🇲🇽 Heavily armed members of a Mexican drug cartel stormed a gas station and set it on fire.
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— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) Feb 23, 2026
Day: February 23, 2026
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke about living conditions for military families.
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At least nine actors left the Vaso Abashidze New Theater after management removed a banner from the theater’s facade that expressed solidarity with their jailed colleague, Andro Chichinadze.
Among them who quit the theater were Nanka Kalatozishvili, Kakha Kintsurashvili, Eka Demetradze, Giviko Baratashvili, Davit Beshitashvili, Taso Chanturia, Manu Tavadze, Luka Japaridze, and Irakli Japaridze, many of whom announced their departure in similar social media posts on February 21, a day after the banner demanding “Freedom for prisoners of conscience,” featuring a photo of jailed actor Andro Chichinadze, was removed.
Andro Chichinadze is among eleven protesters serving two-year sentences on charges of “disrupting public order” during the early weeks of the pro-EU rallies that began on November 28, 2024. Following his arrest, the theater and its director became prominent voices in anti-government protests, staging a strike and organizing visually charged protest performances both in Tbilisi and beyond. In April 2025, the Ministry of Culture dismissed Davit Doiashvili, the theater’s then-head, from his managerial position.
The banner was first taken down on February 19 ahead of filming for a musical television project by the pro-government TV channel Rustavi 2, which reportedly did not want the message to appear in its footage. The removal was met with protests from the actors, including those who later left the theater.
They reinstalled the banner in a different location on the facade, where it remained alongside promotional banners for Rustavi 2. On the morning of February 20, however, the banner was removed again and could not be located, according to theater staff.
Chichinadze’s mother, Lika Guncadze, thanked the actors for their solidarity. “Thank you for your dignity! Thank you for the struggle! Thank you for the friendship. Thank you for existing!” Guncadze wrote on Facebook. “I am very nervous and at the same time very proud.”
Also Read:
- 06/02/2026 – Batumi Theatre Cancels Play Citing Planned ‘Subjective Political Act’ by Director
- 26/02/2025 – GD Parliament Set to Overhaul Theater Management System to Get More Control Over Director Appointments
- 17/03/2022 – ‘Punitive Operation’: Culture Ministry Sacks Head of National Film Center
- 31/01/2022 – Sacked Employees to File Lawsuit Against Culture Ministry
The post Actors Leave Vaso Abashidze Theater After Removal of Banner Supporting Jailed Colleague first appeared on The South Caucasus News – SouthCaucasusNews.com.
🇲🇽 Mexican cartel declares war on government after leader’s death
The government has declared a “red alert.”
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a raid by Mexican army special forces.
In response, the cartel has launched what it calls a full-scale war. CJNG militants openly attacking units of Mexico’s National Guard in armored vehicles, with casualties unclear.
The cartel has also reportedly offered a $1,200 reward for every police officer or soldier killed.
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— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) Feb 23, 2026
