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2025-01-13   

291 lodibet LOS ANGELES (AP) — After struggling to run the ball consistently all season, the Los Angeles Rams finally made some progress on the ground in New Orleans. Kyren Williams and rookie Blake Corum carried the Rams (6-6) to a 21-14 win that kept them squarely in the playoff race for another week. Los Angeles racked up a season-high 156 yards rushing against the Saints, with Williams going for 104 yards and a touchdown while Corum added 42 yards on a season high-tying eight carries. The game was the inverse of most afternoons this season for the Rams, who came into the week averaging fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. The running game was sturdy and productive, while Matthew Stafford and his receivers struggled to get into a rhythm at the Superdome. Coach Sean McVay always prefers to use his run game to set up the pass, and it finally worked for once this season. “I thought Kyren ran really well," McVay said. “I thought Corum ran really well. I thought our offensive line set the line of scrimmage in the run game. We really started slow in the pass game, but I thought Matthew was excellent in the second half. We were able to get some different things off of those run actions going, and that ended up being the difference in the game.” Not coincidentally, the Rams' running game worked well on the Sunday when the offensive line finally had a starting five uncompromised by injuries or suspension for the first time all season. Right tackle Rob Havenstein returned from an ankle injury, making the group whole around rookie center Beaux Limmer, who has beaten out high-priced free agent Jonah Jackson for a starting job. The Rams still had yet another slow start in a season full of them. They ran only three plays in the entire first quarter, and they were held scoreless in the first half when their other two drives resulted in a turnover on downs and a punt. But Los Angeles rebounded with an 11-play scoring drive to open the second half featuring seven runs by Williams. He eventually moved up to fifth in the NFL with 926 yards rushing despite averaging just 4.2 yards per carry — nearly a yard less than he had last season, and the lowest average among the league's top 10 rushers this season. The Rams have thrived without a strong rushing attack before: They averaged just 99.0 yards per game on the ground, ranking 25th in the NFL, during their Super Bowl championship season in 2021-22. But McVay prefers his first option to be a strong running attack, which he had during his first three seasons in charge with Todd Gurley in the backfield and Andrew Whitworth at left tackle. “Anytime the guys up front are moving them, and (Williams) is making great reads and moves on the second level, then that is a fun feeling for the offense," Stafford said. “It’s great when you can hand the ball off and get big creases. We converted when we needed to in short-yardage stuff. I thought our guys did a really great job up front, and Kyren ran it great.” What's working The Rams have struggled in the red zone all season, but they scored touchdowns on all three trips in New Orleans. They did it by committing to the run game up the middle, setting up TD passes on the outside to Demarcus Robinson and Puka Nacua. What needs help Alvin Kamara racked up 112 yards rushing in the latest strong game by an opposing running back. Los Angeles is 28th in the league against the run, allowing 144.2 yards rushing per game — including 194 per game over the past three weeks. Stock up Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse had another outstanding game, racking up five tackles, three quarterback hits and numerous big plays that don't show up on stat sheets. He capped the performance by hitting Derek Carr from behind and forcing an incompletion from the Los Angeles 9 on New Orleans' final play. Stock down Cornerback Darious Williams gave up a touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the ensuing 2-point conversion pass to Dante Pettis early in the fourth quarter, capping a second straight rough week for the free-agent signee. Williams is the Rams' best cornerback, but they haven't had an above-average shutdown pass defender since trading Jalen Ramsey. Los Angeles added cornerback depth Monday, claiming 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes off waivers from Washington. Injuries Robinson injured his hand during the game, and Stafford incurred a lateral ankle sprain. McVay said he doesn't expect either injury to affect the veterans' preparations this week. Key number 17 — Cooper Kupp's yards receiving. That's his lowest total in a game in which he didn't get injured since Oct. 18, 2020. Kupp had only six targets, few downfield routes and curiously scant chances to make big plays. Next steps The Rams are home underdogs this week against powerhouse Buffalo, followed by a Thursday night game at San Francisco. Getting even one win out of these two matchups will be difficult, but probably necessary to keep pace with Seattle and Arizona in the NFC West. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL Greg Beacham, The Associated Press

