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The News in Brief

Friday, May 22
Traffic to be temporarily banned for Rikoti tunnel overnight

All traffic through Rikoti tunnel will be banned tonight.

According to the Roads Department, cleaning and maintenance work, as well as a routine inspection of electro-mechanical systems are the reason for halting the flow of traffic.

All traffic will be banned on May 22, from 00:00 to 07:00, with all vehicles being diverted to the Rikoti bypass road. (IPN)



Parliament Speaker visits Spain

The delegation of the Parliament of Georgia, led by Parliament Chairman Davit Usupashvili, leaves for Spain.

On the first day of their visit, the Georgian lawmakers will meet with Jesus Posada, president of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Beatriz Rodriguez-Salmones, President of the Spanish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the State Secretary for European Affairs, Inigo Mendez de Vigo.

As the Parliament’s press service informs, the delegation members of the Parliament of Georgia will also meet with Spanish Senate President Pio Garcia-Escudero, who will attend the event, dedicated to Georgia’s Independence Day in Madrid.

Within the frameworks of the visit, Davit Usupashvili will give an interview to the local media. (Frontnews)



Smart-up Georgia reveals best aspiring entrepreneurs

The dreams of a handful of young entrepreneurs are being turned into reality after they were selected as winners of a nationwide competition for Georgian students.

Three teams of aspiring entrepreneurs were selected as winners of the Smart-up Georgia competition at the final student startup competition on May 19. The five-month competition aimed to foster and support entrepreneurship among young people in Georgia, by finding and then developing creative, innovative and unique ideas.

A team named F.I.T. who came up with a plan to develop and produce healthy fruit chips using unique technology won first place at the competition.

Second place went to team RooRy, who developed a website where guests can order custom-designed wallpaper and stickers.

And finally, a team named AbracaDabra who worked to build an online platform for mediating short-term jobs was awarded third place in the competition.

All three winning teams received cash prizes of 5,000, 3,000 and 2,000 GEL accordingly, and a rewarding study trip to Estonia in June where the students will meet with successful Estonian start-ups and companies.

When asked to comment, the competition winners said they had learned and experienced a great deal more than expected during the five-month competition. The teams said they had gained real-life practical experience in building their products and services, and setting up companies.

The competition organisers said: "All participants were extremely satisfied with the program. They especially valued the role and support of local and Estonian mentors who trained and supported them during the whole process.”

The Smart-up Georgia competition was organised by BDA Consulting from Estonia in conjunction with 27 Georgian universities and other organisations.

The competition was financed by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Agenda.ge)



President of “Dinamo” Roman Fifia Tbilisi officially presented new head coach of the team

President of “Dinamo” Tbilisi officially presented the new head coach of the team, Gia Geguchadze. Geguchadze previously managed the team in season of 2004/2005.

The changes came about due to the match results which were achieved by team in this season, said the president of “Dinamo” at a press conference. According to him, the place which “Dinamo” is occupying in tournament table is not satisfying and with their new coach, the team will start new stage.

President of the club also said that he may run in the elections for the Presidency of the Georgian Football Federation.

Fifia declined reports that “Dinamo” has any outstanding debts. (Rustavi2)