The News in Brief
Friday, June 27
Hungarian Diplomat Named as EU Ambassador to Georgia
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton appointed Hungarian diplomat, Janos Herman, as new head of the EU delegation to Georgia.
Herman, who will replace Philip Dimitrov at this post, currently serves as EU’s special envoy to Central Asia –where he was appointed just two months ago.
Herman joined the Hungarian Foreign Ministry almost forty years ago and has held senior diplomatic positions there, including the State Secretary and permanent representative to NATO till 2005, when he joined the European Commission. He has also served as head of the EU delegation to Norway. (Civil.ge)
Gigi Ugulava withdraws motion
One of the leaders of the United National Movement Gigi Ugulava has withdrawn his motion from the Tbilisi City Court.
Several days ago Ugulava’s lawyers addressed the court to restore Gigi Ugulava’s mayoral authority. A judge should have delivered a verdict on the above-mentioned issue on June 25. However, the trial was postponed on Wednesday. We remind you that his trial has been postponed several times.
According to Ugulava, the situation is comical and puts the government of Georgia and the Prosecutor's Office in a ridiculous situation; the Court is under fierce pressure from the government”.
“So, I made a decision to withdraw my motion”, Ugulava said. ( frontnews)
Rebellion against oil company in Georgian village
Locals have rebelled against an oil company that wants to search for oil in an eastern Georgian town. People fear that they may lose their water supply.
On Wednesday, they blocked the road for employees of Canargo Georgia and didn’t let them into the building from where the water is distributed, according to local news agency International Center of Kakheti.
Canargo wanted to do oil exploration work close to the water distribution facility and people became concerned that they would be left without water.
Locals say the company promised them on Tuesday that they wouldn’t start drilling within 300 meters away of the valley from which water is distributed, but it turned out that the company plans to do blasting work in the valley to look for oil without informing the locals.
“There were seven cars, three trucks with compressors for digging,” one of the participants at the rally said. “About a hundred people came and didn’t let them in.”
Locals also claim that if there is an explosion, this may leave more than ten thousand households without water.
Canargo Georgia has been working in Georgia since 1996. The company has not yet commented about the rebellion among locals in Sagarejo but says it plans to publish a statement in a few days.
Sagarejo people first demonstrated against Canargo Georgia in the end of May. Member of Parliament Tina Khidasheli from the government coalition promised them then that she would speak with company representatives and was informed that they would stop working there until the end of June and carry out a study to determine how to preserve the water supply for villagers and safely continue work or otherwise provide an alternative water supply for them. (DF watch)
Unified Entrance Exams launched
The unified entrance exams started throughout Georgia on June 26. The entrants are passing tests in Georgian language today. There are two sessions daily and each one lasts four hours.
The number of the registered entrants is comparatively low this year - in previous years it usually exceeded 40,000, this year it hardly reaches 36,000.
The examinations started on time at 19 examination centers, seven of which operate in Tbilisi.
For the first time this summer, entrants were given an opportunity to pass tests in fine arts as an optional subject; a listening part has been added to the foreign language test.
The unified entrance exams will be concluded on July 16th. (Rustavi2)
Seized drugs destroyed by new technologies
Narcotics and psychotropic drugs have been destroyed by a new technology - for the first time the Ministry of Internal Affairs destroyed the drugs seized from illegal turnover with a special high temperature oven.
Along with officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the representatives of the Health Ministry and Prosecutor`s Office were also observing the process. (Rustavi2)
3 million to be allocated from Reserve Fund for elections
About 5 million will be spent for the second round of elections, 3 million out of which will be allocated from the government’s Reserve Fund.
Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri, presented a draft resolution to the governmental session today, as per which money should be allocated from the Reserve Fund to the Central Election Commission.
"According to preliminary calculations, the second round of the elections will approximately cost 5 million lari. 1.600,000 GEL has been left on the CEC account, which it will use. Additionally, we will allocate 3 million GEL. After the elections, when we have correct information we will make relevant decisions,” the Finance Minister said. (IPN)
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton appointed Hungarian diplomat, Janos Herman, as new head of the EU delegation to Georgia.
