The News in Brief
Tuesday, January 28
Georgian Orthodox Church marks St. Nino’s Day
The Georgian Orthodox Church marked St. Nino’s Day on Monday. Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II delivered a festive sermon at Sioni Cathedral regarding the festival. The Georgian Orthodox Church marks St. Nino’s memory day twice a year. June 1 is the day when she arrived in Georgia, while January 27 is the day she died.
(InterPressNews)
Georgian Prime Minister to pay an official visit to Israel
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, along with a government delegation, will pay an official visit to Israel on January 27-28. The Georgian delegation, led by the Prime Minister, will include Minister of Foreign Affairs Maia Panjikidze, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Minister of Agriculture Shalva Pipia.
The delegation will participate in a ceremony to sign an inaugural memorandum of Georgia-Israeli Intergovernmental Joint Economic Commission.
According to the press service of the Prime Minister, within the frames of the visit, Garibashvili will meet the President of Israeli Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman.
Before the official meetings, the Georgian PM will visit the Holocaust Museum and lay a wreath of flowers at the memorial of the victims of the Holocaust - "Yad Vashem", located on Jerusalem Mountain. The Prime Minister will also visit the National Foundation of Israel and participate in a tree planting ceremony.
(InterPressNews)
Reshuffle planned in UDO commission
A reshuffle of the permanent commission on early conditional release of prisoners known as the UDO commission is being planned. Instead of three employees of the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance, the commission will have only two as one member will represent the educational institution. Apart from the ministry employees, the permanent commission consists of seven members. According to the current rule, each member of the parliamentary majority, minority, High Council of Justice and NGOs enter the commission by rotation.
(InterPressNews)
Giga Bokeria – We have evidence that a tragic accident caused Zurab Zhvania’s death
“Zurab Zhvana’s case had been and remains one of the topics of political speculation, which is immoral in my mind,” member of the United National Movement and the former Security Council Secretary Giga Bokeria said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper Kviris Palitra.
He said that if there is a fact without foundation to believe, it must be investigated and specific evidence must be presented.
When asked why the shoes of Usupov, who died with Zhvania, were not found at the scene of accident, Bokeria said that the media speaks about this topic, but the most important thing is to ask–what caused the person’s death?
“I do not know whether the shoes were lost, or what happened. We have the investigation and the evidence that the cause of death was a tragic accident, which is unacceptable to bring into question,” Bokeria said.
(InterPressNews)
Two corpses found at the place of fire
The Tbilisi Fire Department extinguished a fire that broke out on Mitskevich Street in Tbilisi yesterday. The head of the emergencies control center Temur Giorgadze said the fire was extinguished in time. However, they found the corpses of two men on the site. One was apparently shot dead, while the reason of the death of the other man has not been clarified yet. Police crews arrived at the site in time too. They have already started an investigation.
(Rustavi 2)
Former prison officials sentenced to 9 years
Gldani prison former director Aleksandre Mukhadze, administration representatives Viktor Kacheishvili and Oleg Patsatsia were sentenced to 9 year in prison on Colonel Sergo Tetradze’s torture and death case.
Tetradze’s case included several episodes, inmate Chikvatia’s torture in particular. The persons were accused for this episode in the case. In total, 13 were accused of all the episodes, including Rati Mgeladze, who was acquitted. Aleksandre Kuchuashvili, Merab Metreveli, Mamuka Trurtsumia and Giorgi Samushia were also acquitted in the Chikvatia episode.
6-years of imprisonment were given to Tornike Gunava. Zviad Kapanadze and Sergo Bitsadze were also sentenced to imprisonment.
Oleg Patsatsia and Viktor Kacheishvili, also fugitive Aleksadnre Mukhadze, who has been sentenced to 9 years in prison in absentia, were declared guilty in the Tetradze case.
Kokhta Kodua, who is also considered a fugitive, was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
The prosecutor on the case is going to appeal part of not-guilty decision.
Colonel Tetradze was detained on 19 September 2011 on spying allegations. He died on 25 September in Gldani prison.
(InterPressNews)
Georgia participates at World Education Forum
The World Education Forum recently held in London was attended by a Georgian delegation led by the Minister of Education Tamar Sanikidze.
Following the forum, the delegation visited an educational technology and training exhibition. It has been running for 30 years and is always in the spotlight of educators. This year, more than 700 exhibits were featured and were visited by 35,000 visitors from 150 countries.
As Georgian Minister of Education and Science Tamar Sanikidze stressed, "this exhibition is a good opportunity to obtain the necessary information and learn about global developments in the field of education."
The minister also said the information received in London and various meetings will certainly have an impact on the future activities of the ministry.
(Trend)
Georgian parliamentary delegation to take part in PACE winter session
A Georgian parliamentary delegation will take part in the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 27-31.
The elections of the PACE president and vice-presidents, as well as free debate on the latest events in Ukraine will be held at the session.
The European Parliament President Martin Schulz will deliver a speech at the session.
The Georgian delegation will include MPs Tedo Japaridze, Levan Berdzenishvili, Irakli Chikovani, David Bakradze, Chiora Taktakishvili, Eka Beselia, Guguli Magradze, Tinatin Khidasheli, Giorgi Kandelaki and Tinatin Bokuchava.
