VIDEO: BlackSea Blues. Can Europe's most polluted sea be saved? By Jonah Fisher & Abdujalil A @JonahFisherBBC @abdujalil via @BBCWorld

Scientists are shocked at what they find in the polluted Waters, but say there is hope.

"For decades, the Black Sea’s been treated as a dumping ground for waste from east Europe. Things were so bad that part of the sea was considered almost dead. But are there any prospects to save it? Jonah Fisher I travelled across region to find answers." Abdujalil A @abdujalil

POLYPHONY: The Song Hunters - Suppression and Survival. By Sam Lee via @BBCRadio4

Podcast >> bbc.co.uk
 
Singer and song collector Sam Lee travels to Tbilisi to explore the ancient polyphonic folk songs and sacred chants of Georgia. He discovers a nation where singing is in the blood.

With some of Georgia's finest singers and musicologists as his guides, Sam is introduced to the ritualistic folk songs that are said to the control the weather and even cure the sick. He is invited to a feast, high on a mountainside above Tbilisi, where he meets the Chamgelianis - a singing family from the remote region of Svaneti who are keeping the tradition of age-old pre-Christian folk songs alive.

At the beautiful Kashveti Church in the heart of Tbilisi, Sam meets singer and ethno-musicologist John Graham who introduces him to the liturgical chanting tradition. These orthodox Christian chants feature sacrosanct melodies that are said to have been passed down by God and transmitted orally over the centuries.

Bordered by powerful neighbours including Russia and Turkey, Georgia has been attacked and invaded persistently over the centuries, its traditional songs suppressed. Sam learns that, under Soviet rule, sacred chanting was banned in Georgia and chanters threatened with exile and even death. Practitioners were forced to go underground from the early 1920s.

The tradition might have died out entirely were it not for the efforts of a single monk who buried manuscripts containing the forbidden sacred songs in order to keep them safe. Many years later, following the end of the Soviet stranglehold, the buried manuscripts were rediscovered and became the backbone of a chant revival that has seen Georgian singing spread around the world.

Presenter: Sam Lee
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4

TEDxTbilisi: Why journalism needs a revolution. By Natalia Antelava, @antelava (tedxtbilisi.com/2015)

(tedxtbilisi.com/2015) Why do stories in the news seem to suddenly appear from nowhere? And has the misuse of the Internet made this phenomenon worse? Award-winning journalist Natalia Antelava argues that reporters need to take a longer view, and stay with stories before and after they make international headlines.

Natalia Antelava is an award-winning journalist and a co-founder of Coda Story, a web platform for covering crises. She started her career freelancing in West Africa but has since been BBC's resident correspondent in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East, Washington DC and most recently India. She has reported undercover from Burma, Yemen and Uzbekistan, and her investigations into human rights abuses in Central Asia, Iraq and the United States have won a number of awards.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx



More links: 

natalia antelava (@antelava) | Twitter 
About Coda Story Natalia Antelava. A co-founder of Cod 
Natalia Antelava: "Jedes komplexe Problem ist ein Thema für Coda" (vocer.org)
scoopcamp.de/natalia-antelava

CULTURE: Long-awaited Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre opens after renovation works (georgianjournal.ge)

(georgianjournal.ge) We are extremely glad to announce that one of the main cultural heritages of Georgia, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre will officially open on January 30, 2016 after its major renovation that lasted for 6 years. This unique opera will offer the public updated opera and ballet productions such as iconic opera Abesalom and Eteri as well as premiere of Gorda, a restored production of legendary late dancer and choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani's 1949 classic.
 

Tbilisi’s opera has a very interesting story. Originally the city’s first opera was opened on November 8 1851 on the Liberty Square. Italian architect Giovanni Scudieri, who had come to Tiflis from Odessa, was hired to oversee the project. Unfortunately in 1874 the theatre was completely destroyed by a massive fire that also devastated its unique and huge ton and a half luster that was ordered by the Russian Chief Governor of the Caucasus, Mikhail Vorontsov from France and cost 9400 francs. The luster was shipped from Marseilles to Poti port in Georgia. The parts of the luster were packed in 12 big boxes and brought to Tbilisi by carriages. As it is known, the part of the luster broke on the road, so they had to order it again. Sadly, the fire claimed the entire hall, foyer, as well as the large beautiful curtain that was decorated by Grigol Gagarin.
 

It is noteworthy that Alexandre Dumas, famous French writer was so fascinated by the Georgian theatre that even wrote about it in his book. In 1856 the writer wrote in his book named “Adventures in the Caucasus” while his stay in Tbilisi: “The balconies were decorated with Arabic carvings instead of ornaments, the curtain was beautifully adorned, and the stage itself looked more like a fairy palace, and not because of its expensive decorations, but for its sophisticated taste…I thought I was at the theatre of Pompey. I have never seen such an impressive hall of the theater in my life….”

