The News in Brief
Tuesday, December 29
Russian occupiers won’t allow UN cars to enter Perevi
New Year presents and humanitarian aid cannot enter the occupied village of Perevi, in the Sachkhere region, because Russian occupiers will not allow UN cars to enter the village.
Sachkhere region Governor Zurab Tertsvadze has told Interpressnews that the aid was allotted by the United Nations World Food Programme. Flour, oil, macaroni, butter and sugar was part of it. The Russian occupiers have not commented on why they will not let humanitarian cargo enter the village.
(Interpressnews)
Tbilisi budget for 2010 approved
The Tbilisi City Council has unanimously approved the municipal budget for 2010. Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava outlined its top priorities and said that the budget would focus on creating new jobs. Ugulava said the municipal funds would also be spent on road rehabilitation, the rehabilitation of old buildings, making the city greener, improving the transport system etc.
"The Tbilisi employment budget covers various projects, mostly focusing on solving the employment problems in the city. We want to highlight the New Life for Old Tbilisi project, which involves the rehabilitation of Old Tbilisi and its surrounding areas, encouraging banks and construction companies to complete their constructions and create new jobs," Ugulava said.
(Rustavi 2)
President hosts a family in Adjara
The citrus harvest in Adjara is over. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili visited the Kontselidze family in Chakvi yesterday to celebrate this and even participated in the harvesting. He said that the key task of farmers in Adjara today was selling the harvest.
Georgian tangerines are exported to ten countries at present. Georgian citrus fruit has entered the markets of European states as well as CIS countries. One kilogramme of harvest sold for 0.45 GEL this year.
The President and the head of the Adjaran Government, Levan Varshalomidze, loaded the fruit on trucks with the farmers yesterday.
(Rustavi 2)
Minister of Refugees sums up 2009
Minister of Refugees and Resettlement Koba Subeliani summed up the work of his Ministry in 2009 at a briefing yesterday. The Minister said that the priority this year had been providing IDPs with rooms and legalising their presence in them. He said 15,000 families from Abkhazia had been given rooms which will remain their legal property even if they return to their homes in Abkhazia.
"We repaired 243 IDP residential facilities in 2009 and plan to repair 100 more next year. Our key task in 2010 will be providing lodgings to as many refugees as possible," Subeliani said.
According to the Minister, 100 million was spent on addressing the problems of the IDPs in 2009. The Ministry's budget will be similar in 2010.
(Rustavi 2)
Viral infection kills a man
A young man has died of a grave case of viral infection. Aleksandre Sulakvelidze, 31, was hospitalised at the Kutaisi District Medical Centre on December 22 with double pneumonia, respiratory failure and a high temperature.
The healthcare Ministry reports that lab tests have not yet proved that the man was infected with H1N1, however if this is confirmed this will be the tenth lethal case of swine flu in Georgia.
According to official data over 1,000 people have been infected with H1N1 in Georgia, however the Centre for Disease Control says that the number of cases is not growing as intensively as it was two weeks ago. At present, 21 patients are being treated at the Ghudushauri clinic, seven of whom are in a critical condition.
(Rustavi 2)
Explosion at Brothers Askanelis winery on Kakheti highway
An explosion has taken place by at the Brothers Askanelis wine factory. Interpressnews says that a 20 tonne alcohol tank exploded and factory worker Spartak Chivradze, 37 years old, died as a result.
Firemen, ambulances and law enforcers rushed to the site of the incident. Head of the Emergency Service Temur Giorgadze stated that the fire was almost extinguished.
The explosion caused a fire which spread over 200 square metres. The causes of the explosion is not known yet.
(Interpressnews)
Brother meets sisters after 17 year separation
An emotional meeting has taken place between a brother and two sisters separated for 17 years.
Ethnic Abkhaz Otar Dzvabava fled the occupied area with his family a day before the so-called Presidential elections there and asked the Georgian Government for asylum. Dzvabava fought on the separatist side during the war in the 90s but his two sisters, who are married to Georgians, fled, and they had not seen each other since then.
The brother and sisters were reunited in the Lilo district of Tbilisi, where the sisters and their families live. The legal Abkhazian Government has given rooms to Otar Dvabava's family.
