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☆ Georgia election chief doused in paint as protests continue after divisive parliamentary vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tblisi, Georgia AP —The head of Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission was doused with black paint Saturday at a meeting to confirm the results of the country’s divisive Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Protesters gathered outside the commission’s building in Tbilisi, where officials announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party had won 53.93% of the vote. Opposition supporters have rejected the results amid allegations that the vote was rigged, an accusation that Georgian Dream denies. Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream, established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. Zourabichvili, who holds a mostly ceremonial position, has urged the United States and EU to support the demonstrations.

Persons: David Kirtadze, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Kirtadze, Kalandarishvili, ” Kalandarishvili, ”, Critics, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Organizations: Georgia AP, Georgia’s, Electoral, Protesters, United National Movement, European Union, Kremlin, EU Locations: Tblisi, Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russia, Moscow, United States, Washington, Brussels

☆ Georgia’s president calls for rally to save ‘European future’ as thousands protest disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Central Election Commission (CEC) said it had secured nearly 54% of the vote. Asked why she is refusing to recognize the results of the election, Zourabichvili said Georgian Dream had used “all the instruments” at its disposal to rig the election and called for an international investigation. Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP/Getty ImagesThe election commission told CNN it received 445 district-level complaints of irregularities on election day. European leaders criticized the bill and have since frozen Georgia’s accession process, just months after it was offered EU candidate status. The UNM was founded by former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been jailed since 2021 for abuse of power while in office.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Zourabichvili, –, ’, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, ”, authoritarians, Matthew Miller, ” Zourabichvili, Vladimir Putin, Zurab, Nicoloz Samkharadze, “, Ivanishvili –, Soviet Union –, Mikheil Saakashvili Organizations: CNN, Election Commission, Getty, Georgian, European Union, EU, United National Movement, UNM Locations: Soviet, Europe, Tbilisi, Russia, AFP, United States, Soviet Union, Georgia

☆ Election win for Russia-friendly party in Georgia sets the stage for protests and possible violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Citizens and Georgian Dream Party supporters, carrying flags of Georgia and the Georgian Dream Party, attend the Georgian Dream Party's election rally. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesMass protests are expected in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Monday after the ruling, Russia-friendly party Georgian Dream claimed victory in a contentious parliamentary election this weekend. "We do not accept these stolen election results," stated Tina Bokuchava, the leader of Georgia's main opposition party, the United National Movement, at a press briefing late on Saturday. "It was a total fraud, a total taking away of your votes," Zourabichvili told reporters, flanked by Georgian opposition party leaders, in comments reported by Reuters. Supporters of the Georgian Dream party celebrate at the party's headquarters after the announcement of exit poll results in parliamentary elections, in Tbilisi, Georgia October 26, 2024.

Persons: that's, Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia's, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, Vano Shlamov, Bokuchava, Bidzina, Zourabichvili, Timothy Ash, Ash, Ivanishvili, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Irakli Gedenidze, Antony Blinken, Blinken Organizations: Georgian Dream Party, Anadolu, Getty, Georgian, European Union, NATO, United National Movement, National Movement, Afp, Reuters, BlueBay Asset Management, Kremlin's, TASS, Google, OSCE Office, Democratic, Human, European Locations: Georgia, Georgian, Tbilisi, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, Russian, EU, Washington, Moscow, Europe, Tbilisi , Georgia, U.S

☆ Georgia’s opposition disputes result of crucial vote which could decide the country’s role in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Initial figures suggest turnout is the highest since the ruling Georgian Dream party was first elected in 2012. Georgia’s Central Election Commission said Georgian Dream won 52.99% with the majority of votes counted. Georgian Dream stood against four main opposition groups, which indicated they did not accept the results. The biggest opposition party, United National Movement, said its headquarters came under attack on polling day. Many Georgians fear Georgian Dream is dragging the country toward authoritarianism and killing off hopes it could join the EU.