The present theatre was opened in 1896 and seated 1200 people. The building was distinguished for its design that consisted of Islamic elements. Strange as it may sound the second building of the opera also caught fire in 1973 after which the building was completely reconstructed and renovated by architects Leri Medzmarishvili and Murtaz Chachanidze, yet its eastern pseudo-moorish style was maintained. 

The present crystal luster of Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre was ordered in the glass factory of Austria and was designed by architect Murtaz Chachanidze . The luster weighs 2800 kilos and consists of 740 lamps. As a rule, this beautiful luster is cleaned twice a year and is considered an important event, since the cleaning efforts take one entire day. 
 

In 2010 the building was closed again for a large scale renovation works. The stage has increased in size and more balconies were added to the hall. Beside works on the Theatre's interior, the outer yard space was also widened to accompany the refreshed venue. The renovation project launched with support of the Kartu Fund and was carried out by architect Leri Medzmariashvili. The building was carefully renovated and the old appearance was maintained, however it was refreshed with some modern details as well. It is noteworthy that the old iconic stage curtain by late painter Sergo Kobuladze has been also recreated using cutting edge technology in Germany after the original creation was lost in the devastating fire at the venue in the 1970s.

More links:  
Inside Tbilisi's restored historic opera house [bbc.com]
Long-awaited day arrives: Tbilisi Opera House reopens [agenda.ge] 
Tbilisi to reopen opera house that has survived tsars, Soviets and civil war. By Andrew North [theguardian.com]
Unforgettable First-Night Opera Performance to Open Renovated Tbilisi Opera House [georgiatoday.ge]
Tbilisi Opera reopens after five year maintenance closure [dfwatch.net]
Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre to officially reopen after long renovations [alvertjournal.com]


 

RADIO: James Hopkin - A Georgian Trilogy (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) Short stories by James Hopkin, inspired by his travels in Georgia in autumn 2008 

"As well as a new story, Jonke's Schnitzel, going out on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 28 December at 7-45pm as part of the station's Vienna season, there's also a chance to catch my Georgian Trilogy again on BBC Radio 4 Extra. Each part of the trilogy goes out three times a day. A Peacock in Sulphur (about the painter, Pirosmani) on Christmas Eve at 11am, 9pm, and, er, 4am. The Wurst Express from Kakheti on Christmas Day at the same times. Likewise, 3 times on Boxing Day, The Soul is Missing Fairy Tales! (a line from a poem by Galaktion Tabidze ) I mean, what else are you gonna be doing? " (James Hopkin)




On demand
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast 

Episode guide
  A Peacock in Sulphur
James Hopkin - A Georgian Trilogy Episode 1 of 3
Boxing Day 2014 11:00 BBC Radio 4 Extra
The first of three specially commissioned stories by James Hopkin. Niko Pirosmani was one of Georgia's greatest artists, but was it his art that killed him?
Read by Allan Corduner
Producer:Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.

The Wurst Express From Kakheti
James Hopkin - A Georgian Trilogy Episode 2 of 3
Christmas Day 2014 11:00 BBC Radio 4 Extra
The second of three specially commissioned stories by James Hopkin, inspired by his travels in Georgia.
It is summer 2008 and an impoverished Georgian poet is living in Berlin for three months. He is not expecting to hear shattering news from his homeland.
Read by Tom Goodman-Hill.

The Soul Is Missing Fairy Tales!
James Hopkin - A Georgian Trilogy Episode 3 of 3
Christmas Eve 2014 11:00 BBC Radio 4 Extra
The third of three specially commissioned stories by James Hopkin, inspired by his travels in Georgia in Autumn 2008.
A tour bus of journalists, writers and artists breaks down on the infamous military highway from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi. It is only nine days since the Russian army withdrew from parts of Georgia, but there are rumours of a return.
Read by Ben Miles.

BBC: Georgia's gold mine dilemma. By Rayhan Demytrie (bbc.com)

Source & Video: bbc.com/news/world-europe

What is worth more: a unique historic site or gold that lies within it?

That is a question Georgians have been grappling with since their government gave permission for industrial excavation to start at what scientists claim is the oldest known gold mine in the world.

The archaeological area, known as Sakdrisi, is a small grassy hill in the Bolnisi region, in the picturesque foothills of south-eastern Georgia.

For 10 years Professor Thomas Stoellner, a leading specialist in mining archaeology from the University of Bochum, Germany, has been studying the archaeological record at Sakdrisi together with his Georgian colleagues.

"When we went to do the first survey we found hammer stones - typical mining tools - thousands of them," says Prof Stoellner, who believes that tunnels inside the hill date back 5,400 years.

"At once I realised the importance of the site. When we got the first value carbon dates, and they were around 3,000 BC, it was clear that this was an exciting find which had never occurred in pre-historic mining."

Recently discovered artefacts including a unique set of spiral gold earrings found in neighbouring Azerbaijan can be traced to Sakdrisi, according to Prof Stoellner.

