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Cuban nationals are being offered contracts worth $2,000 (£1,600) a month and potential Russian citizenship for them and their families as part of a targeted campaign to recruit them to fight in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced it was working to "neutralise and dismantle" a human trafficking ring that is coercing its citizens into fighting for Moscow. "The Ministry of the Interior... is working on the neutralization and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine," the Cuban government statement said. Now, new details have emerged about a number of groups on social media offering help to get Cuban men recruited into the Russian army. The Moscow Times spoke to one woman who would help facilitate Cubans signing one-year contracts with the Russian army offering a monthly income of 204,000 roubles – and that even those without a passport could sign up with a letter confirming their immigration. “If you don’t have a passport, but you have a photo, then that’s already good. But even if you don’t have a photo, we can sign [a contract],” she told the outlet, saying that she had helped a number of Cubans reach the frontlines in Ukraine. In late May, a Russia newspaper in Ryazan city reported that several Cuban citizens had signed contracts with Russia's armed forces and had been shipped to Ukraine in return for Russian citizenship. The Moscow Times reported that social media posts suggest the woman they spoke to lives in or near Ryazan. Last year, Russia announced a plan to boost the size of its armed forces by more than 30 per cent to 1.5 million combat personnel, a lofty goal made harder by its heavy – but officially undisclosed – casualties in the war. President Vladimir Putin also signed an order reducing the minimum service for international military recruits from five years down to one year, with the chance at fast-track citizenship once their service was completed. Moscow has yet to respond to Cuba's accusations. Russia has strong ties to communist-run Havana and the Cuban Defence Ministry's statement is a rare rebuke given that Cuba has previously criticised Western nations over their support for Ukraine. The defense ministers of Cuba and Russia have discussed the development of joint "technical military" projects at a meeting in Moscow. But Cuba says it is "not part of the war in Ukraine," "[Cuba] is acting and will act energetically against anyone... who participates in any form of human trafficking for the purpose of recruitment of Cuban citizens as mercenaries to use arms against any country," the Defence Ministry said, adding that criminal proceedings had started against some of those involved. The Moscow Times also spoke to two Cuban men who said they were looking to serve Russia's military. “I know that they pay very well, and it’s a great way to make a lot of money quickly,” one of the men said. “They pay a lot, and I need the money. I’ll probably later stay in Russia,” the other added. Reuters contributed to this report

ANKARA President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey will lower its inflation rate to "single digits" with the

In a bombshell moment in federal court on Tuesday, the former leader of right-wing hate group Proud Boys finally admitted for the first time that Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Enrique Tarrio, 39, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for orchestrating a failed plot to keep the former president in power – marking the longest sentence ever doled out in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot. Before his sentence was handed down, the man who once led the neo-fascist gang gave a statement to the court where he begged for leniency from the judge. Tarrio apologised for his actions, branded the Capitol riot a “national embarrassment” and vowed that his days of meddling in politics are over. Then, in a shock move, he publicly denounced his false claims that the election was “stolen” from Mr Trump for the very first time. “My candidate lost,” he admitted. “What happened on January 6 was a national embarrassment... I do not think what happened that day was acceptable.” Choking up with emotion, Tarrio said that he had let his family down with his actions as he begged the judge not to rob him of his 40s behind bars. “I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the results of the election was not my goal,” Tarrio said. “Please show me mercy. I ask you that you not take my 40s from me.” He added: “When I get back home I want nothing to do with politics, groups, activism or rallies... and when you walk out that door your honour, I won’t be saying anything other than that.” But the admission came too late to save him from being hit with the longest prison sentence to date over the Capitol riot that resulted in five deaths and hundreds of law enforcement officers injured. US District Judge Timothy Kelly said that Tarrio was the “ultimate leader” of the Proud Boys’ conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Mr Trump’s favour. “I do think the evidence of Mr Tarrio’s leadership was, quite frankly, evident during trial,” the judge said. “I do find the evidence shows that Mr Tarrio was on the top of the command structure with regard to the planning of the offence.” “That day broke our previously unbroken tradition of peacefully transferring power,” he added. Tarrio was among four members of the group convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes earlier this year following a four-month trial. Tarrio, as the group’s leader, organised and directed a mob towards the US Capitol, where Proud Boys dismantled barricades and broke windows to breach the halls of Congress, then bragged about their actions on social media and in group chat messages that were later shared with jurors. He served as a “naturally charismatic leader, a savvy propagandist, and the celebrity Chairman” of the group, wielding his influence over his subordinates and allies to “organize and execute the conspiracy to forcibly stop the peaceful democratic transfer of power” as lawmakers convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. Tarrio instead used his talents “to inflame and radicalise untold numbers of followers, promoting political violence in general and orchestrating the charged conspiracies in particular,” they argued. Federal sentencing guidelines indicated Tarrio could have faced 27 to 33 years in prison. Prosecutors sought a sentence of 33 years. As he did with other Proud Boys cases, Judge Kelly applied what is called a terrorism “enhancement” to the sentencing guidelines but refrained from imposing larger prison sentences for crimes he has contrasted to mass casualty events. Four other members of the group were sentenced last week for their roles in the attack. Ethan Nordean received a sentence of 18 years in prison, tying Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes for what is now the second-longest sentence to date among the hundreds of people convicted in connection with January 6. Joe Biggs was sentenced to 17 years, Zachary Rehl was sentenced to 15 years, and Dominic Pezzola – the sole co-defendant among them who was not convicted of seditious conspiracy – was sentenced to 10 years. Tarrio’s verdict marked the first successful seditious conspiracy conviction against a January 6 defendant who was not physically at the Capitol that day – he was barred from entering Washington DC after he was arrested for burning a Black Lives Matter banner outside a church during a riot weeks earlier. He watched the insurrection from a hotel room in Baltimore. During the Proud Boys trial, prosecutors presented hundreds of internal messages revealing the group’s culture of violence and preparations for an attack in the weeks leading up to January 6. Prosecutors argued that Proud Boys were not merely obedient followers of Donald Trump’s commands, amplifying his bogus narrative of election fraud, but were preparing for “all-out war” to undermine millions of Americans’ votes and upend a democratic election to preserve his presidency. In the insurrection’s aftermath, Tarrio wrote on the social media platform Parler that “when the government fears the people, there is liberty,” a post he accompanied with a photo of House members ducking for cover. “When he wrote those words, Tarrio was not referring to politicians’ fear of being voted out of office,” prosecutors wrote. “He was speaking concretely and approvingly about what the members of Congress and their staffs were experiencing that very afternoon: fear of injury and death at the hands of a vicious mob that included Tarrio’s own hand-picked soldiers.” Defence attorney Sabino Jauregui claimed that his client was simply a “misguided patriot” who never intended to “bring down” the government. Tarrio’s attorneys sought unsuccessfully to separate Tarrio from the destructive actions of other Proud Boys on the ground. Tarrio’s influence among the Proud Boys and far-right extremism more broadly extends far beyond the scope of January 6. Following the federal case against him in the aftermath of the January 6 attack, as the US Department of Justice scrutinized far-right groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Tarrio announced he was stepping down from his leadership role. He urged other members to “start getting more involved in local politics” and said the group would be “running our guys for office from local seats, whether it’s a simple GOP seat or a city council seat.” Members of the group would go on to do just that. Members have also harassed drag queen story-telling events at libraries and amplified “groomer” smears aimed at LGBT+ people. Proud Boys have been central to a wave of attacks and threats against drag performers and the people and venues that host them, targeting at least 60 such events within the last year, with more than half resulting in physical and verbal clashes. Read More Proud Boys ringleader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison for Jan 6 attack Who is Enrique Tarrio? Ex-Proud Boys leader faces longest prison sentence yet for January 6 ‘Donald Trump’s army’: Proud Boys members face decades in prison for January 6 sedition

