Thursday, July 9, 2026

Man fined USD 750 for insulting Tbilisi mayor

TBILISI, July 7 – Georgia’s hate speech crackdown is moving ahead, with courts issuing new penalties in cases involving public insults against political and private figures. Kutaisi City Court has fined Davit Svanadze 2,000 GEL (USD 750) after finding that he insulted Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, Rezonansi reported on Tuesday. Kaladze is one of the … Read more

Body of woman found in Tbilisi apartment

TBILISI, July 1 – The body of a young Azerbaijani woman has been found in a rented apartment in Tbilisi, according to information reported by Interpressnews on Wednesday. The case was made public by Baia Pataraia, head of the women’s rights organization Sapari, who wrote about it on social media, Interpressnews reported. Pataraia wrote that … Read more

Construction sites remain Georgia’s deadliest workplaces

TBILISI, June 2 – Workplace deaths in Georgia are slowly declining, but experts say safety rules still need to be tightened, especially in the construction sector, where most fatal accidents continue to happen. According to Business Rezonansi, citing data from Geostat, 32 people died in fatal workplace accidents in 2025. Of those, 21 deaths were … Read more

New torture claim revives Georgia’s May 26, 2011 crackdown case

TBILISI, May 26 – A Georgian politician has revived one of the darkest cases from the violent May 26, 2011 protest dispersal in Tbilisi, claiming that one of the dead showed signs of torture after the crackdown. David Lortkipanidze spoke to the program “Anatomy of the Regime” about Suliko Asatiani, who died after the police … Read more

Ruling team celebrates Georgia’s sovereignty

TBILISI, May 26 – Georgia’s leaders used Independence Day to highlight the importance of sovereignty. The main ceremony was held on Freedom Square in central Tbilisi, where President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, cabinet members and MPs attended. Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III and other clergy were also present, along with diplomats, … Read more

Rabies case confirmed at farm in eastern Georgia

TBILISI, May 19 – Georgian authorities have declared quarantine around a farm in eastern Georgia after a dog infected with rabies bit several animals. According to Interpressnews, the case was confirmed near the village of Chalaubani in Gurjaani municipality, close to the Iori River, according to Georgia’s National Food Agency. The agency said the infected … Read more

Georgia’s new patriarch takes throne at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

TBILISI, May 12 – Georgia’s new Orthodox patriarch, Shio III, was enthroned Tuesday at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, opening a new chapter for one of the country’s most powerful institutions. The festive service began at 10:00. During the liturgy, the new patriarch received the symbols of church authority: the patriarchal mitre, head covering, cross-panagia and … Read more

Georgia’s Orthodox Church elects Shio III as new patriarch

TBILISI, May 11 – Georgia’s Orthodox Church has elected Metropolitan Shio Mujiri as its new leader, making him the country’s 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch after the death of longtime church head Ilia II. The vote was held Monday at an expanded church council at Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi. Shio, who had served as locum tenens of the … Read more

Georgia’s Orthodox Church to elect new patriarch on Monday

TBILISI, May 10 – About 1,200 delegates are expected to attend an expanded church meeting on Monday to elect the next patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The meeting will be held at Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral in Tbilisi. Archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze, head of the Patriarchate’s public relations service, said entry into the cathedral will … Read more

Nearly 245,000 Georgians benefited from public jobs scheme

TBILISI, May 5 – Nearly 245,000 socially vulnerable people in Georgia benefited from a state-backed public employment scheme in 2025, according to a new government report. The figure appears in the 2025 report on employment policy planning and implementation, cited by BPN. The program covered 54,842 families and 244,895 people last year. If at least … Read more