'No proof'

The Georgian government used to share this excitement and Sakdrisi was a protected cultural heritage site. But that status has been removed, and Professor Stoellner's views are being challenged.

"It's not proven that Sakdrisi is an ancient gold mine - it's just an assumption," Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili recently said at a meeting with university students.

Does that change in position have much to do with the mine's potential as a source of employment and revenue in the region?

Sakdrisi sits on prime territory licensed to a commercial gold mining company, RMG Gold. The Russian-owned company is a major investor in the Georgian economy.

Mr Garibashvili was keen to emphasise this: "The investor has already invested $300m [£178m; 219m euros] in the Georgian economy. This company has 3,000 employees and those people represent 3,000 families."

According to RMG's commercial director, Soso Tsabadze, their products, which include copper concentrates and gold alloys, make up about 10% of Georgia's total exports.

Although Sakdrisi hill occupies only nine hectares out of 193 hectares of licensed territory, RMG says it is vital for their operation.

"We estimate the area holds a deposit of 14 tonnes of gold, 30% of which lies immediately under the hill." says Mr Tsabadze.

"Initially Sakdrisi was cut out of the licensed territory because of the archaeological site," he explains.

"We sent experts to study how far from the site we could mine. They concluded that we would not be able to use drill and blast methods within one kilometre of the protected site.

They then posed a question: is this really an ancient archaeological site? This was a legitimate question because there was no scientific evidence."

To study the issue, the government appointed a commission, which ruled that there was no scientific proof that Sakdrisi was a gold mine and that its historic status had been granted in "gross violation" of Georgian law.

Protest camp

Civil society activists in Georgia have staged protests against the site's destruction. A few dozen young students have been camped out near Sakdrisi since mid-April.

Organisers of the protests want the government to invite an independent panel of international experts to decide on Sakdrisi.

Marina Mizandari was formerly deputy culture minister. She claims she was fired for criticising the decision to allow mining to proceed at Sakdrisi, and believes there are other ways to develop the region.

"If this archaeological heritage is maintained, it could become an educational scientific centre," she says.

"We have other ancient settlements nearby from the same epoch. We can follow the gold processing step by step, develop cultural tourism and contribute towards the sustainable development of this region."

Activists have also been seeking to attract attention to the mining industry's "disastrous" environmental record in the region, and have highlighted what appears to be poor environmental practice.

A 2012 study by researchers at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University found that heavy metal pollutants from mining processes were entering the river system in Bolnisi.

"Mining is the biggest industry in our country and it's also the biggest pollutant," says Kakha Bakhtadze from the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network.

"The problem with Bolnisi region is that it's one of the main suppliers of agricultural produce to the capital Tbilisi. There are lots of farms here and they use water from heavily polluted local rivers to irrigate their crops."

Priorities

But, RMG director Soso Tsabadze admits, dealing with environmental issues is not a priority. He says the company has already encountered losses due to delays in production over Sakdrisi.

And so, the work is under way. Mud tracks have already been formed in the ground by trucks and digging equipment passing back and forth.

To see the historic site destroyed will be a loss for the scientific community, says Prof Thomas Stoellner. He believes the oldest stages of mining have yet to be discovered: "In Western Europe we solve such problems by doing commercial rescue archaeology - excavate everything, study the details and then, okay, if there is a decision of the government, exploit the field."

The government may have already made its decision but protesters have vowed to stay on. They are hoping an independent panel of experts will be invited to judge whether this ancient mine is worth more than the gold that lies within it. 


Gold rush hits Georgian mountains Watch 22 NOVEMBER 2010, EUROPE

VIDEO: In the Picture: The Sochi Project with Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen (youtube.com)

(youtube.com) Photographer Rob Hornstra and writer/filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen have been working together since 2009 to tell the story of Sochi, Russia, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Together their images and text reveals a telling portrait of this complex region.

In a talk chaired by BBC Radio Current Affairs presenter Lucy Ash, Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen will present images from The Sochi Project and speak about the wider Caucasus region and its contrast with the glamour of the Olympic Games. They will also be discussing their approach to self-publishing.

Both based in the Netherlands, they have returned repeatedly to this region as committed practitioners of "slow journalism". Over four years, they have established a solid foundation of research on, and engagement with, this small yet incredibly complicated corner of the world, documenting changes as it finds itself in the glare of international media.

The Sochi Project is a dynamic mix of documentary photography, film and reportage about a world in flux; a world full of different realities within a small but extraordinary geographic area.

BBC: Georgia's mighty Orthodox Church . By Paul Rimple (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) When several dozen Georgian Orthodox priests led tens of thousands of people on a violent attack against a small group of gay rights activists in Tbilisi earlier this year, much of the rest of the country was horrified, writes journalist Paul Rimple, who has been based in the country for 10 years.

