Wednesday, August 15, 2007, #155 (1422)

Bank of Georgia opens service center at Batumi International Airport
Bank of Georgia opened a branch at Batumi International Airport August 14.

Opening hours will be 9:00 until 21:00.

The Bank of Georgia currently has eight branches in Batumi, one of which is in the Hotel Intourist.
(Prime News)

Widow of first president of Georgia on hunger strike
Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia, widow of Georgia's first president after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, announced on August 13 she would go on a hunger strike in front of Tbilisi City Hall to protest state property privatization.

"In line with the Georgian government's resolutions of the early 1990s, it's prohibited to put state property up for sale. Today's illegal government, just like the illegal government of [Eduard] Shevardnadze, continues to squander property which belongs to the people. I protest against this," Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia said.

"I protest against the fact that the authorities have no concept of sacred objects. I won't keep silent when the grave of Konstantine Gamsakhurdia [author of classic Georgian literature and father of the first president] is ruined by bulldozers," Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia stated.

Earlier, by the decision of the Tbilisi municipality, the construction of a new residential apartment block began on the site neighboring the Kolkh Tower where the author is buried.

"I will remain in front of Tbilisi City Hall and continue my hunger strike until all this illegality is ceased," she declared.

Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia said that no municipal official had met with her.
(Black Sea Press)

De facto authorities of South Ossetia threaten to block irrigation canals to Georgian villages
The Tiraponi, Salvisi and Kekhvi irrigation canals that supply water to Georgia will be blocked unless the water supply to Tskhinvali is restored, South Ossetian co-chair of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) Boris Chochiev warned.

"The water blockade of Tskhinvali has lasted since May 24. The South Ossetian regime has to take adequate measures, and responsibility is laid completely on the Georgian authorities," Chochiev stated in a letter to Georgian, Russian and North Ossetian JCC co-chairs.

The Kemerta-Kheiti section of the Edisi-Tskhinvali water pipeline has been damaged in a Georgian-controlled zone.

"The Georgian authorities are not permitting repair of the pipeline. The Georgian side's statements that the water pipeline is ready for operation do not correspond to reality," Chochiev said.

Chochiev believes that the way out of the existing situation is to form a joint repair brigade to repair leakages and continue monitoring the pipeline in future.
(Black Sea Press)

Wrestling tournament held in Oni
A Georgian wrestling tournament named after famous wrestler Konstantine Maisuradze was held in Oni.

56 athletes from 12 provinces struggled for medals in eight weight categories.

The winners of the tournament were awarded with cash prizes, bibles and icons from the Georgian Patriarchate.

This is the first time in twenty years a wrestling tournament has been held in Georgia and organizers hope it will become a tradition. There are plans to hold similar tournaments in other provinces.
(Black Sea Press)

British troops carry out joint exercises with Georgian military
British troops will carry out joint training exercises with the Georgian Army this summer.
225 (Scottish) General Support Medical Regiment (Volunteers) will conduct an exercise practising medical support in an operational environment at Vaziani Training Area from August 25 to September 9 this year.
Medics from the Georgian Army will work with them, before being deployed to Iraq shortly afterwards to use their life-saving skills for real.
(Press service of the British Embassy in Georgia)

Textbook chosen for new secondary school economics courses
The Center for Economic Education and Development's (CEED) new economics textbook-picked as a standard textbook for Georgian schools by the Ministry of Education-has met with good reviews from economists and teachers. It is the first Georgian economics textbook.

Economics will be an elective course for grades 11 and 12.

Nino Talakhadze from CEED says the texbook articles are suitably written for pupils and include tests, photos and charts.

The texbook is based on the best practices for teaching economics developed by the US National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), a partner of CEED.

"With the help of NCEE programs we have learned about different methods of teaching economics in different countries and we are now actively cooperating with the Ministry of Education to increase the quality of economics education," Talakhadze said.
(CEED press service)


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