Georgian President grants pardons to 59 individuals in honour of St. Nino’s Day

NISCEMI, Italy, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Homes in the Sicilian town of Niscemi have been left teetering on the edge of a cliff after a landslide that was triggered by a storm, Italy's civil protection chief said on Tuesday. Niscemi, a town of about 25,000 in south-central Sicily, sits on a plateau that authorities say is gradually collapsing toward the plain below. More than 1,500 people have had to be evacuated. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.Buildings were overhanging the edge after large sections of the slope gave way. A car was left with its front end poking into the chasm."Let's be clear: there are homes on the edge of the landslide that are uninhabitable," the civil protection head Fabio Ciciliano told reporters in Niscemi, saying residents from the affected areas would be permanently relocated. "Once the water has drained away and the moving section has stopped or slowed, a more accurate assessment will be made ... The landslide is still active," he added. On Monday, the Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria, the three southern regions battered by the violent storm last week.Item 1 of 3 A drone picture shows houses perched along the edge of a cliff after a landslide in Niscemi, Sicily, Italy, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Danilo ArnoneA drone picture shows houses perched along the edge of a cliff after a landslide in Niscemi, Sicily, Italy, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Danilo Arnone Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabExtreme weather events have become more frequent in Italy in recent years. Floods have devastated cities across the country, killing dozens of people and amplifying risks of landslides and floods also in historically less exposed areas.The administration set aside 100 million euros ($119 million) for the initial needs of the areas worst hit by the recent storm. But local authorities estimate damage at over 1 billion euros after powerful winds and waves pushed the sea inland overwhelming coastal defences, destroying homes and businesses. In Niscemi, the sudden evacuations have fuelled anxiety and anger among residents, some of whom say earlier landslides went unaddressed. "I have been told that I have to leave, even though I don’t have anything (collapse) in the house or underneath," Francesco Zarba said. "We had the first landslide 30 years ago, and no one ever did anything."source of information:https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/landslide-leaves-sicilian-town-teetering

First Vice Speaker Gia Volski said he could not predict what instructions Ukraine’s newly-appointed ambassador to Georgia received from the Ukrainian President. However, he said he hoped that the new ambassador would orient his activities on restoring Georgia-Ukraine relations “sooner or later.”“It was a very difficult period when Zelenskyy appeared at rallies organized by radicals, called on people to confront the government, and recalled the ambassador because Georgia did not engage in the war. Relations with the Ukrainian administration remain a hard legacy. This was created for their own reasons. Later, they admitted that nobody gave them security guarantees and could not renounce joining NATO. They also said they engaged them in a war when negotiations were impossible. They caused various problems to Europe, the Caucasus, the region, and their own people, Ukrainian families. I hope the instructions the new ambassador received will be oriented on restoring relations sooner or later,” he said.According to Gia Volski, recalling the Ambassador was a hostile move; Such moves should end, and relations between the government should improve.“Our political support to Ukraine in different formats is outstanding and should be valued. Despite this, a negative attitude stands. I find it inconceivable not to mention the very bad legacy that has been created in official relations between Ukraine and Georgia to this day. It is an extremely difficult situation. More statements are likely to follow on the goals of the new ambassador. Recalling the Ambassador was a hostile move. Such moves should end, and relations between the governments must improve.We never cut off relations with the Ukrainian people and provided substantial political and humanitarian support. In Ukraine, they are not informed that Ukrainian children study here and that we organized camps for them here. I have accurate information that anti-Georgian propaganda is going on in Ukraine every day. Friends notify us that hostile statements against Georgia are made there daily. They basically attack the government, but the situation is unfavourable. The propaganda field is complicated, and they are in a toxic situation with regard to Georgia. I hope that the processes will develop in such a way that we will restore political relations sooner or later,” he concluded.President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Mykhailo Brodowich as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Georgia.

Based on the analytical report from the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), by the end of December 2025, the volume of deposits placed in commercial banks (excluding interbank deposits) amounted to 66.93 billion GEL, which is an increase of 1.23 billion GEL, or 1.87% than at the end of November.According to the NBG, the increase in total deposits, excluding exchange rate effect, reached 15.78%. In December, compared to the previous month, term deposits decreased by 447.02 million GEL, or 1.42%, while demand deposits increased by 1.68 billion GEL, or 4.90%.The NBG further noted that the deposit Larization ratio amounted to 52.27 per cent by the end of December 2025. Compared to the end of November, the deposit Larization increased by 0.18 percentage points.In December, the average annual weighted market interest rate on term deposits amounted to 7.49%, including 9.34% on deposits placed in national currency and 2.60% on deposits placed in foreign currency. The share of USD in foreign currency deposits was 78.27%, while the share of Euros was 20.07%.

According to Mariam Kvrivishvili, Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, a productive meeting was held between members of the Cross-Government Coordination Commission on Food Prices and Georgian producers. The gathering reaffirmed the challenges identified by the Georgian government that contribute to the high cost of consumer goods.“Furthermore, these challenges also result in fewer Georgian-made products in our markets. This situation directly reflects the difficulties faced daily by local producers,” Mariam Kvrivishvili remarked.The meeting, led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, was attended by representatives of approximately 25 Georgian manufacturing companies. A key focus was placed on the current state of the market for Georgian-made products and how to strengthen their presence.The Minister emphasised that the government must protect the interests of the people by actively working to reduce the prices of consumer goods.“It is equally important to reduce our dependence on imports, support the production of local products, and ensure that Georgian goods dominate retail chains over foreign, imported alternatives. Such measures will undoubtedly foster economic growth, create jobs, and benefit small and medium-sized entrepreneurs,” Mariam Kvrivishvili concluded.

On January 26, customs officers of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, together with more than 180 member administrations of the World Customs Organization (WCO), celebrated International Customs Day.In 2026, the slogan of International Customs Day is “Customs – Protecting Society”.Customs officers were congratulated on their professional day by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Minister of Finance, Lasha Khutsishvili, as well as the Head of the Revenue Service, Irakli (Dachi) Beraia, and the Head of the Customs Department, Mikheil Chokoshvili.As part of the event dedicated to International Customs Day, guests heard a video greeting from the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, Ian Saunders.For the worthy performance of official duties and close cooperation, certificates of honor established by the World Customs Organization were awarded to 20 customs officers of the Customs Department.It is noteworthy that within the framework of the event, based on the close partnership between the Customs Administration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the Certificate of Honor established by the WCO was awarded to the Central Criminal Police Department.The Revenue Service congratulates each customs officer and the world customs community on their professional day.