Georgians pride themselves on their reputation for being hospitable and tolerant, and most consider themselves Christian.

While the notion of homosexuality is not widely understood or accepted in this deeply traditional Caucasus nation, most Georgians were appalled by the scenes that unfolded in Tbilisi on 17 May.

And yet, what happened clearly illustrates the importance of the Church in Georgia.

Georgia was an early adopter of Christianity making it a state religion in 337AD. Georgians maintained their faith over the centuries despite the waves of invading hordes, including the armies of Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane. 

Although the Soviets permitted religion to be practised, its reach was severely limited. In 1917, there were 2,455 working churches in Georgia, but by the mid-1980s there were only 80, along with a few monasteries and a seminary. 

"During communism, the church was outdated, something for old ladies," says political analyst Ghia Nodia. 

That attitude quickly changed after independence in 1991, when the elected president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, espoused a philosophy of ethnic nationalism, which the Church embraced.

"During the (Gamsakhurdia) national movement, the concept that real Georgians are Orthodox Christians spread really fast," Mr Nodia says.

Over 80% of Georgia's 4.5 million people say they belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church, however, experts claim only about 15% - 25% actively participate in rituals. 

Nevertheless, the Orthodox Church remains the most trusted institution in Georgia. In a February survey carried out by the Caucasus Resource Research Center (CRRC), 95% of respondents had a favourable opinion of its work.

Beka Mindiashvili, a former theologian who is now head of the Tolerance Center at the public defender's office, attributes such high confidence in the Church to the 80-year-old Patriarch, Ilia II. 

"He possesses all the right attributes. He is charismatic, he speaks slowly and each word is regarded saintly, holy," Mr Mindiashvili says. 

"He is a person for everybody. To a simple person, he speaks simply; to a politician, he speaks politically; to an intellectual, he speaks of Umberto Eco and of classical music. And he acquired absolute power in the Church all by himself."

There were only about 50 priests when Ilia II became patriarch in 1977. Today there are approximately 1,700. 

His first major test in power was in 1997, when a number of anti-ecumenical abbots threatened to break communion with him for being too liberal. He avoided a schism by breaking off ecumenical activities and pursuing what philosopher Zaza Piralishvili calls an "imitation of medieval rhetoric". 

Examples of the Church's ultra-conservative interventions included warnings that yoga was full of false "charms" that lured people away from God as well as a recent mass mobilisation against ID cards after some Georgian Orthodox leaders claimed the cards bore the mark of the anti-Christ. 

The Church is recognised for maintaining a neutral political stance and Ilia II is renowned for playing a significant role as mediator in political confrontations, which in Georgia can easily turn violent. 

Professor Iago Kachkachishvili, head of the sociology department at Tbilisi State University, says the Church's political neutrality is a myth. 

"The Church's influence comes from public opinion," he says. "It uses the trust of the people as a source of strength. And every government and politician uses the Georgian Orthodox Church as a source of legitimacy."

While the constitution stipulates a separation between church and state, a 2002 concordat defined this relationship by granting the Church official recognition in Georgia and a special consultative role in the government, particularly in education. 

In 2009, Mikheil Saakashvili's government awarded the Church a $15m (£10m) grant - three times the amount of the previous year - and presented luxury sports utility vehicles to each of the 10 archbishops.

Despite the lavish gifts, many conservative elements within the Church, who are pro-Russian, openly voiced their displeasure with the president. They saw his pro-Western orientation as a threat to Georgian traditions and the Church's influence on the people.

The clash of ideologies came to head in July 2011, when parliament passed a law allowing religious minority groups in Georgia to be registered as legal entities in public law giving them legal protection previously only enjoyed by the Orthodox Church. 

The move was applauded in the West, but the Georgian Orthodox Church saw this as an infringement on its special status. 

Although Ilia II requested the clergy to maintain neutrality in the 2012 parliamentary elections, many priests broke ranks and openly supported the coalition of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who had provided the funds to build Tbilisi's Sameba Cathedral, the largest church in Georgia. 

But on 13 May, Bidzina Ivanishvili who by now was prime minister, took an independent stance and became the first Georgian politician to declare openly that sexual minorities were equal citizens of this country. 

Three days later, Ilia II called on the authorities to ban the 17 May demonstration. This marked the first open confrontation between church and state and culminated in expletive-shouting priests chasing gay activists down the main streets of the capital. 

Protesters broke through barricades and police were forced to bus the small number of activists out of the area for their protection.

The day after the attacks, Tbilisi artist Magda Guruli joined some 100 people who rallied in the city centre to call for justice. 

She believes the response to the protest was a manifestation of the patriarch's power over the state. 

"I'm here to say give me back my religion," she said. "Orthodoxy is part of our culture, but who are these people who try to influence society and try to influence their thoughts and try to cultivate blind faith?"