(Rustavi 2)
New Year presents and humanitarian aid cannot enter the occupied village of Perevi, in the Sachkhere region, because Russian occupiers will not allow UN cars to enter the village.
Sachkhere region Governor Zurab Tertsvadze has told Interpressnews that the aid was allotted by the United Nations World Food Programme. Flour, oil, macaroni, butter and sugar was part of it. The Russian occupiers have not commented on why they will not let humanitarian cargo enter the village.
(Interpressnews)
Tbilisi budget for 2010 approved
The Tbilisi City Council has unanimously approved the municipal budget for 2010. Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava outlined its top priorities and said that the budget would focus on creating new jobs. Ugulava said the municipal funds would also be spent on road rehabilitation, the rehabilitation of old buildings, making the city greener, improving the transport system etc.
"The Tbilisi employment budget covers various projects, mostly focusing on solving the employment problems in the city. We want to highlight the New Life for Old Tbilisi project, which involves the rehabilitation of Old Tbilisi and its surrounding areas, encouraging banks and construction companies to complete their constructions and create new jobs," Ugulava said.
(Rustavi 2)
President hosts a family in Adjara
The citrus harvest in Adjara is over. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili visited the Kontselidze family in Chakvi yesterday to celebrate this and even participated in the harvesting. He said that the key task of farmers in Adjara today was selling the harvest.
Georgian tangerines are exported to ten countries at present. Georgian citrus fruit has entered the markets of European states as well as CIS countries. One kilogramme of harvest sold for 0.45 GEL this year.
The President and the head of the Adjaran Government, Levan Varshalomidze, loaded the fruit on trucks with the farmers yesterday.
(Rustavi 2)
Minister of Refugees sums up 2009
Minister of Refugees and Resettlement Koba Subeliani summed up the work of his Ministry in 2009 at a briefing yesterday. The Minister said that the priority this year had been providing IDPs with rooms and legalising their presence in them. He said 15,000 families from Abkhazia had been given rooms which will remain their legal property even if they return to their homes in Abkhazia.
"We repaired 243 IDP residential facilities in 2009 and plan to repair 100 more next year. Our key task in 2010 will be providing lodgings to as many refugees as possible," Subeliani said.
According to the Minister, 100 million was spent on addressing the problems of the IDPs in 2009. The Ministry's budget will be similar in 2010.
(Rustavi 2)
Viral infection kills a man
A young man has died of a grave case of viral infection. Aleksandre Sulakvelidze, 31, was hospitalised at the Kutaisi District Medical Centre on December 22 with double pneumonia, respiratory failure and a high temperature.
The healthcare Ministry reports that lab tests have not yet proved that the man was infected with H1N1, however if this is confirmed this will be the tenth lethal case of swine flu in Georgia.
According to official data over 1,000 people have been infected with H1N1 in Georgia, however the Centre for Disease Control says that the number of cases is not growing as intensively as it was two weeks ago. At present, 21 patients are being treated at the Ghudushauri clinic, seven of whom are in a critical condition.
(Rustavi 2)
Explosion at Brothers Askanelis winery on Kakheti highway
An explosion has taken place by at the Brothers Askanelis wine factory. Interpressnews says that a 20 tonne alcohol tank exploded and factory worker Spartak Chivradze, 37 years old, died as a result.
Firemen, ambulances and law enforcers rushed to the site of the incident. Head of the Emergency Service Temur Giorgadze stated that the fire was almost extinguished.
The explosion caused a fire which spread over 200 square metres. The causes of the explosion is not known yet.
(Interpressnews)
Brother meets sisters after 17 year separation
An emotional meeting has taken place between a brother and two sisters separated for 17 years.
Ethnic Abkhaz Otar Dzvabava fled the occupied area with his family a day before the so-called Presidential elections there and asked the Georgian Government for asylum. Dzvabava fought on the separatist side during the war in the 90s but his two sisters, who are married to Georgians, fled, and they had not seen each other since then.
The brother and sisters were reunited in the Lilo district of Tbilisi, where the sisters and their families live. The legal Abkhazian Government has given rooms to Otar Dvabava's family.
(Rustavi 2)