NEWS

ENKA: Namakhvani HPP Will No Longer be Built

BY ANA DUMBADZE

ENKA Renewables has terminated its contract with the state of Georgia, which means that a hydroelectric power plant will no longer be built in Namakhvani, near the city of Kutaisi.

The relevant statement was issued by ENKA INSAAT, the parent company of ENKA.

The statement reads that the reason for the decision is a violation of the terms of the contract and a force majeure.

“Our company’s 90% owned subsidiary, ENKA Renewables LLC, has notifi ed the State of Georgia to terminate the Build-Operate Agreement that was signed with the Georgian State within the scope of the development, construction, ownership and operation of the Namakhvani Cascade HEPP Project in Georgia on April 25, 2019, for long-standing breaches of contract and force majeure,” reads the statement.

Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Georgian Dream party, calls Enka’s decision to terminate the construction of Namakhvani HPP “unfortunate.”

“It was obviously a move made by the company itself. Ensuring energy independence is one of our top priorities. This is a bad signal for further investments, however, the Georgian government will do its best to make large investments, specifi cally in the fi eld of energy. The government has a 10-year action plan, including in the fi eld of energy, and it is planned to attract billions of dollars in investments in this fi eld,” Kobakhidze said.

Nona Gaprindashvili - The Real Queen of Chess

Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Nona Gaprindashvili says it was a lie to suggest she had never played men. SPLASH NEWS /ALAMY

BY HELENA BEDWELL

My entire family are movie buffs. We like watching movies in cinemas or on TV via Netfl ix or YouTube. My son, a moviemaker himself, often discusses new or old movies and the values they carry and make for our society, especially those based on real stories and historical events; otherwise, he says, what is the point of them?

As a multi-national family, we easily get excited when the small country of Georgia gets a rare international mention. Still, I usually fi nd a lack of knowledge or poor research behind those references when it does get shown or talked about. We try to ignore it, because bad PR is better than no PR. Once, I was re-watching a James Bond movie and had to pause it, because the beautiful actress Femke Janssen and Bond refered to my native language Georgian as Russian. I wondered how I could have missed this slip when the movie came out long before, or how such a powerful blockbuster team could have missed such a simple mistake. This was a crucial point for me, and I decided to take on a quest to spotlight such mistakes everywhere I saw them. Another example- several documentaries on various channels have spoken about the Golden Fleece legend incorrectly, claiming it as Greek, and our food as “unidentifi ed Caucasian fl avors”.

So, should we interfere with someone’s intellectual property? Do we have any say about a fi ctional movie or even YouTube content? When do we say “enough is enough”? It seems that Nona Gaprindashvili, the legendary female world chess champion, has got to that point. As someone who defeated men and became the fi rst woman to be named a Grandmaster, Nona has taken on Netflix in an extraordinary battle. The lawsuit, fi led last week in Los Angeles and seeking $5 million, demands they fi x Nona’s falsifi ed image as someone who, prior to 1968, had never faced male competitors in chess; further, that she is mentioned as “Russian”. Continued on page 10

Corona Updates: Vaccination Rate Alarmingly Low; Politics “Interfering” with the Vaccine Promotion Process

Image source: Getty Images

BY ANA DUMBADZE

Following the recent decrease in newly detected coronavirus cases and fatalities, the vaccination rate has signifi cantly dropped in Georgia.

Health offi cials are alarmed, and are calling on the population to get vaccinated.

“There is a serious need to stimulate the vaccination program,” said Tamar Gabunia, Georgia’s deputy health minister.

However, contrary to their calls, last week, billboards promoting the vaccination process in Georgia were replaced by political images aimed against the opposition United National Movement party. The NCDC called for the immediate restoration of the vaccine-supporting posters.

Meanwhile, various organizations are trying to improve the situation and fi ght the population’s distrust towards vaccines and vaccination. One example can be found in UNICEF, whose representatives recently visited the Guria region within the teachers’ vaccination campaign aimed at safe school reopening.

