Saturday, December 6, 2025

Georgia’s grape harvest in Kakheti hits 84,000 tons

TBILISI, September 22 – Georgia’s famed wine-making region of Kakheti is reporting a smooth grape harvest this year, with tens of thousands of tons already processed. According to the National Wine Agency, as of September 22 winemakers in Kakheti have processed 84,000 tons of grapes without disruption. The region, in eastern Georgia, is the heart … Read more

Why did Black Sea waters near Batumi turn a muddy brown?

TBILISI, September 22 – Unusual images of the Black Sea shoreline near Batumi have caught public attention after days of torrential rain left the water discolored and full of debris. Nino Chkhobadze, head of the Georgian Greens/Friends of the Earth, said the strange appearance was most likely caused by swollen rivers washing massive amounts of … Read more

Georgia’s car imports climb despite US tariffs

TBILISI, September 22 – Georgia’s appetite for cars keeps growing, with both imports and exports up sharply this year despite new US tariffs that industry watchers feared would squeeze the market. From January to August 2025, Georgia imported 148,859 vehicles worth $2.42 billion, up nearly 9% from the same period last year, according to the … Read more

Opposition Lelo vows cameras at every Tbilisi polling station to catch fraud

TBILISI, September 22 – The opposition Lelo party says it will deploy cameras at every voting precinct in Tbilisi so that no one can vote at a station where they are not registered. The party’s mayoral candidate, Irakli Kupradze, said they expect the October 4 vote will not be fair and vowed to “fight on … Read more

NGOs say ruling party launches new crackdown under ‘foreign grants’ law

TBILISI, September 22 – Dozens of Georgian civil society groups say the government has begun a new wave of repression, using a controversial law on foreign funding to target their work. In a joint statement released by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), twenty non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of weaponizing … Read more

Activists in Georgia clean and restore medieval monastery as part of heritage drive

TBILISI, September 22 – In Georgia’s Kvemo Kartli region, heritage activists have carried out a major cleanup of the 13th-century Pitareti Monastery, a national cultural monument threatened by age and earthquake damage. The project was led by Movement for Cultural Heritage, a civic initiative that for five years has been organizing bi-annual campaigns to clear … Read more

Georgia’s politics locked in endless confrontation: Analyst

TBILISI, September 22 – Political analyst Irakli Melashvili says Georgia’s political scene has reached a dangerous stalemate, where dialogue between government and opposition is no longer possible. In a wide-ranging interview with Interpressnews, he painted a grim picture of a society radicalized by years of divisive rhetoric. “The main feature of political life in Georgia … Read more

Lithuania pushes EU to bypass Hungary veto on Ukraine talks

TBILISI, September 22 – Lithuania’s foreign minister says the European Union must move quickly to launch a backup plan that would allow accession talks with Ukraine to begin, even as Hungary continues to block the process. Speaking to the Ukrainian outlet European Pravda, Kęstutis Budrys said he believes there is indeed a way to speed … Read more

Georgian opposition softens rhetoric ahead of October 4 rally

TBILISI, September 22 – Georgia’s opposition are adjusting their language under pressure from the ruling party’s legal threats ahead of a planned October 4 rally previously presented as a ‘peaceful revolution.‘ Paata Burchuladze, founder of the “Rustaveli Avenue” movement, said he was replacing the phrase “peaceful overthrow” with what he jokingly called “affectionate clean-up.” His … Read more