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BANDUNG, Indonesia — A bus slammed into cars and motorbikes after its brakes apparently malfunctioned in Indonesia's West Java province, killing at least 11 people, mostly students, and injuring dozens of others, officials said Sunday. The bus carrying 61 students and teachers was returning to a high school in Depok outside Jakarta, the capital, late Saturday from the hilly resort area of Bandung after a graduation celebration, said West Java police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast. It sped out of control on a downhill road and crossed lanes, hitting several cars and motorbikes before it crashed into an electricity pole, he said. Nine people died at the scene and two others died later in the hospital, including a teacher and a local motorist, Abast said. Fifty-three other people were hospitalized with injuries, including some in critical condition, he said. "We are still investigating the cause of the accident, but a preliminary investigation showed the bus's brakes malfunctioned," Abast said. Local television footage showed the mangled bus in the darkness on its side, surrounded by rescuers, police and passersby as ambulances evacuated the injured. Road accidents are common in Indonesia due to poor safety standards and infrastructure. Last year, a tourist bus with an apparently drowsy driver slammed into a billboard on a highway in East Java, killing at least 14 people and injuring 19 others. In 2021, a tourist bus plunged into a ravine in the West Java hilly resort of Puncak after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 27 people and injuring 39 others.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — When Luana Salva got her first formal job after years of prostitution, she was ecstatic. A quota law in Argentina that promoted the inclusion of transgender people in the work force — unprecedented in Latin America expect in neighboring Uruguay — pulled her from the capital's street corners into the Foreign Ministry last year. Yet just months after Salva got her first paycheck, right-wing President Javier Milei entered office and began slashing public spending as part of his state overhaul to solve Argentina's worst economic crisis in two decades. Abruptly fired in a wave of government layoffs, Salva said her world began to unravel. "The only option we have left is prostitution ... and I don't see myself standing on a corner, getting cold, enduring violence," Salva, 43, said. "This government is unaware of all that has been built to make us feel included." Salva's sudden reversal of fortunes reflects the political whiplash being felt across Argentina. Past left-leaning presidents who enacted some of the most socially liberal policies on the continent have given way to a self-proclaimed " anarcho-capitalist " whose fiery appraisals of social justice and efforts to dismantle diversity and equity programs have made him into a global far-right icon. "The only thing this radical feminist agenda has achieved is greater state intervention to hinder economic process," Milei said in a speech met with enthusiastic applause at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year. Few in Argentina are more enraged by Milei's anti-woke agenda than LGBTQ+ activists, who worry his government is rolling back their hard-won gains. Since drawing attention as a brash TV personality, Milei has lambasted feminist and human rights movements as a "cult of a gender ideology." "Unfortunately, we are going backward," said Alba Rueda, a trans woman activist and diversity adviser in the former center-left government of President Alberto Fernández, who made Argentina the first country in the region to allow nonbinary people to make "X" the gender on their national identity documents. "What we have achieved is being discredited," Rueda said. After taking office in December, Milei wasted no time jumping into Argentina's culture wars. He shut down the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, banned the government's use of gender-inclusive language and closed the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism. In an announcement timed for International Women's Day on March 8, Milei renamed the Women's Hall in the presidential palace to Hall of Heroes. To the delight of his conservative fans — and the outrage of tens of thousands of women's rights protesters outside his residence — he had portraits of historical female leaders in the room taken down and replaced with those featuring Argentina's founding fathers and soldiers. Milei has also scrapped a decree calling for gender equality in companies and civil society groups and ended gender-focused training programs. He has repeatedly railed against abortion — or, as he calls it, "murder aggravated by the familial bond." A lawmaker from his party has presented Congress with legislation demanding the repeal of Argentina's breakthrough legalization of abortion in 2020. It's a far cry from the past years when Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage and a few years later recognized choosing one's own gender identity as a human right. In 2021, the Fernández administration passed its employment quota law, requiring the state to reserve 1% of all jobs for transgender, transexual or nonbinary people who would otherwise struggle to find formal work. Before Milei became president, efforts to fulfill the quota were just gaining traction, with 955 