Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) has dismissed allegations made in a BBC investigation that police used a banned chemical agent to disperse protesters in Tbilisi in late 2024, saying it found no evidence to support the claims and has closed the part of the probe related to possible abuse of power, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused the BBC of publishing “completely false” information in its investigation alleging that Georgian authorities used a World War I–era choking agent during last year’s protests against the suspension of the EU accession process, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Efforts by Brussels to weaken the bloc's chemical laws are undermining the European Union's credibility as a "global leader in green policy and the rule of law," a senior U.N. human rights official has warned.

The European Union, along with many other countries, has criticized the latest draft of an ongoing treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution, arguing that the text is too weak and gives too many concessions to oil producers.

A large fire broke out on Wednesday at a chemical distribution warehouse near Seville, southern Spain, releasing a thick column of dark smoke into the air and prompting authorities to urge nearby residents to stay indoors.