DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, July 30 – Hundreds of landowners near Rustavi are refusing to sell property earmarked for a planned university city, saying the government’s compensation offer is far below local market prices. The disputed land lies beside the Tbilisi-Rustavi highway, between Rustavi’s 21st microdistrict and the road toward Gachiani. The government plans to build a large … Read more
TBILISI, July 30 – Georgia will abolish its Ministry of Regional Development in September, just over a year after it was created as a separate ministry. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on Wednesday that regional policy will instead be handled by a state minister. The post will go to Mamuka Mdinaradze, a former head of … Read more
TBILISI, July 30 – The Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 250 million loan to finance nearly 19 kilometers of the planned Tbilisi bypass motorway, a missing link in Georgia’s east-west road network. The loan will support two sections of four-lane motorway between Tbilisi International Airport and Rustavi, an industrial city south of the … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – Thai travel YouTuber Hlun Solo, who had been missing in Georgia since mid-July, has been found dead in a hotel in Tbilisi, Interpressnews reported Wednesday. According to the news agency, the 26-year-old blogger was found at a hotel in the Georgian capital. Information about his disappearance was first circulated on July … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – A court in Georgia has released a former police officer on bail after prosecutors accused him of unlawfully keeping and sharing intimate photos of women and stalking one of them. Zugdidi District Court set bail at 60,000 GEL on Wednesday. The prosecution itself requested bail as the preventive measure, according to … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – Tinatin Berdzenishvili has won a second six-year term as director general of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster. She was the only candidate. GPB’s Board of Trustees backed Berdzenishvili by eight votes to two on Wednesday. Her current term expires on September 25. Georgian law requires the board to appoint the director general through … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – The family of a popular Thai travel YouTuber has appealed for help after he disappeared during a solo trip to Georgia and has not been heard from for more than two weeks. Hlun Solo, 26, travelled to Georgia alone to film travel content. His family last spoke to him on July … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – A new patriotic movement founded by a Georgian MMA fighter has triggered accusations the initiative will lead to street violence. The initiative was launched by Giorgi Kartvelishvili, and pledges to defend national traditions. Members say they are ready to face prison to achieve this, if necessary, Interpressnews reported. Kartvelishvili and his … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – Georgia’s Culture Minister Tinatin Rukhadze has resigned after less than two years in office, citing health problems and the need for special medical treatment. Rukhadze announced her decision on Facebook on Tuesday, after consulting Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. She said her condition would prevent her from properly carrying out her duties … Read more
TBILISI, July 29 – A man was arrested Tuesday in the mountain resort town Bakhmaro, accused of raping a foreign woman. The suspect was charged with rape, under Article 137 of the Criminal Code. The victim, a woman in her 20s, is a foreign national, according to Interpressnews. Bakhmaro lies in Georgia’s western Guria region, … Read more