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Tbilisi, Georgia — Protesters in Georgia have vowed to continue anti-government demonstrations driven largely by the so-called “foreign agent” law that took effect last week. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in the past two months to protest the law, which critics have compared to similar measures in Russia. Many of the demonstrators carry European Union and Georgian flags, while others wave the Ukrainian colors in solidarity with Kyiv following its 2022 invasion by Moscow. Protesters beaten Among the most well-known figures at the demonstrations is David Katsarava, a prominent activist who monitors Russian activities in parts of Georgia occupied by Moscow’s forces since its 2008 invasion of the country. On May 14, Katsarava was detained by Georgian special forces outside parliament. He says he was severely beaten at least five times in detention, suffering extensive injuries including a broken jaw and eye socket. He was released without charge the following day. The government says it is investigating his treatment. At his home in the suburbs of Tbilisi, Katsarava told VOA that the protests must go on – and he will rejoin them in the coming days. “We have now the changed reality and we must continue fighting. Georgia has changed and changed its direction to Russia. We must fight until to the end because otherwise if we stop, if we will be scared and we will stay at home, so that will be a finish for free Georgia. And Georgia then becomes Belarus or some branch of Russia or something like this,” he said. Foreign agent The new law requires any organization receiving more than 20 percent of its funding from overseas to register as a “foreign agent.” Critics have compared it to Russian legislation and say it is aimed at stifling scrutiny and criticism of the government by media and non-governmental organizations ahead of elections scheduled in October. The law’s supporters say it is aimed at ensuring transparency. “It doesn’t make sense why the state budget should be transparent — but any funding from foreign sources should not be transparent in the same way,” said Fridon Injia, an member of parliament with the European Socialists party, which is closely aligned to the ruling Georgian Dream party. The European Union has warned that the foreign agent law is incompatible with Georgia’s EU membership aspirations. Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on several Georgian lawmakers who supported the legislation. October elections The demonstrators insist they will continue their action until the October elections — with the aim of toppling the government, which is led by the Georgian Dream political party and widely seen as increasingly pro-Russian. Giga Bokeria, chairman of the “European Georgia” party and a member of the government from 2010 until 2013, compared the coming months to the fall of the Soviet Union, when Georgia regained its independence. “We have elections in October. These protests will continue until then. And our goal will be just like 30 years ago — to achieve a fundamental change. And this fundamental change is to remove the government, which is a proxy of the enemy of our sovereignty [Russia] and enemy of our liberty inside the country.” EU support Polls conducted before the foreign agent law took effect suggest around 80 percent of Georgians support EU membership. At a recent protest outside parliament, many demonstrators vowed to stay on the streets until the election. “No matter that the law is already in place, we keep on protesting. Because we want that Europe sees our approach and they support us,” said student Elene Ramishvili. “There’s a big chance that [the government] will try to fake the results of the elections and we’ll have to be ready for the action, in case this happens,” fellow protester Giorgi Japiashvili told VOA. Katsarava called on Europe and the U.S. to do more. “I would like to appeal to our Western partners and our friends to please support us,” he said. “We need quick support. And without you, we all will lose Georgia as a free country.”

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in recent weeks to protest a new ‘foreign agent’ law, which critics have compared to similar legislation in Russia. The law is now in force – but its opponents have vowed to continue their demonstrations until crucial elections scheduled for later this year. Henry Ridgwell reports from Tbilisi.

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Inter-Korean relations have sunk to their lowest level in years as both countries intensify cross-border psychological warfare. The developments began with North Korea sending waste-filled balloons into the South. VOA’s William Gallo has more details from near the Korean border.