SAINT GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Beon Riley's 18 points helped Utah Tech defeat Denver 68-54 on Tuesday night. Riley also had 11 rebounds for the Trailblazers (2-6). Noa Gonsalves scored 15 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Justin Bieker shot 4 of 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

UConn head coach Dan Hurley insists he's not overvaluing Wednesday night's game between his 25th-ranked Huskies and No. 15 Baylor in Storrs, Conn. Sure, it comes on the heels of the two-time reigning national champion Huskies (5-3) responding to losing all three games during the Maui Invitational with a blowout victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday. UConn, which had won 17 consecutive games entering the Maui tournament, fell 23 spots from No. 2 to nearly out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. "I think it's such a long season and we're eight games in," Hurley said when asked about facing the Bears. "Our performance in Maui shocked the college basketball world and the sports world, and obviously a lot went on there." "I don't think it's a must-win game in Game Nine of the season, but it's an opportunity to play in Gampel (Pavilion), where we play great and are very comfortable, and we know we're gonna have a great crowd." "We also know we're playing a top-level team, so it's a big game for us and it's a big game for them." Wednesday's game signifies the start of a tough stretch in UConn's schedule. The Huskies will visit Texas on Sunday and challenge No. 7 Gonzaga in New York on Dec. 14 before beginning Big East play on Dec. 18 against Xavier, which fell from No. 22 to out of the poll on Monday. But let's go back to Saturday's 99-45 dismantling of the Hawks. Jaylin Stewart started in place of the injured Alex Karaban (head) and joined Liam McNeeley by scoring 16 points to put UConn back in the win column. Solo Ball contributed 12 points, Aidan Mahaney had 11 and Tarris Reed Jr. (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Jayden Ross (10 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded a double-double. "This experience they're getting, (Stewart), Jayden Ross, Solo Ball, these guys are going to keep getting better and better," Hurley said. "Jaylin Stewart has flashed. That Memphis game (in which he scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting), he flashed a lot in that one. "... These sophomores are just going to keep getting better and better. That's why I do think we do need the grace and support of our people here at UConn. Because they're going to be such different players in January and February." Coming off a split in the Bahamas, Baylor (5-2) bounced back from a 77-62 setback to then-No. 11 Tennessee on Nov. 22 with a decisive 91-60 victory over New Orleans last Wednesday. "I know we're all a little tired," Bears coach Scott Drew said. "Whenever you come back from the Bahamas and a trip like that, the first game, you can be playing in mud. And I think the guys did a pretty good job, for the most part." Jayden Nunn drained six of his seven 3-pointers in the first half and finished with a season-high 23 points to power Baylor past the Privateers. Robert Wright III scored 18 points, Jeremy Roach had 17 and Miami transfer Norchad Omier recorded his third consecutive double-double after finishing with 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. --Field Level MediaSeveral cattle industry initiatives were announced during Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, Sask. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Minister Lawrence MacAulay highlighted an investment of roughly $4.5 million dollars for four projects to the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA). The largest of the four projects relates to Canadian beef sustainability and the work of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Saskatchewan cattle producer Ryan Beierbach said the industry does more than talk sustainability. “We measure what we do and how we can and are improving our environmental, social and economic impacts and benefits. This funding helps to do that measuring, and to improve the value chain bring certified sustainable beef to market,” Beierbach said. The Guardians of the Grasslands game was developed to take the short documentary into classrooms and to fairs and exhibitions to engage youth with what grazing means for landscape renewal and habitat for many species. Another project involves improving Canada’s on farm beef producer program Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) with modules on animal health, animal care and biosecurity. It shows the way to continued improvement in practices and sustainability on farms and ranches. Another CCA project being funded is exploring technological improvements to forage insurance. The Grassland Production Index project is developing an interface for