Persons: Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, “, ”, Russia —, Salome Zourabichvili, ” Qristine, Nika Gvaramia, ” Ivanishvili, Party ”, Giorgi Gakharia Organizations: European Union, Georgia’s, Commission, Georgian, EU, United National Movement, CEC, Associated, NATO, Coalition, AP, Party, Unity National Movement Locations: Georgian, Russia, Brussels, South Caucasus, Zugdidi, Marneuli, Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union, EU, U.S, Ukraine, Strong Georgia

☆ Alleging ‘Russian special operation,’ Georgian president calls for protests over disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ivanishvili had vowed to ban the opposition if his party won the election, and his opponents are taking him at his word. On Saturday, as Georgians cast their ballots, thousands of Georgian and international election observers fanned out to voting precincts across the country, from urban centers to poor, remote villages in the Caucasus mountains, trying to evaluate whether the vote was free and fair. Throughout election day, video of violations, some of them egregious, like a man boldly jamming ballots into a ballot box, spread quickly. “She is on the right side of history,” said opposition politician Nika Gvaramia. The illiberal leader has found common cause with Georgia’s ruling party and was the first international leader to congratulate them after the election – even before the votes were officially tallied.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Georgia …, ”, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, Ivanishvili, ISFED, John Shimkus, Margareta Cederfelt, Zourabichvili, Nika Gvaramia, Elene Khoshtaria, isn’t, Viktor Orban Organizations: Georgia CNN, Georgian, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, International Society for Fair Elections, Democracy, “ Coalition Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian, Russian, “, Gvaramia, Russia, ” Moscow, Hungarian

☆ Georgia faces an uncertain future as all sides claim election victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Georgian Dream-supporting Imedi TV channel showed the ruling party winning 56%. Georgian Dream did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 26, 2024. Georgian Dream has drawn the ire of its Western allies for what they cast as its increasingly authoritarian bent. Sandro Dvalishvili, a 23-year-old Georgian Dream activist, told Reuters last week that Georgia would face “danger” if his party of choice was defeated at the polls.

Persons: Georgia Reuters —, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, Mikheil Saakashvili, Ivanishvili’s, Bokuchava, “, Irakli Gedenidze, Salome Zourabichvili –, ”, Andronikashvili, George W, Bush, Kostya, Viktor Orban, Sandro Dvalishvili Organizations: Georgia Reuters, United National Movement, Reuters, ”, Party, EU, Georgian Locations: TBILISI, Georgia, South Caucasus, Georgian, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Tbilisi, Soviet, Tbilisi’s, Tbilisi , Georgia, Moscow

☆ Georgia's election forces voters to choose between a future with Russia or Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party at the party's final campaign rally in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Despite its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, Georgian Dream insists it still wants Georgia to join the EU and its election posters feature the party's logo along with the symbol of the EU. People walk past campaign posters of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 22, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili attends the final campaign rally of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili, staunchly critical of the ruling party, addressed crowds of supporters last weekend, telling them that the vote would "demonstrate people's will for freedom, independence, and a European future."

Persons: Giorgi Arjevanidze, There's, Bidzina Ivanishvili, —, oligarch Bidzina, Salome Zurabishvili's, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Salome Zurabishvili Organizations: Afp, Getty, Center for, NATO, European Union, EU, Western, Russia, Party, Institute for, Kremlin Locations: Georgian, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Moscow, Washington, Europe, Western Ukraine, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia, European

☆ As Georgia votes, fears of a return to Moscow’s orbit loom large
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Ulf Mauder/picture alliance/Getty ImagesMany observers fear the ruling Georgian Dream party will resort to anything to stay in power. This year, Georgian Dream pushed through a Kremlin-style “foreign agent” law, which critics say aims to shut down watchdogs who call the government to account. She described some of the statements made by Georgian Dream officials as a “copy-paste” of those from Stalin’s show trials. ‘Soviet mentality’A question puzzling many is why the formerly center-left Georgian Dream has made a sudden authoritarian pivot. Joining the EU would require cleaning up the country’s judiciary and giving up power if Georgian Dream is voted out on Saturday.

