The messenger logo

The News in Brief

Friday, August 1
Geologist’s body recovered

The body of Guram Buachidze, a former employee of the Georgian HydroGeology Institute, who disappeared two weeks ago, was recovered on July 29 in Samegrelo province.

Local fishermen at Martvili town discovered the body in a river.

A preliminary investigation suggests that the geologist had slipped from a nearby rock into the river.

76-year-old Buachidze disappeared near the Abasha River while employees of the HydroGeology Institute were taking water samples for testing. (Prime News)



‘Immediate Response 2008’ ends

The US-Georgian “Immediate Response 2008” military exercise ended with a closing ceremony yesterday.

Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia and Brigadier General Zaza Gogava attended the ceremony.

Soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen from the US, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, all took part in the joint training exercise that started on July 15.

A total of 1 625 military servicemen participated in the training, including 600 Georgian soldiers.

Immediate Response is an annual, bilateral security cooperation exercise conducted between the US and coalition partners. The exercise consists of interoperability training and is aimed at promoting understanding and cooperation between the US military and its allies. (Prime-News)



Tskhinvali threatens to cut off water supply to Georgian villages

An ultimatum set to the Georgian side by the authorities of the breakaway region of South Ossetia expired yesterday.

The South Ossetian side has threatened to cut the water supply of several Georgian villages if the water supply to Tskhinvali town is not restored, the separatist South Ossetian press department said.

The Tskhinvali ultimatum was passed to the Georgian side on July 30 via the head of the OSCE Tskhinvali Office, Grzegorz Michalski, who met with top South Ossetian negotiator Boris Chochiev the same day.

The deadline was 4 p.m. of July 31. (Black Sea Press)



Handbook on ethics for judges published

The presentation of a handbook on the rules of ethics for judges was held at the Supreme Court yesterday.

Konstantine Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, said it would be a handbook for every judge.

“The handbook is one more successful result of our cooperation with US Lawyers’ Association,” Kublashvili said. (Prime News)



Tbilisi hosts second International Backgammon Tournament

The second International Backgammon Tournament began in Tbilisi yesterday.

The tournament, which will last until August 5, is organized by the

Khobi Charity Fund and Backgammon Federation.

Participants from France, Germany, Japan, the US, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are participate in the tournament. Prime News)