satellite-based information that aims to improve understanding of and delivery of forage insurance offerings. The Canadian Beef Breeds Council will also receive up to $871,200 over three years through the AgriMarketing program to promote Canadian beef cattle genetic exports by attending international events, conducting market assessments, and developing a new marketing strategy, according to AAFC. – alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com On X: @farmnewsNOWUS President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was nominating staunch loyalist and retired general Keith Kellogg as his Ukraine envoy, charged with ending the two-and-a-half-year Russian invasion. Trump campaigned on a platform of ushering a swift end to the Ukraine war, boasting that he would quickly mediate a ceasefire deal between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But his critics have warned that the incoming Republican will likely leverage US military aid to pressure Kyiv into an agreement that left it ceding occupied territory permanently or agreeing not to join NATO. "I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia," Trump said in a statement on social media. "Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration." A fixture on the cable news circuit, the 80-year-old national security veteran co-wrote an academic paper earlier this year calling for Washington to leverage military aid as a means of pushing for peace talks. Ukraine has received almost $60 billion from Washington for its armed forces since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, but with the more isolationist Trump taking over the White House, supporters fear the spigot will run dry. "The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement," Kellogg's research paper for the Trumpist America First Policy Institute think tank said. "Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia." Kellogg served in several positions during Trump's first term, including as chief of staff on the White House national security council and national security advisor to then-vice president Mike Pence. Kellogg told Voice of America at the Republican convention in July that Ukraine's options were "quite clear." "If Ukraine doesn't want to negotiate, fine, but then accept the fact that you can have enormous losses in your cities and accept the fact that you will have your children killed, accept the fact that you don't have 130,000 dead, you will have 230,000-250,000," he said. Trump's announcement came as the outgoing administration of Democrat Joe Biden was hosting a news conference to urge Ukraine to enlist more recruits by reducing the minimum age of conscription to 18. Facing a much larger enemy with more advanced weapons and with stocks of volunteers dwindling, Ukraine is facing an "existential" recruitment crunch, a senior administration official told reporters. "The simple truth is that Ukraine is not currently mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace their battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He was pressed on what Washington considers an appropriate minimum age and he replied that "we think there's real value in them considering lowering the recruiting age to 18" -- in line with the US benchmark. He added that an additional 160,000 troops would be "on the low end" to fill out Ukraine's ranks -- but "a good start." The former Soviet republic's population has fallen by more than a quarter since its mid-1990s peak of 52 million, and authorities are desperate to shield the younger generation -- but a US congressional report in June estimated the average Ukrainian soldier is 40. Zelensky signed a decree in April lowering the draft age from 27 to 25 but the move did not alleviate the chronic troop shortages, according to US officials.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Florida Atlantic is finalizing the hiring of Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley as its new head coach, a person with knowledge of the decision said Monday. Kittley and the school were working through the remaining details Monday, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school has yet to announce that the hiring is complete. The Owls are replacing Tom Herman, who was fired two weeks ago with two games left in his second year at the school. Kittley had stints as offensive coordinator at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky before returning to Texas Tech — his alma mater — in 2022 in the same role. The Red Raiders have averaged 435 yards per game over the last three seasons under Kittley, 22nd best among all FBS teams. This season saw the Red Raiders rank among the nation's best offenses: They were eighth in yards per play, eighth in points per game, 10th in yards per game and did all that at a pace nearly unmatched nationally. Texas Tech averaged 78.25 plays per game this season, just behind Syracuse's 78.33 for the national lead. As a student assistant, then graduate assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech, Kittley helped coach Patrick Mahomes — the Kansas City Chiefs star, NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion — during his collegiate career. The Owls went 3-9 this season, their fourth consecutive losing record. Lane Kiffin went 27-13 with two bowl wins in his three seasons at FAU; the Owls are 22-35 in five seasons since Kiffin left for Ole Miss after the 2019 campaign. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Broncos' Zach Allen questionable for Sunday's game at Las Vegas, Brandon Jones to return

Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Woolworths says two weeks of industrial action has cut $50 million in sales from its supermarket business as the retailer struggles to stock shelves. With negotiations between the country’s largest supermarket operator and the United Workers Union dragging on, Woolworths has applied for an urgent court order to ensure access to distribution sites in Victoria and NSW. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Introducing your Newsfeed Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Latest In Retail Fetching latest articles Most Viewed In Companies

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. - Silver is pretty special, too. The Port Allegany Gators traveled to Cumberland Valley High School on Thursday in search of the program’s first state title, but Bishop Guilfoyle had other ideas. Hamilton Gates’ 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter broke a 14-14 tie and started a flurry for BG that ended with their fifth state championship in a ten year span, 41-22 over the Gators. “This was an unbelievable atmosphere, the PIAA puts on a good show, we just didn’t play our best football today,” said Port Allegany coach Justin Bienkowski. “It is what it is, but it doesn’t take away what these kids did. We’ll hold our heads high and be very prideful of the product we put on the field this year.” Trailing 14-8 at halftime, the Gators went on a 13-play 59-yard drive to start the second half, ending with an Aiden Bliss touchdown 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Bliss carried the ball 12 times in the drive and a whopping 47 in the game, finishing with 249 yards on the ground. The one play he didn’t carry the ball was on a critical third-and-3 from the Bishop Guilfoyle 8-yard line, when he had to come out of the game for a play. No matter, as Kellen Veilleux picked up a critical five yards to set up the score. The 2-point conversion was no good, and the game was tied at 14-14 with 4:32 to go in the third quarter. What followed was a flurry a counter-punch, a knockout if you will, scoring three touchdowns in the span of six minutes. The first punch came just two plays after the Gators tied the game, as jack-of-all-trades Hamilton Gates raced 65 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to put the Marauders up, 21-14. “They came back and did what they needed to do,” Bienkowski said. “We just had a couple of guys out of position and in the state finals, teams are going to take advantage of that. That momentum came back their way and it just didn’t seem to come back.” The Gators also lost a critical part of their defense, Tristan Kiser, who left the game with an injury in the second quarter. “I think it was more of a morale thing than anything else,” Bienkowski said. “Tristan it their brother, he’s a guy that has everyone’s respect. That’s tough to come back from. That’s not an excuse. Bishop Guilfoyle was the better Class A team today, but I'll play with our team any day of the week.” Port Allegany’s next two offensive possessions resulted in a three-and-out and a Brennan Fillhart pass being intercepted by Braden Reilly. The BG drives that followed each of those resulted in 80 yards covered in just five combined plays, with Taurean Consiglio scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 26-yard run, and Gates, who lines up all over the field, tossing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Reilly on what was a very windy day in Mechanicsburg. “These conditions are perfect for our style of play,” Bienkowski said. “But Bishop Guilfoyle made a point to do things just a little bit better than we did in the trenches today, and they deserve the title.” The Marauders extended their lead to 41-14 on Consiglio’s fourth rushing touchdown of the game, a 15-yard run, but the Gators fought to the finish. A 67-yard drive ended with Bliss’ 56th and final touchdown of the season, a 19-yard run. Unofficially, Bliss finished his junior season with 3,429 yards rushing, the fifth most in a season in state history. “Most importantly he’s such a class kid that happens to be a hell of an athlete,” Bienkowski said. The first half belonged mostly to the Marauders. Port Allegany was driving on its initial possession, but BG was able to jump on the ball at their own 36 to stall that drive. A 5-play, 45-yard drive resulted in Consiglio’s first touchdown of the day from 12 yards out. On their next possession, BG went 61 yards on nine plays, capped by Consiglio’s 6-yard