🇷🇺🚫 Protest demonstration against the war in Ukraine and against the Putin regime!
📍Tbilisi, October 23 (Sunday), 14:00, Shota Rustaveli, 10 (near the First School)
❗️It is very important to show that all adequate people oppose war and pain.
ℹ️ Facebook event

📈🚵‍♀️ Tourism in Georgia has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Tourism revenues amounted to $ 2.5 billion since the beginning of this year , which is 190.7% more than in the same period in 2021 and 97.5% of the same period in pre-Covid 2019.

ℹ️ Most of the income for the first 8 months came from visitors from Russia, followed by tourists from EU, then travelers from Turkey. If not for the war in Ukraine, then the citizens of this country would be in the top three in terms of tourism to Georgia:
🇬🇧Russia $573 million - 780 thousand visitors
🇪🇺EU $260 million - 216 thousand visitors
🇹🇷Turkey $235 million - 543 thousand visitors
⚪️🔴⚪️ Belarus $210 million - 108 thousand visitors
🇺🇦Ukraine $202 million - 127 thousand visitors

⚡️The government of Ukraine has put into effect the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council on sanctions.

The decree is published on the President's website. There are four Georgian citizens on the list including the brother and financial partner of the richest man in Georgia - Alexander Ivanishvili, as well as people close to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Their accounts will be blocked and their property will be confiscated.
❗️Serious statement from Ukraine

👮🏻‍♂️ The Georgian prosecutor's office has filed formal charges against all people detained in the case of the death of a 13-year-old girl from an electric shock in a fountain in Tbilisi's Vake park.
Nine defendants face 4 to 7 years in prison. None of the detainees (an employee of the mayor's office, a contractor, the head of a company that carried out repairs, workers) pleaded guilty.

😎 Two stories related to glasses and Georgia happened yesterday.

📍 You can see the first one on the photo. A resident of Guria posted it on Facebook with the caption “I bought bread. I came home, I was looking at it ... and it was looking at me". I would say - no comment 😅.
📍The second story came from Milan, where two Georgian citizens wanted to be part of high fashion and hid 1000-euro glasses in their pockets in one of the boutiques. One was detained at the exit, the second managed to escape.

⛷🏂 Bakuriani is becoming a modern international winter resort.

📍 Very soon, in March 2023, there will be held FIS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard-2023, which promises to be very eventful and spectacular. The program includes such types of disciplines as mogul, parallel mogul, acrobatics, ski cross, halfpipe and slopestyle. In total, more than 25 medals will be awarded, both men and women will compete. The Government of Georgia allocated about $50 million for preparations: tracks, infrastructure, snowmaking systems and much more will be improved.
📍Yesterday, another news related to Bakuriani came: the winter resort officially received the status of the host of the European Winter Youth Olympic Festival 2025. Another $36 million will be allocated for preparations.

👮🏻‍♂️🎾 Georgian tennis player, the first racket of the country, Nikoloz Basilashvili, was acquitted of domestic violence charges.

The case of the winner of several tournaments of the ATP series, the strongest Georgian tennis player and his ex-wife was followed by the whole country. Former 16th racket of the world Basilashvili was detained in May 2020 based on the statement of his ex-wife, model Neka (Neli) Dorokashvili. The investigation claimed that he hit her in the presence of their young son. Basilashvili's ex-wife testified about physical and emotional abuse: "He announced to me that he was the king and that I should behave as his subordinate." Dorokashvili presented a number of audio and video recordings confirming that she was the victim of systematical psychological, physical and economic violence by Basilashvili. It included a video where he beat her with a bag of tennis balls. The tennis player categorically denied all accusations, arguing that his ex-wife was lying, trying to inflict moral, financial and reputational damage on the athlete.

🧑🏻‍🎓 Judge Khatuna Kharchilava acquitted Basilashvili of all episodes. At the same session, the preventive measure of bail was canceled, and ₾100,000 bail will be returned to the athlete. Also he has the right to demand compensation for the damage caused.

❗️The prosecutor's office intends to appeal the decision, and the ex-wife's lawyers called the acquittal shameful and justifying domestic violence.

🌺🪴On November 5 and 6, an exhibition and sale of autumn flowers will be held in the Tbilisi Botanical Garden.

The event will feature a variety of collections of chrysanthemums, dahlias and tropical plants in the greenhouse. Visitors will enjoy educational events, themed workshops, hot mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and the comfort of autumn in the Botanical Garden.
⏰ Working hours from 12:00 to 18:00.
🎫 The cost of visiting: adults 4 ₾, schoolchildren - 50 tetri. Preschool children free of charge.

🚘⛔️ The road to Svaneti is closed due to snowfall and the danger of avalanches.

❌ Traffic is prohibited for all types of transport on the 186 -192 km section of the Zugdidi-Mestia road
❌ Similar restrictions apply to 156-157 km of the Kutaisi-Tskaltubo-Tsageri-Lentekhi-Lasdili section

ℹ️ "It is still unknown when the traffic will be opened, it depends on weather conditions," Roads Department of Georgia reports.

🧥👜 Georgian-born designer Demna Gvasalia appeared on the cover of the October issue of The NY Times style magazine featuring his large interview.

I think few people have a subnoscription to NY Times to read the article, so I will briefly retell the words of the creative director of Balenciaga and co-founder of Vetements:
📍 when he was 11 years old, the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict was in the active phase and the family fled from the Sukhumi bombing, taking with them only some clothes, personal items and photo albums
📍 noted that the conflict in Ukraine hurts him due to the trauma of the past, when he became a forever refugee
📍 he is afraid of his father. During the escape from Abkhazia, his father said "we will never be captured, I have grenades"
📍 does not use his father's last name "Gvasalia" to separate his personal self from his profession
📍 burst into tears during an interview, because Naomi Campbell considers him a couturier, and many people think that he just makes sneakers and sweatshirts
📍 compares his work at Balenciaga with Jesus carrying his cross
📍 he has big problems with his own reflection in the mirror, so he decided to take photos only in a mask
📍 can’t come to Georgia: he says he will definitely be killed for being gay, especially considering that his uncle promised to do it
📍 lives modestly with his husband, musician Loic Gomez and mother in Switzerland. Everything is calm, quiet and beige there.