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tbilsi, georgia — Georgian security forces used water cannon and tear gas against protesters outside parliament late on Tuesday, sharply escalating a crackdown after lawmakers debated a "foreign agents" bill, which is viewed by the opposition and Western nations as authoritarian and Russian-inspired. Reuters eyewitnesses saw some police officers physically attack protesters, who threw eggs and bottles at them, before using tear gas and water cannon to force demonstrators from the area outside the Soviet-built parliament building. Earlier, riot police used pepper spray and batons to clear some protesters who were trying to prevent lawmakers from leaving the back entrance of parliament. Some protesters shouted "Slaves" and "Russians" at police. The bill has deepened divisions in the deeply polarized southern Caucasus country, setting the ruling Georgian Dream Party against a protest movement backed by opposition groups, civil society, celebrities and Georgia's figurehead president. Parliament, which is controlled by the Georgian Dream and its allies, is likely to approve the bill, which must pass two more readings before becoming law. Lawmakers ended Tuesday's session without a vote, and the debate will resume on Wednesday. The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents." Georgian critics have labeled the bill "the Russian law," comparing it to Moscow's "foreign agent" legislation, which has been used to crack down on dissent there. Russia is disliked by many Georgians for its support of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia lost a brief war with Russia in 2008. The United States, Britain and the European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, have criticized the bill. EU officials have said it could halt Georgia's progress toward integration with the bloc. 'Prolonging the inevitable’ Tina Khidasheli, who served as Georgian defense minister in a Georgian Dream-led government in 2015-2016, attended Tuesday's protest against her former government colleagues and said she expected the demonstrators to win eventually. "The government is just prolonging the inevitable. We might have serious problems, but at the end of the day, the people will go home with victory," she told Reuters. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators have shut down Tbilisi's central streets on a nightly basis since parliament approved the bill's first reading on April 17. On Monday, a government-organized rally in support of the bill was attended by tens of thousands of people, many of whom had been bussed in from provincial towns by the ruling party. At that rally, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who founded Georgian Dream, harshly criticized the West and hinted at a post-election crackdown on the opposition. Ivanishvili told attendees that a "global party of war" had hijacked the EU and NATO and that it was bent on using those institutions to undermine Georgian sovereignty. Ivanishvili, who says he wants Georgia to join the EU, said the foreign agent law would bolster national sovereignty, and he suggested that the country's pro-Western opposition was controlled by foreign intelligence services via grants to NGOs. He added that after elections due by October, Georgia's opposition, which is dominated by the United National Movement Party of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, would face "the harsh political and legal judgment it deserves."

The number of Russian soldiers killed in combat since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine remains a secret that the Kremlin goes to great lengths to hide. However, open-source research has recently yielded figures that show Moscow’s losses have been heavy. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report by Ricardo Marquina.

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.

At former U.S. President Donald Trump’s trial in New York, an ex-tabloid publisher testified about his efforts to help then-candidate Trump by buying negative stories about him and suppressing them. “Catch and kill” is part of a practice known as checkbook journalism. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi explains.

