The News in Brief
Friday, August 7
The so-called South Ossetian administrative border to be closed for two days
The so-called South Ossetian administrative border will be closed for two days due to the seventh anniversary of the August War, according to a statement made by the so-called Security Committee on its Facebook page.
"The Security Committee notifies that citizens will not be allowed through the state border on August 7 and 8 due to stepping up security for the planned mourning events with regard to the seventh anniversary of the 2008 war," the statement says.
The de-facto agency promises to restore traffic through the “border” on August 9. (IPN)
Demand grows for Tbilisi-Moscow air travel
The number of travelers going between Georgia and its largest neighbour is on an upward trend.
Georgia's Ministry of Economics noted the number of air travelers between Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and Russia’s capital of Moscow had increased in the past 12 months.
Figures showed a 74 percent increase in the number of people who travelled between the two capital cities between January-July 2015 and the same time in 2014.
In the first seven months of this year, airlines from both countries transported 143,169 passengers between Tbilisi and Moscow.
This was a significant increase on the 60,953 passengers transported in the first seven months of 2014. In that time 82,216 passengers were transported between the two capital cities.
Looking ahead Georgia expected more passengers would travel on the Tbilisi-Moscow route until the summer flight season ended.
Currently four airlines carry out direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow; one of which is Georgia’s national carrier Georgian Airways. (Agenda.ge)
140 people were identified to have Norovirus in Kvareli
According to the latest data 140 people applied The Municipal Hospital of Kvareli with the symptoms of Norovirus . Most of them are now treated at home.
Only two adult men remain at the hospital.
6 patients were hospitalized in Telavi. One of them is still at the hospital.
Microbiological research results will be known soon. (Rustavi2)
IDFI speaks on Canceled Governmental Contest
On July 31 IDFI held a press conference about canceled governmental contest.
A new study, recently prepared by IDFI discusses the reasons why Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and Innovation and Technology Agency could not implement a contest, planned within the frames of project Broadband Internet to Every Citizen. The budget of the project was about 100 mln (GEL)
After implementation the project high-speed broadband internet network should be provided to whole country for 2020 year.
Director of IDFI and expert Ucha Seturi spoke about the reasons of cancelation the contest, the flaws of the process and presented organization’s recommendations.
Representatives of IDFI noted that terms of the contest were not customized on Georgian market, as market and its requirements have not been studied in advance. Second relevant flaw, mentioned on the press conference was lack of openness and transparency of the process.
Giorgi Kldiashvili stated, that government’s participation and role in the implementation of the project was very small and quite obscure, hence companies refrained to get involved.
Ucha Seturi said that though government claims the project can be implemented during three years, it seems unrealistic, as the process is very time-consuming and multilateral strategy should be developed first.
Organization prepared and presented some recommendations for successful implementation of the project. (IDFI)
The so-called South Ossetian administrative border will be closed for two days due to the seventh anniversary of the August War, according to a statement made by the so-called Security Committee on its Facebook page.
"The Security Committee notifies that citizens will not be allowed through the state border on August 7 and 8 due to stepping up security for the planned mourning events with regard to the seventh anniversary of the 2008 war," the statement says.
The de-facto agency promises to restore traffic through the “border” on August 9. (IPN)
Demand grows for Tbilisi-Moscow air travel
The number of travelers going between Georgia and its largest neighbour is on an upward trend.
Georgia's Ministry of Economics noted the number of air travelers between Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and Russia’s capital of Moscow had increased in the past 12 months.
Figures showed a 74 percent increase in the number of people who travelled between the two capital cities between January-July 2015 and the same time in 2014.
In the first seven months of this year, airlines from both countries transported 143,169 passengers between Tbilisi and Moscow.
This was a significant increase on the 60,953 passengers transported in the first seven months of 2014. In that time 82,216 passengers were transported between the two capital cities.
Looking ahead Georgia expected more passengers would travel on the Tbilisi-Moscow route until the summer flight season ended.
Currently four airlines carry out direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow; one of which is Georgia’s national carrier Georgian Airways. (Agenda.ge)
140 people were identified to have Norovirus in Kvareli
According to the latest data 140 people applied The Municipal Hospital of Kvareli with the symptoms of Norovirus . Most of them are now treated at home.
Only two adult men remain at the hospital.
6 patients were hospitalized in Telavi. One of them is still at the hospital.
Microbiological research results will be known soon. (Rustavi2)
IDFI speaks on Canceled Governmental Contest
On July 31 IDFI held a press conference about canceled governmental contest.
A new study, recently prepared by IDFI discusses the reasons why Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and Innovation and Technology Agency could not implement a contest, planned within the frames of project Broadband Internet to Every Citizen. The budget of the project was about 100 mln (GEL)
After implementation the project high-speed broadband internet network should be provided to whole country for 2020 year.
Director of IDFI and expert Ucha Seturi spoke about the reasons of cancelation the contest, the flaws of the process and presented organization’s recommendations.
Representatives of IDFI noted that terms of the contest were not customized on Georgian market, as market and its requirements have not been studied in advance. Second relevant flaw, mentioned on the press conference was lack of openness and transparency of the process.
Giorgi Kldiashvili stated, that government’s participation and role in the implementation of the project was very small and quite obscure, hence companies refrained to get involved.
Ucha Seturi said that though government claims the project can be implemented during three years, it seems unrealistic, as the process is very time-consuming and multilateral strategy should be developed first.
Organization prepared and presented some recommendations for successful implementation of the project. (IDFI)