Former football player Kavelashvili becomes Georgia’s president in a blow to country’s EU aspirations

Update Former football player Kavelashvili becomes Georgia’s president in a blow to country’s EU aspirations
An electoral college controlled by Georgian Dream and boycotted by the opposition convened in parliament on Saturday to install former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as president. (Reuters)
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Updated 15 December 2024
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Former football player Kavelashvili becomes Georgia’s president in a blow to country’s EU aspirations

Former football player Kavelashvili becomes Georgia’s president in a blow to country’s EU aspirations
  • Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college
  • Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied

TBILISI: Former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili became president of Georgia on Saturday, as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.
Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of Parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures.
Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing toward EU accession but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia.
Georgia’s outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot.
In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Pro-Western Salome Zourabichvili has been president since 2018 and has vowed to stay on after her six-year term ends Monday, describing herself as the only legitimate leader until a new election is held.
Georgian Dream’s decision last month to suspend talks on their country’s bid to join the European Union added to the opposition’s outrage and galvanized protests.
Who is the outgoing president?
Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French Foreign Ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named her Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004.
Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream’s support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her.
“I remain your president — there is no legitimate parliament and thus no legitimate election or inauguration,” she has declared on the social network X. “My mandate continues.”
Zourabichvili rejects government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence.
“We are not demanding a revolution,” she told The Associated Press. “We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again.
“Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen.”
Zourabichvili said Saturday’s vote was a “provocation” and “a parody” while a leader of one of Georgia’s main opposition parties said it was unconstitutional.
Giorgi Vashadze of the Unity National Movement Coalition said Zourabichvili is “the only legitimate source of power.”
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Kavelashvili’s win “will make a significant contribution to strengthening Georgia’s statehood and our sovereignty, as well as reducing radicalism and so-called polarization.”
“The main mission of the presidential institution is to care for the unity of the nation and society,” said Kobakhidze, a former university professor and later chairman of Georgian Dream.
Who’s the ruling party presidential candidate?
Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili — mocked for lacking higher education by Georgia’s opposition. Some protesters outside Tbilisi’s Parliament building on Saturday morning brought their own university diplomas while others kicked soccer balls.
Kavelashvili was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several soccer clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket and in 2022 co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the “foreign influence” law.
How did opposition protests unfold?
Thousands of demonstrators converged on the Parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on Nov. 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries.
Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, in a video statement in support of the protests, said Georgia’s “European dream must not be extinguished.”
“Europe does not seek to sow chaos, Europe does not seek to destabilize or subjugate its neighbors,” he said. “The voice of Georgians must be listened to and respected.”
″(Kavelashvili) is not elected by us. He is controlled by a puppet government, by Bidzina Ivanishvili, by Putin,” protester Sandro Samkharadze said outside Tbilisi’s Parliament building. Another protester waved a sign saying, “We are children of Europe.”
Demonstrators vowed the rallies would continue. “If (the government) wants to go to Russia, they can go to Russia, because we are not going anywhere. We are staying here,” said protester Kato Kalatozishvili.


GCC expects India free trade talks to start in 2025

GCC expects India free trade talks to start in 2025
Updated 56 min 16 sec ago
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GCC expects India free trade talks to start in 2025

GCC expects India free trade talks to start in 2025
  • Secretary general was a key speaker at Kochi Dialogue in Kerala
  • Forum is co-organized by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs

NEW DELHI: The Gulf Cooperation Council looks forward to starting free trade negotiations with India this year, its secretary general said, as he outlined the bloc’s cooperation efforts at the Kochi Dialogue diplomacy conclave this week.

Themed “India’s Look West Policy in Action: People, Prosperity and Progress,” the forum was hosted on Jan. 16-17 by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Centre for Public Policy Research think tank in Kochi, southern Kerala state.

The event brought together government officials and business leaders from India, as well as delegates from the GCC countries — Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — along with diplomats from Australia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, who was one of the forum’s key speakers, highlighted the significance of India relations for the Gulf bloc and plans to move cooperation forward, including by engaging in long-awaited free trade agreement talks.