CARACAS, Venezuela — A fleet of Russian warships on Wednesday began entering the Caribbean in what some see as a projection of strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine. The first two ships slowly crossed the mouth of the Havana Bay under a downpour. The ships were accompanied by small boats that guided them through the narrow entrance channel. The U.S. military expects the exercises will involve a handful of Russian ships and support vessels, which may also stop in Venezuela. Russia is a longtime ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and aircraft have periodically made forays into the Caribbean. But this mission comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, prompting President Vladimir Putin to suggest his military could respond with "asymmetrical steps" elsewhere in the world. "Most of all, the warships are a reminder to Washington that it is unpleasant when an adversary meddles in your near abroad," said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank, referring to the Western involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine. "It also reminds Russia's friends in the region, including U.S. antagonists Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow is on their side." Although the fleet includes a nuclear-powered submarine, a senior U.S. administration official told The Associated Press that the intelligence community has determined no vessel is carrying nuclear weapons. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not been announced publicly, said Russia's deployments "pose no direct threat to the United States." U.S. officials last week said the Russian ships were expected to remain in the region through the summer. Russian ships have occasionally docked in Havana since 2008, when a group of Russian vessels entered Cuban waters in what state media described as the first such visit in almost two decades. In 2015, a reconnaissance and communications ship arrived unannounced in Havana a day before the start of discussions between U.S. and Cuban officials on the reopening of diplomatic relations. A State Department spokesperson told the AP that Russia's port calls in Cuba are "routine naval visits," while acknowledging its military exercises "have ratcheted up because of U.S. support to Ukraine and exercise activity in support of our NATO allies." On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez, for talks in Moscow. Speaking to reporters after the talks, Lavrov thanked the Cuban authorities for their position on Ukraine. "From the very beginning, Havana gave an assessment of what was happening outlining the absolutely correct, true reasons for what was unfolding [in Ukraine], and what was being prepared by the West for many years," Lavrov said. Russian military and defense doctrine holds Latin America and the Caribbean in an important position, with the sphere seen as under U.S. influence acting as a counterweight to Washington's activities in Europe, said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "While this is likely little more than provocation from Moscow, it sends a message about Russia's ability to project power into the Western Hemisphere with the help of its allies, and it will certainly keep the U.S. military on high alert while they are in theater," Berg said. The timing of this year's mission may serve Russia's purposes, but it is also raising questions of whether Venezuela's government may use it as an opportunity to shore up President Nicolás Maduro's bid for a third term in the July 28 election. Venezuela's chief opposition coalition is threatening the ruling party's decadeslong grip on power, and engineering a crisis built on simmering tensions with Guyana is among the scenarios that analysts believe Maduro's government could use to delay or cancel the vote. "It is almost unthinkable that Maduro will risk actually losing power," said Evan Ellis, Latin America research professor with the U.S. Army War College. "The most obvious alternative, consistent with Venezuelan military's recent moves ... is to fabricate an international crisis that would provide an excuse for 'postponing' Venezuela's election," he continued. "The presence of Russian warships in the vicinity would greatly add to the escalation risk of any such crisis that Maduro would fabricate, which is possibly the point." Venezuelan voters approved a referendum in December to claim sovereignty over the Essequibo territory, which accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and lies near big offshore oil deposits. Venezuela argues it was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago. Guyana is awaiting a decision regarding Venezuela's claim from the International Court of Justice, but Maduro's government does not recognize its authority. The U.S. supports Guyana in the ongoing dispute and assisted it with surveillance flights late last year when Venezuela had threatened to invade the country. Guyana's government last month gave permission for the U.S. military to fly two powerful F/A-18F Super Hornet jets over its capital in a demonstration of close cooperation. Guyana's Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on June 6 acknowledged that the Russian fleet does not represent "a direct threat." "Nevertheless, we're vigilant, and we're keeping this issue firmly in our policy radar," Jagdeo said in a press conference.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani authorities arrested journalist and former TV anchor Imran Riaz Khan early Wednesday. Hours later, his legal team was informed the journalist was arrested for embezzlement. A vocal critic of the country’s powerful military establishment, Khan was arrested early Wednesday from the airport in Lahore as he was on his way to perform the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj in Saudi Arabia. This is Khan’s third arrest in 13 months. The popular commentator, seen as a supporter of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has 5.7 million followers on social media platform X and 4.83 million followers on YouTube. Videos posted overnight on Imran Riaz Khan’s X page show men in plain clothes surrounding his car at the entrance to the airport. Some people present at the scene surround the vehicle, too, demanding that the men stopping Khan identify themselves. Soon, police are seen arriving and forcefully stop some witnesses, including a lawyer, from recording the scene on their mobile phones. Khan’s legal team filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking reasons for the arrest that they say was made without a warrant. A first information report shared on X by Khan’s lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaque shows the prominent reporter was accused of embezzling nearly $90,000 in a real estate deal. In an earlier post on X, Ashfaque, who was driving his client to the airport, said the “arrest made in an illegal manner” was a violation of court orders. Speaking to VOA Urdu, Ashfaque said that Khan was granted bail in all the cases against him, and that the Islamabad High Court gave him permission to leave the country. In a video recorded before heading to the airport, Khan said he was expecting police action. “I have information right now that there is a heavy presence of Rangers [paramilitary force] and police [at the airport] and they may arrest me,” Khan said in the clip posted after his arrest Wednesday. The prominent media person once enjoyed a close relationship with Pakistan’s powerful military but fell out of favor for openly criticizing the institution after former premier Khan was removed from power in April 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence. The popular politician, jailed since August last year, accuses his then-army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and political rivals of pushing him out of office in collusion with the Biden administration — charges they have all denied. Past arrests In May last year, police arrested journalist Khan at the airport in the industrial city of Sialkot in Punjab province. The action came amid a crackdown on former premier Khan’s supporters after many of them stormed government and military installations to protest his brief arrest on May 9. The journalist, however, soon went “missing” and arrived home nearly five months later. Khan has hinted he was in the custody of intelligence agencies. In February this year, authorities arrested him again — this time on corruption charges. However, officials told VOA Urdu the commentator was accused of spreading religious hate and running an online campaign against the chief justice.

