“Children die in car accident”

Several teenagers were killed in a traffic accident near the village of Tserovani, not far from Tbilisi, on November 30, according to Akhali Taoba.

The victims died when a minibus, which was going from Tbilisi to Gori, caught fire after turning over.



“Mikheil Saakashvili attends concert in Varketili”

United National Movement leader Mikheil Saakashvili, who is hoping to be re-elected to the presidency on January 5, attended a concert dedicated to his election campaign on December 1, according to Rezonansi.

“Everything will be all right on January 5, and we’ll be able to buy tickets and go to Abkhazia together,” Saakashvili told his audience.

The concert was organized by well-known Georgian musicians and entertainment figures, and carried the slogan, “We love Georgia – choose number 5 in the elections!”—a reference to Saakashvili’s place on the voter lists.



“NATO information center aims to recruit young offenders”

The NATO information center in Batumi has launched a scheme which aims to employ former young offenders, according to Sakartvelos Respublika.

Around 40 former offenders will become volunteers at the center, in an effort to help them reintegrate into society, a spokesperson for the initiative commented.



“United opposition hold campaign rally in Rustavi”

The united opposition coalition held a campaign rally in the city of Rustavi, not far from Tbilisi, according to Akhali Taoba.

They called on residents to support their candidate Levan Gachechiladze, and condemned the current administration for trying to instill fear into the population.

“Although the unfair, violent Georgian government is trying to scare the Georgian people, it won’t achieve anything in the end,” stated Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of the Liberty opposition party.



“Gia Maisashvili continues election campaign”

Gia Maisashvili, leader of the Party of the Future and a presidential hopeful, met with lecturers and students from the Georgian Academy of Sciences as part of his election campaign, according to Rezonansi.

He presented his policies, which focus on economic development and tackling unemployment, and pledged to cancel Value-Added Tax (VAT) if he is elected.

“Also, income tax will be reduced. I also want to underline that solving Georgia’s internal conflicts [Abkhazia and South Ossetia] is dependent on cementing better relations with Russia,” Maisashvili said.