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       At least two French prison officers were reported dead as four armed men ambushed their van on inmate transfer duty in the country's northwest on Tuesday.

       The incident occurred at the Incarville toll booth near Val-de-Reuil in Normandy. The two officers, including the driver, died in the shootout, while three others were injured.

       The freed inmate was being transported from the town of Rouen to Evreux. According to the domestic press, the detainee is known as 30-year-old Mohammed Amra. He is said to have been convicted of burglary and is known for cases linked to drug trafficking.

       Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and Minister of Justice éric Dupond-Moretti both expressed their condolences to the families and colleagues of the slain officers.

       "Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people," Macron said on X.

       The national road R154 linking Val-de-Reuil and Artenay (near Orléans) has been closed following the incident.

       The organised crime office and judicial police are currently investigating the attack.

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       The Georgian parliament has approved a controversial law tightening checks and increasing fines on organisations getting funds from overseas.

       Any company - including media outlets and NGOs - would now be required to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if receiving over 20 percent of funds from abroad.

       The opposition defined the bill as "the Russian law," drawing parallels to Moscow's use of similar measures to suppress independent media and stigmatise activists.

       Police try to detain a demonstrator near the Parliament building during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, 13May 24AP

       Tens of thousands have been demonstrating against the bill

       The law's approval followed weeks of intense and widespread protests in Georgia marked by clashes between protesters and police authorities, as well as several arrests, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets.

       In a desperate attempt to stop the bill getting to the final reading, activists tried to block parliament's access on Monday, while over the weekend, huge gatherings took place in the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, with protesters draped in Georgian and EU flags.

       Georgia's ruling Dream Party had tried to get the law passed last year already, but they finally had to backtrack after a huge wave of demonstrations.

       They pressed ahead again in March 2024, arguing such legislation was needed to stem a perceived foreign influence and destabilisation attempts on Georgia's politics.

       EU urges Georgia's government to stick with democratic path to EU membership

       Is it over for Georgia's EU membership application?

       Many argue the "foreign influence law" is going to hamper Georgia's EU membership bid.

       The country was granted candidate status in December, but the Commission warned Georgia would need to get on a path of rule of law and justice reforms.

       Following recent events, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warnedGeorgia was standing "at a crossroads" and should remain "on course" to join Europe.

       The block's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed concerns too over parliamentary proceedings, cautioning that the bill's enactment would impede Georgia's progress toward EU integration.

       Similarly, the US said two weeks ago that "Georgia's Western trajectory was at risk".

       "The United States condemns the Kremlin-inspired 'foreign influence' legislation'", said the US Department of State, denouncing "the false narrative government officials have adopted to defend it."

       "Members of the ruling party have been clear that the intent of the law is to silence critical voices and destroy Georgia’s vibrant civil society", it added.

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       Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a state visit to China this week.

       During his two-day trip, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common concern, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

       The Kremlin confirmed the trip in a statement Tuesday, saying Putin was going on Xi’s invitation. This will be Putin’s first foreign trip since he began his fifth term as President of Russia.

       Beijing has backed Moscow politically in the conflict in Ukraine and has continued to export machine tools, electronics and other items seen as contributing to the Russian war effort.

       China is also a major energy supply export market that keeps the Kremlin’s coffers full.

       Beijing has sought to project itself as a neutral party in the conflict but has declared a “no limits” relationship with Russia in opposition to the West.

       The sides have also held a series of joint military drills, while China has consistently opposed economic sanctions against Russia in response to its now two-year-old campaign of conquest against Ukraine.

       The two large authoritarian states are increasingly in dispute with democracies and NATO while seeking to gain influence in Africa, the Middle East and South America.

       Putin's visit comes just days before Monday's inauguration of William Lai Ching-te as the next president of Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory and threatens to annex by force if necessary.

       Xi returned last week from a five-day visit to Europe, including stops in Hungary and Serbia, countries considered close to Russia.

       Xi's European tour: Some euro, no vision Is China using Hungary as its bridgehead in Europe?

       The trip, Xi's first to the continent in five years, was seen as an attempt to increase China's influence and drive a wedge between the EU and NATO on one side and a yet-to-be-defined bloc of authoritarian nations on the other, underpinned by Chinese economic influence that has been wavering amid a housing crisis and dramatically slower domestic economic growth.

       Last week, Xi returned from a five-day visit to Europe, including stops in Hungary and Serbia — countries considered close to Russia.

       The trip was seen as an attempt to increase Chinese stature in Europe and drive a wedge between the EU and a bloc of nations underpinned by Beijing's economic influence.