As strong winds continue to lash the western parts of the country, a young man was reported dead, after a tree fell on his car. There are reports of notable damage to property, some households were left without electricity and natural gas. The eastern regions and the capital are suffering from light snow and freezing temperatures, and sheet ice has reportedly complicated traffic on highways and roads.
President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned nine convicts. They will be released from the penitentiary establishments later in the day. President traditionally exercises her Constitutional right to a pardon during the New Year’s holidays. The candidacies for the presidential pardon are prepared by a special commission. No personal details of the pardoned convicts were released.
Don’t miss a beat!
The municipal authorities have urged the residents of Georgia’s mountainous town of Mestia to disconnect power-hungry electronic appliances. The list of appliances includes refrigerators, electric heaters, and – interestingly – “bitcoin miners.” These high-performance computers are used to conduct complex mathematical operations to develop codes for crypto-currency. The “mining”, driven by subsidized electricity prices, became widespread in Mestia and provide an important side income to families. Interestingly, occupied Abkhazia, where the electricity is similarly subsidized – by Tbilisi – is also having a sizeable “mining” problem, that reportedly partially caused the recent protracted power outages.
Fact of the Day
Georgia’s foreign trade turnover increased by 32.8% in 2022, amounting to USD 19.04 billion, reports main statistics body. Meanwhile, the trade deficit reached USD 7.85 billion, 41.3% of the total turnover.