Persons: Joseph Stalin, Stalin “, ”, Stalin, Stalin’s, Ulf Mauder, Ivanishvili –, –, Vladimir Putin’s, “, everybody’s, ” Natalie Sabanadze, Sabanadze, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, Mikheil Saakashvili, ” Younger, Uriel Sinai, Moscow’s, Davit, Georgia’s, Salome Zourabichvili –, Ivanishvili’s, Bera, ” Ivanishvili, Hillary Clinton, Viktor Orban, Irakli Kobakhidze, Orban, Mirian, Levan Khabeishvili –, Khabeishvili, “ Ivanishvili, He’s, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Sergei Naryshkin Organizations: CNN, Joseph, Joseph Stalin Museum, European Union, Party, Chatham House, Georgian, Getty, Kremlin, Stalin, –, Governance, NATO, EU, Hungary’s, Conservative Political, Georgia’s, Police, Western United National Movement, UNM, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Locations: Gori, Soviet, Caucasus, Georgian, Soviet Union, Georgia, Russia, Everybody’s, London, Chatham, Tbilisi, AFP, Moscow, Georgia’s South Ossetia, Gori ., Abkhazia, Gori , Georgia, Ukraine, Europe, Budapest, Anadolu, Nuremberg, Brussels, Moldova, Belarus

☆ Georgian parliament approves law curbing LGBTQ rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters —Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday approved the third and final reading of a law on “family values and the protection of minors” that would impose sweeping curbs on LGBTQ rights. Leaders of the governing Georgian Dream party say it is needed to safeguard traditional moral standards in Georgia, whose deeply conservative Orthodox Church is highly influential. “This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBTQ community in Georgia,” Jakeli, 28, told Reuters. But Georgian Dream and its allies have enough seats in parliament to override her veto. Foreign agentsThe issue has become more prominent ahead of October’s election, where Georgian Dream is seeking a fourth term in office and is campaigning heavily against LGBTQ rights.

Persons: Tamara Jakeli, ” Jakeli, “, Salome Zourabichvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Jakeli’s, Jakeli Organizations: Georgia Reuters, Pride, Church, European, Tbilisi Pride, Reuters, Georgian Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian, Russia, Soviet Union

☆ Opinion | Do Not Allow Putin to Capture Another Pawn in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The law has drawn stiff rebukes from the United States and Europe. The State Department has announced visa restrictions on officials behind the foreign-agent law and Congress has threatened further sanctions. The clash over the foreign-agent law in a small country nestled in the Caucasus Mountains has been largely overshadowed by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Georgia, in fact, was the first neighboring country invaded by Russia post-Soviet Union, in 2008, to block its westward drift. Now the ruling party, Georgian Dream, seems to share Russia’s goal, though it has generally avoided openly siding with Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili —, Russia —, Ivanishvili Organizations: Russian, The State Department, European Union Locations: Republic of Georgia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Soviet Union, Georgian, Tbilisi, ”

☆ Opinion: Hardened like diamonds, these Gen Z protesters fight for a European future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Will Cathcart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They snatch protesters from the crowd and drag them back into a mass of black uniforms. Will Cathcart Will CathcartHundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Georgia in recent weeks to protest the government’s adoption of a Kremlin-inspired “foreign agents” bill. As with the foreign agents law, the bill’s authors claim it promotes transparency, an absurd notion. The foreign agents bill is a symptom of a deeper issue – money. The pressures of authoritarian intimidation and systematic violence have hardened Georgia’s young protestors like diamonds.