ANKARA Turkey's government raised its annual inflation forecast to 65% for this year and 33% next year, while

King Charles will be on a charm offensive on this month's rearranged state visit to France.

Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh is demanding a new trial for the murders of his wife and son on the basis that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill allegedly pressured jurors on the case to return a guilty verdict against him. The disgraced legal scion’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin filed the motion Tuesday alleging the clerk tampered with the jury because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal. Specifically, they claim she instructed jurors not to be “misled” by evidence presented by the defence and told them not to be “fooled by” Murdaugh’s testimony when he took the stand. The development comes one week after the convicted killer lost some of his inmate privileges after he fed information to Fox Nation documentary “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh” without permission from officials. In the documentary, his son Buster broke his silence as he insisted that he still believes his father is innocent but admitted that he may be a psychopath. Murdaugh is behind bars at the McCormick Correctional Institution where he is serving two life sentences for the 7 June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Read More Alex Murdaugh claims mystery evidence will prove need for new murder trial Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh loses prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith killing – and calls father Alex a ‘psychopath’

In a video sent to the BBC Urfan Sharif and his partner describe Sara's death as an "incident".

The popular Chinese TikTok series amplifies nationalist calls for the return of the country's treasures.

Megadeth will be continuing their world tour without Kiko Loureiro after the guitarist pulled out of the trek so he can spend more time with his family

U2 will be without drummer Larry Mullen Jr for their Las Vegas gigs as he continues to recover from surgery.

Police in Surrey want to speak to three family members in relation to their murder investigation.

The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante has now widened and local schools have been shuttered after he was spotted on trail camera footage breaking past a police perimeter on Monday night. Cavalcante, 34, escaped from Chester County Prison, Pennsylvania, on Thursday days after he was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão, 31, to death in front of her two small children. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. During the six-day search for the escaped prisoner, multiple sightings have been reported with law enforcement setting up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where he was believed to be holed up. On Monday, officials then broadcast a message from the killer’s mother urging her son to surrender. But, in a morning update on Tuesday, police revealed that Cavalcante had been caught on camera managing to sneak past the perimeter the night before. As a result, police have now expanded the police perimeter and shuttered the Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester Count “out of abundance of caution”. Members of the public have been urged to secure their homes, outbuildings and vehicles from the dangerous killer. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Manhunt launched for ‘extremely dangerous’ escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania Search for escaped murderer prompts Pennsylvania school closures after mother’s surrender message