Tbilisi, DFWatch - A member of Georgian parliament, notorious for his radical anti-NATO, antigay statements, Thursday withdrew his candidacy in a majoritarian district and expressed support to Georgian Dream and its founder, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. Nine days before the election Tamaz Mechiauri, MP and a leader of a party 'Tamaz Mechiauri – United Georgia", [...]
(Interpressnews) Tbilisi, DFwatch – Beauty salons have to formally register at the Public Registry from October 1, in order to be properly examined by the Ministry of Health in the frames of the government program aimed at eliminating Hepatitis C. […]
Giga Bokeria, Secretary of the Security Council (IPN) TBILISI, DFWatch–The National Movement will not prosecute Bidzina Ivanishvili and his supporters , Giga Bokeria, the party’s foreign affairs secretary said at a briefing on Wednesday. Bokeria predicts ‘inevitable’ loss by the Georgian Dream, […]
(interpressnews) TBILISI, DFWatch–Eleven people were detained for hooliganism Tuesday night during a rally of radical Georgian youth groups in downtown Tbilisi. The police interfered only after the march of Georgian Power, an overtly neo-Nazi bunch of teenagers, went sour, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Paata Burchuladze, a world famous operatic bass who recently formed a political coalition with three other parties, said that he asked Girchi, one of the most important parts of his coalition, to leave. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An audio tape was published Tuesday which appear to capture a conversation between former President Mikheil Saakashvili and other UNM party members plotting a revolution in Georgia. The tape was uploaded to Youtube by a user called Creative Georgia News. […]
Georgian Dream secretary Irakli Kobakhidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s governing party denies that it is planning a final campaign rally before the parliamentary election, despite claims to the contrary from its challenger UNM. One of Georgian Dream’s main challengers, the National Movement (UNM), […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Railway is in talks about increasing rail freight between Iran and Bulgaria through Georgia. The target group of the plan is Iranian investors looking to establish a foothold in the European market. Through using the railway connection […]
Bidzina Ivanishvili. TBILISI, DFWatch–Businessman and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said Monday that he would like to see Irakli Garibashvili as president. Ivanishvili said this while meeting with local media in Rustavi, a town south of Tbilisi. He said the former PM is ‘a good option for a spare’ […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The pedestrian zone of Aghmashenebeli Avenue in Tbilisi opened on Sunday after several months of renovation work. The facelift of one of the oldest streets in the Georgian capital was financed by the local government and Tbilisi Development Foundation. Tbilisi City Hall decided to refurbish […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Student activists interrupted the traditional welcoming of new students at Tbilisi State University on Monday, in protest against the election of a former deputy education minister as new rector. An activist group called Auditorium 115 prevented Giorgi Sharvashidze […]
Trustee of the village Tsnori, Tamaz Mateshvili, resigned after the incident. TBILISI, DFWatch–The trustee of a village in eastern Georgia has resigned after admitting that he hit a journalist in the face. The journalist, Gela Mtivlishvili, had showed up at a stretch of road where asphalt was being laid down in pouring rain in anticipation of a visit by […]
Students at Tbilisi State University held sit-ins in March and April, 2016. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Students at Tbilisi State University threaten to resume their sit-ins and blockades after a former deputy education minister Friday became new rector in what they claim was rigged a election. Gia Sharvashidze was backed by 21 members of TSU’s academic council. […]
(ipn) TBILISI, DFWatch–Beijing-Urumqi-Tbilisi flights have been scheduled from Friday, according to Georgia’s National Tourism Administration. China’s Southern Airlines, China’s largest flight companies, will carry out the flights two times in every week. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court has found a former interior minister and two other ex-officials guilty of beating a parliamentarian in 2005. The guilty verdict against Vano Merabishvili, Erekle Kodua and Gia Siradze […]
(Ministry of Finance.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Financial crime investigators in Georgia have confiscated a hundred home-made slot machines that were placed in several cities around the country. The grey and blue columns do not look like typical slot machines, but offer customers […]
Neighbors of the madrasa placed a pig’s head on the door. (TV 25.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In Batumi, the City Court on Monday ruled partly in favor of the Muslim community in a conflict about a planned religious boarding school called a madrasa. The court case, which has lasted two years, deals with a conflict among locals in the town Kobuleti, […]
Gia Lortkipanidze (Ipn) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia (POG) has indicted a former Georgian official and Odessa governor confidant in Ukraine for directing a brutal dispersal of opposition rally back in 2011. Gia Lortkipanidze, a deputy of then omnipotent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A young man was electrocuted in Batumi on Wednesday after he jumped into a swimming pool to save a three-year-old girl. The incident happened at about 11:00 in the morning in a guesthouse at a place called Benze. A girl fell into the pool in the garden […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of orthodox Christian parents in Georgia are planning to demonstrate against Pope Francis during his visit the coming week. The group is called the Union of Orthodox Parents and is well-known among locals for its confrontational style and conservative views. […]
National Association of Energy and Environment TBILISI, DFWatch–Construction work on Georgia’s first wind farm has been completed near Gori, the Energy Development Fund of Georgia announced. The facility consists of six turbines, each with a power output of 3.45MW. […]
Gia Lortkipanidze doesn’t have time to answer questions about policy brutality on May 26, 2011, because he has to hold a speech in the parliament in Ukraine. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former Georgian government official has refused to travel from Ukraine to Georgia to answer questions about a violent dispersal of anti-government protesters five and a half years ago. Gia Lortkipanidze is head of police in Ukraine’s Odessa region, […]
(SotnikTV) Tbilisi,DFWatch – Russian opposition journalist published a video on Tuesday stating he has to leave Russia and settle in Georgia ‘for some time’. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor General’s Office in Georgia on Tuesday charged four former officials for their handling of the dispersal of an anti-government rally in Tbilisi on May 26, 2011. The four are charged with exceeding their official powers. […]
