice Council
Business and economics
29. paper: Monetary Transmission Mechanism in Georgia: Analyzing Pass-Through of Different Channels
30. paper: Analysis of Tbilisi's Real Estate Boom
31. Income tax burden still heavy?
32. European Commission sees the Poverty Reduction Project as a success
33. President to buy USD 2.8 mln business planes from Tbilaviamsheni
34. Government making list of importers, checking it twice
Misc.
35. Car explosion in downtown Tbilisi
36. Documentary gives alternative version of polling day shooting
37. Three prisoners died in custody
38. Inmates contract tuberculosis in temporary isolator detention cells
39. Tortured and beaten prisoner request doctor
40. Hullabaloo in Taleri Public School: Who breaks the law, teacher or their pupils?!
41. No pay no PhD education, policy hinders educational and research process
42. Popular TV talk-show resumption postponed
43. Despite exasperation from church and shrinks, Georgians watch their soaps
44. Tbilisi Diary: Iris Neva accompanies a newly-single mother to a kindergarten for handicapped children
45. One week turnaround for replies
46. Double standard and lack of equal protection of law with plea-bargain deals
47. Eleven-year-old Giorgi: “Main point is job but not “hard job””
48. No choice: Either my “real estate” or my family would have been persecuted!!!
49. Public Registry demands fee for the provided public information
50. Human Rights Center request to hold district governors accountable
51. Workers of cement factory in Aghaiani demand 5-month salary arrears
52. One-million-dollar sporting complex in Lagodekhi already needs reconstruction
53. Town without a library: Consequence of Sighnaghi’s rehabilitation project
54. Lado Vardzelashvili “deadbeat” in salary arrears

Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814