Mercenary

A Florida-based pastor accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has gone on trial. The case is part of the broader legal proceedings surrounding the killing, which implicated a network of suspects including former soldiers, Colombian mercenaries, and business figures. The trial renews attention on the unresolved questions about who ordered the assassination.

Apple users in hundreds of countries are being targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, prompting the company to send alarming threat notifications to affected devices. Security experts urge recipients not to dismiss these alerts as spam, since Apple rarely issues such warnings and uses them only when a device is likely targeted. Advice circulating online explains how to check whether you are a target and what steps to take next.

Ukraine says it is ready to share information about the Wagner Group with its partners. President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Kyiv knows who the Wagner fighters are, how to fight them and how to destroy them. The Russian mercenary force was founded by Dmitry Utkin, who named it after Richard Wagner, the composer favoured by Adolf Hitler, and commentators highlight the group's neo-Nazi links.

Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (HUR) says it has identified a Sierra Leonean national who fought as a mercenary for Russia and was killed in action against Ukrainian forces. The announcement highlights Kyiv's ongoing effort to document foreign fighters serving in Russian ranks and to publicise the international composition of Moscow's forces.

The Yemen Presidential Council announced the death of Brigadier General Mohammed Al-Khawlani, chief of staff of the Saudi-affiliated special forces, who was reportedly killed in clashes. The announcement highlights the continued volatility of the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi-backed government forces remain engaged in fighting, and is drawing attention to the risks facing senior commanders aligned with the Saudi-led coalition.

A man described as the architect of an arson attack linked to Russia's Wagner Group has been ordered to pay victims more than £160,000. The attack, connected to sites in London's Leyton and Leicestershire and tied to the war in Ukraine, led to the compensation order following criminal proceedings. The case highlights ongoing concerns about sabotage operations on UK soil linked to the Russian mercenary group.

A newly documented exploit bug in the 1985 Commodore 64 game Mercenary, triggered at the very start of the game, is drawing attention from retro gaming enthusiasts. Mercenary, developed by Paul Woakes and published by Novagen, is remembered as an ambitious open-world space and exploration game, and discoveries about its original code still fascinate the classic computing and retro gaming community.

An investigation reported by Defense News alleges that the United Arab Emirates has used a Russian shadow airline to carry out missions in Africa. The report suggests covert air links between Emirati interests and Russian-operated aircraft operating on the continent, raising questions about arms transfers, mercenary logistics and the growing Gulf-Russian footprint in African conflicts.

Alt-Fire, a fast-paced first-person sci-fi boomer shooter, now has a Steam store page. The game pits players against mercenaries and monsters using an arsenal of eccentric weapons with multiple firing combos designed for different combat situations. Gamers following indie retro shooters are noting the listing, with the store description emphasizing variety in weapon handling as the game's key selling point ahead of release.