Mai Mahiu, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas in a nation where 171 people have been killed since March by torrential rains.  Seasonal rains, amplified by the El Nino weather pattern, have devastated the East African nation, with floodwaters engulfing villages and threatening to unleash even more damage in the weeks to come.  In the worst incident, which killed nearly 50 villagers, a makeshift dam burst in the Rift Valley before dawn Monday, sending a torrent of water and mud gushing down a hill and swallowing everything in its path.  The tragedy in Kamuchiri village, Nakuru county, was the deadliest episode in the country since the start of the March-May rainy season.  Ruto, who visited the victims of the Kamuchiri deluge after chairing a Cabinet meeting in Nairobi, said his government had drawn up a map of neighborhoods at risk of flooding.  "The military has been mobilized, the national youth service has been mobilized, all security agencies have been mobilized to assist citizens in such areas to evacuate to avoid any dangers of loss of lives," he said.  People living in the affected areas will have 48 hours to move, he said.  "The forecast is that rain is going to continue, and the likelihood of flooding and people losing lives is real. Therefore, we must take preemptive action," Ruto said.  "It is not a time for guesswork, we are better off safe than sorry."  The Kamuchiri disaster — which killed at least 48 people dead — cut off a road, uprooted trees and destroyed homes and vehicles. Some 26 people were hospitalized, Ruto said, with fears the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continued.  The Cabinet warned that two dams — Masinga and Kiambere — both less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of the capital, had "reached historic highs," portending disaster for those downstream.   "While the government encourages voluntary evacuation, all those who remain within the areas affected by the directive will be relocated forcibly in the interest of their safety," a statement said.  Monday's tragedy came six years after a dam accident at Solai, also in Nakuru county, killed 48 people, sending millions of liters of muddy water raging through homes and destroying power lines.  The May 2018 disaster involving a private reservoir on a coffee estate also followed weeks of torrential rains that sparked deadly floods and mudslides.  Opposition politicians and lobby groups have accused Ruto's government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings, demanding that it declare the floods a national disaster.  Kenya's main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, said Tuesday the authorities had failed to make "advance contingency plans" for the extreme weather.  "The government has been talking big on climate change, yet when the menace comes in full force, we have been caught unprepared," he said. "We have therefore been reduced to planning, searching and rescuing at the same time."  Environment Minister Soipan Tuya told a press briefing in Nairobi that the government was stepping up efforts to be better prepared for such events.  "We continue to focus on the need to invest in early warning systems that prepare our population — days, weeks and months ahead of extreme weather events, such as the heavy rainfall we're experiencing."   The international community, including the United Nations and African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat, have sent condolences and pledged solidarity with the affected families.  The weather has also left a trail of destruction in neighboring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides.  Late last year, more than 300 people died in rains and floods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, just as the region was trying to recover from its worst drought in four decades.  El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere. 

Amman, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a proposed cease-fire deal in its conflict with Israel, saying that there are “no more excuses” and “the time to act is now.” “Our focus right now is on getting a cease-fire and hostages home. That is the most urgent thing, and it's also I think what is achievable because the Israelis have put a strong proposal on the table. They've demonstrated that they're willing to compromise, and now it's on Hamas,” Blinken told reporters as he wrapped up a visit to Jordan. He also stressed the importance of getting more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “This has been part of our work every single day. It's also been the focus of every single one of my trips to the region,” Blinken said, adding that he will discuss the issue when he holds meetings in Israel on Wednesday. Earlier, the top U.S. diplomat held separate talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II before meeting with Sigrid Kaag, U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza. Blinken thanked Abdullah for Jordan’s leadership in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered over 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. The two leaders discussed joint efforts to expedite the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes. Blinken also commended the king’s commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms. Later on Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinians from Gaza at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs before meeting with Kaag. Blinken told Kaag he was anxious to hear directly from her, adding, “The entire team is doing extraordinary work to ensure that people in Gaza get the help and support and the assistance they need.” Israel declared war on Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, a figure that Israel says includes several thousand Hamas fighters. A delegation from Hamas participated in talks Monday in Egypt, which with Qatar has been seeking to broker a deal that would halt the Israeli offensive and see hostages freed. U.S., Saudi talks In Riyadh earlier this week Blinken said the United States is close to finishing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia that would be offered if the country makes peace with Israel. “The work that Saudi Arabia, the United States have been doing together in terms of our own agreements, I think, is potentially very close to completion,” Blinken told an audience at the World Economic Forum on Monday. He said the two nations have done intensive work over the last month on Israeli-Saudi normalization. Blinken disclosed that he was scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 10 last year to focus specifically on the Palestinian part of the normalization deal because that is an essential component. But it did not happen because of the Hamas terror attack on Israel. “In order to move forward with normalization, two things will be required: calm in Gaza and a credible pathway to a Palestinian state,” Blinken said. U.S. officials have said creating a pathway to a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel is key to lasting peace and security in the Middle East and to Israel's integration in the region. The Saudis have demanded, as a prerequisite, to see an Israeli commitment to the two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution and the return of the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza, demands that are widely supported by the international community. Nimrod Goren, a senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute, told VOA in an email, “Saudi Arabia has been gradually opening towards Israel for a decade. Significant progress was made in the months prior to the Hamas attack of October 7, with the hope of linking an Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement to a pre-presidential election, U.S.-Saudi defense pact. The war stalled the process, but talks are continuing and are at a decisive phase.” If Netanyahu's opposition to the two-state solution remains unchanged, Goren said, he might struggle to secure normalization with Saudi Arabia. VOA’s Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