transgender people on the public payroll — far below the 5,551 positions allocated to them in compliance with the law. The fate of the legislation is now unclear. "The quota does not make much sense," presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said. "Each position will be occupied by the best, most capable person, be it a man, a woman, a transvestite or anything else." Some 105 transgender people have lost their civil service jobs in the last three months, according to the union representing state workers. It's a small drop in the ocean of 15,000 state workers who have been fired as Milei races against the odds to push the state budget into surplus by the year's end. But transgender people who benefited from the law insist each layoff has a ripple effect on Argentina's gender and sexual minorities who remain vulnerable to hate crimes and face widespread discrimination in the labor market. In 2016, 70% of trans women reported making a living from sex work. In 2022, after the law was passed, that figure fell to 56%, according to a study released last year by Buenos Aires government officials. "The quota, for me, meant the possibility of changing my life," Salva said. Milei's libertarian administration says the layoffs are part of its austerity program and not targeted at LGBTQ+ people. Milei has also Argentina's currency, slashed subsidies, eliminated price controls and closed other government ministries unrelated to gender and sexual identity. But those in the LGBTQ+ community insist the president's populist shock doctrine disproportionately affects them. In his much-memed Davos speech, Milei slammed "women's ministries and international (feminist) organizations" for employing "bureaucrats who do not contribute anything to society." "There is a focus here," said Clarisa Gambera, a gender specialist at one of Argentina's main labor unions. "Many of these people worked in gender offices of public departments that were dismantled." LGBTQ+ activists have fought back the way the government's many other political opponents have — on the streets. "We obtained our rights thanks to many warriors who gave up their lives for this cause," Ariel Heredia, a recently fired state worker who identifies as nonbinary, said at a recent protest in Buenos Aires. After being laid off, Heredia, 36, lost health insurance he needed to access anti-HIV medication. In his hunt for find work, Heredia says he may need to dress as a cisgender man, hiding an identity he struggled for years to accept. "It's a contradiction for me," Heredia said. "But I have to adapt."

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NEW YORK — A newly released ad promoting Apple's new iPad Pro has struck quite a nerve online. The ad, which was released by the tech giant Tuesday, shows a hydraulic press crushing just about every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years — from a piano and record player, to piles of paint, books, cameras and relics of arcade games. Resulting from the destruction? A pristine new iPad Pro. "The most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest," a narrator says at the end of the commercial. Apple's intention seems straightforward: Look at all the things this new product can do. But critics have called it tone-deaf — with several marketing experts noting the campaign's execution didn't land. "I had a really disturbing reaction to the ad," said Americus Reed II, professor of marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "I understood conceptually what they were trying to do, but ... I think the way it came across is, here is technology crushing the life of that nostalgic sort of joy (from former times)." The ad also arrives during a time many feel uncertain or fearful about seeing their work or everyday routines "replaced" by technological advances — particularly amid the rapid commercialization of generative artificial intelligence. And watching beloved items get smashed into oblivion doesn't help curb those fears, Reed and others note. Several celebrities were also among the voices critical of Apple's "Crush!" commercial on social media this week. "The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley," actor Hugh Grant wrote on the social media platform X, in a repost of Apple CEO Tim Cook's sharing of the ad. Some found the ad to be a telling metaphor of the industry today — particularly concerns about big tech negatively impacting creatives. Filmmaker Justine Bateman wrote on X that the commercial "crushes the arts." Experts added that the commercial marked a notable difference to marketing seen from Apple in the past — which has often taken more positive or uplifting approaches. "My initial thought was that Apple has become exactly what it never wanted to be," Vann Graves, executive director of the Virginia Commonwealth University's Brandcenter, said. Graves pointed to Apple's famous 1984 ad introducing the Macintosh computer, which he said focused more on uplifting creativity and thinking outside of the box as a unique individual. In contrast, Graves added, "this (new iPad) commercial says, 'No, we're going to take all the creativity in the world and use a hydraulic press to push it down into one device that everyone uses.'" In a statement shared with Ad Age on Thursday, Apple apologized for the ad. The outlet also reported that Apple no longer plans to run the spot on TV. "Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it's incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world," Tor Myhren, the company's vice president of marketing communications, told Ad Age. "Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we're sorry." Cupertino, California-based Apple unveiled its latest generation of iPad Pros and Airs earlier this week in a showcase that lauded new features for both lines. The Pro sports a new thinner design, a new M4 processor for added processing power, slightly upgraded storage and incorporates dual OLED panels for a brighter, crisper display. Apple is trying to juice demand for iPads after its sales of the tablets plunged 17% from last year during the January-March period. After its 2010 debut helped redefine the tablet market, the iPad has become a minor contributor to Apple's success. It currently accounts for just 6% of the company's sales.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — The U.S. government is dedicating $60 million over the next few years to projects along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico and West Texas to make the river more resilient in the face of climate change and growing demands. The funding announced Friday by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland marks the first disbursement from the Inflation Reduction Act for a basin outside of the Colorado River system. While pressures on the Colorado River have dominated headlines, Haaland and others acknowledged that other communities in the West — from Native American reservations to growing cities and agricultural strongholds — are experiencing the effects of unprecedented drought. Water users and managers can't afford to waste one drop, Haaland said, sharing the advice her own grandmother used to give when she and her cousins would carry buckets of water to their home at Laguna Pueblo for cooking, cleaning and bathing. "She was teaching us how precious water is in the desert," Haaland said, standing among the cottonwoods that make up a green belt that stretches the length of the river from the Colorado-New Mexico border south into Texas and Mexico. Haaland noted that parts of the river have gone dry through the Albuquerque stretch in recent years. In fact, a decades-long drought has led to record low water levels throughout the Rio Grande Basin. "When drought conditions like this strike, we know it doesn't just impact one community, it affects all of us," she said, pointing to the importance of investing in water projects throughout the basin. One of the longest rivers in North America, the Rio Grande provides drinking water for millions of people and supplies thousands of farmers with water for crops. Management of the river has sparked legal battles over the decades, with the most recent case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court as New Mexico, Texas and Colorado seek approval of a settlement that will help ensure they have more flexibility in the future. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, said improving sustainability along the Rio Grande will help the state meets obligations under a decades-old compact to deliver water downstream to Texas and ultimately Mexico. Irrigation districts in southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, will work with the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to develop projects that will benefit the river and endangered species that inhabit the basin. The work will range from capturing more stormwater runoff to improving existing infrastructure. Officials said the savings could result in tens of thousands of acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is roughly enough to serve two to three U.S. households annually. In all, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $4 billion for mitigating drought in 17 western states, with the priority being the Colorado River Basin. However, the legislation also carved out $500 million for water management and conservation projects in other basins that are experiencing similar levels of long-term drought. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said funding for other basins will be announced later this year, with the goal of putting the money to use over the next four years. On the Rio Grande, prolonged drought and heavy reliance on groundwater pumping has reduced surface water supplies, resulting in decreased efficiency and lost wildlife habitat. By capturing more stormwater and increasing storage, officials said they could recharge aquifers and reduce irrigation demands. Some of that work already is happening in the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, which serves about 5,000 farmers in southern New Mexico. Near the farming village of Rincon, officials are working to slow down runoff and keep sediment from clogging channels that feed the river. It's among several projects that the irrigation district has proposed to federal officials to save water, protect communities from seasonal flooding and restore habitat. Irrigation district manager Gary Esslinger and Samantha Barncastle, a water attorney who represents the district, traveled to Albuquerque on Friday to participate in a briefing with Haaland and other officials. They described the efforts as "re-plumbing" the West with irrigation and flood control systems that can accommodate the changing conditions. "It's quite a large vision," Barncastle said, "but it's what everyone should be doing — thinking big is the only way to resolve the climate crisis."

