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The News in Brief

Thursday, June 2
Saakashvili to meet Biden

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili will meet US Vice President Joseph Biden in Italy. The White House official website is reporting that the official meeting will take place in Italy, where the authorities will arrive to take part in the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy on Thursday, June 2nd.

Joseph Biden visited Georgia in 2009. The meeting of the president with the vice president in Rome has become the subject of discussion for political experts. US former ambassador to UN Kurt Walker says that the sides have to discuss many issues and one of the most important of them is the economic and political reform of the country. Walker says these reforms might facilitate the solution of the territorial problems of Georgia. (Rustavi 2)



France’s Embassy does not comment on Sarkozy’s declaration

The French Embassy in Georgia has not commented on the declaration of the French President at the press conference in Deauville.

The full text of Sarkozy's speech is available in official web pages with different interpretation. The GHN gets a reply from Embassy that they are not commenting on such questions.

The official web pages of G8 and G20 do not mention the above mentioned press conference which does not mention Georgia at all. At the same time some social networks and foreign press disseminates the information as if Sarkozy said Medvedev had fulfilled the 2008 agreement and the Russian Forces had already withdrawn from Georgia.

"Georgia is fully free. Tanks were 40 km from Tbilisi. Mr Medvediev fulfilled the agreement, "- different media portals are spreading such information about Sarkozy's speech at press conference. (GHN)



Electronic time-tables to be installed at bus stops

Tbilisi City Hall has launched the installation of electronic time-tables of modern standards at bus stops across Tbilisi this week.

A total of 20 time-tables were installed at the initial stage. All 450 bus stops will have been provided with such devices by the end of August.

Passengers will know the exact time at which their bus will arrive. Gigi Ugulava, Tbilisi Mayor inspected the working process of the device installed at Chavchavadze Avenue yesterday afternoon. (GHN)



Georgian church marked Day of Saint Nino arrival

Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church marked the day of Saint Nino on June 1. The Georgian Church marks the Day of Saint Nino twice a year. On June 1, she stepped on to Georgian land and January 27 was the day the Saint passed away.

According to data, in the fourth century, Saint Nino arrived on Georgian land and preached Christianity to the Georgian people. Since then Georgian nationality has always been strongly linked with Orthodox Christianity.

Georgian Catholicos Patriarch arrived to Mtskheta and conducted a holy service in the Samtavro Nuns` Monastery. (GHN)



5 Days of August website had 134,000 visitors in six days

The Renny Harlin movie on Georgia-Russia war in August 2008 entitled 'Five Days of August' has gained the interest of a record number of visitors on its official website. According to the Google statistics, the site had 134,000 visitors during the past six days.

The Minister of Diaspora Issues, Papuna Davitaia reported the details of the movie's popularity to media today. He said the number of visitors on the website is unprecedented in such a short period of time. (Rustavi 2)