“Expanding free trade negotiations will pave the way for economic integration, removing trade barriers, expanding cooperation in digital economies, and transforming industries. I also hope that we hold our first round of FTA negotiation this year, 2025,” Al-Budaiwi told Kochi Dialogue participants.

Economic cooperation plays a crucial role in the GCC’s relations with India, with the value of annual trade exchanges reaching more than $160 billion last year.

Exports from GCC countries to India amount to about $90 billion, representing 71 percent of the bloc’s total exports.

“This underscores the significant importance of this cooperation,” the GCC secretary-general said.

“Trade between the two sides includes a diverse area of industrial and agricultural products, contributing to economic integration and creating opportunities for growth and market expansion.”

GCC investment in India exceeded $5.7 billion across various projects, which according to Al-Budaiwi reflected “promising opportunity” on both sides.

“These investments have enabled us to achieve significant economic benefits, including job creation and enhanced economic growth, making India, our friendly India, key trading partner for GCC countries,” he said.

So far, India has a free trade deal with only one GCC country, the UAE, with which it signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2022.

India has been pursuing a free trade pact with the whole bloc for the past two decades. A Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation was signed in 2004 but two rounds of negotiations — in 2006 and 2008 — were inconclusive.

The agreement would give India access to a large and affluent market for its goods, as well as concessions on visas in a region that is a second home for about nine million Indian expat workers.

 


South Korea plane crash investigators find feathers in engines

South Korea plane crash investigators find feathers in engines
Updated 17 January 2025
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South Korea plane crash investigators find feathers in engines

South Korea plane crash investigators find feathers in engines
  • Jeju Air crash was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil
  • South Korean and US investigators are still probing the cause of the crash

SEOUL: Investigators probing the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people last month have found feathers in both engines, according to South Korean media reports, with a bird strike being examined as one possible cause.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on December 29 carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.
It was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
“Feathers were found in both engines,” the government-linked National Institute of Biological Resources told South Korean broadcaster MBN, without specifying who gave them the information.
“We have completed the analysis of a total of 17 samples, including feathers and blood,” it said.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport declined to confirm the report when asked by AFP.
South Korean and US investigators are still probing the cause of the crash, which prompted a national outpouring of mourning with memorials set up across the country.
Investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the runway barrier as possible issues.
The pilot warned of a bird strike before pulling out of a first landing attempt. The plane crashed on its second attempt when the landing gear did not emerge.
Lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol told reporters last week that “feathers were found” in one of the plane’s recovered engines but cautioned that a bird strike does not lead to an immediate engine failure.
“We need to investigate whether it affected both engines. It is certain that one engine has definitely experienced a bird strike,” he said.
The investigation was further clouded on Saturday when the transport ministry said the black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed flight had stopped recording four minutes before the disaster.
Authorities have raided offices at Muan airport, a regional aviation office in the southwestern county, and Jeju Air’s office in the capital Seoul as part of the investigation.
The land ministry has extended Muan airport’s closure until January 19.


Police detain suspect in stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan

Police detain suspect in stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan
Updated 17 January 2025
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Police detain suspect in stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan

Police detain suspect in stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan
  • Police were seen escorting a man wearing a white T-shirt, whom the media identified as the suspect
  • Khan, one of Bollywood’s most bankable stars, was taken to hospital Thursday in blood-soaked clothes