Their robbery spree targeted two banks and a convenience store in Vazisubani, a district of Tbilisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia arrested two men Monday who are suspected of robbing several banks and a convenience store in the Vazisubani district of Tbilisi two days earlier. One of the men was arrested on the Armenian border at Sadakhlo, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Ukrainian airline Dniproavia is beginning weekly flights to Tbilisi, Georgia, starting October 6. Flights will have a duration of 2 hours and 25 minutes each way. The airline has decided to use the Brazilian twin-engine jet Embraer 145, which is capable […]
Voting for Russia’s State Duma in Tskhinvali on Sunday. (RES.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia condemned the election Sunday for the Russian State Duma inside the two breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) called on the international community to react against this […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A 17-year-old Georgian who was detained Friday by Russian soldiers patrolling the border of South Ossetia was returned on Saturday. Joni Gogichaishvili’s return was confirmed by the European Union Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM), […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Russian border guards on Friday detained a 17-year-old Georgian near the border with South Ossetia. The incident took place in the village Bershueti. The detainee, Joni Gogichaishvili from the village Sobisi, was taken to the detention facility […]
(Batumelebi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Black Sea coast was hit by strong rain on Friday, flooding the streets and inundating ground floors and basements in Batumi, a city of 150,000 people. Emergency workers were still pumping out the flood water from houses […]
(Facebook) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Cadets Military Lyceum named after Giorgi Kvinitadze accepted girls for the first time since its establishment in 2010. The opening ceremony of the academic year 2016-2017 was greeted by President Giorgi Margvelashvili […]
(Interperssnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s foreign trade turnover in the first eight months of 2016 was 16 percent more than in the same period last year, new figures from Georgia’s National Statistics Office show. The figures, presented in the latest preliminary monthly report by GeoStat, […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The beating of four Muslims by Georgian police may be brought up before the European Court of Human Rights after a human rights group in Georgia on Thursday filed a lawsuit at the Strasbourg court. The four were detained by police during a village […]
(ICK.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong wind blew the roof off buildings in a dozen villages in the east of Georgia on Wednesday, Information Center of Kakheti (ICK) reported. The wind lifted the roof off houses in about ten villages in villages in Lagodekhi municipality, in the Kakheti region, […]
PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili claims that Mikheil Saakashvili’s party has started several new organizations in order to foment unrest in Georgia ahead of the election. One of the new organizations started by the National Movement is Georgia in the Name […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Speaker of Georgian Parliament states he was offered a prime ministerial seat by the former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili back in April, 2015, when the post was held by Irakli Garibashvili. […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Natural gas distribution company in Tbilisi, KazTransGaz, issued an official statement on Wednesday calming down residents scared by an intense odour in their apartments. […]
Goderdzi Tevzadze outside the regional prosecutor’s office in Kutaisi Tuesday night. (Channel 1.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A policeman who has been wanted in connection with 22-year-old Demur Sturua’s suicide showed up at the regional prosecutor’s office in Kutaisi Tuesday night accompanied by his lawyer. Goderdzi Tevzadze was declared wanted by the Prosecutor […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia has secured a free trade agreement with China which is expected to boost Georgia’s export of wine. The agreement, which still needs to be confirmed formally, will exempt goods and services that were previously charged more than 40 percent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Another prominent member left opera singer Paata Burchuladze’s party on Tuesday, accusing State for People of being financed by former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. “I am leaving Paata Burchuladze’s party, because it is not Paata […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian PM Bidzina Ivanishvili lashed out at opposition politician Nino Burjanadze on Sunday, accusing her of bluffing when she proposed that Georgia should declare a non-bloc status. Burjanadze, a former parliament speaker, […]
(Muslims’ Department of Georgia) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Muslims in Georgia, as well as around the World, celebrate Eid al-Adha, known as Kurban Bayram, major religious celebration from 12 to 15 September. […]
Gogi Topadze (IPN) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Gogi Topadze’s party, former member of the ruling coalition, was rejected to participate in the upcoming parliament election by the Election Administration (CEC) together with 24 other minor parties. […]
George Benitez: ‘it’s very important to note, that NAC very rarely meets outside Brussels’. Voice of America’s (VOA) Anna Kalandadze spoke to George (Jorge) Benitez, Senior Fellow at the US Atlantic Council in Washington and NATOSource director, to discuss the North Atlantic Council’s latest visit to Georgia and other important aspects in bilateral relations. Excerpts of this interview ran on a VOA’s program. Here is the full interview: […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A 60-year-old Georgian man was detained on Sunday near the border with Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia for violating the border. Valiko Khizanishvili, who is from the village Koshka, was detained when he was out in a field looking after cattle. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Zviad Gogochuri on Saturday took gold in the men’s 90kg judo competition at the Rio Paralympics. This is the first gold by a Georgia athlete in the Paralympics since the country became independent in 1991. In the final, […]
Davit Bakradze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Krivikashvili on Friday appointed a new ambassador to Washington. Replacing Archil Gegeshidze is Davit Bakradze, the minister of Euro-integration who has been in charge of Georgia’s approaches to the European Union […]
