Mercenary group Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has shared his first video address two months after he launched a failed coup attempt against Vladimir Putin. Mr Prigozhin on Monday appeared in a clip, toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues, likely shot in Africa in which he claimed he is recruiting “strongmen”. The video was shared on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group, as Mr Prigozhin said the mercenary group was “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”. “The temperature is +50 (122 degrees Fahrenheit) – everything as we like. The Wagner PMC [private military company] makes Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa – more free. Justice and happiness – for the African people, we’re making life a nightmare for Isis and al-Qaeda and other bandits,” he said in the video. He then said Wagner is recruiting people and the group “will fulfil the tasks that were set”. In the background of the video, pickup trucks and other people dressed in fatigues could be seen. A telephone number was displayed as well for those who wanted to join the group. The Independent could not verify the date and exact location of the video, but Mr Prigozhin’s comments and posts on Telegram channels have hinted that it was shot in Africa. According to the Russian social media channels affiliated with the mercenary leader, the Wagner leader is recruiting fighters to work in the continent. He is inviting investors from Russia to put money in the Central African Republic through Russian House, a cultural centre in the African nation’s capital, they suggested. Mr Prigozhin was last seen in a video in July shot in Belarus shortly after his attempt to stir mutiny against the Kremlin failed, sparking speculation that he was taking refuge in the Russian ally nation as part of a deal to broker peace. He was later photographed on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg. There is no official announcement of his current whereabouts. But one of the most prominent sites is the Central African Republic, where Wagner’s troops for hire have been active and accused of committing gross human rights abuses. Till June this year, the Wagner leader and his mercenary fighters, comprising mostly prison convicts, spent months fiercely fighting Ukrainian soldiers in the eastern region, mostly Bakhmut. Mr Prigozhin staunchly criticised Russia’s military performance and the top brass of the Russian defence ministry before he called for an armed uprising on 23 June to oust the defence minister and marched from Ukraine toward Moscow with his mercenaries. The hours-long mutiny ended after a deal was brokered by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, following which Mr Prigozhin agreed to end his rebellion in exchange for amnesty for him and his fighters and permission to relocate to Belarus. Before moving to Belarus, Wagner handed over its weapons to the Russian military, part of efforts by Russian authorities to defuse the threat posed by the mercenaries. Read More ‘Wagner is victim of its own brand name’: How much of a threat does mercenary group pose in Belarus? Wagner mercenaries issue a chilling message on Poland’s doorstep: ‘We are here’ Belarus begins military drills near its border with Poland and Lithuania as tensions heighten Wagner tracker: Charting Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenary group through the Ukraine war Drones, military confusion and cracks in Putin’s authority: Ukraine’s push to sow discord in Russia’s ranks

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The owner of the daycare centre in the Bronx where a one-year-old boy died and other children fell ill from suspected fentanyl exposure have been charged with murder. Divino Nino owner Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, and his neighbour Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were arrested on Saturday night. They are each facing 11 charges, including child endangerment and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to The New York Post. Daycare staff called 911 after finding children unresponsive after their nap on Friday. A two-year-old boy is in critical condition, while another two-year-old boy and an eight-month-old girl are both in stable condition. The one-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth child, another two-year-old boy, who was picked up from the daycare earlier in the day on Friday also appeared to have been exposed to drugs. He was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, police said. All four children seemed to have been exposed to an opioid, officials said, according to the New York Times. These suspicions, police said, arose after assessing the hospitalised children’s symptoms in combination with the discovery of a “kilo press” found at the daycare centre. “This is an item that is commonly used by drug dealers when packaging large quantities of drugs,” police explained. Last Friday concluded the one-year-old’s first week at the daycare, according to the child’s father Otoniel Feliz. Mr Feliz told the Post that he initially thought his son was sick from carbon monoxide poisoning. “It was a peaceful place, it seemed like they would take good care [of the kids]. They always keep in contact with us. Everything seemed fine,” he said. “We expected that we were taking our son to a place where he would be taken care of, not to the funeral home,” Mr Feliz said. Read More Prescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows One-year-old child dead and three others hospitalised after daycare incident No charges against Maine authorities for death of handcuffed man who was hit in head with flashlight

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CNN examined the case at the center of the US Coast Guard's most sweeping investigation into sexual assaults at its academy. Her case not only shows how the Coast Guard routinely dismissed serious sexual misconduct in the past, but also how its failures continue to reverberate.

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Former president Donald Trump criticised Special Counsel Jack Smith for obtaining a search warrant for his old Twitter account early Monday morning. Mr Trump blasted Mr Smith’s office, which is leading investigations into the former president’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “How dare lowlife prosecutor, Deranged Jack Smith, break into my former Twitter account without informing me and, indeed, trying to completely hide this atrocity from me,” he posted on Truth Social. “What could he possibly find out that is not already known. Just like the early morning raid of Mar-a-Lago!” Unsealed records showed that Mr Smith’s office obtained a search warrant for Mr Trump’s account. Twitter, now known as “X,” was prohibited from informing Mr Trump. A federal court agreed with Mr Smith’s office that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that disclosing the warrant “seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation” by giving the former president “an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates.” But X was fined $350,000 for failing to meet the deadline to produce the records in a timely manner. The three-times-indicted, twice-impeached former president said the Department of Justice should investigate President Joe Biden. “Why isn’t the DOJ raiding Crooked Joe Biden, the most CORRUPT (and Incompetent!) President in the history of the United States?” A federal grand jury indicted the former president earlier this year after a four-hour presentation from Mr Smith’s office for Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges. Mr Trump also railed against Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case in Washington DC, whom he said “obviously wants me behind bars.” “VERY BIASED & UNFAIR!” he said on his networking platform. Mr Trump also criticised Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, as she prepares to potentially indict the former president for his efforts to overturn the election results in the state. “I UNDERSTAND THROUGH ILLEGAL LEAKS TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA THAT PHONEY FANI WILLIS, THE D.A. OF FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, WANTS DESPERATELY TO INDICT ME ON THE RIDICULOUS GROUNDS OF TAMPERING WITH THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,” he said. “NO, I DIDN’T TAMPER WITH THE ELECTION! THOSE WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. I MADE A PERFECT PHONE CALL OF PROTEST. WHY WASN’T THIS FAKE CASE BROUGHT 2.5 YEARS AGO? ELECTION INTERFERENCE!” -Alex Woodward contributed to this report Read More Jack Smith obtained search warrant for Trump’s Twitter account, newly unveiled court documents show Trump heaps praise on anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist as fourth potential indictment looms in Georgia – latest How Fani Willis oversaw what might be the most sprawling legal case against Donald Trump Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms EXPLAINER: What are special counsels and what do they do?