MUMBAI: Indian television channels said on Friday police in the financial capital of Mumbai had detained, and were questioning, a suspect in a late-night stabbing attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, but police did not confirm any detention. Khan, 54, was stabbed six times during a burglary attempt at his home in an upscale neighborhood early on Thursday. Doctors who operated on him for wounds to his spine, neck and hands have said he was out of danger.
The India Today channel, among others, showed police escorting a man wearing a white T-shirt into a police-station and identified him as the suspect.
However police officer Dikshit Gedam did not confirm the detention, saying instead there had been no major development.
“There’s no update from yesterday regarding what we said,” Gedam, the senior investigating officer, told Reuters.
The previous day police said they had identified the perpetrator of the apparent robbery attempt, and launched a search for him.
Khan, 54, one of Bollywood’s most bankable stars, who has appeared in many films and television series, had walked into the hospital in blood-soaked clothes, accompanied by his six-year old son, Taimur.
“If the knife had penetrated any further, there would have been an injury to the spine,” Niraj Uttamnani, one of the doctors who treated Khan, told reporters, adding that the actor had escaped by a distance of just 2 mm (0.08 inch).
“He is very fortunate.”
Another doctor, Nitin Dange, added, “He is able to walk, and he is stable.” The attack on Khan, who is the son of India’s former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, shocked the film industry and residents of the city, many of whom called for better policing and security.
In a statement on social media, Khan’s wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, asked media to stop speculating about the case.
“It has been an incredibly challenging day ... and we are still trying to process the events,” the 44-year-old actor said on her Instagram profile.
The couple have two boys, in addition to Khan’s two children from a previous marriage.


Kyiv says Ukraine missiles hit army radars in Russia

Kyiv says Ukraine missiles hit army radars in Russia
Updated 17 January 2025
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Kyiv says Ukraine missiles hit army radars in Russia

Kyiv says Ukraine missiles hit army radars in Russia
  • Kyiv has stepped up its cross border drone and missile attacks on Russian territory
  • Moscow in turn has been targeting Ukrainian energy facilities

KYIV: Ukraine said Friday it had launched a missile strike one day earlier on the western Belgorod region targeting air defense systems and damaging military radars.
Kyiv has stepped up its cross border drone and missile attacks on Russian territory and said this week it had launched its largest barrage of the war on military sites and energy installations over the border.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote on social media that missile units had carried out “precision strikes” on Russian military targets in Belgorod, which borders Ukraine.
It said it had attacked air defense systems under the 568th anti-aircraft missile regiment and claimed that an S-400 radar had been damaged alongside equipment linked to another brigade.
There was no immediate response from Moscow to the claims, which could not be verified by AFP.
Moscow in turn has been targeting Ukrainian energy facilities and this week launched dozens of missiles and drones at sites mainly in western Ukraine near the border with Poland.
Kyiv said Friday that its air defense systems had shot down 33 Russian drones over 11 Ukrainian region at night.


German prosecutor says currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect

German prosecutor says currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect
Updated 17 January 2025
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German prosecutor says currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect

German prosecutor says currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect
  • Christian Brueckner was formally identified in 2020 as a suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann
  • British toddler disappeared from her bedroom in 2007 during a family holiday in Portugal

LONDON: The German prosecutor investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann has said there is currently no prospect of charges being brought against the main suspect in the case, Sky News reported on Friday.
Christian Brueckner was formally identified in 2020 as a suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from her bedroom in 2007 during a family holiday in Portugal. He denies any involvement.
Brueckner, a convicted child abuser and drug trader, is currently serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for raping a woman in the part of Portugal’s Algarve region where McCann went missing. His sentence runs until September 2025.
In October, Brueckner was acquitted of unrelated charges of rape and sexual abuse of children by a German court, raising the possibility that he will be released from jail this year.
“There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case,” German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said in an interview published by Sky News on Friday. He added that as things stand Brueckner would be released in early September.
McCann, then aged 3, disappeared from her bedroom during a family holiday in the resort town of Praia da Luz while her parents were dining with friends nearby. Her fate remains a mystery and no body has ever been found.
German police said in June 2020 that McCann was assumed dead and that Brueckner, in his 40s, was likely responsible for it,
The prosecutor said he could apply for a new arrest warrant for Brueckner to remain in custody beyond September. One of Brueckner’s lawyers, cited by Sky News, said the defense team would oppose such appeal.