News in Brief
By Eter Tsotniashvili
Thursday, November 22
Firewood vouchers in Imereti and Adjara regions to be completed
Distribution firewood vouchers in Imereti and Adjara regions will be completed this week, according to Davit Chantladze, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources.
The vouchers are being handed out to low income families, as part of the government program “Let’s spend winter together warmly.”
The one-off vouchers guarantee provincial families five cubic meters of firewood. They are not being distributed in the cities of Tbilisi, Rustavi Kutaisi Batumi and Poti.
“No one should freeze in winter,” President Mikheil Saakashvili declared.
(Prime News)
Parliamentary speaker visits OSCE headquarters
On November 21 Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze left for Vienna on a one day visit to the headquarters of the OSCE.
Talks included the issue of guaranteeing equal campaign rights for all presidential candidates in the run-up to January elections. The OSCE will send election observers to Georgia.
Burjanadze returned in the evening.
(Black Sea Press)
Tbilisi district two-day gas shutdown due to end
Gas supplies are due to resume later today, November 22, to the Tbilisi districts which recently underwent a gas shutoff due to construction works.
A new gas pipeline is being installed under the river Mtkvari to improve the gas supply pressure to the Didi Dighomi and Vake-Saburtalo districts in Tbilisi.
KazTransGas Tbilisi stated that gas supply to these areas will resume at 4 pm on November 22.
(Prime News)
Trade unions hold round table of stability
Georgia trade unions together with the Solidarity Center NGO and with support from the Friedrich Ebert foundation held a round table on the stability of Georgia on November 21 at the Tori Hotel.
It was attended by NGO representatives and officials from the Ministry of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs as well as the State Ministry for European Integration.
(Prime News)
Employment program to begin in December
The government employment program will be launched in December, according to Davit Tkeshelashvili, Minister of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs.
Tkeshelashvili added that the exact amount of funding that will be allocated to the program is not confirmed.
The employment program, that will involve government-funded apprenticeships, is part of a number of social assistance initiatives recently announced by the government.
(Prime News)
Ombudsman investigates treatment of injured demonstrators
The office of the human rights ombudsman is investigating the treatment received by demonstrators injured during the dispersal of the anti-government protest on November 7.
The office press department told reporters that the majority of demonstrators were satisfied with the treatment they recieved from city hospitals.
The Ombudsman’s Office has appealed to the Ministry of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs to provide compensation to citizens who had to receive medical treatment on November 7.
(Prime News)
Bakradze: Russia stopped illegal military deployments in Abkhazia
Russia has stopped illegally deploying military personnel and equipment in the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Davit Bakradze, State Minister of Georgia, said on November 21.
Over a week ago, Bakradze alleged that Russian was increasing its troop presence in Abkhazia.
He also warned Russia not to speculate on the Kosovo issue.
(Prime News)
Distribution firewood vouchers in Imereti and Adjara regions will be completed this week, according to Davit Chantladze, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources.
The vouchers are being handed out to low income families, as part of the government program “Let’s spend winter together warmly.”
The one-off vouchers guarantee provincial families five cubic meters of firewood. They are not being distributed in the cities of Tbilisi, Rustavi Kutaisi Batumi and Poti.
“No one should freeze in winter,” President Mikheil Saakashvili declared.
(Prime News)
Parliamentary speaker visits OSCE headquarters
On November 21 Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze left for Vienna on a one day visit to the headquarters of the OSCE.
Talks included the issue of guaranteeing equal campaign rights for all presidential candidates in the run-up to January elections. The OSCE will send election observers to Georgia.
Burjanadze returned in the evening.
(Black Sea Press)
Tbilisi district two-day gas shutdown due to end
Gas supplies are due to resume later today, November 22, to the Tbilisi districts which recently underwent a gas shutoff due to construction works.
A new gas pipeline is being installed under the river Mtkvari to improve the gas supply pressure to the Didi Dighomi and Vake-Saburtalo districts in Tbilisi.
KazTransGas Tbilisi stated that gas supply to these areas will resume at 4 pm on November 22.
(Prime News)
Trade unions hold round table of stability
Georgia trade unions together with the Solidarity Center NGO and with support from the Friedrich Ebert foundation held a round table on the stability of Georgia on November 21 at the Tori Hotel.
It was attended by NGO representatives and officials from the Ministry of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs as well as the State Ministry for European Integration.
(Prime News)
Employment program to begin in December
The government employment program will be launched in December, according to Davit Tkeshelashvili, Minister of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs.
Tkeshelashvili added that the exact amount of funding that will be allocated to the program is not confirmed.
The employment program, that will involve government-funded apprenticeships, is part of a number of social assistance initiatives recently announced by the government.
(Prime News)
Ombudsman investigates treatment of injured demonstrators
The office of the human rights ombudsman is investigating the treatment received by demonstrators injured during the dispersal of the anti-government protest on November 7.
The office press department told reporters that the majority of demonstrators were satisfied with the treatment they recieved from city hospitals.
The Ombudsman’s Office has appealed to the Ministry of Labour, Public Health and Social Affairs to provide compensation to citizens who had to receive medical treatment on November 7.
(Prime News)
Bakradze: Russia stopped illegal military deployments in Abkhazia
Russia has stopped illegally deploying military personnel and equipment in the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Davit Bakradze, State Minister of Georgia, said on November 21.
Over a week ago, Bakradze alleged that Russian was increasing its troop presence in Abkhazia.
He also warned Russia not to speculate on the Kosovo issue.
(Prime News)