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‘Another provocation!’: Georgia balks as Russia ends visa regime

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‘Another provocation!’: Georgia balks as Russia ends visa regime


President Salome Zourabichvili says lifting a visa ban and resuming flights is meaningless as long as Russia occupies Georgian and Ukrainian lands.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has abolished visas for Georgian nationals and lifted a 2019 ban on direct flights to the South Caucasus nation, a move that comes amid rocky relations between the two countries and that was quickly denounced by Georgia’s president as a “provocation”.

Announced on the Russian government’s website, the move introduces a 90-day visa-free period starting May 15.

In a statement, Russia’s transport ministry said Russian airlines would operate seven flights weekly between Moscow and Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

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It said Russia wanted “to facilitate the conditions for communication and contacts between the residents of Russia and Georgia”.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili balked on Twitter, writing: “Another Russian provocation! Resuming direct flights and lifting [the] visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory.”

Zourabichvili has repeatedly accused Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili of the ruling Georgian Dream party of maintaining questionable ties with Moscow since being elected with its backing in 2018.

Moscow and Tbilisi have one of the most strained relations among the former Soviet Union nations and have had no formal diplomatic relations since 2008, when a brief war erupted over South Ossetia, a Russian-backed breakaway region.

Much of Georgian society remains strongly anti-Russian, with thousands living as internal refugees after fleeing South Ossetia and another Russian-backed secessionist region, Abkhazia.

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In March, Georgia abandoned efforts to pass a “foreign agents” draft law after mass protests, with critics deploring the bill as modelled on a Russian law they say was used to undermine civil society.

Travellers from Russia drive after crossing the border to Georgia at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars station [File: Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters]

While Russia allows visa-free travel to most former Soviet countries, it imposed a visa requirement on Georgia in 2000, citing a security risk.

Moscow also banned direct flights to Georgia in 2019 after anti-Russian protests.

Tbilisi allows Russians visa-free access and employment rights for up to a year, which has seen the country become a refuge for Russians fleeing the draft during the invasion of Ukraine.

Despite a strong pro-Ukrainian stance among top politicians and the public, Georgia has refused to impose sanctions on Russia, causing friction with the European Union.

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Russia praised Tbilisi’s decision and said its position on the war was “balanced”.

Strained relations



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When do College Football Playoff rankings come out? Date, time for Georgia football

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When do College Football Playoff rankings come out? Date, time for Georgia football


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The new College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled Tuesday night.

As far as the SEC is concerned, there are some questions.

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How high will Georgia football move up after two other conference teams were upset Saturday?

And how far will three-loss Alabama and Ole Miss slide? They should go from in the 12-team CFP bracket to presumably on the outside of it.

Texas, Georgia and Tennessee may be the only SEC teams in the playoff field heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Texas and Texas A&M play Saturday for a spot in the SEC championship game against Georgia in what could be a playoff elimination game.

Can three-loss South Carolina play itself into the field by beating Clemson Saturday?

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Georgia will play for the SEC’s automatic playoff spot in the SEC championship game Dec. 7 but a win against rival Georgia Tech Friday night is needed to get in the playoff if it should lose in the league title game.

College Football Playoff rankings release date

The fourth College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday Nov. 26 on ESPN’s reveal show. It is the fourth of five rankings that will be released each Tuesday before the final rankings come out.

What time is CFP rankings?

The rankings will be revealed on a show that starts at 8 p.m. Each weekly ranking will come out on Tuesday nights, but the time of the show varies depending on the day.

Georgia football CFP rankings projection

Georgia will be the second ranked SEC team after Texas. The Bulldogs will climb from No. 10 to No. 7 and in position to host a first-round game in the 12-team bracket.

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How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

The 12-team field will be released on a top 25 rankings show that will air on ESPN. It can also be streamed on ESPN+.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

The field has been expanded from four teams to 12. That just so happens to come after a controversial 2023 when unbeaten Florida State was left out of the field and 12-1 Georgia was also outside the top 4.

How does College Football Playoff format work? 

The 12-team field includes five conference champions ranked highest by the committee and seven at-large selections. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be the top four seeds and receive a bye into the quarterfinals. The fifth highest-ranked conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked or No. 12 if not in the top 12.

Teams ranked in the top 4 that don’t win their conference will be seeded starting at No. 5. Teams seeded 5 through 12 will play in the first round Dec. 20 or 21 with higher seeds hosting on campus. Playoff quarterfinals and semifinals will at bowl sites and the championship game is in Atlanta on Jan. 20.



