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The News in Brief

Friday, April 8
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Blessed Three Crosses, One to Be Sent to Abkhazia

Patriarch of Georgia Ilia the Second blessed three crosses, one of which will be sent to Abkhazia.

A divine liturgy was held on the day of the Annunciation where his Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti Ilia II said that three priests will be sent to Afghanistan to pray for the troops' peaceful return. The three priests were blessed and awarded with the gold cross.

The Patriarch also blessed three wooden crosses, as this has been tradition since Georgian King Mirian. One cross will remain in St. Trinity temple, the other will be sent to Abkhazia and the third to Adjara.

Ilia the Second has not stipulated where the blessed wooden cross will stand in Abkhazia. The Patriarch declared that a prayer service will be conducted every Monday for children at 19:00. (Interpressnews)



Turkish businessman arrested for machinations

Law enforcers have arrested a citizen of Turkey in suspicion of misappropriating funds allocated within the governmental program of cheap loans. Zaza Kachibaia, the head of the anti-corruption department of the Main Prosecutor`s Office of Georgia, reported the details of the crime today. He said Yaman Chaghatai was granted with 1.955 mln GEL in 2008. The money was allocated for the construction of a citrus refining factory in Kobuleti, Adjara Region, but the businessman embezzled the funds by forging customs clearance documents and using forged contracts and he did not even construct the factory, neither did he fulfill any other term of the contract.

The Turkish national could face up to 12 years imprisonment if found guilty. (Rustavi 2)



MPs discuss amendments to the state budget 2011

Lawmakers continue to discuss the draft amendments to the 2011state budget, which has been submitted to the Parliament by the Government. The Fiscal-Budgetary Committee of the parliament was discussing the project of the budget of the current year today, according to which the state budget will be increased by 350 million GEL, 230 of which will be used for expenditure. The spheres of priority are health care, education, agriculture and economic and regional projects. The 2011 budget also includes the funds intended for the growth of pensions. (Rustavi 2)



Batumi Piazza Sold for GEL 11 mln.

The company Piazza Holding has purchased Batumi Piazza tower for GEL 11 mln. As InterPressNews was told by Batumi City Assembly Chairperson Giorgi Kirtadze, after selling the newly built tower, the new owners will arrange a hotel in the Piazza. He says that the tower construction cost GEL 18.5 mln.

After winning the auction, Piazza holding representatives are obliged to allow the city government to use the ground floor for the events and also to take care of the tower clock.

Kirtadze denied speculation that the new owner of the Piazza is a Turkish company.

Batumi City Assembly Christian Democrat member Vazha Verulidze informs that Piazza Holding belongs to a Turkish businessman.

“Nobody has said anything yet, they only told us that they were selling Piazza as they needed funds to fill the budget”, Vazha Verulidze told InterPressNews.

Republican Irakli Chavleishvili is convinced that the Piazza buyer is a governmental team member. He is surprised that the tower was sold for several million cheaper than its construction cost.

Giorgi Kirtqadze states that session of the self-governmental body will be held in 8 April and all the details of selling Piazza will be publicized. (Interpressnews)



Georgian tennis player defeats Russian rival in Charleston

Georgian tennis player Anna Tatishvili continued her surprising run at the 2011 Family Circle Cup, upsetting ninth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the second round of the tournament. The player, who is ranked much lower than Kirilenko, ousted her opponent in three sets 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. It took Tatishvili a little under three hours to send Kirilenko packing, as she recovered from a set down to take the second round match at Charleston.

Anna Tatishvili is one of the dark horses of the tournament. She did not receive an invitation to the main draw of the Family Circle Cup, and competed in the qualifying singles in order to be part of the actual event. She is currently outside the Women’s Tennis Association’s Top 100, and is ranked World Number 115. Just 21 years old, the player currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida and has not yet turned pro officially. She plays right-handed tennis, and has not won any career titles yet. Her prowess at the Family Circle Cup is quite remarkable for a qualifier.

Tatishvili will take on sixth seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belarus in the third round of this prestigious tournament. (Rustavi 2)