🇬🇪🏀 Georgian national basketball team reached the final stage of the World Championship!

The team lost the decisive match in Tbilisi to the Icelandic team with a score of 77-80, but still, in the end, for the first time in history, it reached the final part of the prestigious tournament. It will be held in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10, 2023.
❗️ Thanks to all the fans and the team.

🇬🇪⚡️🇺🇦 Citizens of Ukraine can stay in Georgia without a visa for up to two years.

Decree of the Government of Georgia No. 81 dated February 24, 2023 amended Decree No. 255 dated June 5, 2015, according to which the period of visa-free stay in the country for citizens of Ukraine is increased to 2 years.

❗️ If a foreign citizen changed his passport in Georgia, he must have the old one with him when leaving.

I quote the story of one of the subscribers who asked to share it so no one would get into such a situation (in general, I know three such sad cases):
"Usually people share stories about how they were not allowed into Georgia, but they refused to let me out at the Tbilisi airport. I received a second foreign passport of the Russian Federation and went with it, leaving the old one at home. It turns out that you can leave Georgia only with the same document with which you entered or with a certificate of replacement / loss of a passport. It would be nice to share that story so no one else would get into this situation."

🛵🎁❌ Wolt delivery service couriers announced a large-scale protest on March 1.

This is not the first time that the company's employees take part in scooter riots, but this time, according to the organizers, they expect several hundred participants to take part in the action. Their requirements have remained unchanged for several weeks:
✔️ increase the rate by 20 tetri for each kilometer of delivery
✔️ increasing the basic cost of the trip to 3.5 GEL
✔️ dismissal of the local head of the company
✔️ the consent of the management to the collective meeting

🏦 15 Georgian commercial banks finished January 2023 with a profit of 197 million lari ($75 million).

This is 15 million lari less than in the same period of 2022, but 79 million lari more than in December last year.
📈 TOP-3 banks with profit in January:
- Bank of Georgia 87.4 million
- TBC 78.8 million
- Credo Bank 8 million
📉 TOP-3 banks with a loss in January:
- Paysera -0.1 million
- Silk bank -0.28 million
- VTB bank -1.04 mln

🇬🇪❗️ Mother's Day is celebrated on March 3 in Georgia: it is a holiday and an official day off.

In this regard, state agencies, social services, ministries, Houses of Justice and most banks will not work.
❤️ March 8 is also a holiday and a day off in Georgia.

🇬🇪🇷🇺 Deputies of the opposition party "United National Movement" opened the city meeting in Ozurgeti with the anthem of Russia.

Thus, they protested against the laws adopted by the ruling party "Georgian Dream" (including "On foreign agents"), calling them pro-Russian.

🛩 Georgian airline Vanilla Sky publishes flight schedule for March.

Let me remind you that they operate flights by a small 17-seat aircraft from the Natakhtari airport, which is not far from Tbilisi. There is a free shuttle service from the Bicycle Monument.
📌 The ticket sales site is HERE, but I always recommend to call them or write on Facebook.
ℹ️ Flight directions: Natakhtari-Batumi, Natakhtari-Mestia, Natakhtari-Ambrolauri, Kutaisi-Mestia.
👍 I flew Vanilla Sky several times - it's fast, convenient and insanely beautiful.

📈 Georgia expects 15% tourism growth in 2023.

The total revenues of the country in this industry will amount to about 4 billion dollars. This follows from the forecast of Galt & Taggart analysts:
“According to our estimates, tourism receipts for January 2023 amounted to $300 million. This is 163.1% more than it was in January 2022. In general, in 2023, we predict a 15% increase in tourism revenue. This year, the sector is able to generate $4 billion in revenue.”
ℹ️ According to the forecasts of tourism industry experts, in 2023 the country can count on a significant increase in the flow of tourists from China, Israel, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
❗️ At the same time, migration flows from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus will continue.

📊 Sakstat has published the cost of food and services, as well as their change over the year (practically all indicators have risen in price).

In February 2023, the annual inflation rate was 8.1%.
📈 Compared to the same period last year, the price increased:
- vegetables and gourds +25.8%
- bread and bakery products +21%
- milk, cheese and eggs +17.2%
- coffee, tea and cocoa +14.5%
- mineral waters, soft drinks and natural juices +12.2%
- fish +12.1%
- meat and meat products +10.2%
- sugar, jam and other sweets 9.8%
📈 Services and other areas of life also rose in price:
- water, electricity, gas +12.4%
- actual payments for housing +38.7%
- current maintenance and repair of housing 7.4%
- outpatient medical services +13.8%
- inpatient medical services +8.0%

👩🏼‍🏫 From March 8 to March 14 - spring school holidays in public schools in Georgia.

The Ministry of Education also reminds that there will be another Easter weekend from April 14 to 17, and the school year officially ends on June 15. The exceptions are first-graders - this year the last day of school for them is May 25th.

🇬🇪🏉 The Georgian national rugby team defeated Romania in the semi-finals of the European Championship with a score of 31:7.

The match was held in Tbilisi. On the video, the emotions of the son of one of the players.
ℹ️ In the final match, the Georgian team will play with Portugal on March 19.
🥇 The Georgian national team has been the permanent holder of the European champion noscript since 2018. In total, it won champion noscript 14 times.

❗️🇬🇪 Topic #1 in Georgia: discussion of the draft law "On Foreign Influence" (On Foreign Agents).

According to the document, each legal entity or mass media will be obliged to disclose its sources of funding and have a special marking if it has more than 20% foreign participation.
ℹ️ What happened today:
📍 discussion in the legal committee ended in a fight between deputies (on video)
📍 Several public protests took place, according to eyewitnesses, there were from 100 to 3000 participants, at one of them they burned the flag of the Russian Federation and threw eggs at the Parliament
📍 found that the "American" version of the bill was not translated verbatim
📍 more than 200 professors and lecturers signed an appeal that they are against this law
📍 students from ten major universities joined the protests
📍 posters appeared on the streets of cities with images of deputies of the ruling party and the opposition, denouncing each other
📍 winemakers appealed to the government not to pass the law, as foreign organizations have been very supportive of them all the years
📍 representatives of the European Union, diplomats, the UN, a coalition of media, publicly spoke out against the adoption of the law and that it could destroy all prospects for European integration

⚔️ Students in Georgia will no longer be exempt from military service.

According to Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Grigol Giorgadze, the ministry is preparing a new "Defense Code" that will require compulsory military service for all connoscripts, including students. According to the official, the army will put students in a better position than other connoscripts and will offer different conditions for compulsory military service.
“If we need to recruit 7,000 recruits, and we recruited 6,500 non-students, we will get the remaining 500 people from students,” Giorgadze said.
ℹ️ He also explained that students will have the option of choosing a six-month, eight-month, eleven-month or four-year tuition program.