Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Georgian investigation concludes BBC chemical weapons claim was false

TBILISI, December 8 – A Georgian interior ministry investigation has found that what came out of a police water cannon a year ago was not a World War I era chemical weapon but ordinary tear gas. The claim that a banned chemical weapon was used originates in a BBC report on December 1, which said … Read more

Merab Dvalishvili loses UFC title

TBILISI, December 8 – Georgian UFC star Merab Dvalishvili has lost his championship belt after falling to former titleholder Petr Yan in a super bantamweight showdown on Saturday. The bout, held under the UFC’s super bantamweight division, marked Dvalishvili’s fourth title defense and ended a run that turned him into one of the sport’s most … Read more

German citizen arrested in Georgia on drug charges

TBILISI, December 8 – Police in Georgia’s Black Sea region have arrested a German citizen on allegations of possessing and preparing to distribute a large quantity of methadone, in what officials describe as a major narcotics case with international elements. The Interior Ministry said officers from the Adjara Police Department detained a 23-year-old German national … Read more

Georgia to make public universities free

TBILISI, December 6 – Georgia’s government is preparing an overhaul of higher education financing, where university students will be faced with state and private institutions as two separate tracks and the public option will be free. Starting from the 2026 to 2027 academic year, studies at public universities will become free for students. Instead of … Read more

Russia and Azerbaijan hike electricity transit through Georgia

TBILISI, December 6 – Georgia’s power grid is once again proving to be one of the South Caucasus’ busiest transit corridors, with fresh data showing a sharp rise in electricity flows moving through the country toward Turkey. According to figures released on Thursday, Georgia handled 200 million kilowatt-hours of transit electricity in October alone. Most … Read more

Georgia boosts gas import from Russia

TBILISI, December 6 – Georgia’s natural gas imports rose again this year, with new data showing the country bought more than 286 million dollars’ worth of gas in the first ten months of 2025. The figures reported by BMG highlight a small overall increase of 4 percent compared to the same period in 2024, but … Read more

Georgia’s GD threatens to declare ALDE “terrorist backers”

TBILISI, December 4 – The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party confronted the liberal group in European politics Thursday, demanding that ALDE publicly distance itself from opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili. The ultimatum follows Elisashvili’s arrest November 29 on charges of attempting a terrorist act, a case that has fueled intense discussions in Georgia’s divided political scene … Read more

Undeclared oil scheme uncovered at Batumi oil terminal

TBILISI, December 4 – Georgia’s Black Sea oil business was rocked again on Thursday as three employees of the Batumi oil terminal were detained on charges of bypassing customs procedures and illegally disposing of more than ten thousand tons of crude. The State Investigative Service said the value of the undeclared oil exceeds 15 million … Read more

Starbucks eyes Georgian market after rapid rise of McDonald’s and Wendy’s

TBILISI, December 4 – Starbucks may finally be on its way into Georgia’s food and beverage market, with talks underway for a possible 2026 launch. The negotiations are being led by the Alshaya Group, a franchise operator in the Middle East and Europe, while Starbucks’ regional operations would be handled by Shaya Turkey, the company … Read more

Poti customs official detained for receiving bribe

TBILISI, December 3 – A customs officer at Georgia’s main Black Sea port has been arrested on bribery charges after investigators said he sold confidential commercial data from a government database. The Finance Ministry’s Investigation Service reported Wednesday that the officer worked at the Revenue Service’s customs clearance zone in Poti, a major gateway for … Read more