Kakhi Kaladze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Friday announced a cabinet reshuffle which lets two GD politicians dedicate their time to campaigning as less than a month remains before a parliamentary election where no party or bloc […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Republican Party proposes a new pension system based on entitlement earned through work experience. Appearing on Rustavi 2’s election special, spokesperson Davit Usupashvili drew a line between the Republicans […]
(Imedi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A worker died at a construction site in western Georgia on Thursday, after falling from a building. The incident happened on Aghmashenebeli Street in Kutaisi. The victim was a middle-age man. An investigation has been launched […]
Khatuna Lagazidze has asked the government for protection for herself and her family. (ghn.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Political commentator Khatuna Lagazidze is leaving opera singer Paata Burchuladze’s party. She expresses concern about her own safety and asks the authorities for protection for herself and her family against ‘criminal elements’ in the party. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–More than 3.5 million voters had registered in Georgia by August 12; eight weeks before the election for parliament. Ana Mikeladze, Speaker for the Central Election Commission, said Wednesday that from June 10 until today, more than […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The ruling Georgian Dream announces its party list for Oct. 2, 2016 parliamentary elections, featuring mostly ‘new faces’ on its top and leaving many of its prominent members behind. The list is headed by Giorgi Kvirikashvili, current PM […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Batumi took one step closer to building a second mosque in the city by purchasing a plot of land on Wednesday. The initiative group for constructing a mosque in Batumi on September 7 purchased a property on Abashidze Street […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili criticizes Alliance of Patriots, a conservative political party, which often resorts to the populist nationalistic narrative, for having ‘no clear platform’ and advises them to inform voters what exactly they want and what direction they want to steer the country. […]
(Palitra TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The financial crimes unit in Georgia’s Finance Ministry exposed a shop for selling fake Nokia and Samsung phones on Wednesday, which may lead to up to five years in jail. The Investigation Service revealed that phones were illegally labelled […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A company in Georgia is offering air taxi services from November this year, taking customers to every airport in Georgia. The air taxis are run by Adjara Group. Head of marketing and business development Oto Berishvili […]
Davit Usupashvili (IPN) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Republican Party wants to have a U.S. military base in Georgia before the country becomes a full member of NATO. This was one of the statements made by Republican Party members during a debate on Rustavi 2 Tuesday evening, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A former Georgian defense minister has revealed the existence of a contract which appears to invalidate the takeover of one of the main TV stations in the country, as the Supreme Court is considering the case. The city court in Tbilisi decided in November […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Six streets in the old part of the Georgian capital will become pedestrian zones, Tbilisi City Hall has decided. City Hall explained that there is a demand from people to have more pedestrian areas in Old Tbilisi and that there is need for more tourism […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia Monday night arrested a 24-year-old suspected of murdering a car repairman a few hours earlier at in Tbilisi. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) informs that a man was arrested for premeditated murder and illegally purchasing, […]
Tamar Chugoshvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former human rights advocate who is running for parliament claims the former ruling party, the National Movement (UNM), is planning to provoke conflicts in the election campaign. Tamar Chugoshvili, a candidate for parliament for Georgian Dream […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Despite the falling oil price, Azerbaijan has confirmed its commitment to the implementation of large-scale projects like the Southern Gas Corridor, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Energy Minister Namig Abbasov said at a conference […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An enraged customer pulled a gun on an electrician and shot him at a car repair place in central Tbilisi on Monday. The fatal disagreement took place on Kipshidze Street in the western Vake district. Police said the customer had a quarrel with an electrician […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–In a vote on Monday, a majority in the EU Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) supported giving visa-free access to the Schengen area for Georgian citizen. 44 voted for lifting visa rules for Georgian citizens, […]
The twenty organizations behind the new coalition say their goal is ‘to build a free and independent state, with effective democratic institutions, based on full respect for human rights and freedoms.’ Presenting the initiative at a press conference in Tbilisi on Monday, and in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A committee in the European Parliament will discuss today whether to offer visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Georgian and Ukrainian citizens, as well as citizens of Kosovo. Claude Moraes, head of the Civil Liberties, Justice and […]
The man is appealing Zugdidi City Court’s sentence. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The City Court in Zugdidi last Friday sentenced a man to seven years in jail for raping a woman and attempting to force her into marriage. Defense lawyers say the man, who was arrested April 11, will appeal the verdict. According to the Prosecutor […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A man was arrested in western Georgia on Saturday for harassing a witness in the Demur Sturua case. Sturua committed suicide on August 7 and left a note indicating that a local policeman had pressured him to give up names of people who were cultivating […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s State Audit Office (SAO) has asked the court to fine six political parties for bribery, illegal donations and other election violations. The office asked the court to issue a 4,000 lari fine to Rima Beridze, a majoritarian candidate for Georgian Dream, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The eco-activists of Guerilla Gardening rallied in front of Tbilisi City Hall again on Friday, demanding the dismissal of the two bureaucrats in charge of tree cutting in the capital. They demand the dismissal of the head and the deputy of City Hall’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The economy minister on Friday summed up the summer tourism season in Georgia together with the head of the National Tourism Administration. According to Minister of Economy Dimitry Kumsishvili, 4,247,729 foreigners visited Georgia in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–This year’s grape harvest has begun in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region. More than 1,850 tons of rkatsiteli grape and more than 1,110 tons of saperavi has been processed in Dedoplistskaro. Wine producing companies pay 80 tetris for saperavi, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–One man died and one was injured in an execution style shooting in central Tbilisi on Friday. The Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested a man born in 1981 who is charged with premeditated murder and illegally carrying a weapon. The accused fired multiple […]