BBC: Batumi: One Square Mile of Georgia (bbc.co.uk )

For One Square Mile, Damien McGuiness visits Batumi, Georgia's 'Las Vegas', a Black Sea resort that has been transformed from drab backwater to glitzy gambling town of bright lights and flashy casinos. 

Video are here bbc.co.uk

BBC: The new in place to get married (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) The Georgian resort of Batumi is getting the reputation as the Las Vegas of the Black Sea as couples flock to the pretty coastal city to get married.

Rajan Datar joined a wedding party to see for himself why so many people from as far afield as Italy and the United States are choosing Batumi as the place to get hitched.

BBC: The rappers defining the new Georgia (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) Georgia has seen much change since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the new generation has a very different outlook and experience of life to those who went before.

Rajan Datar meets a group of rappers who look more to the United States than Russia for inspiration and who want to make the most of the party atmosphere of Tbilisi.

BBC: Georgia's polyphonic singers take to the hills (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) Traditional polyphonic singing is one of the Georgia's biggest cultural exports.

Some of the songs go back to the eighth century but Unesco has warned such traditional music is now threatened by an exodus of people from the rural areas and the growing popularity of pop music.

Rajan Datar joined a Georgian choir and team of dancers on a trip to one of Europe's highest villages and even made an attempt at polyphonic singing himself.

PHOTOGRAPHY: In pictures: Georgia by Justyna Mielnikiewicz (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) Justyna Mielnikiewicz moved to Georgia 11 years ago to document life in the Caucasus region. She has also photographed stories in Russia, Central Asia, Ukraine and Turkey. In this scene, children jump off a rock face next to a waterfall in Tbilisi’s Botanical Garden

Gallery here bbc.co.uk

Related Stories Georgia Direct 

Related Internet links Justyna Mielnikiewicz

 

SOCIETY: Why Georgians ‘dine with the dead’ - BBC (georgianews.ge)

(georgianews.ge) BBC reports from Tbilisi, Georgia about common tradition of honouring deceased in certain way during Easter period. “In many Western countries graveyards are seen as sinister or even frightening but not so in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia,” the journalist informs.

“As with other eastern Orthodox countries, it is common for Georgians to honour their deceased relatives by taking food and wine to cemeteries, and having feasts beside the graves. Although practised thoughout the year, Orthodox Easter is one of the busiest times for the tradition”. BBC’s Damien McGuinness joined families in the Georgian capital Tbilisi to find out more about dining with the dead. The Close-up series focuses on aspects of life in countries and cities around the world. What may seem ordinary and familiar to the people who live there can be surprising to those who don't.

CLIP: Georgia's skiing revival (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) Duration: 05:22

The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in the Caucasus Mountains, in the Russian city of Sotchi. The tallest peak is almost 1000 meters higher than the highest point in the Alps.

But as the Olympic pistes are being prepared in Russia, skiers are discovering the slopes on the other side of the border, in Georgia. Damien McGuinness, decided to sample the joys of skiing in Europe's highest, and wildest, mountain range.

DOKU: BBC World's Most Dangerous Roads - Series 3 - Georgia (myvideo.ge)

RADIO: A Georgian Trilogy, Second Part - The Wurst Express from Kakheti. By James Hopkin (bbc.co.uk)

(bbc.co.uk) The second of three specially commissioned stories by James Hopkin, inspired by his travels in Georgia.

It is summer 2008 and an impoverished Georgian poet is living in Berlin for three months. He is not expecting to hear shattering news from his homeland.

Read by Tom Goodman-Hill

Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4

Duration: 15 minutes 
First broadcast: Sunday 14 October 2012 / 00:30 BBC Radio 4

RADIO TODAY: A Georgian Trilogy - A Peacock in Sulphur. By James Hopkin (bbc.co.uk)

 

(bbc.co.uk) The first of three specially commissioned stories by James Hopkin. Niko Pirosmani was one of Georgia's greatest artists, but was it his art that killed him?

Read by Allan Corduner

Producer:Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4

Duration: 15 minutes 
First broadcast: Sunday 07 October 2012 / 00:30 BBC Radio 4 

 

CALL: BBC Training: Call for Applicants in Armenia

The BBC is leading a series of workshops, as part of the EU-funded Media Neighbourhood Project, in the areas of professional journalism, new media, and management. BBC and EU experts will deliver workshops for three different groups of participants across 15 countries in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Caucasus.

Media Neighbourhood

Media Neighbourhood is a three- year training programme for journalists, editors and managers from broadcast, print and online. It is funded by the European Union and delivered by a consortium led by BBC Media Action.

The programme has two main aims.

• To strengthen the professional capacity of journalists, particularly in the areas of media independence and online media.

• To improve the reporting of EU social, economic and political policies within the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Caucasus

If you currently work in the media in Armenia you may wish to apply for one of the workshops.

Please select one of the three workshops below (BBC News Reporting Course, Multi-Platform Ethical Journalism or Professional and Financial Independence).