Persons: Will Cathcart, Mikheil Saakashvili, Cathcart Will Cathcart, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Hans Gutbrod, ”, Salome Zourabichvili, aren’t, Gen Z, Europe –, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Party ” –, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Shalva Papuashvili, – “, “, James O’Brien’s, Ivanishvili, Zviad Organizations: CNN, Tbilisi CNN — Riot, Georgian, Ilia State University, European Union, Getty, Global, Party, Georgian Orthodox Church, US, State, Eurasian Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, NATO, Special Forces Exchange Locations: American, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Europe, AFP, Georgian, Soviet, Russian, United States, Brussels, Washington, Moscow, EU

Tbilisi, Georgia CNN —Georgia’s parliament has passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill despite widespread domestic opposition and warnings from the European Union that its enactment would imperil the country’s chances of joining the bloc. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents bill will be used the same way in their country. Georgia’s parliament now has 10 days to send the bill to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has already vowed to veto it. However, EU leaders have made it clear that the foreign agents bill’s passage would jeopardize Georgia’s chances of accession. Georgian law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator near the parliament in Tbilisi on May 14.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, they’ve, Putin, ” Zourabichvili, Shakh, Levan Khabeishvili, “, ” Khabeishvili, ” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Irakli, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: Georgia CNN, European Union, EU, United, Getty, Soviet Union, Georgian, CNN, European Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, United States, Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, AFP, Russian, Moscow

☆ What is Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Georgia’s parliament is set to pass a highly controversial so-called “foreign agents” bill that has triggered widespread protests across the former Soviet republic nestled in the Caucasus Mountains. Here’s what you need to know about the proposed law and the uproar it has caused. The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines. About 50,000 protesters gathered in Tbilisi to protest the proposed legislation on Sunday. The proposed law is modeled after a similar one in Russia that the Kremlin has used to increasingly snuff out opposition and civil society.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, they’ve, Georgia’s, Kobakhidze, Mirian, Jake Sullivan, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Getty, European, House, Washington, Georgian, EU, “ Locations: Soviet, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Here’s, Georgian, Georgia, AFP, Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Soviet Union, European Union, Georgia’s, Didn’t Georgia, Anadolu, backsliding, George, Brussels, “ Georgia

☆ 50,000 protest Georgia’s foreign agent bill as US sounds alarm over ‘Kremlin-style’ law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —About 50,000 opponents of a “foreign agents” bill marched peacefully in heavy rain through the Georgian capital on Saturday, after the United States said the country had to choose between the “Kremlin-style” law and the people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. “Georgian parliamentarians face a critical choice – whether to support the Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations or pass a Kremlin-style foreign agents’ law that runs counter to democratic values,” he said. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 11, 2024. Georgian Dream says the bill will promote transparency and Georgian national sovereignty. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 11, 2024.

Persons: “, ”, Jake Sullivan, Irakli Gedenidze, Nino, Vladimir Putin’s, Reuters Bidzina, Sullivan Organizations: CNN, House, Georgian, European, Reuters, Union, Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, European Union, EU, NATO Locations: States, backsliding, Georgia, European Union, Tbilisi , Georgia, “, Russia, Europe, ”, Georgian, Tbilisi, United States

☆ Georgia rocked by protests as government pushes Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —After spending his days making wine in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, Tsotne Jafaridze returns home to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and begins his new routine. Jafaridze, who also owns a travel business and says he receives 95% of his income from foreign sources, says he would “immediately” be listed as a foreign agent under the broadly-written law. But the government reintroduced the same bill in March and appears determined to force it through, despite protests that grow fiercer every week. Despite recent Russian aggression against Georgia, Georgian Dream has long been accused of harboring pro-Russian sympathies and its billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, made his fortune in the Soviet Union. Bidzina Ivanishvili addresses a rally in support of the "foreign agent" law in Tbilisi, April 29, 2024.

Persons: Jafaridze, ”, Vladimir Putin, “, Giorgi Arjevanidze, isn’t, ” Natalie Sabanadze, –, Levan Khabeishvili, Khabeishvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, ” Buziashvili, Ivanishvili, Bidzina, Shakh, Sabanandze, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kobakhidze, ” Sabanadze, Viktor Orban, Europe’s, Matthew Miller, Washington, Georgia “, Irakli Gedenidze, Viktor Yanukovych, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, European Union, Getty, EU, United National Movement, National Security Council, Soviet Army, Soviet Union, Belarus ’, Party, Georgian, Conservative Political, United, State Department, Protesters, Reuters Locations: Caucasus, Tbilisi, Georgia’s, Russia, Georgian, Russian, Soviet, AFP, Brussels, Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Hungary, Hungarian, United States, stoke, ”