(keda.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili has called on the municipal council in a valley in Georgia’s southwestern Adjara region to stop making sexist statements. After a meeting of the Keda Council on August 26, a member of the National Movement […]
(Ministry of Defense.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A funeral service was held Thursday for two Georgian military divers who disappeared during an exercise in the Black Sea more than two weeks ago. The funeral service was held at the location where the soldiers were last seen during a training course on August 16 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Three prison guards were arrested on Wednesday in the case of the prisoner who escaped from the court building in Rustavi. According to the Prison Ministry, one of the detainees is head of shift of the guard service at the second department, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s most famous folk dance ensemble Sukhishvili has turned down an invitation to perform in Sevastopol and Simferopol, two cities in Crimea. The Georgian National Ballet, as it is formally called, posted a short note on Facebook about their decision. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Bidzina Ivanishvili is confident that the governing Georgian Dream party, which he founded, will have at least 100 seats in the next parliament. The billionaire businessman says he cannot imagine that Georgian Dream will get less than 90 MPs in the next assembly. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s first wind farm is almost completed. Wednesday the first turbine was installed in Gori, close to the television tower. The wind power plant in Gori will be the first of its kind in Georgia. Earlier, there […]
Tserakvi, DFWatch – Festival brings South Georgia’s multi-ethnic community together with visitors from Armenia and Azerbaijan for music, art, sport, and activism. The festival was held for the third time with more guests and artists performing. […]
Actor Aidan Quinn’s character overpowering the prison doctor in the 1987 film ‘Stakeout’. Otar Varamashvili, the escaped prisoner. TBILISI, DFWatch–It could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie, the moment when a prisoner escaped from Rustavi City Court on Wednesday. According to reports, the escapee was in the waiting room for defendants when he said he was feeling sick. […]
Defense Minister Levan Izoria. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is halting exercises at sea as there are no certified instructors, Defense Minister Levan Izoria said Wednesday. A search for two military divers who went missing during an exercise was called off yesterday. The soldiers went missing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Russian President Vladimir Putin is not an enemy of Georgia, but a very significant politician, according to former Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze. The opposition figure whose party Democratic Movement is without representatives […]
PM Kvirikashvili visiting some of the poison victims at Marneuli hospital on Tuesday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–About 40 people – 22 of them children – are still in hospital after being poisoned during a wedding in Georgia. Nearly 200 people were poisoned on Monday at a wedding in Sadakhlo, a village in the south of Georgia near the border with Armenia. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–After eleven days, the search operation for two missing soldiers has been called off in Gonio on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. The two are believed to have drowned on August 16 during a military exercise. […]
The court building in Kutaisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Georgia on Tuesday issued an order to detain a policeman who is accused of having caused the suicide of a 22-year-old man. The wanted police officer Goderdzi Tevzadze has gone into hiding, and Kutaisi City Court therefore issued the ruling ‘in absentia’. […]
Paata Burchuladze during Independence Day celebrations, May 26. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–As barely a month remains until the parliamentary election, political parties in Georgia are falling over each other to promise increased pensions and social allowances. “Today, social allowances are distributed […]
21 wedding guests remain hospitalized after the mass food poisoning. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Almost 200 people were taken ill with food poisoning at a wedding in the south of Georgia on Monday, 28 of them children. The mass poisoning took place in the village Sadakhlo, near Marneuli. The affected wedding guests mostly complained about feeling sick and disoriented. […]
New evacuation facilities were recently built near the Georgia-Russia border crossing to protect against landslides, which claimed eight lives in 2014. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Tuesday promised to build a new highway that will improve the road connection between Tbilisi and the Russian border. “Within the next four years, we plan to build a highway from Mtskheta to Vladikavkaz,” […]
Nino Burjanadze. (Interpressnews.) Davit Usupashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two proposals to define Georgia’s foreign policy alignment in the Constitution were postponed by a parliament committee because not enough MPs showed up. The rebellious opposition leader who started the debate now claims parliament has violated election rules. […]
Demur Sturua (22) left a suicide note implicating the wanted police officer. (Interpressnews.) Activists blamed Georgia’s drug policy of having caused the young man’s death. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A police officer in Georgia was Monday charged with causing a young man to commit suicide. The police officer, Goderdzi Tevzadze in the western Georgian town Samtredia, has gone into hiding and was charged in absentia. He is charged with abusing his official powers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Monday, the newspaper Kviris Palitra published an interview with the person who tipped off the State Security Service about a plot to blow up a pipeline which brings natural gas from Russia to Armenia. Seven persons were arrested on August 22, […]
Ross Wilson: ‘It isn’t a sea change in the Turkish-Russian relations’ Ross Wilson, former US Ambassador to Turkey, currently Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC summarizes latest developments in the Turkey-US and Turkey-Russia relations. The interview excerpts ran on the Voice of America’s program. Below is [...]