Please note, if we are unable to offer you your first choice we may offer you a place on one of our other courses.

Workshops will be held in Armenia led by senior journalists and highly- experienced trainers from the BBC, AFP and the other international media organisations in the consortium. The training will be practical and hands on.

Courses

1) BBC News Reporting Course – 19-21 November 2012 (TBC)

• Making stories relevant and engaging for the audience

• Understanding the EU and its relationship with its neighbours

• Journalistic ethics

• Effective news gathering

• Professional interviewing techniques

Requirements

• You will have worked in an established media outlet of any platform for at least 2 years as a reporter or editor.

• Ideally you will have an interest in covering international news, especially concerning the EU and related subjects.

You will be expected to attend two, three full-day workshops, which will be held within a year of each other. Between the two workshops you will be expected to produce a portfolio of stories, which will be evaluated during the 2nd workshop by professional media trainers.

2) Multi-Platform Ethical Journalism 14-15 February 2013 (TBC)

• Basics of multi-platform journalism

• Creating professional content for on-line

• Techniques of mobile reporting

• Ethics and responsibilities of on-line journalism

• Citizen journalism

• Building on-line communities, involving the audience

• Search Engine Optimization

• Blogging, Social Media and Online Curation.

Requirements: you will have one or more of the following:

• Basic experience as a multi-media journalist

• Current involvement in multi-media or on-line journalism

• Experience in blogging and the use of social media for news production, distribution and citizen activism

• Editorial experience in multi-media environment

This is a 2 full- day course

3) Media Managers and Senior Editors on Professional and Financial Independence- 11-13 February 2013 (TBC)

• Business planning

• Strategic marketing

• Developing practical tools - mechanics of selling advertising preparing price lists, negotiation techniques

• Effective broadcast scheduling

• Managing multi-platform content

• Newsroom management, including integrated newsrooms

• Foreign desk management

• EU and its policies towards your country and region

• HR development

• Winning donor grants and project management

Requirements: you will have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Current managerial or senior editorial position in a media outlet

• Media sales

• Programming or scheduling

• Audience research

• Newsroom management or foreign desk management

• News producer

• Media business management

• Donor relations and project management

This is a 3 full-day course

Application and Information

To apply please send a CV and a letter outlining your experience and your suitability to media.neighbourhood@bbc.co.uk by 24th September 2012. Please also specify the course you are applying for.

Please include the names and current email addresses and phone numbers of at least two referees at a senior level with whom you have worked and whom you would be happy for us to contact.

THE ATLANTIC MAGAZIN: The Billionaire Who Would Rule Georgia: An Interview With Ivanishvili (theatlantic.com)

(theatlantic.com) Georgia Dream candidate Bidzina Ivanishvili discusses Russia, NATO, democracy, and President Mikheil Saakashvili. 

Armin Rosen - Armin Rosen is an Atlantic Media fellow.

There is arguably no American analogue to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire and now presidential hopeful whose Georgia Dream political coalition is vying against western favorite Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement in the Republic of Georgia's upcoming parliamentary elections. "The best way to fathom the influence and impact Bid­zina Ivanishvili has in the former Soviet republic," wrote Julia Ioffe in Forbes, "would be to imagine that a businessman worth $8 trillion -- Ivanishvili's $6 billion net worth is half of Georgia's GDP -- had established a statewide system of philanthropic patronage in, say, West Virginia and the whole state was subservient to him." At the same time, Ivanishvili, who Ioffe reports was once rumored to have bankrolled everything from the country's police force to its intelligentsia -- and who was one of Saakashvili's most important allies until a falling out three years ago -- is an enigmatic figure. "Before he announced his run, few people in Georgia had ever really seen Ivanishvili," wrote Ioffe. "He had given few interviews, and photographic evidence of him was scarce."

Georgian tycoon and politician Ivanishvili takes part in a mass anti-government protest in Tbilisi this past May. (Reuters)

Now that he's leading a coalition that could potentially unseat the ruling party, Ivanishvili's public profile is far less opaque. A U.S.-based P.R. firm recently reached out to the Atlantic International Channel on Ivanishvili's behalf to help arrange a nearly hour-long Skype interview. Over the course of our talk, conducted through an interpreter but with no rules or preconditions from Ivanishvili's camp, the Georgian Dream leader was unsparing in his criticism of the country's direction. He accuses Saakashvili of harassing Georgian Dream supporters, a charge substantiated by a recent Amnesty International report. He says Saakashvili has been overly aggressive in his relations with Russia, whose military occupies the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and was the alleged-aggressor in a brief-but-crushing war with Georgia in August 2008. He argues that Saakashvili's reputation as an economic and political reformer, which may help explain his party's lead the polls, is calculated to mislead outside observers. But he thinks that Saakashvili's sometimes-aggressive domestic political tactics could actually alienate Georgia's democratic partners. "A very large portion of the political spectrum within Europe and the United States are realizing that Sakashvili is a liar, and that he is building a façade democracy, not a true democracy," he told me. During our conversation, Ivanishvili spoke quietly but intensely. He never sounded bombastic or less than controlled, even when calling his opponent a liar and a fraud.