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No. 21 Oregon women’s basketball upset by Georgia Tech in Hawaii tournament

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No. 21 Oregon women’s basketball upset by Georgia Tech in Hawaii tournament


The early-season undefeated run is over.

No. 21 Oregon women’s basketball was dominated on the boards in a 74-58 loss to Georgia Tech on Monday night at the North Shore Showcase tournament in Laie, Hawaii.

Oregon (6-1) was out-rebounded, 53-31, by Georgia Tech (6-0) including 23 offensive rebounds. The Ducks got a team-high 10 points from senior guard Deja Kelly, supplemented by nine from fellow senior Peyton Scott and eight from freshman forward Ehis Etute — making her season debut for the Ducks after spending time with the Luxembourg national team.

Georgia Tech was led by Ariadna Termis with 13 points, Zoesha Smith with 12, and Ines Noguero with 11.

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The Ducks got off to a slow start, trailing 16-7 with their interior defense and rebounding lacking. Georgia Tech slashed through the lane and scored easy buckets in transition, amassing nine offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone.

The Yellow Jackets led, 18-11, through one quarter. Oregon had not previously trailed by more than five at any point in its first six games.

In the second quarter, Oregon got some momentum buckets from Scott and Nani Falatea to claw back into the game. A 7-0 run late in the first gave the Ducks their first lead of the night, 25-24. Georgia Tech would mount a response and carry a 29-27 lead into the half.

The likely halftime message from Oregon coach Kelly Graves? Hit the boards. Oregon was out-rebounded 32-21 in the first half by Georgia Tech and gave up 14 offensive rebounds. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, either, with Oregon shooting 31% in the half to Georgia Tech’s 29%.

Transition play highlighted a breakneck early third quarter for both teams, with Georgia Tech extending its lead to 39-33 with 4:55 left in the frame. Oregon’s size advantage was counteracted by Georgia Tech’s speed and athleticism, and Graves experimented with different lineups to try and slow the Yellow Jackets down.

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Kelly took over as the third quarter progressed, hitting key jumpers and driving to the lane as Oregon cut the Georgia Tech lead to 46-43 through three.

Georgia Tech seized momentum permanently in the early fourth. A three-pointer by Noguero made it 52-43 Yellow Jackets, and Oregon threw the ball out of bounds on the ensuing inbound. Graves called timeout as the Georgia Tech bench erupted.

The Yellow Jackets scored out of the timeout to make it 54-43, and a bucket for Kara Dunn extended the advantage to 56-43 with just under eight minutes left.

Oregon struggled to keep possession of the ball, Georgia Tech hit big shots, and the lead ballooned down the stretch. A Dani Carnegie jumper made it 68-49 Yellow Jackets with 4:37 to go, and a feisty Georgia Tech team didn’t look back en route to a dominant victory.

Next game: No. 21 Oregon (6-1) vs. South Dakota State (3-2) — Hawaii North Shore Showcase

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  • When: Tuesday, Nov. 26
  • Time: 4 p.m. PT
  • Where: George Q. Cannon Activities Center — Laie, Oahu, Hawaii
  • Streaming: BallerTV
  • Radio: Oregon Sports Network

— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.



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Georgia Football Injury Report Per Kirby Smart Ahead of Georgia Tech

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Georgia Football Injury Report Per Kirby Smart Ahead of Georgia Tech


Head coach Kirby Smart updated the injury report ahead of the Georgia Tech game.

The Georgia Bulldogs earned another win this past weekend as they took care of business against UMass. Not only that, but Georgia also clinched a spot in the SEC Championship game after Alabama lost to Oklahoma. They will face the winner of the Texas vs Texas A&M game which takes place this week.

Before they focus on that though, Georgia has to go up against their in-state rival Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets gave the Dawgs a bit of a challenge last year, but Georgia gets them in Sanford Stadium for their final home game of the regular season. This year’s game will be played on Friday after Thanksgiving as opposed to Saturday when the game is traditionally played.

Head coach Kirby Smart met with the media on Monday to preview Georgia Tech and as always, he provided an update to the injury report. One notable player who suffered an injury against UMass was defensive lineman Christen Miller as he went down with a shoulder injury and did not return during the game. Here is what Smart had to say about his injured players:

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Georgia Football Injury Report:

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