SANFORD, Florida — With the start of hurricane season less than a month away, U.S. officials who predict, prepare for and respond to natural disasters had a message for Floridians on Friday: It's not a matter of if a hurricane will hit, but when. The 2024 hurricane season is expected to be busier than average. To ensure that people everywhere are prepared, officials visited residents in Sanford, a landlocked city in the middle of the Sunshine State. Even if they don't live on the coast, the officials told residents, they need to know the potential danger hurricanes pose to their property, such as flooding; and put together an emergency plan that includes a supply kit. "Everybody in Florida is at risk," said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center. As if to punctuate Florida's vulnerability to damaging weather, wind gusts of 114 kph, just shy of hurricane force, were recorded early Friday in Tallahassee, where mangled metal and other debris from damaged buildings littered parts of the state's capital city. The officials in Sanford brought along two "hurricane hunter" planes used in the daredevil business of flying into the middle of storms to gather data about their intensity and direction. The WP-3D, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the WC-130J, flown by the U.S. Air Force Reserve, fly straight into the storms' eyewall, usually three times during a flight. The aim of the hair-raising trips is to gather information that can help officials on the ground make decisions such as when to order people to evacuate. NOAA's propeller plane typically has 11-17 people on board during flights through hurricanes, including the crew and scientists. Since flights usually last eight hours, the crew members bring plenty of snack food, and there is a microwave, refrigerator and a hot plate for cooking more elaborate meals. Although the rides can be very bumpy, sometimes they aren't as turbulent as expected and crew members don't realize that they already are in the eye of a hurricane, said William Wysinger, a NOAA flight engineer who has flown on a dozen missions through hurricanes. "I liken it to riding an old wooden roller coaster during the worst of times," Wysinger said. The National Hurricane Center is predicting that the upcoming Atlantic and Gulf season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, will exceed the yearly average of seven tropical storms and seven hurricanes, and that three of the storms will be major. Not all hurricanes make landfall. Floridians would be wise to remember 20 years ago when four hurricanes made landfall consecutively in just a matter of weeks, crisscrossing the state and carving paths of disaster, said David Sharp, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida. "Many remember the ravages of the Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne — blue tarps and pink insulation everywhere, along with displaced lives," Sharp said. "Scars upon the land but also scars upon the psyche of our people." Hundreds of thousands of new residents have arrived in Florida since the last hurricane season, and it's important that they know what to expect and how to prepare, said Robbie Berg, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center. "Talk to your neighbors," Berg said. "A lot of people in Florida have experienced these storms and they can help you through a storm if you've never been through one before."

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Vilnius, Lithuania — Lithuania votes Sunday in a presidential election dominated by security concerns with the main candidates all agreed the NATO and EU member should boost defense spending to counter the perceived threat from neighboring Russia. The Baltic state of 2.8 million people fears it could be next in Russia's crosshairs if Moscow wins its war against Ukraine, which began with an invasion in 2022. While the top three contenders agree on defense, they have diverging views on social issues and on Lithuania's relations with China, which have been strained for years over Taiwan. "Lithuania's understanding of the Russian threat is unanimous and unquestionable, so the main candidates are following suit," Eastern Europe Studies Centre director Linas Kojala told AFP. Polls close at 1700 GMT and the result is expected later on Sunday -- although a runoff on May 26 will probably be needed as no candidate is expected to win an overall majority. Opinion polls give the incumbent, 59-year-old former banker Gitanas Nauseda, a comfortable lead over the other seven candidates, who include Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and prominent lawyer Ignas Vegele. The Lithuanian president steers defense and foreign policy, attending EU and NATO summits, but must consult with the government and Parliament on appointing the most senior officials. Lithuania, a former Soviet republic, is a top donor to Ukraine and a big defense spender, with a military budget currently equal to 2.75% of gross domestic product. Defense budget The Simonyte-led government is expected to come forward with proposals within several weeks that could help increase defense spending even further to 3%. Lithuania notably intends to use the funds to purchase tanks and additional air defense systems, and to host a German brigade, as Berlin plans to complete the stationing of around 5,000 troops by 2027. None of the top candidates appear to question these plans, but Vegele has pledged to ask for a defense audit to effectively manage finances if he is elected. Nauseda is projected to receive more than 35% of the vote in the first round, according to the latest opinion poll, and is expected to prevail in any eventual runoff. Vegele, a 48-year-old lawyer who gained prominence