Herman, who will replace Philip Dimitrov at this post, currently serves as EU’s special envoy to Central Asia –where he was appointed just two months ago.
Herman joined the Hungarian Foreign Ministry almost forty years ago and has held senior diplomatic positions there, including the State Secretary and permanent representative to NATO till 2005, when he joined the European Commission. He has also served as head of the EU delegation to Norway. (Civil.ge)
Gigi Ugulava withdraws motion
One of the leaders of the United National Movement Gigi Ugulava has withdrawn his motion from the Tbilisi City Court.
Several days ago Ugulava’s lawyers addressed the court to restore Gigi Ugulava’s mayoral authority. A judge should have delivered a verdict on the above-mentioned issue on June 25. However, the trial was postponed on Wednesday. We remind you that his trial has been postponed several times.
According to Ugulava, the situation is comical and puts the government of Georgia and the Prosecutor's Office in a ridiculous situation; the Court is under fierce pressure from the government”.
“So, I made a decision to withdraw my motion”, Ugulava said. ( frontnews)
Rebellion against oil company in Georgian village
Locals have rebelled against an oil company that wants to search for oil in an eastern Georgian town. People fear that they may lose their water supply.
On Wednesday, they blocked the road for employees of Canargo Georgia and didn’t let them into the building from where the water is distributed, according to local news agency International Center of Kakheti.
Canargo wanted to do oil exploration work close to the water distribution facility and people became concerned that they would be left without water.
Locals say the company promised them on Tuesday that they wouldn’t start drilling within 300 meters away of the valley from which water is distributed, but it turned out that the company plans to do blasting work in the valley to look for oil without informing the locals.
“There were seven cars, three trucks with compressors for digging,” one of the participants at the rally said. “About a hundred people came and didn’t let them in.”
Locals also claim that if there is an explosion, this may leave more than ten thousand households without water.
Canargo Georgia has been working in Georgia since 1996. The company has not yet commented about the rebellion among locals in Sagarejo but says it plans to publish a statement in a few days.
Sagarejo people first demonstrated against Canargo Georgia in the end of May. Member of Parliament Tina Khidasheli from the government coalition promised them then that she would speak with company representatives and was informed that they would stop working there until the end of June and carry out a study to determine how to preserve the water supply for villagers and safely continue work or otherwise provide an alternative water supply for them. (DF watch)
Unified Entrance Exams launched
The unified entrance exams started throughout Georgia on June 26. The entrants are passing tests in Georgian language today. There are two sessions daily and each one lasts four hours.
The number of the registered entrants is comparatively low this year - in previous years it usually exceeded 40,000, this year it hardly reaches 36,000.
The examinations started on time at 19 examination centers, seven of which operate in Tbilisi.
For the first time this summer, entrants were given an opportunity to pass tests in fine arts as an optional subject; a listening part has been added to the foreign language test.
The unified entrance exams will be concluded on July 16th. (Rustavi2)
Seized drugs destroyed by new technologies
Narcotics and psychotropic drugs have been destroyed by a new technology - for the first time the Ministry of Internal Affairs destroyed the drugs seized from illegal turnover with a special high temperature oven.
Along with officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the representatives of the Health Ministry and Prosecutor`s Office were also observing the process. (Rustavi2)
3 million to be allocated from Reserve Fund for elections
About 5 million will be spent for the second round of elections, 3 million out of which will be allocated from the government’s Reserve Fund.
Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri, presented a draft resolution to the governmental session today, as per which money should be allocated from the Reserve Fund to the Central Election Commission.
"According to preliminary calculations, the second round of the elections will approximately cost 5 million lari. 1.600,000 GEL has been left on the CEC account, which it will use. Additionally, we will allocate 3 million GEL. After the elections, when we have correct information we will make relevant decisions,” the Finance Minister said. (IPN)