Lawmakers brawl in Georgian parliament

STORY: Footage broadcast on Georgian television showed Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party's parliamentary faction and a driving force behind the bill, being punched in the face by opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili while speaking from the despatch box.

The incident prompted a wider brawl between several lawmakers, an occasional occurrence in Georgia's often raucous parliament.

Georgian Dream said earlier this month it would reintroduce legislation requiring organizations that accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines, 13 months after protests forced it to shelve the plan.

It says the bill is necessary to combat what it calls "pseudo-liberal values" imposed by foreigners, and to promote transparency.

The bill has strained relations with European countries and the United States, who have said they oppose its passage. The European Union, which gave Georgia candidate status in December, has said the move is incompatible with the bloc's values.

In a statement, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the draft law as promoting accountability, and said it was "not clear" why Western countries opposed it.