Caucasus Reports: News from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Ethnic Armenians talk about their expectations

gipajournos — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:42:32 +0000

Tamara Hakobyan and Anna Karamyan talked with the ethnic Armenians living in the border village of Georgia, Shahumian, about their expectations from the local government elections on May 30.

Azerbaijanis vote in Marneuli

gipajournos — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:46:43 +0000

There's still a lot to be done, says the text in Azeri, referring to National Movements' election slogan

Different violation reports and interesting observations came from Marneuli, read Reshad Aliyev’s blogpost and check out videos, documenting violations on EyesonGeorgia blog.

Georgia – Local Government Elections

gipajournos — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:13:27 +0000

Georgia’s local governmet elections on May 30, 2010, which attracted huge interest of both, international and national observers, also resonated in the social media. Besides regular updates on Central Election Commission website, several websites have been collecting and updating information about the violations during the election day. Students from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, studying at the Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management, who covered elections for GIPA radio, also reported on their blogs.

Sopho Datishvili’s writes about high turnout of young voters, while Ina Charkviani talks about low interest of citizens in voting.

Georgia: Rebuilding and Preserving Tbilisi’s Old Town

gipajournos — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:00:06 +0000

Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi is known for it’s distinctive, elegant architecture, particularly the city’s old town district. A new city government program is committing a portion of the city budget to reconstructing the old town, and preserving the original architecture.

GIPA reporting ii student Salome Khundadze writes more on her blog.

Georgia: Channel 2 now offers 24-hour politics

gipajournos — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:56:08 +0000

In an attempt to give more television time to all political parties, Channel 2 is now offering 24-hour political news, including a daily show that is dedicated to covering opposition programming.

Tbilisi: Will voter threshold guarantee a fair mayor’s race in May?

gipajournos — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:00:24 +0000

For the first this May, Tbilisi voters will not only directly elect a mayor, but he or she also must get at least 30 percent of the vote to take office.

Will this 30 percent minimum threshold help guarantee a fair election in a country with a spotty fair-election record? GIPA student Zura Balanchivadze examines the issue here.

Georgia: The Battle Over Tbilisi’s Apollo Theatre

gipajournos — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:40:48 +0000

Tbilisi's Art Nouveau Apollo Cinema during it's heyday.

GIPA student Lika Zakashvili reports on why a group of architects is actively fighting a proposed plan to add an extra floor to Tbilisi’s first movie theatre, the now defunct Apollo Theatre.

Oh Baby! Fighting the Population Drop and Protecting unborns from HIV

gipajournos — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:21:48 +0000

Oh baby! Two takes on the baby bust from GIPA reporting ii students:

Sopo Datishvili explores the Georgian patriarch’s unique response to Georgia’s dramatically dropping population rate.

Ulviyya Guliyeva offers a cautionary tale on why getting HIV-testing is so critical during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy!

Georgia: What does Tourism need to Flourish?

gipajournos — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:22:47 +0000

Since Georgia’s August 2008 war, a growing tourism trend was nipped in the bud. How best to grow this fledgling field?

Read GIPA reporting II student Nana Mghebrishvili’s story from Tbilisi here.

Georgia: Artists and Artisans

gipajournos — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:07:13 +0000

Gela Jincheradze's strong artistic vision.

Read about two unusual Georgians, one an artist, the other a craftsman.

Fourty-four year old Gela Jincheradze’s paintings are engaging and true, despite — or maybe because of — his struggle with a life long mental illness. Click here for GIPA student Ina Charkviana’s sensitive profile and of course, many photos of Gela’s work.

Meanwhile, GIPA student Nino Burjanadze meets with young metal engraver Giorgi Sherozia, the child of refugees from the 1992 Abkhazian conflict whose family never managed to get back on their feet financially. Giorgi received his training from a vocational program set up by the Norwegian refugee Council. Read the story here.