Nino Khomeriki. (Georgian Chess Federation.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Nino Khomeriki has become European youth chess champion for the second time. Yesterday’s win at the European Youth Chess Championship in Prague, Czech Republic, is the second time Khomeriki claims the title. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A new report shows that foreign tourists spend 450 laris a day in Adjara, a Black Sea region of Georgia heavily reliant on tourism. Over a thousand tourists were asked about their stay as they left the country, and the results draws a picture […]
(ipn) TBILISI, DFWatch–Fire devastated 50 hectares of agricultural land in the vicinity of Akhalsopeli, a village in Kvareli Municipality, Kakheti. 5 hectares of vineyards and hazelnut gardens had been almost totally destroyed, while in other areas the damage was not so serious, […]
Film director Goga Khaindrava. (Pirveli.) A scene from the trailer. TBILISI, DFWatch–The first episode of a new TV series about the crimes of the Saakashvili regime premiered at Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi on Saturday (watch trailer below). Georgian filmmaker and political activist Goga Khaindrava finished work on the documentary TV series, […]
(IPN.) (IPN.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One Israeli and one German tourist were rescued Saturday in Mestia, a picturesque mountain region in the northwest of Georgia. The two tourists were heading for the Tetnuldi peak, but not heard from. A search was immediately started after they […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The One Caucasus Festival kicked off in Georgia on Thursday, bringing together tourists and young people from all over the country, from different ethnic backgrounds, in order to enjoy music performances by local and foreign artists. One Caucasus […]
Tsotne Gamsakhurdia. (Pirveli.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Tbilisi mayor defended his conduct in the tree-felling scandal at an extraordinary City Council meeting Friday but had to halt his speech because of interruption by protesters. Environmentalists claim Mayor Davit Narmania […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A man died Thursday night after a street fight near Kobuleti, a town on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Four others were taken to hospital with injuries, including a policeman. Police arrested a 21-year-old who is suspected of stabbing a 20-year-old man in the chest, […]
Levan Berdzenishvili. (Interpressnews.) The Republicans’ nine ‘muses’, i.e. nominees for parliament members. TBILISI, DFWatch–Under the slogan ‘Let’s break free’, the Republican party has nominated nine women candidates for parliament under the single-seat majoritarian system for the October 8 election. “We have to break free of a lot of things. […]
Baia Pataraia. (Facebook.) Georgia – violent crime by region from January to June, 2016. There were a total of 696 cases. 58 percent of cases (403) were prosecuted. (Ministry of Internal Affairs.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The stigma attached to family violence is still keeping women from seeking help. The campaign is simply not working, a Georgian human rights group has said. In 2009, the United Natioins carried out a survey which showed that one in every 11 women in Georgia […]
One of several popular Instagram cartoons poking fun at Mayor Davit Narmania. The title says “Son of a donkey, a monkey” TBILISI, DFWatch --The National Movement faction in Tbilisi City Council initiated a motion of no-confidence against Mayor Davit Narmania on Thursday, following protests against a controversial tree-felling to make room for two new apartment blocks. "Today we officially [...]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Guerilla Gardening group is continuing their protest outside City Hall against the recent tree-cutting in the capital. One of the group’s leaders was hospitalized on Wednesday after being on hunger strike for seven days, but she was replaced by another activist. […]
Protester against the Gazprom pipeline wearing the Ukrainian flag outside the government building in Tbilisi, January 16, 2016. (DFWatch.) Protesters against Gazprom’s pipeline linked their cause to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia and the helicopter pilot Savchenko. (DF Watch.) The gas pipeline has been damaged by landslides several times, last in August 2014. (Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the seven men arrested in Georgia for planning to blow up a Russian gas pipeline has denied any links to Ukraine. The suspect Beka Bekauri is still in hospital after suffering serious head trauma. He has had an operation and his condition is now stable. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s prime minister on Wednesday again promised that Georgian Dream will amend the Constitution after the October 8 election in order to change the definition of marriage. Now that the president has rejected a proposed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s defense minister says a crime may have been committed when two soldiers disappeared while diving off the Black Sea coast eight days ago. Their bodies have still not been found. Levan Izoria said Tuesday that there are possible […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A 21-year-old man from Georgia has died fighting alongside ISIS in the Syria war. Sultan Gumashvili was from Pankisi Gorge. Georgian media outlets are reporting that the deceased militant’s father Adam Gumashvili is also fighting for ISIS in Syria and is a prominent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–In the last week, three traffic accidents have claimed the lives of seven people in Georgia, including a 12-year-old boy, while three were injured. The latest accident took place August 21, on the Gori highway near the so-called Tskhinvali bridge. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the men suspected of planning an act of sabotage against a natural gas pipeline in Georgia was questioned at the hospital on Tuesday. Yesterday, lawyer Maia Chrelashvili said that her client was unable to attend a hearing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Journalist Merab Metreveli Monday left opera singer’s Paata Burchuladze’s party because he was dissatisfied with being allied with former National Movement members. The opera star was joined by a more politicians on August 18, […]
Maia Chrelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The lawyer of one of the men who is accused of planning a terrorist attack against a gas pipeline in Georgia claims her client has been severely beaten in detention. Seven men were arrested on Monday, accused of planning to blow up a pipeline […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The State Security Service of Georgia (SUS) claims it has prevented an attempt to blow up a gas pipeline connecting Russia and Armenia. Five people planned to set off explosives at the portion of pipeline that crosses […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Three people died in a serious car accident on Sunday in Gori, a town 80km west of the capital. A small Mercedes car and a truck crashed. The driver of the truck survived and was taken to hospital. But all the occupants of the small car […]
PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of government in Georgia on Sunday in a written statement expressed concern about the recent terrorist attack in Turkey and voiced support for the people of Turkey. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says in the statement […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Geno Petriashvili from Georgia won bronze in men’s freestyle 125 kg wrestling in the Rio Olympics on Saturday. This is Georgia’s seventh medal in the games: two gold, one silver and four bronze medals. In the final, Petriashvili won against Tervel Dlagnev […]
(Photo by Tornike Shevardnadze / Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Activists clashed with police in a town in western Georgia on Saturday. The protesters blame the government’s drug policy for driving a 22-year-old man to take his own life. Protesters gathered in front of the Samtredia […]
