The News in Brief
Wednesday, July 29
Germany and Poland publish recommendations for their citizens
Germany has advised its citizens to refrain from travelling to Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The German Foreign Ministry has released a special statement to this effect. It has called upon its citizens to travel to these two regions only with the official consent of the Georgian Government, as they may otherwise face charges in accordance with Georgian legislation.
Poland`s Foreign Ministry has also released similar recommendations. Its statement says that citizens of Poland should follow only Georgian legislation when travelling to the breakaway regions. (Rustavi 2)
Moldovan CEC comments on observer detention
The Moldovan Central Election Commission has given an official explanation of the detention of election observers from six countries, including Georgia. The CEC statement says that the citizens of Georgia who tried to travel to Chisinau were not observers.
“They did not have the required accreditations with them. We promptly informed the Consul of Georgia about the incident, and he went to the airport and met the detainees,” a CEC official told Russian news agencies.
Local law enforcers say that these groups of observers were arrested because of their political stance. They say they were organisers of “colour revolutions.” Early Parliamentary elections, which were appointed at the request of the local opposition, are being held today. (Rustavi 2)
Four persons in Georgia infected with H1N1 flu
Four people in Georgia have the H1N1 virus, known as Swine Flu, the Deputy Minister of Healthcare Koka Pruidze has told Interpressnews. He said that according to his information an infected woman and man arrived in Tbilisi from England and Spain. These Georgian citizen are receiving proper medical treatment
The Deputy Minister asserts that there is no danger of a Swine Flu epidemic breaking out in the country because the symptoms of the virus were identified in time. Everyone who has had contact with the infected persons has been sent for medical observation. (Interpressnews)
Conservatives object to “destruction of green space” in Mziuri
The Conservative Party of Georgia objects to the construction of a new motorway in Tbilisi on the expanse of green cover in the children’s town of Mziuri. One of its leaders Kakha Kukava told reporters yesterday that their party is not against the construction itself, which will reduce traffic on several central streets in the capital, but it should not destroy the green space.
Kukava quoted Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, who presented the new project on Monday, as saying that green space would not be affected, ‘but today we saw trees being cut down and the process of the green space being destroyed,” Kukava said.
The opposition party leader also questioned the budget of the project, asserting that it has been artificially inflated; and demanded that project expenditures be transparent. “We demand the involvement of professional architects in this construction. They have published only a two-page project, which is not enough. We are going to file a lawsuit at the court unless the Government responds to our complaints,” Kakha Kukava said. (Rustavi 2)
CDM wants more control of bugging procedures
Christian Democratic Movement is demanding more Parliamentary control of secret listening procedures and the use of special devices during criminal investigations. The opposition faction plans to submit a draft of relevant legislative amendments to Parliament in September.
Under the CDM proposal licences for bugging would be issued by a judge, who will be obliged to identify each telephone number the bugging would apply to and issue the license for a determined period. The judge would be also obliged to establish the results obtained by the secret listening procedures after the licence expires. (Rustavi 2)
Germany has advised its citizens to refrain from travelling to Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The German Foreign Ministry has released a special statement to this effect. It has called upon its citizens to travel to these two regions only with the official consent of the Georgian Government, as they may otherwise face charges in accordance with Georgian legislation.
Poland`s Foreign Ministry has also released similar recommendations. Its statement says that citizens of Poland should follow only Georgian legislation when travelling to the breakaway regions. (Rustavi 2)
Moldovan CEC comments on observer detention
The Moldovan Central Election Commission has given an official explanation of the detention of election observers from six countries, including Georgia. The CEC statement says that the citizens of Georgia who tried to travel to Chisinau were not observers.
“They did not have the required accreditations with them. We promptly informed the Consul of Georgia about the incident, and he went to the airport and met the detainees,” a CEC official told Russian news agencies.
Local law enforcers say that these groups of observers were arrested because of their political stance. They say they were organisers of “colour revolutions.” Early Parliamentary elections, which were appointed at the request of the local opposition, are being held today. (Rustavi 2)
Four persons in Georgia infected with H1N1 flu
Four people in Georgia have the H1N1 virus, known as Swine Flu, the Deputy Minister of Healthcare Koka Pruidze has told Interpressnews. He said that according to his information an infected woman and man arrived in Tbilisi from England and Spain. These Georgian citizen are receiving proper medical treatment
The Deputy Minister asserts that there is no danger of a Swine Flu epidemic breaking out in the country because the symptoms of the virus were identified in time. Everyone who has had contact with the infected persons has been sent for medical observation. (Interpressnews)
Conservatives object to “destruction of green space” in Mziuri
The Conservative Party of Georgia objects to the construction of a new motorway in Tbilisi on the expanse of green cover in the children’s town of Mziuri. One of its leaders Kakha Kukava told reporters yesterday that their party is not against the construction itself, which will reduce traffic on several central streets in the capital, but it should not destroy the green space.
Kukava quoted Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, who presented the new project on Monday, as saying that green space would not be affected, ‘but today we saw trees being cut down and the process of the green space being destroyed,” Kukava said.
The opposition party leader also questioned the budget of the project, asserting that it has been artificially inflated; and demanded that project expenditures be transparent. “We demand the involvement of professional architects in this construction. They have published only a two-page project, which is not enough. We are going to file a lawsuit at the court unless the Government responds to our complaints,” Kakha Kukava said. (Rustavi 2)
CDM wants more control of bugging procedures
Christian Democratic Movement is demanding more Parliamentary control of secret listening procedures and the use of special devices during criminal investigations. The opposition faction plans to submit a draft of relevant legislative amendments to Parliament in September.
Under the CDM proposal licences for bugging would be issued by a judge, who will be obliged to identify each telephone number the bugging would apply to and issue the license for a determined period. The judge would be also obliged to establish the results obtained by the secret listening procedures after the licence expires. (Rustavi 2)