☆ Billionaire politicians have become 'shockingly common' around the world, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

More than 11% of the world's more than 2,000 billionaires have run for election or become politicians, according to a study highlighting the growing power and influence of the super-wealthy. "Billionaire politicians are a shockingly common phenomenon," the study said. Outside the U.S., billionaire politicians are even more common. Terry Gou, the Taiwanese billionaire and founder of Foxconn, is running for president of Taiwan. Of course, billionaires wield even more political power through their (often secret) donations to support candidates, parties and super PACs.

Persons: Donald Trump, Terry Gou, Vivek Ramaswamy, Doug Burgum, Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, Billionaire Rick Caruso, J.B, Pritzker, Andrej Babiš, Silvio Berlusconi, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Najib Mikati, Sebastián, Thaksin, Phil Ruffin, Larry Ellison, Nelson Peltz, Richard Uihlein, Jeffrey Yass, Stanley Druckenmiller, Cliff Asness, David Tepper, Bruce Kovner Organizations: Wisconsin Valley Science, Technology, Northwestern University, Democratic, Los Angeles, Tax Fairness, Billionaire Locations: Wisconsin, Mount Pleasant , Wisconsin, U.S, Illinois, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Italy, Georgia, Lebanon, Chile, Thailand

☆ Georgia looking to cause an upset at the Rugby World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jack Hillcox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Today, Maisashvili is in France leading Georgia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Having lost 35-15 against Australia in its Rugby World Cup opener, Georgia hopes to bounce back against Portugal this Saturday, then against Fiji and Wales in its final pool C game. David Mdzinarishvili/ReutersThe Georgian national rugby team was formed in 1964, but was initially subsumed by the Soviet Union rugby federation. Despite making up a tiny portion of the Soviet Union, Georgian players were one of the dominant forces in the larger nation’s rugby team. The nation’s rugby team suffered after gaining independence, leading to serious lack of resources.

Persons: CNN — “, ” Levan Maisashvili, Maisashvili, Levan Maisashvili, Georgia's, Levan Verdzeuli, Nika Abuladze –, David Mdzinarishvili, ” Tony Collins, Huw Richards ’, Collins, “, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Forbes, ” Maisashvili, ”, Warren Little Organizations: CNN, rugby, Italy, –, Georgian, CNN Sport, ” Rugby, Scotland, Australia, Rugby World, Portugal, Fiji, Humble, Georgian national rugby team, Soviet Union rugby, Soviet Union, Soviet national, Institute of Sports Humanities, Rugby, Reuters, Nations, Northern Hemisphere, Rugby Championship, Southern Hemisphere Locations: South Africa, Wales, France, Georgia, Shukhuti, Soviet, Georgian, “ Georgia, Fiji, Toulouse

☆ Bidzina Ivanishvili: Credit Suisse ordered to pay $926 million to Georgia's former prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Credit Suisse was ordered to pay $926 million to Georgia’s former prime minister Friday for losing part of his fortune, in a Singapore court ruling that represents one of the biggest legal awards made against the bank. Credit Suisse (CSGKF) said it would appeal the decision. Billionaire businessman Ivanishvili, who was Georgia’s prime minister in 2012 to 2013, had placed $1.1 billion under the custodianship of Credit Suisse Trust in 2005, the court heard. It should have prevented Patrice Lescaudron, an adviser at Credit Suisse Trust in Singapore who was later convicted of fraud, from having access to them. AppealThe $926 million to be paid by Credit Suisse will be reduced by $79 million it had already paid in December.