after speaking out against mandated vaccination during the pandemic, presents himself as an alternative to established politicians and vows more transparent governance. Simonyte, 49, is a fiscal conservative with liberal views on social issues. She notably supports same-sex partnerships, which still stir controversy in the predominantly Catholic country. Simonyte is running for president for a second time after losing to Nauseda in a runoff in 2019. "Simonyte is supported by conservative party voters and liberal people, while Nauseda is a candidate of the left in terms of economic and social policy," Vilnius University analyst Ramunas Vilpisauskas told AFP. Meanwhile, "Vegele will get support from those who simply want change," he added. Tensions over Taiwan The uneasy relationship between Nauseda and his rival Simonyte's ruling conservatives has at times triggered foreign policy debates, most notably on Lithuania's relations with China. Bilateral ties turned tense in 2021, when Vilnius allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy under the island's name in a departure from the common diplomatic practice of using the name of the capital Taipei to avoid angering Beijing. China, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory and bristles at support for the island that might lend it any sense of international legitimacy, downgraded diplomatic relations with Vilnius and blocked its exports. This sparked controversy among Lithuanian politicians, with some urging a restoration of relations for the sake of the Lithuanian economy. "China's reaction to the opening of the office was harsher than predicted, and that sparked the debate," Kojala said, adding that China's response was hurting local businesses. 

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.

TORONTO — A fourth person has been arrested and charged with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, Canadian police said on Saturday, in a case that strained diplomatic relations with India. Canadian police earlier this month arrested and charged three Indian men in the city of Edmonton in Alberta and said they were investigating whether the men had ties to the Indian government. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced Saturday that Amandeep Singh, 22, has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar's killing. Singh, an Indian national who resided in Brampton, Surrey and Abbotsford, was already in custody for unrelated firearms charges out of Peel, Ontario, IHIT said. Nijjar, 45, was shot to death in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited what he said was evidence of potential Indian government involvement, prompting a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi. Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a terrorist. 

RIO DE JANEIRO — The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state has climbed to 136, the local civil defense government body said on Saturday, up from 126 in the previous day, while another 125 people remain unaccounted for. Storms and floods battering the South American country's southernmost state have also left around 537,000 displaced, according to the local civil defense body, a significant increase from the 340,000 reported a day earlier. About 446 urban centers have been impacted, affecting the lives of more than 2.1 million people in a state whose population is about 10.9 million. Weather forecaster Metsul has reported that after a short respite, rains that started coming down over the state on Friday have begun to fill rivers in what it called a "worrying" situation. "Accumulated precipitation is occurring in the worst possible region given the current flood scenario, along the basins and in the sources of the main rivers that are still full," said the meteorological service in a public statement. The state is at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which has created a weather pattern with periods of intense rains or drought. Local scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due to climate change. 

MALMO, Sweden — Switzerland won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on Saturday in the Swedish host city Malmo, beating runner-up Croatia.   Billed as a feel-good celebration of European diversity, this year's contest was thrust into the political spotlight with calls for Israel to be excluded because of its military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' deadly attack on October 7 in Israel.   Swiss rapper and singer Nemo, 24, won the contest with "The Code," a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock song about Nemo's journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.  "I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world," Nemo said, after receiving the Eurovision trophy on stage.  "To know that a song that has changed my life and a song where I just speak about my story has touched so many people and maybe inspired other people to stay true to their story is the most insane thing that has ever happened to me," Nemo said later during a press conference.  Swiss sing along Cheers of joy broke out in bars in central Zurich when the winner was announced, and Swiss revelers sang along as Nemo tore through a victory rendition of "The Code."  "I think it's just great, Nemo is fantastic," said Maha Nater, a 24-year-old kindergarten worker celebrating the win after watching the marathon contest.  One karaoke bar began blasting out Queen's "We Are The Champions" as patrons joined in.  Nemo's victory would blaze a trail for others who had had to cope with prejudice against non-binary people, Nater said.  "It sets an example to follow," she said.  