Chinese scientists have announced the creation of the world’s first large-scale language model of artificial intelligence (AI) designed to mimic the workings of the human brain. The new model, named SpikingBrain1.0, aims to significantly reduce energy consumption and operate independently of Nvidia chips — a bold step away from current industry standards, Azernews reports.
Day: September 11, 2025
Former Council of Ministers building in Sukhum
In Abkhazia, the former Council of Ministers building is to be restored. The government complex in central Sukhum, gutted by fire, has stood for more than 30 years as one of the main symbols of the 1992–93 Georgian–Abkhaz war.
Abkhazia’s president, Badra Gunba, has instructed the mayor of Sukhum, Timur Agrba, to launch a competition for the best design for a building on the site of the former Council of Ministers. The main condition is that the two side wings of the complex, which are listed as cultural heritage monuments, must be preserved.
“For more than 30 years this building has been in a deplorable state and has spoiled the appearance of the capital,” the president said. He added that restoring the structure, or building a new one in its place, should become a symbol of revival not only for the capital but for all of Abkhazia.
The government complex in central Sukhum was built in stages during the Soviet era.
- In 1935, two three-storey side wings were constructed, designed by the renowned Soviet architects Vladimir Shchuko and Vladimir Gelfreikh. Much later, in the early 1980s, a 12-storey high-rise was added between them.
- At the very end of the 1992–93 Georgian–Abkhaz war, the complex was at the centre of the fighting and was burned down on 27 September 1993.
After the fire, the new Abkhaz government moved into the former regional Communist party headquarters. The government complex, meanwhile, stood burned out for decades, with no funds for its restoration. Now, it seems, the money has finally been found.
What role the “building risen from the ashes” will play remains unclear.
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News in Abkhazia
Samsung SDS Co., the information technology (IT) solutions subsidiary of Samsung Group, announced Thursday its goal to become a comprehensive provider of full-stack artificial intelligence (AI) services, helping clients navigate the ongoing AI transformation era, Azernews reports, citing Yonhap agency.
Former Georgian defense minister arrested
The State Security Service of Georgia arrested former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. He is charged with abuse of official powers, which carries a prison sentence of 9 to 12 years.
Burchuladze served as Defense Minister from February 22, 2021, to February 8, 2024, in the second government of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
According to the SSG, Burchuladze embezzled 1,333,728 lari (approximately $496,000) from the Ministry of Defense.
The SSG claims that, under Burchuladze’s instructions, the then Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia and the Head of the Procurement Department, with the assistance of a close relative of the minister, deliberately created a non-competitive environment for the ministry’s purchase of an MRI machine and bought it at an artificially inflated price.
Three alleged accomplices of the former minister were arrested on July 27.
News in Georgia