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The News in Brief

Thursday, July 9
European Commission allocates 2 mln for IDPs in Georgia

The European Commission has allocated an additional 2 million euros to Georgia to help reestablish the displaced people suffering from the brief war between Georgia and Russia, the Commission said Tuesday.

The money is aimed at helping displaced people, returnees and residents affected by the brief military conflict between Georgia and Russia in August 2008. The funds will be used for food aid and work activities that will contribute to repairing or strengthening infrastructure and community assets. The funding will be channelled through the World Food Programme.

“People affected or displaced by the August 2008 conflict are still suffering the consequences,” said Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. “Our recent assessments show that access to food will remain a problem until the 2010 harvest,” he said.

The move brings the EU’s total amount of humanitarian aid to Georgia to 12 million euros. (Rustavi 2)



bama talks about Georgia to Fox News

“On areas where we disagree, like Georgia, I don’t anticipate a meeting of the minds anytime soon,” US President Barak Obama said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. But he added there`s room to work. “On areas where we have common interests, like fighting terrorism, I think that there is great potential for us to do some work together,” he said.

Obama also discussed Georgia at a speech earlier in the day at the New Economic School. The President strongly urged Russia to allow state sovereignty for all nations, including Georgia and Ukraine.

Obama also spoke about the influence of the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the Russian leadership. He said meeting Putin led him to understand more about the man. “I think he would admit that his formative years were shaped in the Cold War,” Obama said. “Some of his continued grievances with respect to the West are still dated in some of the suspicions that came out of that period.”

“I think that President Medvedev is my counterpart, the President of Russia,” Obama said in the interview. “The Prime Minister, who I just met today, obviously still has enormous influence.”

The U.S. President said that Medvedev and Putin are on the same page about Russian affairs, even if some think Putin is the master puppeteer controlling the President. (Rustavi 2)



Police arrest murder suspect

Officers of the Isani-Samgori district police division have detained Tariel Bakradze, born 1958, who during a dispute inflicted multiple injuries on Giorgi Abuladze, born 1980, who died shortly after he was transferred to hospital. The suspect has already pleaded guilty.

An investigation is in progress under Article 108 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. (Rustavi 2)



Four young opposition members released

Four members of various youth protest movements have been released from the police isolator after serving a 30-day administrative sentence. The members of the protest movement Why? and the youth wings of the opposition parties New Rights and the Way of Georgia were arrested on June 15 during the rally outside the main police department. Relatives and party leaders went to the police department to meet their released allies on Tuesday night.

The released protestors say that the first three days were a nightmare for them, spent in inappropriate conditions, however they are not complaining about the prison staff, who they say treated them adequately. (Rustavi 2)



Police arrest man on suspicion of injuring his ex-wife

Officers of the Vake-Saburtalo regional police department arrested Ramin Bochorishvili in Godogani village in western Georgia yesterday afternoon.

Bochorishvili is suspected of having wounded his ex-wife Leila Kobakhidze with a knife on June 28. Kobakhidze died in hospital.

The arrested has admitted his guilt. The Vake-Saburtalo regional police department is conducting an investigation. (Rustavi 2)