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Kobakhidze Says Kaladze's Remarks on Animal Rights Activists Were Figurative
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze's controversial remarks about animal rights activists were intended figuratively.
Asked about Kaladze's comments, in which he suggested that several activists should be "taken away and put to sleep," Kobakhidze said the actions of some individuals amid recent developments involving stray dogs raised serious questions.
"Of course, all of this was said in a figurative sense; in general, the actions of a great many people regarding this issue raise serious questions-that much I can tell you. They are displaying, so to speak, a completely disproportionate level of activity, and behind this, quite simply, there may lie crude political interests," Kobakhidze noted.
Fire at Tbilisi Business Center Extinguished, Formula TV Staff Evacuated
A fire that broke out at a business center on Vazha-Pshavela Avenue in Tbilisi, where broadcaster Formula TV is based, has been extinguished, the television channel confirmed.
The fire prompted Formula TV to temporarily suspend broadcasting as smoke spread through the building, including the upper floors housing the broadcaster's newsroom.
Firefighting and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene after the blaze reportedly broke out on the lower floors. At the time, some employees were unable to leave the building due to heavy smoke.
Formula TV journalist Sopo Vardiashvili told TV Pirveli that 22 members of the channel's staff, including herself, were inside the newsroom. According to Vardiashvili, rescue personnel had advised them to remain there, describing it as the safest option while they awaited further instructions.
Earlier, Formula TV presenter Nino Zhizhilashvili appealed to the relevant authorities for assistance in a social media post, warning that some members of the broadcaster's team were trapped inside the building due to the smoke.
All Formula TV employees have since been evacuated, with firefighters and rescue personnel escorting them down the stairs in groups of four.