Vladimer Khinchegashvili. (1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Vladimer Khinchegashvili won gold in men’s freestyle 57 kg wrestling at the Rio Olympics on Friday. Georgia now has two gold medals in the games. In the final, Khinchegashvili faced Japan’s Rei Higuchi, who got silver. The first round […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s former first lady Sandra Roelofs is a candidate for parliament for her husband’s National Movement party for Zugdidi election district in the west of Georgia. Unlike her husband, Roelofs is not wanted by Georgian law enforcement, […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Opera star Paata Burchuladze expanded his followership on Thursday as more politicians joined his party, State for People. The merger with the New Rightists brings in politicians from a party that has a long presence in Georgian politics, but […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian drivers can now get their car examined for radioactivity. But why would they want to do that? The new radiation control service became available on Wednesday and will be handled by the agency for nuclear and radiation security […]
Batumi City Court. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Georgia on Wednesday sentenced four men to up to 8 years in jail on Wednesday for bridenapping. The bride kidnapping took place in Kobuleti, a town on the Black Sea coast, in November last year. In her court testimony, […]
A lawyer for Jehovah’s Witnesses wondered why police were not using recordings from the surveillance cameras they have installed. (Rustavi 2.) Some of the discrimination occurs when members try to hand out flyers in the streets. (Interpressnews.) Problems getting a construction permit for a new congregation house in Terjola is one of the cases mentioned in the U.S. State Department’s report. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–On November 23 last year, shots were fired at a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Vazisubani, a district in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. When bullets slammed into the building again one week later, a lawyer representing the religious community wondered […]
Mosabruni, or Razdæxæn, checkpoint. (RES.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Every day, about 200 tons of agricultural products is brought from Georgia into the Akhalgori district of South Ossetia, Sputnik Ossetia reports. Akhalgori is a part of the breakaway region which was under Georgian control until the war in 2008. Many people cross […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi Zoo has a new baby lynx, which was recently discovered in Lagodekhi in eastern Georgia. The animal was discovered by ranger Gogita Khunashvili in Lagodekhi nature preserve in July, after the river Shroma was flooded, carrying […]
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili (right) at the launch of construction work. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The construction of the second terminal building at Tbilisi International Airport is proceeding as planned. Currently, the foundation is being laid, a spokesperson for the airport told DFWatch. The need for a second terminal is evident in the steady […]
President Margvelashvili talked with family members of the missing soldiers. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Defense Ministry claims safety regulations were not violated when two Georgian soldiers went missing Tuesday during a military exercise at sea, off the Black Sea coast. Two soldiers never made it up to the surface during a course in combat diving. […]
Lasha Talakhadze scoring World Record. TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian weightlifter competing in the heaviest, +105 kg, category won the country’s first Olympic gold in these summer games, setting a new world record, while his teammate from the same weight category won bronze. Lasha Talakhadze, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Shmagi Bolkvadze took bronze in the Rio Olympics Tuesday in the Men’s Greco-Roman 66 kg wrestling. Georgia now has two bronze and one silver medal. The two other medals were won in Judo. Bolkvadze competed against Japan’s Tomohiro Inoue, […]
(1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two Georgian soldiers are missing after diving off the Black Sea coast of Georgia during a military drill. The Defense Ministry said the two failed to resurface near Gonio in southwest Georgia near the border with Turkey. A search was immediately launched […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Russia began a military exercise in Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia on Monday, which will involve 5,000 soldiers, rockets and artillery. The pro-government news agency RES reports that the exercise is taking place at seven different training grounds. […]
Vladimer (“Lado”) Bedukadze. (Interpressnews.) In the free TV ad, the Centrists promised to ‘legalize the Russian military bases.’ (1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Central Election Commission (CEC) in Georgia has revoked the registration of a micro-party which used its right to free advertisement to call for Russian pensions and dual citizenship, accompanied by a portrait of Vladimir Putin and Russian tanks and flags. […]
Nikoloz Pruidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Irakli Alasania’s Free Democrats promises a liberal drug policy and the decriminalization of all forms of drugs if they come to power. But the punishment for drug dealing will be tougher, the party’s healthcare strategist Nikoloz Pruidze […]
Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday nominated its majoritarian candidates in most of Tbilisi’s 21 electoral districts. The exception was the downtown Mtatsminda district, where GD refrained from nominating a candidate to support […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Direct foreign investments in Georgia was 11 percent less in 2015 than in 2014, according to precise data published Monday by Georgia’s National Statistics Department, GeoStat. According to the report, the amount of investments […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two Georgians were detained by a Russian border patrol on Saturday while out fishing along a river close to the breakaway region Abkhazia. Levan Morgoshia and Pridon Matkava were apprehended while standing on the left bank of the river Inguri. […]
(Facebook) TBILISI, DFWatch–16 people, among them several foreign tourists, have been rescued in Adjara after a strong storm hit the Black Sea coast of Georgia on Sunday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The rain lasted several hours, flooding […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A ten seconds long election video has caused a strong reaction from Georgia’s political establishment and calls for using legal means to stop the party behind it. The provocative advertisement ran on the Public Broadcaster’s Channel 1 Saturday night […]
The scene of the murder bore signs of a recent picnic when Imedi’s reporter visited. (Imedi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Witnesses in the village where a U.S. citizen was stabbed to death Thursday night reported seeing the tourist in an argument with the suspected murderer two hours before his body was found. The motive for the murder is still unknown, but Imedi TV […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An American man of around 40 was stabbed to death in a small village in eastern Georgia Thursday night. Police have arrested a 20 year old man who is suspected of the murder. The victim, a U.S. citizen, was found dead on a road in Lechuri, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia has published results of a census showing that only 7 percent of the population there are ethnic Georgians. The region from which tens of thousands fled in the 2008 war today has only 3,966 Georgian residents […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in eastern Georgia arrested a man on Friday who is suspected of bludgeoning an elderly woman to death and burying the body in a wine-making tank. The 28 year old man, who was arrested in Telavi in the Kakheti region, […]
Aslan Abashidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Aslan Abashidze, the ruler of breakaway Adjara who fled the country after the Rose Revolution, was Friday sentenced in absentia to 15 years in jail for a murder 25 years ago and other crimes. […]
Ani Mirotadze said the National Forum is target of a political ploy. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The home of a candidate for parliament from the National Forum was broken into Thursday night, a few days after the party’s office was robbed. Tamar Tsikhiseli told journalists that the burglars didn’t steal anything. She thinks the people […]
PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili on the election trail. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government is planning to build a new road to the mountainous Tusheti region in the northeast of the country. The current road to Tusheti is bumpy and becomes non-traversable in winter, during which time the only access is by helicopter. […]