“As frontline workers, it is important that teachers have access to vaccinations for safe school reopening. Teachers from Ozurgeti, Lanchkhuti and Chokhatauri municipalities attended the info sessions and received answers from prominent doctors,” UNICEF announced.

After the meeting, many teachers got vaccinated against Covid-19. The meeting was organized by UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science, and the NCDC.

Earlier this month, UNICEF also visited the Kakheti region to promote the vaccination process among local teachers. The campaign is expected to continue across the country.

Moreover, to help Georgia fi ght the pandemic, the EU, four UN organizations (WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS) and the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia launched a new initiative, “Minimizing the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in Georgia through telemedicine and digital health solutions”.

Under this new EU-UN action, 200 rural facilities will receive basic equipment, and another 50 will receive telemedicine equipment to support the safe management of Covid-19, while also ensuring uninterrupted and expanded access to care for persons with chronic conditions, and provision of routine health services for children.

Regarding fatalities caused by the disease, unfortunately, the number of young people, and even children becoming victims is increasing in the country. This is obviously related to the spread of the more aggressive Delta variant and other new strains.

On September 20, infant twins infected with coronavirus, who were being treated in the intensive care unit of the Beaumonde Clinic in Kutaisi, died. The twins had been at the medical facility for more than a month. Both of them were infected with coronavirus at birth and developed Covid pneumonia.

A 33-year old woman died this week due to a blood clot which developed after her being infected with and then recovering from coronavirus.

THE STATISTICS

Georgia reported 2470 coronavirus cases, 2243 recoveries, and 46 deaths on Tuesday. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 705 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 492 cases, and the Kakheti region with 319 cases.

The country reported 2016 coronavirus cases, 2024 recoveries, and 43 deaths on Wednesday. Tbilisi recorded 708 cases, Imereti 289 cases and Kakheti 301 cases.

There were 1653 new cases, 2646 recoveries and 47 deaths on Thursday, with 28,553 tests having been conducted.

Coronavirus detection rates in the country are: 6.85% in the last 14 days, 6.44% in the last seven days.

A total of 602,065 cases of coronavirus infection have been identifi ed in Georgia since February 2020, of which 570,443 people have recovered and 8711 have died.

THE GLOBAL SITUATION

There has been important international news this week, regarding both Covid-19 and the vaccination process. European allies.

From November, foreign travelers will be allowed to fl y into the US if they are fully vaccinated, and will have to undergo testing and contact tracing, the BBC reported.

The US has had tough restrictions on travel in place since early last year.

“The current rules bar entry to most non-US citizens who have been in the UK and a number of other European countries, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil within the last 14 days.

“Under the new rules, foreign travelers will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before fl ying, obtain a negative Covid-19 test result within three days of traveling, and provide their contact information. They will not be required to quarantine,” reports the BBC.

ITALY

Based on the same source, Italy is to make it compulsory for all workers to have a Covid "green pass" - proof of vaccination, a negative test, or recovery from the virus. Anyone without a pass will reportedly face suspension from work and may have their pay stopped after fi ve days.

The measures are a fi rst for Europe, and are some of the strictest in the world.

They are due to come into force on October 15, and aim to boost vaccinations in a country that has been badly hit by the virus.

School staff are also required to show a pass, and some teachers have reportedly been turned away from work.

ARMENIA

“In Armenia, a new bill presented to the Armenian parliament would mandate all state employees to either be vaccinated or submit bi-weekly PCR tests. Some have raised complaints that highranking offi cials, including ministers, MPs, and judges, would be exempted,” OC Media reported this week.

If the bill passes, it would come into force on October 1 and would apply to all individuals working for the government, including municipal employees, as well as privately employed individuals in several sectors, among them industrial production, construction, transport, retail, and education.

Reportedly, pregnant women and those who have permission to forgo the vaccine for health reasons would also be exempted.