The News in Brief
Monday, August 29
Republicans’ 9 muses: More women in politics means more solidarity
Under the slogan ‘Let’s break free’, the Republican Party has nominated nine female candidates for Parliament under the single-seat majoritarian system for the October 8 election.
“We have to break free of a lot of things, first of all from stereotypes and old-fashioned thinking. One of the stereotypes teaches us that there is no place for women in politics, that they have to be in the kitchen, which is wholly incorrect,” Berdzenishvili said during a press conference at the party’s office.
He called the nine women ‘muses’ and said more women in politics means more solidity.
“Soft treatment, more solidarity, it means peace, more attention to the problems of children and youth, diversity.”
The role of women in politics is important, he explained, which is why the party decided to select women candidates in nine majoritarian districts.
(DF watch)
Over two dozen Russian Black Sea, Caspian ships sail out as part of snap check
Over 15 combat ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and more than 10 vessels of the Caspian Flotilla have sailed out as part of ongoing snap combat readiness inspections, the Russian Defense Ministry’s mass communications department has released.
"In the Black Sea Fleet, in order to carry out tasks of the snap inspection, as part of naval battle groups, anti-ship strike groups, mine-sweeping groups and detachments of amphibious ships, over 15 warships came out to sea," the department said in a Friday statement.
The statement added that more than ten warships, boats and support vessels, as well as minesweepers from the Caspian Flotilla also sailed out as part of the combat readiness checks.
The August 25-31 inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops.
(IPN)
Almost 28,000 students gain university places in Georgia
About 28,000 students have passed their national university entrance exams and are now registered as tertiary students for the 2016/17 academic year in Georgia.
Georgia’s National Assessment and Examinations Centre (NAEC) released final results of national university entrance exams.
The NAEC said about 38,500 people had registered for the exams and 27, 782 people had been accepted into a tertiary institute in Georgia for the upcoming academic year.
Of the 27, 782 successful students, 4,000 received full state scholarships that will cover all costs of their studies while 6,500 gained partial funding.
Meanwhile last year more than 40,000 students registered for the NAEC exams, while in 2014 there were 42,000 registered applicants– a record for Georgia.
(Agenda.ge)
Georgia pipeline plot suspect denies link to Ukraine
One of the seven men arrested in Georgia for planning to blow up a Russian gas pipeline has denied any links to Ukraine.
Beka Bekauri is still in hospital after suffering serious head trauma. He has had an operation and his condition is now stable.
His confession to being part of a plot to blow up a part of a Russian gas pipeline which transits through Georgia was brought into question by suspicion that the confession had been extracted under duress.
His family claims that he was beaten during interrogation in order to force him to confess.
The counter-intelligence service claims that the beating took place as he was trying to escape arrest.
Lawyer Maia Chrelashvili said her client said he was beaten by special forcesthe moment he was arrested.
None of the detainees tried to escape or use a weapon as they were arrested, according to Chrelashvili, who also said there was no violence during Bekauri’s interrogation.
The State Security Service (SUS) said earlier that one of the suspects had been traveling frequently to Ukraine, but beyond that no actual link had been found.
The implication would be that the plot was connected to the many exiled National Movement politicians who are in Ukraine, some of whom are involved with the new Kiev government and others also with the war against Russian-backed separatists in the southeast of the country.
Through his lawyer, Bekauri denied that he had any links to Ukraine. Chrelashvili said on Maestro TV it was claimed that her client received USD 50,000 from Ukraine, but he denies that.
According to the lawyer, Bekauri’s motive was personal. He ‘hates Russian aggression’, she explained, and that’s why he wanted to organize the blowing up of the pipeline.
His aunt Mziana Subeliani is convinced that he was beaten during questioning.
“They didn’t let him go until they had broken his skull. With his skull broken, he admitted what they wanted him to say.”
She claimed the reason Bekauri was beaten was to give the impression that the case is being vigorously investigated.
“My nephew has no ties with politics,” she says.
Vladimer Rukhadze, another suspected, began a hunger strike to protest Tbilisi City Court’s decision to place all of the suspects in pre-trial detention. His lawyer Nino Makharadze said he would rather die from hunger than have status as terrorist.
Bekauri is the only one of the accused who has admitted guilt.
Out of the seven, five are accused of being part of the plot, while two are said to have known about it.
One of those accused of having had knowledge of the plot, police employee LevanMamporia, said through his lawyer Ramaz Chincheladze that the only alleged link between him and the plot was that he registered a Facebook page promoting the idea of a united Caucasus, an idea which also former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a supporter of.
The pipeline which was targeted in the plot carries Russian natural gas to Armenia. Georgia taps some of the gas as transit fee, corresponding to around 12 percent of the national supply.
In spring 2015, Georgia considered increasing its import of natural gas from the Gazprom pipeline, which led to a series of protests against being dependent on Russia for energy, protests where National Movement members were particularly noticed.
In the end, the government did not increase the import of Russian gas, but left the agreement the same, which means that 12 percent of the country’s supply comes from Gazprom.
The pipeline has been hit by landslides several times.
UNM spokesperson Givi Targamadze said politicians are trying to exploit the case by making inferences about a Ukraine link at an early stage, and referred to a previous case, dubbed ‘the tyres case’, which has so far not been confirmed by the investigation.
Defense Minister Levan Izoria said on Tuesday, the day after the story broke, that he had full confidence in the counterintelligence service SUS, which he was recently deputy director of, and that the public will soon learn where the ‘terrorists’ got their assignment from.
