Coca-Cola chemical leak prompts evacuation

Ammonia escaping from a 20,000-gallon container stoked concerns of wider contamination

Workers at a Coca-Cola plant in Florida were forced to evacuate following a major chemical leak, local officials said. The spill also prompted a brief shelter-in-place order for residents in the area.

A massive 20,000-gallon tank was found to be leaking ammonia at a facility in Auburndale,

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Pfizer wants EU to keep paying for unused Covid jabs – FT

Officials in some EU states say the bloc is forcing them to foot the bill for millions of unused vaccine doses

Pfizer has offered to extend its Covid-19 vaccine contract with the European Union while scaling back deliveries, but still expects the bloc to pay billions of euros for unused doses amid a major supply glut in some countries,

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Timeline revealed for full overhaul of German Army

At the current “sluggish” pace, it could take 50 years to modernize, a parliamentary report has said

The German Armed Forces remain underequipped, underfunded and too slow in dealing with problems, a report on the state of the Bundeswehr has found. While many of the issues have been known for years, “shockingly little” has been done to address some of them despite the crisis in Ukraine,

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China announces naval drills with Russia and Iran

The ‘Security Bond-2023’ exercises in the Gulf of Oman seek to “inject positive energy” into the region, Beijing said

Russia, China and Iran are holding a five-day maritime exercise, seeking to bolster their naval security, Beijing’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.

The ministry said the three-nation ‘Security Bond-2023’ wargames in the Gulf of Oman run from March 15 to 19,

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Tax hike prompts nationwide strikes

Sri Lanka faces widespread work stoppages in spite of a government order banning industrial action

Several key industries ground to a halt in Sri Lanka on Wednesday as more than 40 trade unions protest a sharp rise in taxes, while the island nation grapples with an economic crisis.

The disruptions, which are impacting hospitals,

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AUKUS deal ‘worst in history’ – former Australian PM

Buying US-designed nuclear submarines to be “sunk” near China is no way to defend the country, Paul Keating said

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has fired a broadside against the incumbent government for its endorsement of the AUKUS security arrangement and the purchase of American submarines. It doesn’t help protect the country and drags it into the US attempt to preserve its hegemony by containing China,

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Ukraine apparently replaced in joint FIFA World Cup bid

Spain and Portugal are now joined by Morocco, with the North African country calling the collaboration “unprecedented in football history”

Morocco has announced that it’s joining Spain and Portugal’s bid to stage the 2030 FIFA World Cup, apparently replacing Ukraine in the trio of potential hosts.

Madrid and Lisbon filed their joint candidacy in 2021,

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Former Pakistani PM alleges assassination plot

Imran Khan claims the arrest ordered by his country’s authorities has “mala fide intent”

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan says the “real intent” of police is to “abduct and assassinate” him after security forces attempted to detain him on Wednesday despite resistance from hundreds of the politician’s supporters in the eastern city of Lahore.

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China warns of ‘dangerous road’ following AUKUS deal

Beijing believes the nuclear sub agreement between the US, UK, and Australia could trigger a regional arms race

China has expressed concerns at measures undertaken by the US, UK and Australian alliance (AUKUS) to increase its collective military presence in the Indo-Pacific, following Washington’s decision to sell five nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra.

The trilateral bloc has “gone further down a wrong and dangerous road,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Tuesday while commenting on US President Joe Biden’s decision to supply the military hardware to Australia.

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Nord Stream blasts staged by a state-level actor – Putin

The Russian president has rubbished Western media reports that a “pro-Ukrainian group” was behind the attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as “nonsense” recent claims that the attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines might have been carried by “pro-Ukrainian activists.” He made the remarks on Tuesday during a visit to an aircraft plant in the capital city of Russia’s Buryatia republic,

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