Новости за 01.05.2024

Georgians have been demonstrating in huge numbers since April 9 over legislation known as the "foreign agents" bill. Despite the massive opposition, Georgia's ruling party is steadily moving toward approving the bill, which would affect the work of NGOs that receive foreign funding. As Sophie Datishvili of RFE/RL's Georgian Service explains, many Georgians see the bill as a threat not just to civil society but also the country's European aspirations.

Prime minister-elect Milos Vucevic told the Serbian parliament on May 1 that membership in the European Union remains the country’s strategic goal but said “burdens” introduced into the membership process “cannot be ignored.”

By appointing two members who are under U.S. sanctions to the new Serbian government, Belgrade has only nurtured its relationship with Moscow, a senior associate with the Berlin-based Council for Democratization Policy told RFE/RL on April 30.

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations has dismissed a proposed General Assembly resolution on the 1995 massacres in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica as "one-sided" and "politically charged."

A surge of labor unrest, buffeted by widespread protests over sharp cuts to fuel quotas for truck drivers, has swept across Iran as economic hardship and poor living standards wrack the country’s workforce.

Georgian police clashed with demonstrators in the capital, Tbilisi, protesting a law on foreign agents that many say mirrors a law used by the Russian government to stifle dissent in that country. Late on April 30, Georgian security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters. The demonstration was the latest in a series of mass protests over the past two weeks against legislation proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The United States said it was "disappointed" following the announcement that two individuals under U.S. sanctions have been included in the proposed new Serbian cabinet.

The parliament of Georgia remained on security alert on May 1 following overnight clashes between police and demonstrators protesting against a foreign agents bill that is regarded by many as mirroring a law used by the Russian government to stifle dissent in that country.

An oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region was damaged by a drone strike early on May 1, the region’s governor said in a post on Telegram.

Thousands of Georgian opposition supporters came out on April 30 for another night of protests against the so-called "foreign agents" bill, legislation that critics say would stifle civil society. Police used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the crowds, but many remained in the streets. The bill was under discussion in parliament this week ahead of a vote on the second reading.