Traditionalists demonstrating in Tbilisi to defend family values May 17, 2014. (Interpressnews.) Alexandre Bregadze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The group of traditionalists behind the referendum bid to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman are fuming at the president after he shelved their proposal. The activists claim President Giorgi Margvelashvili’s decision […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A ropeway connecting the biggest park in Tbilisi with a recreational lake in the hills above will reopen in September after having been closed for seven years. Spokesperson for Tbilisi Transport Company (TTC) Gvantsa Potskhveria told DFWatch […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian citizen was Wednesday sentenced to 12 years in jail for cooperating with the terrorist organization Islamic State. As most of the Georgians who have joined the Islamic State group, Davit Borhcashvili comes from Pankisi Valley. He was detained in November 2015 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Varlam Liparteliani won silver medal in men’s 90 kg judo at the Rio Olympics. This is the country’s second medal in the games. Liparteliani defeated Gwak-Dong Han from South Korea in the semi-final, but in the final round, he was […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A woman was found dead Wednesday morning, buried in her own garden inside a traditional Georgian wine-brewing tank. The macabre discovery was made in the village Shakriani, in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region. The elderly woman […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A 39-year-old corporal in the Georgian army died Wednesday morning, apparently from heart failure. The deceased is Davit Lomidze, a corporal in 52th Battalion of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the Eastern Command of the Land Forces, the Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday morning. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia won its first medal in the Rio Olympics on Tuesday, as Lasha Shavdatuashvili claimed the bronze medal in men’s 73kg judo. He defeated Sagi Muki from Israel in the final rounds. Earlier, he defeated Denis Yartsev of Russia in the quarter finals, […]
(ipn) TBILISI, DFWatch–The office of National Forum, a right wing political party, which recently split with Georgian Dream, was broken into overnight in Tbilisi. Members of the party say that the investigation is in progress and yet it is hard […]
President Margvelashvili blocked a referendum bid to ban same-sex marriage, while PM Kvirikashvili (inset) vows to bring in a ban if he wins a large enough majority on October 8. TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia will not hold a referendum over whether to have a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. President Giorgi Margvelashvili made it clear Tuesday evening that he does not support the proposed referendum about amending […]
(official photo) Tbilisi, DFWatch – US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned occupation of Georgian territories by Russia by issuing a short statement on 8th anniversary of Russo-Georgian war. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A former European wrestling champion was shot dead in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region Monday evening. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Nodar Modebadze (66) was shot with a rifle in the village Akura. Police have a suspect […]
Giorgi Margvelashvili, President of Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili will Tuesday meet the Georgians who proposed holding a referendum about defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Giorgi Abashishvili, head of the president’s administration, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–As Georgia marked eight years since the war with Russia, figures show that over two thousand civilians have been detained on the provisional borders that were drawn after the end of that war. From 2009 to 2015, the number of people […]
Levan Izoria, recently appointed defense minister, says the ministry examines his predecessor’s decision about abolishing conscription (ipn) TBILISI, DFWatch–Compulsory military service remains a hot topic after resignation of Tina Khidasheli, who actively lobbied a shift toward voluntary service and managed to partly abolish the system during her tenure as a minister of defense. […]
Mount Ushba. (gov.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Four foreign tourists were found dead on Mount Ushba in northern Georgia on Saturday. The Interior Ministry’s emergency service said the bodies are in the process of being brought down from the mountain. Authorities received notice on Friday […]
Zurab Japaridze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two political parties formed by ex-National Movement members together with an opposition party without representatives in parliament on Friday launched a new election bloc for the upcoming parliamentary election. The name of the new […]
Party leader Valeri Kvaratskhelia says Socialist Georgia wants a military treaty with Russia and to create a socialist society. TBILISI, DFWatch–The new party Socialist Georgia canceled its founding congress on Thursday, after a quarrel with a protester led to the arrest of one of its members. The assembly was planned held at the music school in Telavi, a town in the eastern Kakheti region. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A historical park in the southern Georgian resort town Borjomi was partly destroyed by flooding Thursday evening. Strong rain flooded houses and streets and trees more than a hundred years old were torn down. Infrastructure was damaged. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–In a small town in the south of Georgia, a disagreement between two politicians’ families resulted in the death of a 23-year-old man on July 30. The confrontation took place in the village Nardevani, in the Kvemo Kartli region. The families Tamarian […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One person was detained in western Georgia on Thursday, after a fight broke out in front of the local branch office of the National Movement (UNM). Protesters from the organization Our Homeland burned an effigy of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, […]
(DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The incident took place this morning in the village Kveshi, according to Gori municipality. Locals say 36-year-old Aleko Sheverdashvili was in his garden when armed men came and took him away. They say Sheverdashvili didn’t cross the administrative […]
Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister on Thursday promised to change the Constitution so that it specifies marriage as a union between a man and a woman — if his party wins an absolute majority in the October 8 election. […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The rape of a pregnant 16-year-old girl two weeks ago may go unpunished, because the alleged rapist is not in detention, a human rights group claims. July 8, a 16-year-old married and pregnant girl was raped at knifepoint in Marneuli, […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A clothes market was partly destroyed by fire in Zestaponi Tuesday night. According to the Emergency Service, more than 1,000 square meters was destroyed by the fire in the center of the western Georgian town. No one was injured. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi Zoo, which was devastated by a flood in June 2015, welcomed three new lion cubs on Monday. The zoo’s administration said the lioness Cleopatra had a complicated and protracted delivery, but it ended happily as both the mother and her offspring […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A bid to define marriage in the Constitution as a union between a man and a woman has been approved by Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) after campaigners collected more than the required 200,000 signatures. Georgia’s Civil Code already […]
By Giorgi Chaduneli www.ifact.ge In the last two years, there have been six cases exposed of either successful or attempted match fixing in Georgian football. Players, referees and entire teams have been fined or in some cases permanently banned from the sport. While one case has been working its way through the Tbilisi City Court system for the past year, two new suspicious matches have been uncovered. […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch - Comments of outgoing Defense Minister, who criticized appointment of Security Service official in her vacant seat, triggered an angry response from the Prime Minister and a member of government. "(Their) comments were very inappropriate, unfortunately. I am sure that after Batoni Davit and Kalbatoni Tina overcome emotions, they will make different comments,” said [...]
