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 Georgian Media Invent Gay Pride Rally 
When the NGO Century 21 planned an event for young people to celebrate Georgia’s diversity and encourage acceptance of those who aren’t like themselves, they had no idea they would be forced to call it off after media mistakenly portrayed it as a gay pride parade. (more)
Saakashvili Warns Ministers to Pay for Own Medical Expenses 
In a live televised cabinet meeting in Gremi on July 25, President Mikheil Saakashvili publicly chastised his cabinet, saying that it was unacceptable for them to use state funds for their own medical treatment.
Saakashvili’s remarks stemmed from reports in early July that ruling party MP Beso Jugheli and Minister of Refugees and Resettlement Giorgi Kheviashvili asked Health Minister Lado Chipashvili to have the state finance their medical treatment. (more)
Georgia Putin-esque Politics
Secretary General Ban Ki- moon’s report to the UN Security Council released on July 23 expressed disappointment that dialogue between the Georgian and Abkhaz side had remained suspended. He calls on both the Georgian and Abkhaz sides to “redouble efforts to avoid action that could lead to a renewal of hostilities.” (more)
 Kakheti Nature Friends Protect the Environment 
Take a chain-smoking dandy in his early twenties, a Peace Corps volunteer, a slightly run-down office in Telavi and a GEL 12 000 annual budget. Add an enthusiastic group of people, some external support and plenty of concern for the environment of Kakheti, and what you get is the Georgian Society of Nature Friends (GSNF), one of the most active—and most needed—environmental NGOs in the country. (more)
100 New Farms to Revive the Agricultural Sector, Government Says
Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, in Kakheti province July 25, pitched a program to create 100 new agricultural businesses which, he said, should create 100 000 jobs and up the country’s agricultural export capacity. (more)
Georgia 117th in World Bank’s 2006 GDP Ranking
The World Bank’s ranking of total GDP amounts in 2006 put Georgia at 117th place, lagging behind its regional neighbors. Russia took 11th, Turkey 17th, Iran 29th, Azerbaijan 81st, and Armenia 112th. (more)
Polling Reveals Strong Opposition to Closing Down Sport Academy
Turkey Turns Around Arms Shipment Bound for Armenia
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that Turkish authorities blocked a shipment of Albanian weapons and ammunition bound for Armenia, reports the news agency Regnum. (more)
Business Roundup
Takeout in Tbilisi: Who to Call When You Frankly Can’t Be Bothered
Sometimes, you just want the food to come to you. The Messenger, in our tireless campaign to improve your life, dialed up three Tbilisi restaurants willing to deliver. After arduous and exacting taste tests in our sprawling office complex, we present the results to you, our surely grateful readers: (more)
The Stormy Life of Irina Sarishvili 
Largely dissident for the two decades of her uneven political life, she has been through several arrests and survived two near death incidents since her start as an anti-Soviet activist. Now in her mid-forties, she is still in the opposition. (more)
Art Gene 2007: Spirit of Georgia on the Road 
Art Gene festival is undoubtedly a gem among festivals. And this is not empty praise to one of its organizers, a musician I truly take my hat off to—Zaza Korinteli (aka Zumba). It’s rather a true admiration of the work started by Zumba and his friends four years ago, who created a folk festival which now every year brings the best of Georgian folk art traditions to the public. (more)
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Friday,
July 27, 2007, #142 (1409)