Before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was an international surrogacy hub. Relatively low cost and a favorable legal framework led to thousands of babies born every year thanks to Ukrainian surrogate mothers, many of them for overseas parents. Despite the war and the risks, hopeful foreigners keep coming to Ukraine. Mariia Prus has the story.

USCIS is issuing  guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual that interprets that the confidentiality protections under 8 U.S.C. 1367 end at naturalization, which will allow naturalized U.S. citizens previously protected under 8 U.S.C. 1367 (specifically, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitioners and those seeking or with approved T and U nonimmigrant status) the ability to fully access e-filing and other customer service tools.

Finland’s Lenin Museum, the “most hated" in the country according to its director, is to close its doors at the end of the year for rebranding, as Finland’s historically good relations with Russia sour. Henry Wilkins visited the museum in the Finnish city of Tampere and has that story.

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Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is set to be sworn in as the country’s next president in October, after having resoundingly won elections in February. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports on what this means for U.S. relations with Southeast Asia’s largest country. Ahadian Utama, Hafizh Sahadeva contributed to this report

BRUSSELS — The European Union moved Wednesday to hike tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, escalating a trade dispute over Beijing's subsidies for the exports that Brussels worries is hurting domestic automakers. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it would impose provisional tariffs that would result in Chinese automakers facing additional duties of as much as 38%, up from the current level of 10%. The commission said it reached out to Chinese authorities to discuss the findings of its investigation into the subsidies and "explore possible ways to resolve the issues." "Should discussions with Chinese authorities not lead to an effective solution," the new rates would take effect on a provisional basis by July 4, the commission said in a press release. Electric cars are the latest flash point in a broader trade dispute over what Brussels says is China's unfair state support for green tech exports that also include solar panels, batteries and wind turbines. Imports of Chinese-made EVs to the European Union have skyrocketed in recent years. They include vehicles from Western brands that have auto plants in China, including Tesla and BMW. But EU officials complain that Chinese automakers like BYD and SAIC are increasing market share and undercutting European car brands on price thanks to Beijing's massive subsidies. The commission said an investigation it opened last year into China's EV subsidies found that China's battery electric vehicle value chain "benefits from unfair subsidization, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers." The extra tariffs would vary by company. BYD would face an additional 17.4% charge. Geely, which owns Sweden's Volvo, would be hit with a further 20%. For SAIC, it would be 38.1% extra. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, speaking at a daily briefing, blasted the EU's investigation as "typical protectionism" and said Beijing would "take all measures necessary to protect our legitimate rights and interests." U.S. President Joe Biden slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment last month. Biden said that Chinese government subsidies ensure the nation's companies don't have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace has won the Republican nomination after a tumultuous second term in South Carolina that saw her go from a critic to an ally of former President Donald Trump and make headlines for plenty of things off the House floor.  Mace defeated challengers Catherine Templeton and Bill Young in voting that ended Tuesday. She will face a Democratic opponent in the general election in the 1st District, which is the closest thing South Carolina has to a swing district in the Republican-dominated state.  Trump’s endorsement — after he called her crazy and terrible in 2022 — is just one of many ways Mace has attracted a spotlight far greater than a typical second-term member of Congress.  She’s a regular on interview shows, often antagonizing the hosts. She calls for her party to moderate on abortion and marijuana but joined seven of the farthest right members to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.  McCarthy threw his weight against Mace and the other defectors. His political action committee gave a $10,000 contribution to Templeton, and the American Prosperity Alliance, where a McCarthy ally serves as a senior adviser, donated to a group called South Carolina Patriots PAC, which spent more than $2.1 million against Mace.  Mace has said her positions and beliefs aren’t erratic — she is just reflecting the values of the 1st District, which stretches from the centuries-old neighborhoods of Charleston down the coast to Beaufort County’s booming freshly built neighborhoods of retirees moving to South Carolina from somewhere else.  Mace, the first woman to graduate from South Carolina's military academy The Citadel, thanked her voters for tuning out the “senseless noise” from her opponents and realizing she is unafraid to stand up to powerful people.  “When you are the first woman to sit in The Citadel’s barber chair to get all of your hair chopped off, you don’t get your feelings hurt when you don’t get invited to the fancy cocktail parties in Washington, D.C.,” Mace said. “While sometimes I may be a caucus of one, I’m not alone because I’m not there for me — I’m there for each and every one of you.”  Mace's opponents argued that by seeming to land everywhere on issues, Mace is nowhere.  Templeton ran South Carolina’s health and environmental agency to some angst a decade ago and in her only political race finished third in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary won by Gov. Henry McMaster. Young is a Marine veteran and financial planner.  Templeton didn't mention Mace's name, but asked Tuesday for her voters to keep backing Republicans.  “I think it is safe to say everybody in here has the conservative values that we share, and in November we are all going to stand behind our president and we are all going to join together to support the Republican Party,” Templeton said.  In the Democratic primary, businessman and former International African American Museum CEO Michael Moore defeated Mac Deford, a Citadel graduate and lawyer for a couple of the larger bedroom communities in the district.  South Carolina lawmakers drew the district to be more Republican after the seat flipped for one term in 2018. The 1st District was the only congressional district won by Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary.  4th District   For the second election in a row, U.S. Rep. William Timmons has fought off a spirited challenge in the Republican primary.  Timmons defeated state Rep. Adam Morgan, the leader of the state House Freedom Caucus who argued Timmons was too liberal.  Timmons’ divorce — and a widely shared Instagram post by a husband who said Timmons had an affair with his wife — complicated his reelection bid. Timmons has denied the allegations.  Timmons has Trump's endorsement as he seeks a fourth term in the district anchored by Greenville and Spartanburg.  Timmons was not in his district Tuesday night, instead staying in Washington, where Republicans only have a two vote majority in the U.S. House.  He said he was thankful his voters recognized his strong conservative record and saw through the “countless lies” from his opponent.   “In Washington I am focused on policy not headlines, on representing my constituents not myself, and working with my colleagues instead of working against them,” Timmons said in a statement on social media.  In November’s general election, Timmons will face Democrat Kathryn Harvey, who helps nonprofit organizations with marketing, fundraising and leadership, and Constitutional Party candidate Mark Hackett.  3rd District   South Carolina's 3rd District is open after Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan decided not to run again after seven terms. Duncan's wife of 35 years filed for divorce in 2023, accusing him of several affairs.  The Republican nomination is going to a runoff between a candidate endorsed by Trump and another endorsed by his good friend McMaster.  Mark Burns is a Black pastor who has backed Trump since before his first race for president and made it to the runoff after losing twice before in the GOP primary in the neighboring 4th District.  His opponent is nurse practitioner Sheri Biggs, who along with her husband have been faithful contributors and friends of McMaster for years.  They defeated five other candidates including South Carolina Rep. Stewart Jones and Kevin Bishop, who handled communications for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for more than two decades.  Sherwin-Williams paint store manager Byron Best from Greenwood won the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District.  Other races   The only other U.S. House incumbent facing a primary challenger is Republican Rep. Joe Wilson who won the party's nomination as he seeks a 12th full term in the 2nd District, which stretches from suburban areas around Columbia west and south toward Aiken.  Wilson will face David Robinson II. The U.S. Army veteran who enlisted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and is an advocate for missing people after his son disappeared in the desert in Arizona won the Democratic primary.  Attorney Duke Buckner won the Republican 6th District primary and will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who is seeking a 17th term in the state's majority-minority district that is bounded by areas around Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia. In the 7th District Democratic primary, teacher Mal Hyman, who calls himself an independent Democrat, faces Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom veteran Daryl Scott. The winner takes on Republican U.S. Rep. Russel Fry, who is seeking a second term in the district that stretches from Myrtle Beach to Florence in the northeast part of the state.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Sydney — Australia’s national science agency warns a lack of scientists specialized in plant breeding could lead to ‘dire’ food security implications around the world. Researchers say plant breeding is a critical science that underpins the global production of food, animal feed and fuel. The finding is among the conclusions of a recently published paper by researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.       A joint paper published earlier this month by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, in collaboration with Lincoln University in New Zealand and McGill University in Canada, warns that highly-skilled plant breeding experts, who are reaching the end of their careers, are not being replaced by sufficient numbers of university graduates, many of whom are choosing other areas of plant science including molecular biology. Lucy Egan is the study’s lead author and a CSIRO research scientist.  She told VOA Wednesday that new recruits are needed. “It is really based on developing new plant varieties for future climates.  So, plant breeding is a slow game.  It takes a long time to develop a new crop variety, so you’re looking at least ten years on average to develop a new variety.  When you have a lack of plant breeders coming through to replace the generation that are retiring, it does generate a bit of concern around the succession plan,” she said. The report said that the implications of a skills shortage “could be dire” and that global food security could be affected. It recommends establishing “dedicated training facilities in different countries”.   Egan said that plant breeding can help countries adapt to a warming climate. “I think instead of focusing on, you know, certain countries and the implications, I think if you look at it on a global level plant breeding is really the backbone of the agricultural sector.  Without the development of new varieties with changing climates and all these things that are sort of happening across the world, we need to really build strength and resilience within the agricultural sector and plant breeding is really key to do that,” she said. The research is published in the journal, Crop Science.  It reports that since the 1960s, global crop production has increased by more than 250%, which is due in large part to plant breeding science.