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The News in Brief

Monday, January 25
Georgian police don skis to patrol winter resorts

The police in Georgia has a new pilot project: ski patrol.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the ski patrol units will observe people who are skiing at winter resorts and make sure they are following the rules.

The policemen on skis will pay attention to special marks on skiing slopes and other signs. If a skier appears to be a danger to him or herself, or to others, the officer will remove the individual from the slope.

The ski patrol is also responsible for spotting people who may be inebriated or under the influence of psychotropic drugs, and bar them from further skiing.

Vehicles like snowmobiles will not be allowed on the ski slopes, except for rescue crews.

The ski patrol will also protect areas where school children are being trained.

Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili launched the initiative on Thursday in the winter resort of Gudauri, with the support of invited school teachers, trainers, rescue workers and athletes.

“[Ski patrol] will provide security for our and your children while skiing in the slopes, and I want to underline that the success of this project is dependent on the cooperation of each of you,” the minister said.

For additional security, the MIA sent 14 patrol inspectors with special equipment to Gudauri to provide maximum security on the slopes.

There have been several accidents this year at winter resorts. A few weeks ago, a 12 year old girl died after an 18 year old man crashed into her while skiing.
(DF watch)



PM commits Economic Ministry to prepare land plot package for hotels network development

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has committed the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to prepare a land plot package for the further development of hotels in the country, the governmental administration reports.

‘The PM met with large foreign investors that are interested in developing three and four-star hotels network in Georgia. The PM has committed the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to prepare the land plots package in order to offer it to the investors,’ stated the Prime Minister’s press-service.
(IPN)



Crime rate drops in Georgia, Interior Ministry says

The number of crimes committed in Georgia is decreasing. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) released the crime statistics for the country for the period between January-December 2015, which showed fewer crimes were committed in the period than in the same period of 2014.

Between January and December 2015, all investigative agencies in Georgia registered 35, 096 crimes. Of these, 21,176 cases (60. percent) were solved, stated the MIA.

The number of crimes committed in the time period of 2015 was 3.9% percent lower than in the same period of 2014.

The MIA also published the monthly crime statistics for December 2015.

In December, 3,612 crimes were recorded by with 1,357 cases (37.5 percent) being solved. In comparison, the number of crimes committed in December 2015 was 3.5 percent more than in December 2014.

The released statistics were comprised of information provided by the MIA and other investigative agencies throughout the country, including the General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corrections.
(Agenda.ge)





The United National Movement demanded that the President hold a meeting of the Security Council on the energy-related subject.

The opposition parties claim that in an influential Swiss newspaper, former Prime MinisterIvanishvili was referred to as a Gazprom shareholder. They believe that he is lobbying for the interests of Gazprom, which is why it is necessary to hold a meeting of the Security Council.

The other parliamentary parties also have no doubts that Gazprom is an instrument of Russian foreign policy.
(Rustavi 2)