☆ Georgia's former president says he's dying in prison because of Putin, and calls on the US to save his life
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Georgia's ex-president, Mikheil Saakashvili, said he is dying in prison. Saakashvili is asking the US and its allies to help save his life by applying international pressure. He also warned that Georgia's government is "sliding toward the Kremlin." Georgia 'sliding toward the Kremlin'In his Politico op-ed, Saakashvili described himself as a "political prisoner" who continues to "defend democracy against Putin and his allies." Saakashvili warned that Georgia and other countries in the region "have continued sliding toward the Kremlin" amid Russia's ongoing and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Factbox: FACTBOX Credit Suisse's troubles - spies, money laundering and central bank cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Lescaudron was convicted by a Swiss court in 2018 of having forged the signatures of former clients, including Ivanishvili, over an eight-year period. Credit Suisse has said it expects the case, which it is appealing, to cost it around $600 million. The hedge fund's highly leveraged bets on certain technology stocks backfired and the value of its portfolio with Credit Suisse plummeted. Swiss regulators have rebuked Credit Suisse for "serious" failings in its handling of the multi-billion dollar business with Greensill. In response, Credit Suisse said it condemned the spying and had taken "decisive" steps to improve its governance and strengthen compliance.

☆ Factbox: Credit Suisse's troubles - spies, money laundering and takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Credit Suisse has said it expects the case, which it is appealing, to cost it around $600 million. The hedge fund's highly leveraged bets on certain technology stocks backfired and the value of its portfolio with Credit Suisse plummeted. Swiss regulators have rebuked Credit Suisse for "serious" failings in its handling of the multi-billion dollar business with Greensill. Switzerland's financial regulator said Credit Suisse had misled it about the scale of the spying. In response, Credit Suisse said it condemned the spying and had taken "decisive" steps to improve its governance and strengthen compliance.

☆ Factbox: Why is Georgia in turmoil over a "foreign agents" law?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jake Cordell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

TBILISI, March 9 (Reuters) - Ruling lawmakers in the South Caucasus country of Georgia on Thursday scrapped plans to introduce what critics called a Russian-inspired "foreign agents" law after two days of intense street protests in the capital Tbilisi. Here is a guide to what's going on:WHAT IS THE PROPOSED 'FOREIGN AGENTS' LAW? - Swathes of Georgian civil society, including election monitors, corruption watchdogs and independent media outlets would have been covered by the law. - Rights groups say the "foreign agent" tag is a designed to make it easier for the government to discredit its opponents. - It says it is modelled on the U.S. 1938 "Foreign Agents Registration Act", which primarily covers lobbyists and organisations directly working for or under the control of foreign governments.

☆ Oligarhii din Georgia, Moldova și Ucraina: între retragere, regrupare și „reeducare”. Analiză de Dionis Cenușa
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-18 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +14 min

Oligarhii din Georgia, Moldova și Ucraina: între retragere, regrupare și „reeducare”. Analiză de Dionis CenușaOp-EdOligarhii continuă să fie actori politici activi în Georgia, Moldova și Ucraina. Oricât de imperfecte ar fi instituțiile democratice din Georgia, Moldova și Ucraina, condițiile existente încă permit turnuri de situații favorabile pentru democratizarea domeniului politic. În loc de concluzii...Oligarhii continuă să fie actori politici activi în Georgia, Moldova și Ucraina. Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principal Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principalDomenii de cercetare: Politica Europeană de Vecinătate, relațiile UE-Moldova, politica externă a UE și Rusia, migrația și securitatea energetică.

Persons: Dionis, ., . Aceștia, Maia Sandu, Președintelui Sandu ., Președintele Sandu, Președintele, Petro, Petro Pororeșenko, Viktor Medvedchuk, Nika Melia, Mikhail Saakashvili, Vlad Filat, Vlad Plahotniuc, Ilan Șhor, Sandu, Renato, Kolomoysky, Zelensky, Liebig Organizations: Uniunii Europene, Parlamentul European, UE, Partidul Mișcarea Națională Unită, BBC, Partidului Socialiștilor, Partidul Comuniștilor, Președintele Zelensky, Securitate, Universitatea Justus Locations: Georgia, Moldova, Ucraina, Petro, Rusiei, Ucraina Georgia Moldova Ucraina, UE, Turcia, Israel, SUA, Rusia, Giessen

☆ Top 8 prognoze pentru statele PaE în 2021 – între “contestare” și “reînnoire”. Analiză de Dionis Cenușă
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-11 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +18 min