run, and it was 14-0 with 7:06 to play in the second quarter. Consiglio (10.7 yards per carry) rushed for 160 yards in the game and Gates (14.4) finished with 101. “We just did not bring our best today,” Bienkowski said. “And that’s disappointing, because we can’t get that back. But those are life lessons. Sometimes things aren’t going to go your way.” What followed, however, was prototypical Port Allegany football that allowed them to get back in the game. Between their final drive of the first half and their first drive of the second half, they chewed up over 13 minutes of game clock, with both resulting in touchdowns. The Gators offensive line started to assert itself on a 11-play 70-yard drive that resulted in Bliss’ 3-yard touchdown run that, coupled with his 2-point conversion, made it 14-8 with 1:26 to go before halftime. Despite the outcome, a proud Bienkowski swelled with pride talking about what his team accomplished this season. “These kids are 26 great human beings for our school and our school and our football program, and they've left a lasting legacy getting to the state title game,” Bienkowski said. “The emotions of it all, just forget the score. I'm just sad it’s over. We don’t get to go in for film on Monday, and that part stinks, but I'm very proud of the way our guys kept fighting. They didn't give up, scoring that last touchdown is a testament to their drive and composure.” AT MECHANICSBURG BY QUARTERS BG 7 7 14 13—41 PA 0 8 6 8—22 TEAM STATISTICS First Downs: BG: 16, PA: 14; Rushes/Yards Rushing: BG: 29-302, Home: PA-52-257; Yards Passing: BG: 49, PA: 12; Comp-Att-Int: BG: 5-7-0, PA: 1-3-1; Penalties: BG: 1-5, PA: 3-20; Fumbles-Lost: BG: 0-0, PA: 1-1; Total Yards: BG: 351, PA 269: ; Offensive Plays: BG: 36, PA: 55 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Passing: BG Chase Kissell 4-of-6, 22 yards; Hamilton Gates 1-of-1, 27 yards: ; PA: Brennan Fillhart, 1-of-3, 12 yards Rushing: BG: Taurean Consiglio 15-160, Hamilton Gates 7-101, Chase Kissell 6-43 ; PA: Aiden Bliss 47-249, Kellen Veilleux 3-8, Brennan Fillhart 1-0, Nick Wilfong 1-(minus)7 Receiving: BG: Braden Reilley 1-27, Taurean Consiglio 3-20, Hamilton Gates 1-2 ; PA: Kellen Veilleux 1-12 Scoring summary First quarter BG - Taurean Consiglio 12 run (Mike Cacciotti PAT), 2:07 Second quarter BG - Consiglio 6 run (Carter Boland PAT), 7:06 PA - Aiden Bliss 3 run (Bliss 2-point run), 1:26 Third quarter PA - Bliss 2 run (2-point conversion failed), 4:32 BG - Hamilton Gates 65 run (Cacciotti PAT), 3:29 BG - Consiglio 9 run (Carter Boland PAT), :9 Fourth quarter BG - Braden Reilly 27 pass from Hamilton Gates (PAT failed), 10:10 BG - Consiglio 15 run (Boland PAT), 4:01 PA - Bliss 19 run (Bliss 2-point conversion run), :36

In South Sudan with aid boss John Rynne: 'The maps drawn in colonial times are starting to erode'

The 2024 state budget projects receiving GEL 105 million from the European Union. The state budget received a total of GEL 1.4 billion in EU grants between 2013 and 2023, averaging GEL 127 million annually. However, the estimated EU grant amount has been reduced to GEL 7 million in the draft budget for 2025. Contrary to the MP’s claim, the reduction in funding was not due to opaque spending – the main reason for the decrease was political disagreements and the Russian-style law. Furthermore, whilst a reduction of GEL 100 million in a GEL 27 billion budget will not threaten the functioning of the country, it will result in a loss of trust and potentially investments, in addition to the aforementioned GEL 100 million. Given the factual inaccuracies, lack of context, or possible intentional distortion of the actual picture, FactCheck concludes that Irakli Kadagishvili’s statement is FALSE. Analysis Whilst commenting on the potential reduction of the funding from the European Union, a member of the tenth convocation Parliament from the Georgian Dream political party claimed : “It is regrettable that the actual investment from the European Union to Georgia over the past 34 years has not exceeded GEL 100 million. This is on the backdrop of the Georgian budget, amounting to GEL 28 billion. The Georgian government has been spending both the GEL 28 billion and this GEL 100 million absolutely transparently. It is interesting whether Mr Borrell thinks that NGOs should spend this GEL 100 million as transparently as the Georgian government does or should it turn into ‘black money?’” Prior to Irakli Kadagishvili’s aforementioned statement, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell suggested that civil society, rather than state agencies, might receive EU financial assistance. The EU grant has been reduced from GEL 105 million to GEL 7 million as compared to 2024 in the draft state budget for 2025. The Ministry of Finance presented the first version of the budget on 30 September whilst Deputy Minister Giorgi Kakauridze asserted that the grant volume would likely increase in the final version. Whilst the third revised version of the budget must be approved by the third Friday of December (20 