SOCAR completes acquisition of Italy’s Italiana Petroli
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all r...
Georgia is on course to rank among the world’s top three business-friendly countries by 2024, alongside Singapore and Estonia. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made this announcement during his speech at the United Nations conference, where he outlined Georgia’s long-term vision for economic development and regional connectivity.
According to Kobakhidze, this recognition is the result of years of consistent reforms that have strengthened the country’s regulatory environment, improved public services, and significantly reduced the tax burden. “Georgia now ranks first in the Rule of Law Index among Eastern Europe and Central Asia and holds one of the lowest tax rates globally at just 9.95 percent,” he noted.
However, Kobakhidze emphasized that Georgia’s ambitions go beyond improving business rankings. The country is positioning itself as a multifunctional and multi-directional hub that connects continents, markets, and ideas. Central to this vision is Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor — a strategic trade route that links Asia and Europe.
To support this, Georgia is advancing several key infrastructure projects. These include the East-West Expressway, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, the Anaklia Deepwater Port, and a network of dry ports. According to the Prime Minister, these developments are designed to enhance Georgia’s connectivity, reduce transit costs, and open new markets not just for Georgia, but for the entire region.
“Our goal is not to be a mere transit country,” Kobakhidze said. “We are working to become an active participant in the regional value chain by developing services like warehousing, processing, assembly, and distribution. This will allow Georgia to add value at every stage of trade operations.”
Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia’s approach offers broader benefits for neighboring countries, especially landlocked nations that face challenges in accessing global markets. By providing reliable and efficient transit routes, Georgia aims to contribute to regional stability and economic growth, while also strengthening the resilience of global supply chains.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister called on international partners to deepen cooperation and turn shared geographical challenges into opportunities for mutual prosperity. “Georgia is committed to being a reliable partner and a gateway that helps integrate landlocked developing countries into the global economy,” he said.
The Georgian government sees this strategy as a mutually beneficial model that will create jobs domestically and generate tangible economic gains for the wider region.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
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