Georgia
Over 70 arrested in Georgian police operation against mafia in Adjara
Among those detained were alleged high-ranking members of the post-Soviet mafia network known as ‘thieves-in-law’.
OC Media
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Ilia II
Obituary | Patriarch Ilia II — the one constant in Georgia’s modern history
Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, has died, leaving behind a troubled legacy after 48 years of leading the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Daily Brief
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Armenia * Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi during his official visit to Oman. According to the Armenian readout, they discussed ‘prospects for expanding cooperation in a number of areas of mutual interest’. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on holding political consultations between Foreign Ministries of the two countries. * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a Security Council meeting yesterd
The Georgian Orthodox Church
Patriarch of Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II dies at 93
Ilia II passed away on Tuesday evening after being admitted into intensive care with abdominal bleeding earlier that day.
Daily Brief
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Regional * Earlier in March, former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan ‘attempted to deliver a public address’ to Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Defender Sabina Aliyeva during a phone call with his family, but the call was ‘forcibly’ cut off, relatives say. They add he had spent 10 days unsuccessfully trying to contact her. Vardanyan is serving a 20-year sentence in Azerbaijan on war crimes charges, which he denies. Armenia * The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas has reaffirmed that th
Georgia
International anti-doping agency finds numerous violations in Georgian rugby team
A representative of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the organisation had ‘lost confidence’ in the Georgian anti-doping agency.