Although Saakasvhili's final term as president expires in 2013, he hasn't rule out trading jobs with Vano Merabishvili, a close ally and Georgia's current Prime Minster. Freedom House flatly states that "Georgia is not an electoral democracy," and relations with Russia remain tense. The American-educated Saakashvili is credited with reforming Georgia's post-Soviet bureaucracy and transforming the country's institutions and strategic orientation by helping lead the "Rose Revolution" in 2003.

An Ivanishvili presidency seems unlikely at this point, although not impossible. A Penn, Schoen, and Berland poll from July found a near dead-heat between Georgian Dream and Saakashvili's UNM. A National Democratic Institute poll from this past June found that the UNM led by 36 percentage points to Georgian Dream's 18 percent, but that the gap between the parties had closed considerably since the beginning of the year. In addition, 38 percent of respondents either refused to say who they were voting for, or were undecided. The most recent poll, by a Washington-based research firm, has Saakashvili's party up 55 to 33. But the billionaire and his party's entrance into Georgian politics could still bring meaningful change. Below, Ivanishvili provides a sense of what that change might look like, why he's running, and where he sees his country going.

Freedom House currently labels Georgia "partly free," calling it a "transitional government" or a "hybrid regime." Do you think this a fair assessment, and do you think that Georgia is currently a democracy?

There is a real and evident problem of democracy in Georgia and this was the core reason of my entrance into politics. We have no rule of law. It's absolutely absent.

Do you think that Saakashvili's goal is to impose a Russian-style electoral autocracy on Georgia?

At this point he's not even hiding. Even when Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton was visiting Georgia, a reporter asked the question, are you going to be the Prime Minister? And he circled around and never gave a solid response to the reporter.

And three days ago he made a very, very vivid statement about how he's not going to give what he built and what he achieved to anyone else, how he's going to retain it for himself. He's not hiding this at all.

Georgian Dream and its supporters claim they've been harassed by some in the government, and you've had some of your assets taken away. How have you been able to run a campaign in this atmosphere?

Not taking into account the fact that I have been personally targeted by the government, that I've been fined, and my assets have been seized, our supporters have been intimidated and imprisoned. We cannot finance the campaign. We were only able to raise 4 million lari [$2.4 million] in the beginning, and after that the government shut down all the sources to fund our campaign. No company can fund any political party, and even individuals cannot do it anymore because [the governments] fines them, and then they seize their property and then sell it on auction.

You say you want Georgia to have both NATO membership and normalized relations with Russia. How is that possible, and what does it even mean for Georgia to have normalized relations with Russia?

Of course I acknowledge the fact that it's a very tough question. The fate and the future of Georgia is Euro-Atlantic integration. Every conscious politician realizes it, and I'm not inventing a bicycle by saying this. This is given, and this is Georgia's fate.

With respect to Euro-Atlantic integration, we have to realize that we need to normalize the relationships with our neighbors, and especially with Russia. I am very confident that Georgian Dream will be able to open up the Russian market, regain the territories, the occupied territories [of Abkhazia and South Ossetia].

It's not an easy process. I realize it will not happen overnight. But the key to regaining the territories that are now occupied, the key to that is within Georgia, within building democratic institutions, rebuilding civil society, a true one, not the façade which is being imposed by Saakashvili. Georgia will not be able to do this on its own. We need the help of the United States and our European friends in order to see the right moment and resolve this conflict through negotiations.

At the same time, for Russia, those two regions are not an easy thing. It's a burden for them also. We hope Russia realizes that the current situation of having Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied regions is not a good thing if Russia wants to show its democratic side. It should be possible to find common ground.

During the last elections in Russia, we saw some democratic processes, the beginning of some democratic processes. A very high probability exists that these processes will deepen in Russia, also in many other countries, like we saw in China. This is the only correct way. Sooner or later, all of them will come to a realization of the democratic system.

Would NATO membership and normalization with Russia come before Russia's withdrawal from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, or would it come as a result of Russian withdrawal from Georgian territory?

It's hard to say which comes first, but we will not sacrifice one for the other. We will not sacrifice withdrawal of troops for the sake of NATO membership, and we will not sacrifice NATO membership for the sake of the withdrawal of troops. This needs to happen in the right time, and both of these need to be achieved. It's hard to answer precisely.

It's somewhat wishful to believe that you could convince the Russians to withdraw from Georgian territory while Georgia has NATO membership, given Russia's opposition to Georgian and Ukrainian NATO membership in the past. I'm wondering how you foresee building trust with the Russians while being a member of NATO.