December), the second revised version still reflects the same GEL 7 million from the EU as of 22 November. Despite Irakli Kadagishvili using the word “investment,” it is clear from the context that the MP was referring to grants rather than foreign direct investment. The MP likely referred to the 2024 consolidated budget (the state budget as well as the budgets of municipalities and autonomous republics) whilst mentioning the GEL 28 billion figure. Total revenues for 2025 are projected at GEL 26.9 billion, with the consolidated budget set at GEL 31 billion, according to the draft. Irakli Kadagishvili simultaneously refers to “34 years” and cites figures for the budget and grant received in a single year. It is difficult to determine whether he meant that the EU grant averages GEL 100 million annually or if the total grant over the 34 years constituted GEL 100 million. However, in either case, the statement is inaccurate. Leaving aside the entire period of independence, the state budget received GEL 1.4 billion in grants from the EU during the 11 years of the Georgian Dream’s governance from 2013 to 2023. This corresponds to an annual average of GEL 127 million. How are these funds utilised? A total of GEL 2 million was spent on the development of Ajara’s water supply, GEL 16 million on the development of the economy and business and GEL 9 million in agriculture in 2023. Furthermore, GEL 116 million was allocated to the agricultural development programme. The MP claims that GEL 100 million is not a significant amount considering a GEL 28 million budget. Whilst GEL 100 million is not a small figure, it constitutes less than 0.5% of the total budget, suggesting that its absence will not threaten the functioning of the country. Financing for the army and the police, issuing social benefits and implementing infrastructure projects will continue without disruption. However, the real issue is more political, as this situation underlines that it is Brussels as a whole that is critical regarding the current policy of the Georgian government rather than just a few members of the European Parliament. Graph 1: Grants from the European Union in the State Budget Source : Ministry of Finance Moreover, Irakli Kadagishvili claims that Georgia has been spending the funds received from the EU transparently which could create the impression that opaque spending or corruption was the reason for the reduction in funding. However, this is inaccurate. Josep Borrell pointed to a deviation from the European path as the reason rather than the opaque spending of past grants: “The process of [EU accession] is being put on hold, it is stopped, until the Georgian government goes back to the [European] track. To go back on track, a lot of things have to change. In the meantime, we will use the money that was allocated to the government for the people who are fighting for their freedom [and European values].” Additionally, the EU and its financial institutions also provide Georgia with low-interest loans. Georgia owes the EU EUR 133 million directly, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) EUR 204 million and the European Investment Bank (EIB) EUR 1 billion as of 31 October 2024, totalling a debt of over EUR 1.3 billion . Georgia’s debt to France amounts to EUR 730 million and to Germany EUR 555 million amongst bilateral creditors. Georgia’s debt to the European Union, EU financial institutions and specific EU member countries exceeds EUR 2.5 billion. Another part of the aforementioned statement addressed the funding of NGOs where the MP questioned whether they would spend the received grants transparently like the government budget. However, donor organisations have not raised concerns about the transparency of NGO expenses. The main reason for the confrontation between the Georgian government and the West is the Russian-style law. Whilst the Georgian Dream political party has argued and continues to assert that the only objective of the law is to enhance transparency, many people in both Georgia and the EU view the law differently. Thousands of people in Tbilisi held almost continuous rallies for 1.5 months from the introduction of the law at the first hearing until the veto was overcome. Budget grants from the EU reached GEL 1.4 billion from 2013 to 2023, constituting an annual average of GEL 127 million just during the Georgian Dream’s governance and excluding the entire period of independence from the analysis. The reduction in funding was not due to opaque spending, rather the primary reason for it was political disagreements and the Russian-style law. Furthermore, whilst the absence of GEL 100 million in a GEL 27 budget will not threaten the functioning of the country, it will result in a loss of trust and potentially investments, in addition to the aforementioned GEL 100 million. Given the factual inaccuracies, lack of context, or possible intentional distortion of the actual picture, FactCheck concludes that Irakli Kadagishvili’s statement is FALSE.

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