Georgia withdraws "foreign agents" bill

Protesters continue to demand release of those detained. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Georgia withdraws "foreign agents" bill [A man waves a Georgian national flag in front of a burning barricade as other protesters stand behind not far from the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, March 9, 2023.] Credit: Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Georgia Georgia’s ruling [party has withdrawn]( its controversial "foreign agents" bill following two nights of violent protests. Opponents say the bill aligned the country closer to Moscow, jeopardizing its ambitions of joining the European Union. The Georgian Dream ruling party said it was ending the bill, but [denounced what it called "lies"]( about the bill by the "radical opposition." Protesters say they will continue their demonstrations until those who were arrested are released. Guatemala Guatemalan authorities have taken back [106 minors]( who were abandoned in a trailer truck in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz. They were mostly teenage boys traveling without family in search of a better life in the US. Data shows that most of the unaccompanied minors from Central America who reach the US [come from Guatemala](, many of them fleeing severe poverty. The nation has already received 430 such children from Mexico and the US since January. Russia-Saudi Arabia During a visit to Moscow, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that Riyadh is [ready to mediate]( in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. His trip comes two weeks after the prince visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Saudi Arabia and other countries had played a major role in arranging prisoner exchanges with Ukraine. The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties and the [stability of global oil markets](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [US special envoy: Taliban ‘puts women’s right at peril everywhere’]( [US Special Envoy Rina Amiri addresses the 16th annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards virtual ceremony at the State Department, Monday, March 14, 2022, in Washington.]( Credit: Leah Millis/AP pool/File photo With continued violations of women's rights in Afghanistan, US Special Envoy Rina Amiri tells The World's host Marco Werman that [not normalizing the Taliban]( government is crucial to fighting hardline elements in the country, and for setting a precedent in other places. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Scientists say they’ve identified the [oldest-known inscription]( referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc, which was unearthed in western Denmark in 2020 as part of a trove containing about 2.2 pounds of gold. Runologist Lisbeth Imer with the National Museum in Copenhagen said the inscription was the first solid evidence of Odin being worshipped as early as the 5th century — at least 150 years earlier than the previous oldest known reference. [The inscription ‘He is Odin’s man’ is seen in a round half circle over the head of a figure on a golden bracteate unearthed in Vindelev, Denmark in late 2020.] Credit: Arnold Mikkelsen, The National Museum of Denmark via AP In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.