The Georgian MPs will also take part in the work of the PACE committees and political groups.
(Trend)
The Georgian Orthodox Church marked St. Nino’s Day on Monday. Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II delivered a festive sermon at Sioni Cathedral regarding the festival. The Georgian Orthodox Church marks St. Nino’s memory day twice a year. June 1 is the day when she arrived in Georgia, while January 27 is the day she died.
(InterPressNews)
Georgian Prime Minister to pay an official visit to Israel
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, along with a government delegation, will pay an official visit to Israel on January 27-28. The Georgian delegation, led by the Prime Minister, will include Minister of Foreign Affairs Maia Panjikidze, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Minister of Agriculture Shalva Pipia.
The delegation will participate in a ceremony to sign an inaugural memorandum of Georgia-Israeli Intergovernmental Joint Economic Commission.
According to the press service of the Prime Minister, within the frames of the visit, Garibashvili will meet the President of Israeli Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman.
Before the official meetings, the Georgian PM will visit the Holocaust Museum and lay a wreath of flowers at the memorial of the victims of the Holocaust - "Yad Vashem", located on Jerusalem Mountain. The Prime Minister will also visit the National Foundation of Israel and participate in a tree planting ceremony.
(InterPressNews)
Reshuffle planned in UDO commission
A reshuffle of the permanent commission on early conditional release of prisoners known as the UDO commission is being planned. Instead of three employees of the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance, the commission will have only two as one member will represent the educational institution. Apart from the ministry employees, the permanent commission consists of seven members. According to the current rule, each member of the parliamentary majority, minority, High Council of Justice and NGOs enter the commission by rotation.
(InterPressNews)
Giga Bokeria – We have evidence that a tragic accident caused Zurab Zhvania’s death
“Zurab Zhvana’s case had been and remains one of the topics of political speculation, which is immoral in my mind,” member of the United National Movement and the former Security Council Secretary Giga Bokeria said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper Kviris Palitra.
He said that if there is a fact without foundation to believe, it must be investigated and specific evidence must be presented.
When asked why the shoes of Usupov, who died with Zhvania, were not found at the scene of accident, Bokeria said that the media speaks about this topic, but the most important thing is to ask–what caused the person’s death?
“I do not know whether the shoes were lost, or what happened. We have the investigation and the evidence that the cause of death was a tragic accident, which is unacceptable to bring into question,” Bokeria said.
(InterPressNews)
Two corpses found at the place of fire
The Tbilisi Fire Department extinguished a fire that broke out on Mitskevich Street in Tbilisi yesterday. The head of the emergencies control center Temur Giorgadze said the fire was extinguished in time. However, they found the corpses of two men on the site. One was apparently shot dead, while the reason of the death of the other man has not been clarified yet. Police crews arrived at the site in time too. They have already started an investigation.
(Rustavi 2)
Former prison officials sentenced to 9 years
Gldani prison former director Aleksandre Mukhadze, administration representatives Viktor Kacheishvili and Oleg Patsatsia were sentenced to 9 year in prison on Colonel Sergo Tetradze’s torture and death case.
Tetradze’s case included several episodes, inmate Chikvatia’s torture in particular. The persons were accused for this episode in the case. In total, 13 were accused of all the episodes, including Rati Mgeladze, who was acquitted. Aleksandre Kuchuashvili, Merab Metreveli, Mamuka Trurtsumia and Giorgi Samushia were also acquitted in the Chikvatia episode.
6-years of imprisonment were given to Tornike Gunava. Zviad Kapanadze and Sergo Bitsadze were also sentenced to imprisonment.
Oleg Patsatsia and Viktor Kacheishvili, also fugitive Aleksadnre Mukhadze, who has been sentenced to 9 years in prison in absentia, were declared guilty in the Tetradze case.
Kokhta Kodua, who is also considered a fugitive, was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
The prosecutor on the case is going to appeal part of not-guilty decision.
Colonel Tetradze was detained on 19 September 2011 on spying allegations. He died on 25 September in Gldani prison.
(InterPressNews)
Georgia participates at World Education Forum
The World Education Forum recently held in London was attended by a Georgian delegation led by the Minister of Education Tamar Sanikidze.
Following the forum, the delegation visited an educational technology and training exhibition. It has been running for 30 years and is always in the spotlight of educators. This year, more than 700 exhibits were featured and were visited by 35,000 visitors from 150 countries.
As Georgian Minister of Education and Science Tamar Sanikidze stressed, "this exhibition is a good opportunity to obtain the necessary information and learn about global developments in the field of education."
The minister also said the information received in London and various meetings will certainly have an impact on the future activities of the ministry.
(Trend)
Georgian parliamentary delegation to take part in PACE winter session
A Georgian parliamentary delegation will take part in the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 27-31.
The elections of the PACE president and vice-presidents, as well as free debate on the latest events in Ukraine will be held at the session.
The European Parliament President Martin Schulz will deliver a speech at the session.
The Georgian delegation will include MPs Tedo Japaridze, Levan Berdzenishvili, Irakli Chikovani, David Bakradze, Chiora Taktakishvili, Eka Beselia, Guguli Magradze, Tinatin Khidasheli, Giorgi Kandelaki and Tinatin Bokuchava.
The Georgian MPs will also take part in the work of the PACE committees and political groups.
(Trend)