Well, it's a very hard question. We need to see this within a global political landscape. The United States, Europe, NATO members, the West in general is trying to normalize its relationship with Russia.

Saakashvili was waving Georgian NATO membership in front of Russia's eyes like waving a red cloth in front of a bull. This was very bad rhetoric. This was provoking Russia, from [Russia's perspective]. But we'll be able to convince Russia that Georgia's NATO membership will not be so devastating for them, and we'll be able to normalize the relationship and not use this aggressive rhetoric that has been adopted by Saakashvili.

I know that you were investing in Russia financially at one point. Do you still have any business interests in Russia, or have you sold them?

I have sold all but ten percent of my assets in Russia, which are in the agricultural sector, and are going to be sold within literally the next couple days. The process is already finished, and I'm going to liquidate my remaining assets in Russia.

If international observers determine that the forthcoming election is stolen, or if there is overwhelming evidence of electoral fraud, what is your plan or Georgian Dream's plan?

In no case will we call upon civil unrest. The only method which we will employ will be a peaceful rally like we are doing right now in order to show the United States and Europe and observers the amount of people really supporting us, and in order for them not to sign off on that election fraud.

Could you identify one institution in Georgia that's especially in need of reform?

The economy is governed through cartel agreements and monopoly. The attorney general is the one who's controlling funds. There is no free business in Georgia. So since the economy is in such bad shape and Saakashvili ends up lying about numbers, none of the other sectors can be healthy. What they claim as economic growth is a lie, and the world's financial institutions in some cases agree to this, a feat that [the previous president, Eduard Shevardnadze] was not able to manage.

Saakashvili learned how to gather funds from customs and from tax authorities. So in actuality what they call the economic growth was not economic growth: it was the government being able to properly collect funds through customs and revenue services. This is the core main responsibility and function of the government, and the previous government was not able to do this.

At the beginning, for the first few years I was guiding them, I was giving them advice, I was helping them to set up. So I gave them money to buy equipment, monitoring equipment, cameras, and other surveillance equipment. And of course the budget, the state budget grew in several folds, but the economy didn't grow.

So they're bragging right now about foreign direct investment and other investments in Georgia. But in reality it's a credit that has been given. Some 4.7 billion has been given to Georgia ever since the August 2008 war with Russia, and only a third of those credits were used for their intended purposes. Two thirds has been taken away by corruption -- I'm saying approximately, not precisely -- and they're bragging and showing these new Justice Houses to Hilary Clinton and others. They built these so-called Justice Houses, one big one in Tblisi and a few others in other regions, and they're bragging about this and saying it's a great achievement.

He's calling this an achievement of the economy. Paved roads were no less during Shevardnadze. In both cases, during Shevardnadze's period and now, they were built through grants and other foreign assistance.

So, in your mind, the idea of there being a foreign investment economy in Georgia is a fiction?

Absolute fiction. They cannot name a single investor. They brought in [U.S. real estate mogul Donald] Trump. You can research this yourself. Trump did not put any investments. He was actually paid from us. You can double-check this with this Donald Trump example. The government was saying, promoting in the States as well as in Georgia, that Trump is going to invest in Georgia.

Well, no investment came from Trump. Two months they have been circulating this on TV. Not a single cent has been invested by Trump. It's a complete lie. Quite the contrary: Trump wanted to sell his brand, and we don't know what actually happened. One thing is evident: when the government controls business totally, not a single investment goes to that country.

[According to a 2012 AFP report, Donald Trump signed a licensing agreement with the Silk Road Group, the developer of a $200 million Trump Tower in the Black Sea resort city of Batumi, Georgia. I was able to reach Michael Cohen, the Trump Organization's point-person for the project in Georgia. "Mr. Trump has developed a very strong relationship both professionally and personally with President Saakashvili, who he admires tremendously," he said. He described the modest progress of the project thus far: there is "a fully complete set of architectural drawings for the building," and a sales office with model units is under construction. Cohen says that the project has attracted interest from buyers in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia, among other countries.

Cohen would not elaborate on the nature of the relationship between Silk Road and the Trump Organization. When asked if Trump had invested any of his own money in the Batumi high rise, he responded that "The terms of the agreement are propriety and confidential."

While Silk Road is by all accounts a private development corporation, it did receive a substantial loan from the Bank of Georgia for a hotel project in Tblisi.]

If you were in power, how would you further deregulate the economy?

Sakashvili's a professional liar. He learned how the World Bank is doing their ratings. If you come to Georgia, you can open up a company in a day. You yourself can come tomorrow and establish a company in a day and you're not halted by paperwork.

If we look only at the paperwork, yes this is an achievement, for Europe and for the World Bank, yes, this gives them the right to say that yes, in Georgia you can found [businesses]. But as soon as the smoke hits the chimney and that company starts to generate revenue, they come after you and they take away from you. So opening up in a day doesn't really matter much. And no real business is coming.