The News in Brief
Tuesday, September 20
Prince of Monaco Continues Visit in Georgia
The Prince of Monaco Albert II continues his official visit to Georgia. The prince arrived in the mountainous resort of Bakuriani last morning. The decision to visit Bakuriani and see the grave of the late Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was included in the agenda of the visit on the decision of the prince himself. The former bobsledder and five-time participant of the winter Olympic Games laid wreaths on the grave of the late sportsman, who suffered a fatal crash during a training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics competition at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Vancouver, Canada on February 12, the opening day of the 2010 Games.
Prince Albert II also met with family members of the late luger and awarded them with the Lui II gold medal, which is usually given to people for particular contribution to the development of the spheres of education and sport. The prince wrote some words in the memory book of the late luger.
Albert II arrived in Batumi, Georgia, two days ago and left for Svaneti Region to get acquainted with Georgian culture and sightseeing. During the three-day visit, Albert II also intends to see the archaeological excavations and field museum in Dmanisi town, approximately 93 km southwest of capital Tbilisi.
On Monday, the prince attended a new musical - a remake of the popular Georgian movie Keto and Kote at the Batumi opera house, which opened with the same musical a month ago. The audience greeted the guest and President Saakashvili, who accompanied him, with a standing ovation. Foreign tourists and foreign teachers of the English language working in Georgia`s public schools under the governmental program of education Teach and Learn with Georgia were also among the spectators of the new musical.
(Rustavi 2)
Trade Union: Police Detained Three Workers of “Herkules” Factory
Police detained three workers of Georgian-Indian metallurgic factory “Herkules” in Kutaisi InterPressNews was told by the Georgian trade union the workers belonged to, noting that the detainees actively cooperate with their union. Workers were supposed to arrive in Tbilisi to work on the complaint against the crackdown of the protest of metallurgists and meet with NGOs and diplomatic corps though yesterday, three of them were instead detained in Imereti regional police headquarters.
The Chair of Georgian Trade Unions, Irakli Petriashvili, says that if the three metallurgists are not released, he will go on an indefinite hunger strike.
“As there is no law in the country and the government responds to the peaceful protest with oppression, I took the decision to declare an indefinite hunger strike if the detainees are not released today. I will ask the international community and civil society to support these men, as they may detain the rest of the activists tomorrow’, Irakli Petriashvili said.
About 100 workers of the factory Herklules, Eurasian Steels Ltd went on strike on 13 September demanding improvement in working conditions and the rehiring of 17 dismissed workers. Four metallurgists went on a hunger strike. The protest was dispersed by police and about 40 workers were detained and then later released. The trade union states that the detainees were forced to write a letter that they would not take part in the protests and would return to their working places.
(IPN)
Tina Acketoft Visits Georgia
Tina Acketoft, head of the PACE Sub-Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population has visited Georgia. The PACE envoy will hold a meeting with the Minister for Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia Koba Subeliani. Meetings will be also held at the Foreign Ministry and the office of the State Minister for Reintegration. Tina Acketoft will hold tete-a-tete meetings with the Public Defender of Georgia and the EU monitoring mission head in the country.
The guest will also meet with the representatives of international and local non-governmental organizations. Tina Acketoft is expected to arrive in the Tserovani settlement, where the IDPs from the Tskhinvali Region reside after the August war with Russia in 2008.
(GHN)
Visit of Interpol Secretary General to Georgia
Secretary General of Interpol, Mr. Ronald Noble, is currently paying an official visit to Georgia in order to be introduced with ongoing reforms at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
The Secretary General has already visited the Police Academy and newly built police buildings. Within the framework of the visit he was acquainted with the recent activities of the Service Agency and had a meeting with Vano Merabishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
(police.ge)
The Prince of Monaco Albert II continues his official visit to Georgia. The prince arrived in the mountainous resort of Bakuriani last morning. The decision to visit Bakuriani and see the grave of the late Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was included in the agenda of the visit on the decision of the prince himself. The former bobsledder and five-time participant of the winter Olympic Games laid wreaths on the grave of the late sportsman, who suffered a fatal crash during a training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics competition at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Vancouver, Canada on February 12, the opening day of the 2010 Games.
Prince Albert II also met with family members of the late luger and awarded them with the Lui II gold medal, which is usually given to people for particular contribution to the development of the spheres of education and sport. The prince wrote some words in the memory book of the late luger.
Albert II arrived in Batumi, Georgia, two days ago and left for Svaneti Region to get acquainted with Georgian culture and sightseeing. During the three-day visit, Albert II also intends to see the archaeological excavations and field museum in Dmanisi town, approximately 93 km southwest of capital Tbilisi.
On Monday, the prince attended a new musical - a remake of the popular Georgian movie Keto and Kote at the Batumi opera house, which opened with the same musical a month ago. The audience greeted the guest and President Saakashvili, who accompanied him, with a standing ovation. Foreign tourists and foreign teachers of the English language working in Georgia`s public schools under the governmental program of education Teach and Learn with Georgia were also among the spectators of the new musical.
(Rustavi 2)
Trade Union: Police Detained Three Workers of “Herkules” Factory
Police detained three workers of Georgian-Indian metallurgic factory “Herkules” in Kutaisi InterPressNews was told by the Georgian trade union the workers belonged to, noting that the detainees actively cooperate with their union. Workers were supposed to arrive in Tbilisi to work on the complaint against the crackdown of the protest of metallurgists and meet with NGOs and diplomatic corps though yesterday, three of them were instead detained in Imereti regional police headquarters.
The Chair of Georgian Trade Unions, Irakli Petriashvili, says that if the three metallurgists are not released, he will go on an indefinite hunger strike.
“As there is no law in the country and the government responds to the peaceful protest with oppression, I took the decision to declare an indefinite hunger strike if the detainees are not released today. I will ask the international community and civil society to support these men, as they may detain the rest of the activists tomorrow’, Irakli Petriashvili said.
About 100 workers of the factory Herklules, Eurasian Steels Ltd went on strike on 13 September demanding improvement in working conditions and the rehiring of 17 dismissed workers. Four metallurgists went on a hunger strike. The protest was dispersed by police and about 40 workers were detained and then later released. The trade union states that the detainees were forced to write a letter that they would not take part in the protests and would return to their working places.
(IPN)
Tina Acketoft Visits Georgia
Tina Acketoft, head of the PACE Sub-Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population has visited Georgia. The PACE envoy will hold a meeting with the Minister for Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia Koba Subeliani. Meetings will be also held at the Foreign Ministry and the office of the State Minister for Reintegration. Tina Acketoft will hold tete-a-tete meetings with the Public Defender of Georgia and the EU monitoring mission head in the country.
The guest will also meet with the representatives of international and local non-governmental organizations. Tina Acketoft is expected to arrive in the Tserovani settlement, where the IDPs from the Tskhinvali Region reside after the August war with Russia in 2008.
(GHN)
Visit of Interpol Secretary General to Georgia
Secretary General of Interpol, Mr. Ronald Noble, is currently paying an official visit to Georgia in order to be introduced with ongoing reforms at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
The Secretary General has already visited the Police Academy and newly built police buildings. Within the framework of the visit he was acquainted with the recent activities of the Service Agency and had a meeting with Vano Merabishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
(police.ge)