Free Republic

Russian mercenaries have taken command of at least one EU-trained battalion in the Central African Republic (CAR) to help "predate" the mineral-rich country, according to a leaked report. "Today, most deployed FACA units are operating under direct command or supervision by WG mercenaries. WG has also established a solid influence on the FACA general staff and other government institutions," the EU foreign service's report, dated 15 November and seen by EUobserver, said. FACA refers to the Forces Armées centrafricaines, CAR president Faustin-Archange Touadéra's main army of some 12,500 men. WG stands for Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked paramilitary force. EU military...

Chinese spies have targeted Belgian biological warfare and vaccine experts, Belgium's security service suspects. They are also targeting British pharmaceutical giant and vaccine-maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Belgium and Belgian high-tech firms, Belgian intelligence fears. The suspicions were detailed in confidential Belgian reports dated from 2010 to 2016, seen by EUobserver. They were meant to alert Belgian authorities to the threat of Chinese military, scientific, and medical espionage. But the Belgian suspicions have no direct link to the current coronavirus pandemic, which started in China in December 2019 due to natural causes, according to the scientific consensus. And the reports, which...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama on Friday (2 May) are poised to mend ties after the exposure of her phone being tapped and millions of Germans spied upon by the National Security Agency (NSA). […] Rather than seeking a bilateral deal, Germany is now eyeing an international effort at EU and UN level. “This is an tough nut to crack over the next years,” another German official said. …