Gaborone — Botswana’s diamond trade is on the rise despite industry uncertainty over efforts to sanction Russian stones. De Beers has relocated its auctions headquarters from Singapore to Botswana, while the secretariat of the Kimberley Process, a trade regime that certifies rough diamond exports to eliminate trade in conflict gems, also moved to the African nation. De Beers, which has a long-standing sales agreement with Botswana, sells 10 percent of its diamonds through auctions. De Beers’ Executive Vice President Paul Rowley said the relocation of its auctions office is part of an effort to streamline its business operations and facilitate the further development of Botswana’s diamond sector. "The auction platform coming across, it will bring some additional customers and also auction sales will also enable us sell to small players and perhaps some Botswana nationals will be able to register and engage in that platform. That will be very exciting from that perspective,” he said. The relocation comes as the diamond industry reels from effects of a traceability initiative introduced by the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries, or G7, in a bid to sanction Russian diamonds. Under the arrangement, all diamonds entering G7 markets are routed through Antwerp, Belgium, to ascertain their origin. The tracking system, however, has caused disruptions to the supply chain, according to Rowley. “Obviously there have been the G7 issues in the past few months. We continue to work closely with the G7 and try to find a solution that works for the industry as well as for the G7. We obviously all support [Russian] sanctions; it’s absolutely understandable. What we are concerned about are the unintended consequences of perhaps having a single node, which we think is very inappropriate,” he said. The relocation of De Beers’ auctions office coincides with the Kimberley Process secretariat commencing its operations in Botswana.  The Kimberley Process is a global initiative by the diamond industry to eliminate trade in conflict gems. In mid-May, the Kimberley Process will hold its intersessional meeting in Dubai, where the G7’s tracking system is expected to come under intense debate. The G7 countries and Russia are all members of the Kimberley Process.  World Diamond Council President Feriel Zerouki told VOA that the G7 traceability scheme needs to be reviewed. “The WDC believes that mechanisms for assuring a diamond’s provenance should be efficient, effective and equitable. However, we don’t believe that the approach of a single Antwerp entry point meets this test. Antwerp is not the source of any diamonds, so it's basically not the best place to certify where a diamond has originated from,” she said. Botswana’s minister of minerals, Lefoko Moagi, meanwhile, hailed the establishment of the Kimberley Process secretariat in Gaborone. “The Kimberley Process is an international and multi-stakeholder organization whereby we aim to increase ethical conduct in diamond trade and to prevent conflict diamonds from entering legitimate trade in rough diamonds. Therefore, this is very key for us; we will protect our diamonds with everything that we have,” said Moagi. Botswana is the world’s second-largest producer of diamonds after Russia and is leading calls for the G7 traceability initiative to be revised.

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.

Barcelona, Spain — French Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel "Persepolis" tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran, was awarded Spain's prestigious Princess of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanity on Tuesday.  The prize jury praised the 54-year-old as "one of the most prominent names in international comics, author of what is, for many, one of the best graphic novels ever published."  "Satrapi is a symbol of civic engagement led by women," the jury said, calling her "an essential voice in the defense of human rights and freedom."  Born in Iran, Satrapi recounts in "Persepolis" her years as an outspoken teenager chafing at the Islamic revolution and its restrictions imposed on women, especially for one from a progressive family like hers. It also tells of the hardships of the Iran-Iraq war.  At 14, her parents sent her to school in Vienna to avoid arrest over her defiance of the regime. She later returned to Tehran but left for France in 1994, embarking on her career as an author, film director and painter.  Her animated film adaptation of "Persepolis" won her a nomination at the Academy Awards in 2008.  Satrapi said it was "a great honor" to win the Spanish prize, which she dedicated to rapper Toomaj Saleh, who was sentenced to death last week in Iran.  The verdict was seen by activists as retaliation for his music backing nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 following the death in police custody of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.  "I take this opportunity to celebrate the fierce fight of my people for human rights and freedom. Today it is all the young people who lost their lives and the ones who continue the combat for liberty in Iran that are celebrated," she said in a statement.  Amini had been detained over an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress rules for women. The months of unrest following her death on September 16, 2022, saw hundreds of people killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands more arrested.  Satrapi last year coordinated the graphic novel "Woman, Life, Freedom" with a group of artists that illustrated the revolts.  The 50,000-euro ($54,000) award is one of eight Asturias prizes covering the arts, science and other areas handed out yearly by a foundation named for Spanish Crown Princess Leonor.  The awards will be handed out at a ceremony hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI in October. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is stepping up his efforts to play a more prominent role in the Gaza conflict. The Turkish leader recently hosted Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

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.