Sozar Subari says that background of serving in the Security is an advantage rather that disadvantage. (IPN) Comments of outgoing Defense Minister, who criticized appointment of Security Service official to her vacant seat, triggered an angry response from the Prime Minister and a member of government. "(Their) comments were very inappropriate, unfortunately. I am [...]
Levan Izoria (MIA) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Levan Izoria, a deputy head of State Security Service (SUS), and Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, deputy minister, were appointed as replacements of the ongoing ministers of defense and reconciliation respectively. […]
Muslims of Mokhe (DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch–There is growing tension between the Christian and Muslim communities in the small village Adigeni, west of Akhaltsikhe. The Samtskhe–Javakheti region, where Adigeni village is located, was historically known as Meskheti, after the Muslim Meskhs. […]
(Facebook) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Emirati minister visits Georgia to pompously inaugurate an upscale hotel in Tbilisi center. […]
Zurab Tsereteli. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Zurab Tsereteli, a Georgian sculptor living and working in Russia, says he will soon finish a 33 meter tall statue of Christ, which he wants to erect in Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia. “I will finish working on the Christ statue very soon. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s first wind power plant will be completed in September and go into operation in December. Tornike Kazarashvili, president of the board of directors of Kartli wind power plant, told DFWatch that construction work began in March, […]
The threatening post (On.ge) Tbilisi, DFWatch – State Security Service of Georgia launched a probe into a possible terror threat distributed by Facebook on Thursday evening. […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – The National Democratic Institute released the results of the latest survey which details Georgians’ political affiliations before the upcoming parliamentary elections in October 2016. […]
(Netgazeti photo) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Nigerian national, Solomon Adebayo Okeleye accused Bank of Georgia of racial discrimination for limiting his and other Nigerian students’ right to use payment cards. […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Deputy prime minister and minister of energy Kakha Kaladze apologised for sexist remarks he made while commenting on President Giorgi Margvelashvili’s statement about ‘undue connections between political groups and law enforcement’ in the context of the dispute over the Constitutional Court. […]
ifacts.ge Frontera Resources, the American oil-and-gas company that has been exploring and drilling in Kakheti since 1997, is being harshly criticized for trying to evade a $30 million debt payment due August 1. […]
President Georgi Margvelashvili. TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili political groups have informal connections with law enforcement and other state bodies and are using them for political purposes. “This trend is used for political goals,” the president said on Monday, […]
Paata Burchuladze during Independence Day celebrations, May 26. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Sunday night, police in Georgia detained two members of a newly formed opposition party led by the opera singer Paata Burchuladze. The two members of State for People were detained outside the party office in Temka, a northern district […]
(DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Catholics in Rustavi, 20km south of the Georgian capital, have won a court’s backing that they were discriminated against after failing to get a construction permit to build a church there. The Catholic community in Rustavi applied for permission […]
(Armenpress.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of up to 25 armed militants occupying a police building in Yerevan released all their hostages Saturday but refused to surrender, demanding the president’s resignation and the formation of an interim government. […]
Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia. TBILISI, DFWatch–The Foreign Ministry extended its condolences to the families of the victims and solidarity with the government of Germany. Nine people were killed in a shooting rampage in Munich at a McDonald’s restaurant Friday evening, in addition to the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Interpol has called off its search for the Georgian former intelligence chief Igor Giorgadze, who has been a staple of domestic politics as the preeminent ’bad guy’. Giorgadze is accused of having organized an assassination attempt […]
(Palitra TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two Georgian rugby players are among the injured after a deadly car crash in western Georgia in which three people died and four were injured. The accident happened last night when a BMW and a Nissan Tiida crashed on the Kutaisi-Samtredia […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s former interior minister Vano Merabishvili, who has been in prison since May 2013, claims a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will soon lead to his release. After a two years’ silence, Merabishvili […]
Ian Zelinsky represents the far-right LDP party, which is led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky. (zelinski.info) TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of lawmakers in the Russian Duma are preparing to demand that the Kremlin take punitive measures against Georgia for joining the European Union’s economic sanctions against Russia. The Duma’s foreign relations committee is working […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Four people died when a truck crashed in western Georgia on Thursday. The accident happened in Lugela Valley near the village Nukhuri. According to Interpressnews, the truck of the brand Kamaz crashed and overturned after the driver lost control […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia are still searching for Sergei Smislov, a 65-year-old German citizen who disappeared one week ago on a mountain road near Georgia’s breakaway territory Abkhazia. Shortly before he disappeared, Smislov received […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili claims the media in his country are publishing more anti-Western stories now than they used to. In an interview with the program ‘Archevani’ on Rustavi 2 TV Tuesday evening, he said it was […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A woman is missing after a group of three climbers were struck by lightning at 5,000 m altitude yesterday in the Kazbegi mountains. Two of the group were injured, and later rescued, but the third – a woman from Moscow – went missing. […]
Irakli Kandashvili, member of the executive council of Georgian Bar Association. TBILISI, DFWatch–Filing a lawsuit with the courts in Tbilisi might mean a long wait, due to a lack of judges and resources. People who file lawsuits in the Georgian capital might have to wait for years to see their case reach a conclusion. […]
