Economy Minister: Gov’t will work closely with private sector to address food prices

The French President was seen again wearing aviator sunglasses. Emmanuel Macron delivered his speech at the Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) on Tuesday 20 January with his eyes masked, due to a minor ailment. On Thursday, the Head of State had already appeared with his right eye reddened and partly bloodshot, during his New Year's address to the Armed Forces. At the time, he ironically referred to the "eye of the tiger", "a sign of determination", and a reference to Georges Clemenceau, nicknamed "the Tiger", a historic figure reputed to embody French determination during the First World War."I apologise for the unsightliness of my eye", he declared before an audience of senior officers at the Istres air base (South of France), used for nuclear deterrence. "It's just something totally harmless", the Head of State said, arriving at the base with his eyes hidden behind his thick aviator's glasses. A small vessel in the eye bled, "totally benign", according to the Elysée chief medical officer.At a meeting organised at the Élysée Palace on Friday on the institutional future of New Caledonia, Emmanuel Macron was also wearing his bluish sunglasses. "Please excuse me for these glasses, which are linked to a benign problem", he repeated, according to Le Parisien. This time the President of the Republic had continued: "I'm obliged to wear them for a while, so you'll have to put up with me like this."

All eyes were on Davos this morning as world leaders waited to find out how far Trump was prepared to go to acquire Greenland. In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Trump said he was seeking "immediate negotations" to take control of the Arctic territory, but ruled out using "excessive force" to do so. The US president had threatened to impose 10% tariffs on eight European allies if they opposed his plans. But in a bombshell announcement this evening, Trump confirmed this was no longer the case and his latest tariff threats were off the table. He also announced the "framework of a future deal" for Greenland, following a "very productive meeting" with Secretary General of Nato Mark Rutte. US markets rose sharply following the announcement, which may also offer some relief for the US's European allies. But the news still poses more questions than answers, leaving allies guessing what exactly what role the US might have in the island terrority going forward, writes the BBC's Washington correspondent. We're now pausing our live coverage, but you can read more here:  

During his visit to Qatar, Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani met with Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs in Qatar.Chikovani expressed his gratitude for Qatar’s support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The ministers highlighted the importance of their bilateral relationship and shared optimism that the positive momentum in their cooperation will continue to grow.According to the Georgian Ministry of Defence, they discussed specific areas of defence cooperation that could further strengthen the partnership between the two nations.Chikovani’s visit to Doha was at the invitation of his Qatari counterpart. In turn, he extended an invitation to Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to visit Georgia. As part of his programme, the Georgian Defence Minister also attended the International Military Exhibition in Doha.

Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Davit Songhulashvili said the public will be informed of the specific results of the Government Coordination Commission on Food Prices by the end of April.Speaking after an organizational meeting of the commission, Songhulashvili noted that members discussed the overall action plan and the procedures for carrying out the work. He said meetings with all relevant stakeholders have been scheduled to review the action plan and identify key outcomes to be achieved.“The plan and the working process were discussed at the organizational meeting, and meetings with all participating parties have been planned to determine the results that are important to achieve through the work of this commission,” Songhulashvili said.The Government Coordination Commission on Food Prices, chaired by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, will also address issues related to medicine and fuel prices. This decision was made during the commission’s first session, held at the Government Administration.During the meeting, commission members reviewed the action plan for the coming weeks, which includes consultations with manufacturers, retail chain representatives, and distribution companies.The commission will work in coordination with the relevant parliamentary commission and is expected to complete its activities by the end of April. Throughout the process, the public will be provided with detailed information on product pricing, cost components, and potential unjustified price increases on a gradual basis. Commission members expect that price reductions may begin gradually alongside the ongoing work.

“Salome Zourabichvili was created solely because they know that Saakashvili is unpopular in certain circles, especially among young people, he has blood on his hands,” said First Vice-Speaker Gia Volski.He explained that Zourabichvili’s charter failed, primarily due to fraud and political incompetence.“There were several attempts to rally the opposition around Salome Zourabichvili. It so happened that people who had cursed her with foul and last words later came forward and signed a charter recognising her leadership. She was supposed to name the government, appoint the head of an interim cabinet, select ministers, and essentially act as a unifying figure for those aspiring towards Europe. They devised this charter, everyone signed it, but they failed to unite because it was based on deception and political dishonesty. Salome Zourabichvili could not create that unity.The opposition might have a prospect for unity, but despite this, the fundamental idea remains unchanged. Salome Zourabichvili was merely a construct, created because Saakashvili is unpopular in certain circles, especially among the youth, because he bears blood on his hands. They seek to bring in figures like Zourabichvili and Paata Burchuladze, who are supposedly internationally renowned. A person walking around with the flag of the president and claiming to be the president also speaks to certain psychological issues. Such a person cannot be a true leader, and even if they were, they wouldn’t be able to implement anything new, apart from propagating a revolutionary plan aimed at destroying Georgia.Who, then, can truly unite this fragmented opposition? Zodelava and Burchuladze? Or Burchuladze alone? Saakashvili, Zourabichvili, Tina Bokuchava — who else? Who can be considered a genuine unifying force? Everyone is the same; putting any one of them in charge doesn’t change the plan. The overall strategy remains the same regardless of who is leading.So in reality, Salome Zourabichvili’s card has already been played, and I believe she is fully aware of this herself. There’s nothing left but to shout every day that she is the President of Georgia,” Volski concluded.