NewsProtests in Tbilisi spark EU membership debate delay. What else happened in the news overnight?
Protests in Tbilisi spark EU membership debate delay. What else happened in the news overnight?
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what international agencies reported overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
ed. JUL
- A table stretching several hundred metres was placed on the main artery of Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue. On New Year's Eve, thousands gathered to demonstrate their opposition to the ruling party, the Georgian Dream, and its policies. Tuesday marked the 33rd day of the ongoing protest, triggered by the government's decision to suspend negotiations for Georgia's entry into the EU until 2028.
- About 100,000 people welcomed the New Year in Prague. Paramedics attended to several individuals who suffered minor injuries caused by exploding firecrackers and fireworks. Their use is prohibited in the historic centre of the Czech capital, and the police have initiated several investigations.
- On Tuesday, Panama celebrated its 25th anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal by the United States. During the ceremony, a minute's silence was observed in memory of the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Wednesday. In 1977, he signed the canal agreement with then-Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.
- A few minutes after midnight, Slovaks heard a new version of the national anthem, commissioned by the Minister of Culture, Martina Šimkovičová. The composition features significant changes in instrumentation, vocal arrangement, and, most notably, tempo. The Ministry of Culture assures that there is no obligation to perform the new version of the anthem during official events created after thirty years. Šimkovičová's department employed one of Slovakia's most renowned directors and composers, Oskar Rózsa, to create the new arrangement.
- A tragic New Year’s Eve night in Germany. Three people died, and many were injured due to careless handling of fireworks. The Berlin police intervened over 300 times, and riots broke out in the city centre, including Alexanderplatz. Thirteen officers were injured. German media emphasised that the situation was exceptionally tense and dangerous.
