A reprieve for business – but not for the regime 2009-04-03 09:49 Ill-fated April with its planned protest actions has now arrived. The authorities are affirming again and again that they will not be stepping down, but they are more than happy to discuss economic issues. That is probably why in the last few days businessmen have started talking about the need for a financial amnesty. Many people think that the tax burdens of previous years are merely putting a brake on business during the crisis. So will the leadership provide an “amnesty” for businessmen or not?

The patriarch warns that Georgia is at the end of its tether 2009-03-31 15:00 Georgia has frozen in anticipation of the April rallies. Now people in Tbilisi reply to the question – how are things? – by saying: We’re waiting for 9th April. At the same time, neither the regime nor the opposition intends to make any concessions. On 29th March the opposition presented its tactic for fighting the regime – to strive for regime change with their bare hands, without any weapons. The ruling majority warns: “the opposition is creating the threat that the political processes could get out of control”. The situation in Georgia has become so strained that the most influential body, the Patriarchy, has got involved.

Return of Varlam Aravidze 2009-03-30 15:35 Tengiz Abuladze’s “Repentance” film is forgotten by many. It‘s a pity as for today’s Georgia this cult Perestroika movie is again up-to-date. It seems Abuladze, a brilliant director foresaw the return of Varlam Aravidze, the protagonist, to Georgia.

April 9 from the height of Kremlin towers 2009-03-30 11:52 Mikheil Saakashvili’s propaganda engine makes use of Vakhtang Kikabidze in the image of Imedi. In his interview with the channel the elderly artist stated that Russia was only waiting for something to happen in Georgia. Georgia Times has found it out from the experts what Moscow really wants.

An operation to disarm the Georgian opposition 2009-03-27 18:00 The Georgian opposition has started talking about repressive measures. This is how they have viewed the arrests of members of Burjanadze’s party whom the police accuse of purchasing weapons. The party’s office in the Isani-Samgori district, where one of the recordings was made, has been closed. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has demonstrated video clips of secret talks. One of the accused has partly admitted his guilt. Could Saakashvili achieve his goal if one of the candidates for his position – Nino Burjanadze – is effectively discredited in the eyes of the public and falls out of the running in the presidential race?

Sasha Glukhov as a symbol of an unfinished war 2009-03-27 15:51 The story of young Sergeant Glukhov seems more and more like a TV drama. News agencies are writing about him again and again, and programmes are even being made about him. It’s something like “Santa Barbara” which once caused a sensation as it blazed a trail for low-grade soap operas onto our screens. Only the hero of the current “serial” is a village lad from Udmurtia and it has not yet been decided what he should be called: in Georgia he is a hero, but the Russians regard him as a deserter.

Russia’s hand reaching out to Washington and Brussels 2009-03-26 12:49 With the coming of US new president Obama, a Democrat, who replaced Bush Junior, a Republican, the attitude of the American administration to Saakashvili’s regime starts getting more critical if not rational which is demonstrated in recent US publications the authors of which do not consider the Rose Revolution in Tbilisi the apotheosis of democracy in the Caucasus.

According to Georgian intelligence officers 2009-03-25 10:21 The authorities have used the head of the foreign intelligence service, Gele Bezhuashvili, who has spoken about the “Kremlin’s treacherous plans” for regime change, as “heavy artillery”. The opposition was not slow to respond. The head of the state security service from the early 1990s, Irakli Batiashvili, told the public about the authorities’ no less treacherous plans to use force against demonstrators.

Georgia is a big jet with a dead engine 2009-03-24 14:00 “Now Georgia, our country, looks like a big jet with a dead engine. We are seated inside, the citizens – its healthy and unhealthy part. And the jet’s owner is Mikheil Saakashvili. And in this seemingly hopeless situation all depends on solidarity and unity of the people, i.e.passengers”, - this vivid comparison was presented by Levan Gachechiladze, one of the leaders of the United Georgian opposition.