TBILISI, DFWatch–An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 rattled Georgia late Wednesday evening with only minor damage reported in one village.
The quake occurred at about 10.30pm with the epicenter near Dedoplistskaro in Kakheti, 100km east of Tbilisi,
In brief
Five villages cut off from the world after river thrashes road in Georgia
TBILISI, DFWatch–A rain-swelled river on Thursday cut off the only road to five villages in the northern part of Georgia, leaving the inhabitants isolated from the rest of the world.
The river Vedura swelled after several days of hard rain in the Upper Svaneti region.
Iran's FM Zarif visiting Georgia
TBILISI, DFWatch–Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif began a two day visit to Georgia on Monday.
Zarif will meet with his Georgian counterpart as well as the president, the prime minister and the minister of economy and sustainable development.
Rustavi 2 owners offer to hand shares over to staff
TBILISI, DFWatch–The owners of Georgia’s biggest opposition TV station have offered to hand over a controlling stake in the company to its staff.
The brothers Giorgi and Levan Karamanishvili published an open letter to the staff of Rustavi 2 staff on Friday, offering them shares in the embattled TV company.
Houses damaged, trees overturned by overnight storm in Tbilisi
TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong wind hit Tbilisi Monday evening, uprooting tens of trees and damaging houses and street signs.
Monday night at 10pm, the wind reached a speed of up to 32 meters per second in the capital. This qualifies as a hurricane,
Sen. McCain encourages Georgia to preserve pluralistic media
Georgian court’s decision regarding Rustavi 2 looks like ‘an attempt to silence opposition voices’, US Senator John McCain said to Voice of America’s Georgian service. “I am deeply concerned that the Georgian Supreme Court’s decision regarding Rustavi 2 appears to be an attempt to silence opposition voices in the press and curtail the country’s vibrant, … Read more
ECHR suspends Rustavi 2 takeover 'until further notice'
TBILISI, DFWatch–The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday confirmed a decision by one of its judges to suspend a ruling by Georgia’s Supreme Court about changing the ownership of the opposition-leaning TV company Rustavi 2.
“A Chamber constituted from the Section
Georgia Supreme Court judges silent about who pressured them
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two Supreme Court judges in the former Soviet republic of Georgia have still not revealed who tried to put pressure on them in a case about the ownership of a large TV station critical to the government.
Judges Besarion Arveladze and Paata Katamadze,
Man dies in avalanche in Svaneti
TBILISI, DFWatch–A man died in an avalanche in Svaneti, in northwestern Georgia on Wednesday.
The accident happened in Khaishi on the road between Jvari and Mestia. Rustavi 2 reported that the victim was a local minibus driver who had stopped his vehicle to look at the pileup
Policeman in Borjomi road rage incident suspended
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has suspended a police officer who allegedly beat a journalist from Iberia TV a few days ago.
Journalist Giorgi Gasviani two days ago told of how he was beaten by a policeman and two others after his car slipped on the icy road.