Top 8 prognoze pentru statele PaE în 2021 – între “contestare” și “reînnoire”. Majoritatea proceselor politice, socio-economice și geopolitice, care caracterizează statele Parteneriatului Estic, se vor perpetua. Persistența tensiunilor sociale din cauza repercusiunilor socio-economice ale pandemiei, inconsistenței procesului de vaccinare și a populismul politic este iminentă. În loc de concluzii...Spre deosebire de majoritatea statelor europene, statele Parteneriatului Estic sunt obișnuite cu crize sistemice, similare cu cele determinate de pandemie. Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principal Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principalDomenii de cercetare: Politica Europeană de Vecinătate, relațiile UE-Moldova, politica externă a UE și Rusia, migrația și securitatea energetică.

Persons: Dionis, Johnson, Lukașenko, Aleksandr Lukașenko, Maia Sandu, Sandu, Ilham, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Liebig Organizations: Estic, Parteneriatului Estic, Washington ., Parteneriatului, Organizației Mondiale a Sănătății, UE, Summit, FMI, Banca Mondială, Partidul Socialiștilor, Partidul, Nagorno, Parlamentul, Trump, Universitatea Justus Locations: sovietică, Rusia, Belarus, Ucraina, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, CureVac, SUA, UE, Parteneriatului, Rusiei, României, Azerbaidjan, COVAX, Bruxelles, China, Germania, BERD, BEI, Moldovei, Ucrainei, armene, Belarusului, Minsk, RM, Karabakh, Parteneriatului Estic, Washington, Giessen

☆ Bilanțul anului 2020 pentru statele PaE: 5 oportunități și 5 provocări majore. Analiză de Dionis Cenușă
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-29 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +29 min

Principalele 5 provocăriCea mai serioasă provocare pentru spațiul Parteneriatului Estic a fost pandemia, care de la primele apariții a provocat victime în rândul populației și a economiilor. În zona rămasă a Nagorno-Karabah-ului a fost instituită misiunea de pacificare a Rusiei (cu 2000 de militari). Iar autoritățile din Azerbaidjan a valorificat criza pandemică și emergența geopolitică a Turciei pentru a restabili integritatea teritorială a țării și a alimenta sursele de legitimitate publică a regimului autoritar, dirijat de Ilham Aliev. Totodată, opoziția în frunte cu Svetlana Tikhanovskaya și societatea civilă și-au ramificat semnificativ rețelele diplomatice, politice și non-guvernamentale în direcția occidentală. Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principal Dionis Cenușa, Columnist principalDomenii de cercetare: Politica Europeană de Vecinătate, relațiile UE-Moldova, politica externă a UE și Rusia, migrația și securitatea energetică.

Persons: Pandemia, ., Dionis, Nikol, Lukașenko, Rusia, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan, Zelensky, Reziliența, Alexandr Lukașenko, August, Solidaritatea, Alexandr Lukanșenko, Svetlana, Sandu, Kelly Degnan, Carl Hertzell, Ivanishvili, Maia Sandu, Igor Dodon, Liebig Organizations: Estic, Parteneriatului Estic, Monetar, FMI, Organizația, azer, Constituțională, UE, Comisia Europeană, Organizația Mondială a Sănătății ( OMS, Parteneriatului, CSI, Uniunea Economică Euroasiatică, Unitatea, Partidului, Facebook, Universitatea Justus Locations: Estic, Belarus, Moldova, Parteneriatului, Karabah, Georgia, UE, Azerbaidjan, armene, Ucraina, Rusia, Armenia, Baku, Parteneriatului Estic, Belarusului, Ucrainei, Armeniei, Azerbaidjanului, azer, Yerevan, Rusiei, Nagorno - Karabah, armean, Minsk, OSCE, Turcia, Turciei, turc, Caucazul de Sud, SUA, Război, Georgiei, Bruxelles, Moldovei, sovietic, Chinei, Victoria, Washington, Polonia, Diaspora, America de Nord, Giessen

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