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The News in Brief

Thursday, December 31
Lawyers Association and opposition requests Council of Justice to be dissolved

Non-parliamentary opposition groups and the Lawyers Association are demanding that the High Council of Justice be dissolved.

According to a statement released today, dissolving the High Council of Justice is a necessary step, and changes must be made to any reformed incarnation of it.

‘More attention should be paid to the professional and public reputation of the candidates as well as the social consensus,’ reads the statement.

Representatives of non-parliamentary opposition groups as well as members of various NGOs have gathered at the Lawyers Association’s office today. They are protesting Levan Murusidze’s (a judge with a history of giving controversial verdicts) selection as a member of the High Council. (IPN)



Bidzina Ivanishvili to assess governmental changes

The former PM of Georgia will soon make his first comment over the proposed governmental changes. He will also visit the GDS TV Company.

According to the TV Company, Ivanishvili will assess Garibashvili’s activities over the past 2 years and answer questions about Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s appointment as the PM.

He will also touch on the recent decisions and actions of the High Council of Justice. (IPN)



Ancient Georgian statue features at top international exhibition

A bronze statue discovered in western Georgia is among antique relics from across the world presented within one of the largest archaeological displays of the recent times in Washington.

Historical enthusiasts were invited to see the 2nd to 1st Centuries BC Torso of a Youth by visiting the Power and Pathos exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in the United States (US) capital.

Discovered in the town of Vani in 1988, the bronze statue was among 50 examples of Hellenic sculpting art on display at the Gallery in what was called "one of the best exhibitions of sculpture you may see " by The New York Times newspaper.

The exhibition opened on December 13 and included relics from museums in Europe, Africa and the US.

Researchers believed the Vani sculpture was originally made in the area - as opposed to having been imported from another location.

Their conclusion was formed as a result of the presence of a 3rd to 2nd Centuries BC casting pit outside the town.

Historians involved in studying the sculpture also considered the statue likely to have been created as a depiction of Apollo, an ancient Greek deity.

Before its display at the Washington venue Torso of a Youth was exhibited at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy earlier this year.

The bronze sculpture's displays in the US were a result of the Georgian National Museum's collaboration with the Los Angeles venue.

The statue will return to the Vani Museum of Archaeology after the venue reopens following the conclusion of its ongoing renovation in 2016.

The exhibition at Washington's National Gallery of Art will run until March 20, 2016. (Agenda.ge)



Prime Minister will hold meeting with representatives of society

Giorgi Kvirikashvili held the first sitting of the government as the Prime Minister. Giorgi Kvirikashvili appealed with the new initiative and stated that he will hold a meeting with various representatives of society.

"In the near future, we will begin very intensive meetings with different groups of society representatives. I would like to ask the business ombudsman, Giorgi Gakharia, to arrange meeting with representatives of business community. I also would like to arrange meetings with the most vocal NGOs and listen to their suggestions on how to make our work more effective and transparent,"said Giorgi Kvirikashvili. (Rustavi2)