Croatia places second Croatia's Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, 28, came second with "Rim Tim Tagi Dim," a song about a young man who leaves home aspiring to become a "city boy" with better opportunities.  Israel's Eden Golan, 20, finished fifth in the contest despite demonstrators' calls for a boycott of the country.  The female solo artist on Thursday emerged as one of the leading contenders to win after qualifying for the final.  Booing was heard during Golan's performance but also applause, a Reuters photographer in the auditorium said. The noise was partly audible in the broadcast viewed by tens of millions of people in Europe and around the world.  There was also booing when the points of the Israeli jury were presented.  Protesters claim Eurovision supports genocide Several thousand protesters gathered in central Malmo ahead of Saturday's final, waving Palestinian flags and shouting "Eurovision united by genocide,"  The contest's official slogan is "United by music."  A few hundred people later also protested outside the venue, chanting "Eurovision, you can't hide, you're supporting genocide."  Protesters have been pointing to double standards as the European Broadcasting Union banned Russia from Eurovision in 2022 because of its invasion of Ukraine.  Police hauled away some protesters before surrounding them and ushering them away, a Reuters reporter outside the arena said. Some protesters were seen lying on the ground after police used pepper spray to disband the demonstration.  25 countries compete Twenty-five countries competed in the final after Dutch artist Joost Klein was expelled earlier on Saturday because of a complaint filed by a production crew member.  Viewer votes made up half of Saturday's final result, while juries of five music professionals in each participating country made up the other half.  The Eurovision winner is awarded the contest's official glass trophy, which is shaped like a classic, old-fashioned microphone, with sand blasted and painted details. The winner also gets to host the competition the following year.  Nemo broke the fragile prize shortly after receiving it but was given a new one to replace it.  "I didn't just break the code, I also broke the trophy," Nemo said, laughing, at the press conference after the win. 

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Tbilisi, georgia — About 50,000 opponents of a "foreign agents" bill marched peacefully in heavy rain through the Georgian capital on Saturday. The bill, which would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "agents of foreign influence," has touched off a rolling political crisis in Georgia, where thousands have taken to the streets to demand the bill be withdrawn. Earlier, the United States said the country had to choose between the "Kremlin-style" law and the people's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. "We are deeply alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrote on X. "Georgian Parliamentarians face a critical choice — whether to support the Georgian people's EuroAtlantic aspirations or pass a Kremlin-style foreign agents' law that runs counter to democratic values," he said. "We stand with the Georgian people." The crowd on Saturday waved Georgian, European Union and some Ukrainian flags and, in a break with the past, included more older protesters as well as the many young people who have thronged the streets over the past month. "The government should hear the free people of Georgia," said one protester in her 30s who gave her name as Nino, waved a large Georgian flag, and led one of three columns that converged on the city center, which blocked much of the city's roads and filled the cobblestoned heart of Tbilisi's old town. "We want to enter the European Union with our proud nation and our dignity," she said. Anuki, a 22-year-old student of acting, said it was her generation's responsibility "to make sure that our future and the future of generations after us are safe, that they have freedom of speech, and they are free, basically." "And we don't want to be part of Russia," she added. "We never wanted to be part of Russia. And it has always been and always will be our goal to be part of Europe." Parliament, which is controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies, will begin committee hearings on the bill's third and final reading on Monday. Opposition groups had called for a fresh wave of protests starting Saturday. The crisis has pitted the Georgian Dream ruling party against a coalition of opposition parties, civil society, celebrities and the country's figurehead president, with mass demonstrations shutting down much of central Tbilisi almost nightly for more than a month. Georgian opponents of the bill have dubbed it "the Russian law," comparing it to legislation used to target critics of President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin. The European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, has said that the bill will pose a serious obstacle to further integration if passed. Georgian Dream says the bill will promote transparency and Georgian national sovereignty. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream, has said the law is necessary to stop the West trying to use Georgians as "cannon fodder" in a confrontation with Russia. Sullivan said that Georgian Dream appeared to be deliberately trying to break with the West, even as both the ruling party and Georgian public opinion have traditionally been in favor of the country joining the EU and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. "Georgian Dream's recent rhetoric, proposed legislative changes, and actions go against the aspirations of the Georgian people and are designed to isolate Georgians from the United States and Europe," he wrote.