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Thursday, July 3 2008, #124 (1640)

GUAM summit wraps up in Batumi

The GUAM summit at the Black Sea town of Batumi wrapped up on July 1 with Georgia assuming chairmanship of the organization. (more)

None injured in blast near Russian checkpoint

An explosion struck near a Russian checkpoint on the administrative border with Abkhazia yesterday. No one was injured in the blast, which Russian news agencies say happened on the Georgian side of the border. (more)

Georgia’s ethnic minorities left in the dark on NATO membership

Ethnic minorities in Georgia are less likely to know about and support the country’s NATO membership bid than other Georgian citizens, a local organization which works with minorities said yesterday. (more)

The News in Brief

"Healthcare Ministry official arrested" (more)

Ethnic minorities and NATO

Georgia’s critical bid for membership in NATO has broad, if not unquestioning, support here. But ethnic minorities, particularly the sizable Armenian and Azeri communities, are in danger of being left on the wayside. (more)

World Bank urges reforms for Georgia to compete globally

The World Bank’s office in Tbilisi released a report on June 30 which urges post-Soviet countries to accelerate reforms that boost their economies’ productivity. (more)

Medvedev to visit Turkmenistan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is due to arrive in Turkmenistan today on his second trip to Central Asia since taking office this year, underlining the importance Russia attaches to the region’s energy resources. (more)

Press Scanner

“United Opposition won’t get finances from the budget”
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Q&A
Yesterday, a healthcare ministry official was handcuffed and charged with taking bribes while news cameras looked on. (He suffered a heart attack afterwards.) Do televised arrests of corrupt officials send the right message?
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