China’s share of the European electric vehicle market has doubled in less than two years, with Chinese automakers accounting for 20 percent of EVs sold in Europe last year. The trend is raising alarm among European carmakers, and they are considering pushing for new tariffs. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona. VOA’s Ricardo Marquina contributed.

Geneva — The head of UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians, reports many countries have resumed the funding that they suspended following allegations by Israel in late January that several staff members were linked to terrorism. “In January, once the allegations had been made public, up to 16 countries suspended their contributions to the agency,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Tuesday. “The good news is that as of today, most of the donor countries have resumed their contributions to the agency. We just have a handful of countries who still have to take a decision,” he said. Three months ago, Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff members of involvement in Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and around 250 taken hostage by the Palestinian militants. The U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services is conducting an investigation to determine the veracity of those allegations. A separate independent panel was tasked with determining whether UNRWA was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality. Its report issued last week, the “Colonna report,” found no evidence that UNRWA staff were members of “terrorist” groups but acknowledged that “neutrality-related issues persist.” Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who chaired the inquiry committee, called UNRWA “indispensable and irreplaceable” in providing humanitarian relief to many of the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who lack food, water, and other essential lifesaving commodities. Lazzarini told journalists in Geneva that $267 million in aid remains frozen because the United States, UNRWA’s main contributor “will not be able to support the agency before March 2025.” “But, meanwhile, they are recommending that other countries support UNRWA,” he said, noting that the United Kingdom, Austria, and Switzerland have not taken decisions “while all others have resumed funding for UNRWA.” “The good news also on the funding is that we have new donors who before never contributed to the agency. And I want to flag the success of private funding,” he said noting that UNRWA has received more than $115 million in private funding in the last six months. “This is an indication of the extraordinary grassroots solidarity expressed toward Palestinians and also to the agency,” he said. Lazzarini briefed member states Tuesday morning on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip. He told them that colleagues on the ground speak of an “extraordinary deep anxiety” prevailing in Gaza and warn that the likelihood of a military offensive depends on “whether a cease-fire deal is reached this week.” “People have not been asked to evacuate from Rafah but there is a sense that if there is no deal this week that this can happen at any time,” he said. In the meantime, he said the U.N. in northern Gaza was “engaged in a race against the clock to reverse the spreading hunger and the looming famine.” He observed that U.N. aid agencies and the Israeli authorities do not see eye to eye on a great number of issues and are engaged in what he calls “the blame game.” He said the Israelis maintain that they are “providing all necessary food” and that the problem is on the side of the United Nations. “This is not true. Our convoys are systematically denied, so we still have no access,” he said. “This morning, I also highlighted the fact that the agency is under a lot of strain. There are calls for the agency to be dismantled. But the agency also has been targeted in the last six to seven months in Gaza where both our staff and our premises as well as our operations” have been under attack. Since the start of the war, October 7, UNRWA reports 182 staff members have been killed and more than 160 premises have been damaged or destroyed.“Most of these premises were sheltering displaced people and more than 400 people have been killed in these premises,” he said. Adi Farjon, deputy permanent representative of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva, attended the executive briefing and said, “From the beginning, Israel has been clear it views UNRWA Gaza as part of the problem, not part of the solution.” Since Israel shared details of an investigation of UNRWA members “who took part in the October 7 massacre” with the commissioner general, she said Israel has only dealt with the facts. “For example, it is a fact, that 19 members of the organization took an active part in the October 7 terrorist attack. It is also a fact that more than 2,135 UNRWA workers in Gaza are members of either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” she said. Lazzarini countered by saying, “Out of the 19, one person has been completely cleared and is now reinstated, and four people out of the 19, the investigation is now on hold because there is no information available for the time being.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan as pro-Palestinian protests rock universities in the U.S.. North Korean missile parts are found in debris in Ukraine. Heat in south Asia and American troops prepare to leave Niger, but what do they leave behind. Plus, a warning to British football fans

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.