Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Ukraine are mercenaries: U.S. officials

More than one hundred Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China’s government, two U.S. officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official said. Chinese military officers have, however, been in the theater behind Russia’s lines with Beijing’s…

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Erdogan accuses Israel of seeking to ‘dynamite’ Syria ‘revolution’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Israel of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to “dynamite” the “revolution” that toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is a key backer of Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition that ousted Assad in December. “Israel is…

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Global health at risk as 70% of countries struggle with funding cuts — WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns over major disruptions in health services across the world, noting that 70 per cent of its country offices have observed major impacts caused by recent donor funding cuts. WHO, in a latest report published on its website, attributed the disruptions to the sudden suspension and reduction of Official Development…

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