Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TBILISI/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Georgia’s parliament has elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a pro-Russian former professional football player, as the country’s new president, raising concerns in the West. Kavelashvili has strong anti-Western views.
In public remarks this year, he repeatedly alleged that Western intelligence agencies are seeking to drive Georgia into war with Russia, which still occupies about 20 percent of the country.
Georgian presidents are appointed by a college of electors comprised of legislators and local government representatives. Of the 225 electors present, 224 voted for Kavelashvili, the only candidate nominated.
His election was due to add to social and political tensions. He was to replace a pro-Western incumbent despite significant protests against the government over a halt to the country’s European Union accession talks.
The ruling Georgian Dream party’s move last month to freeze the EU membership process until 2028 abruptly halted a long-standing national goal written into the country’s constitution.
BROAD ANGER
It provoked widespread anger in Georgia, where opinion polls show that seeking EU membership is overwhelmingly popular.
There has been a violent crackdown by riot police on pro-EU protestors. Among those injured was Davit Okruashvili, a 33-year-old information security analyst.
He still bears the marks of his recent beating, with both eyes blackened, reporters witnessed. “It was November 29, around 11 p.m. behind the parliament, when the riot police came down on us mercilessly,” he recalled.
More violence and political turmoil are expected as the outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has positioned herself as a protest movement leader.
She warned that she would remain president after her term ends. Zourabichvili considers parliament illegitimate because of alleged fraud in the October election.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
A Dutch community remained in shock Saturday after a 13-year-old girl was detained following the discovery of her parents’ bodies in their home in the northern Netherlands.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a 90-day state of emergency Saturday, empowering the military to clear road blockades after nearly 50 days of anti-government protests that have included widespread road blockades, leaving at least 14 people dead and crippling the nation’s economy.
A powerful thunderstorm system sweeping across Western Europe killed at least one person in the Netherlands, injured several others in Belgium and Germany, and caused widespread damage as nearly 190,000 lightning flashes illuminated the skies, authorities said Saturday.
Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Saturday despite a ceasefire that took effect hours earlier, officials said, with Israel claiming it was responding to attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that was to begin Friday afternoon, Worthy News learned.
At least 10 people, including four children, were injured in a Russian strike on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said Friday. In southern Ukraine, the State Emergency Service reported that one person was killed and four others were injured in a separate Russian attack on the Odesa region.
President Donald Trump signed the temporary peace deal with Iran ahead of schedule Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles in France, kicking off negotiations over a final nuclear deal.
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
Copyright The New Jerusalem Media.