(DF watch)
Under the slogan ‘Let’s break free’, the Republican Party has nominated nine female candidates for Parliament under the single-seat majoritarian system for the October 8 election.
“We have to break free of a lot of things, first of all from stereotypes and old-fashioned thinking. One of the stereotypes teaches us that there is no place for women in politics, that they have to be in the kitchen, which is wholly incorrect,” Berdzenishvili said during a press conference at the party’s office.
He called the nine women ‘muses’ and said more women in politics means more solidity.
“Soft treatment, more solidarity, it means peace, more attention to the problems of children and youth, diversity.”
The role of women in politics is important, he explained, which is why the party decided to select women candidates in nine majoritarian districts.
(DF watch)
Over two dozen Russian Black Sea, Caspian ships sail out as part of snap check
Over 15 combat ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and more than 10 vessels of the Caspian Flotilla have sailed out as part of ongoing snap combat readiness inspections, the Russian Defense Ministry’s mass communications department has released.
"In the Black Sea Fleet, in order to carry out tasks of the snap inspection, as part of naval battle groups, anti-ship strike groups, mine-sweeping groups and detachments of amphibious ships, over 15 warships came out to sea," the department said in a Friday statement.
The statement added that more than ten warships, boats and support vessels, as well as minesweepers from the Caspian Flotilla also sailed out as part of the combat readiness checks.
The August 25-31 inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops.
(IPN)
Almost 28,000 students gain university places in Georgia
About 28,000 students have passed their national university entrance exams and are now registered as tertiary students for the 2016/17 academic year in Georgia.
Georgia’s National Assessment and Examinations Centre (NAEC) released final results of national university entrance exams.
The NAEC said about 38,500 people had registered for the exams and 27, 782 people had been accepted into a tertiary institute in Georgia for the upcoming academic year.
Of the 27, 782 successful students, 4,000 received full state scholarships that will cover all costs of their studies while 6,500 gained partial funding.
Meanwhile last year more than 40,000 students registered for the NAEC exams, while in 2014 there were 42,000 registered applicants– a record for Georgia.
(Agenda.ge)
Georgia pipeline plot suspect denies link to Ukraine
One of the seven men arrested in Georgia for planning to blow up a Russian gas pipeline has denied any links to Ukraine.
Beka Bekauri is still in hospital after suffering serious head trauma. He has had an operation and his condition is now stable.
His confession to being part of a plot to blow up a part of a Russian gas pipeline which transits through Georgia was brought into question by suspicion that the confession had been extracted under duress.
His family claims that he was beaten during interrogation in order to force him to confess.
The counter-intelligence service claims that the beating took place as he was trying to escape arrest.
Lawyer Maia Chrelashvili said her client said he was beaten by special forcesthe moment he was arrested.
None of the detainees tried to escape or use a weapon as they were arrested, according to Chrelashvili, who also said there was no violence during Bekauri’s interrogation.
The State Security Service (SUS) said earlier that one of the suspects had been traveling frequently to Ukraine, but beyond that no actual link had been found.
The implication would be that the plot was connected to the many exiled National Movement politicians who are in Ukraine, some of whom are involved with the new Kiev government and others also with the war against Russian-backed separatists in the southeast of the country.
Through his lawyer, Bekauri denied that he had any links to Ukraine. Chrelashvili said on Maestro TV it was claimed that her client received USD 50,000 from Ukraine, but he denies that.
According to the lawyer, Bekauri’s motive was personal. He ‘hates Russian aggression’, she explained, and that’s why he wanted to organize the blowing up of the pipeline.
His aunt Mziana Subeliani is convinced that he was beaten during questioning.
“They didn’t let him go until they had broken his skull. With his skull broken, he admitted what they wanted him to say.”
She claimed the reason Bekauri was beaten was to give the impression that the case is being vigorously investigated.
“My nephew has no ties with politics,” she says.
Vladimer Rukhadze, another suspected, began a hunger strike to protest Tbilisi City Court’s decision to place all of the suspects in pre-trial detention. His lawyer Nino Makharadze said he would rather die from hunger than have status as terrorist.
Bekauri is the only one of the accused who has admitted guilt.
Out of the seven, five are accused of being part of the plot, while two are said to have known about it.
One of those accused of having had knowledge of the plot, police employee LevanMamporia, said through his lawyer Ramaz Chincheladze that the only alleged link between him and the plot was that he registered a Facebook page promoting the idea of a united Caucasus, an idea which also former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a supporter of.
The pipeline which was targeted in the plot carries Russian natural gas to Armenia. Georgia taps some of the gas as transit fee, corresponding to around 12 percent of the national supply.
In spring 2015, Georgia considered increasing its import of natural gas from the Gazprom pipeline, which led to a series of protests against being dependent on Russia for energy, protests where National Movement members were particularly noticed.
In the end, the government did not increase the import of Russian gas, but left the agreement the same, which means that 12 percent of the country’s supply comes from Gazprom.
The pipeline has been hit by landslides several times.
UNM spokesperson Givi Targamadze said politicians are trying to exploit the case by making inferences about a Ukraine link at an early stage, and referred to a previous case, dubbed ‘the tyres case’, which has so far not been confirmed by the investigation.
Defense Minister Levan Izoria said on Tuesday, the day after the story broke, that he had full confidence in the counterintelligence service SUS, which he was recently deputy director of, and that the public will soon learn where the ‘terrorists’ got their assignment from.
(DF watch)