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Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service

Studios in London. I'm Tim Franks. We're going to spend a fair bit of today's program looking ahead

to some crucial negotiations in Cairo that are due to

start on Monday, trying to nail down the US-led peace plan for Gaza. President Trump is sounding

bullish and sounding impatient. We'll look at what the chances are, that as the two-year

anniversary of the war approaches, the story could at last change. But we're going to turn as well to a couple of parts of

the world. We don't often hear that much from, but which are both seeing protracted protests.

Later, we'll head to Madagascar. Before that, though, Georgia, the former Soviet Republic

wedged to the south of its giant Russian neighbour

and east of the Black Sea. And I mention the fact that it's a former Soviet Republic because

opponents of the government say that is precisely where they are being taken back into the

stifling ambit of Moscow and using the familiar stifling power of the state to do it.

The latest threat from the Prime Minister, Iraqi-Cobar Kitsa, is that he plans to outlaw the main

opposition parties a day after some demonstrators tried to breach the walls of the presidential

palace in the capital Tbilisi.

Mr. Kobachidzer also accuses the European Union of meddling in Georgia's domestic affairs.

He's from the Georgian Dream Party, which was founded by the highly influential businessman Bidzner

Ivushnishvili, who made his billions in Russia.

For months now, there's been a crackdown on activists,

independent media and political opposition,

and many of the leaders of anti-government parties are now behind bars.

...