Russia is bolstering its armed forces with thousands of foreign fighters "lured by the promise of hefty paychecks and fast-tracked citizenship for themselves and their kin", said Politico. 

In Cuba, Russia's old Cold War ally, a repressive regime, economic crisis and nationwide blackouts make the promise of a Russian passport "a major draw". But the document "comes with a noose attached": Moscow is "trapping foreigners" on the frontline.

What is Russia offering?
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree last year allowing foreigners to obtain citizenship in return for a year's service in the Russian army. A Russian passport allows visa-free travel to 117 destinations (compared with just 61 for a Cuban one), and some Cubans hoped enlisting would "buy them a new life", said Politico. 

Others claim they were "hoodwinked into travelling to Russia", after responding to posts on social media for "what they thought would be low-skilled, civilian jobs". Darío Jarrosay (pictured above), a 35-year-old teacher and musician, said he responded to a Facebook appeal for construction workers. "I never agreed to enter the war," Jarrosay, who was captured by Ukrainian forces last year, told reporters in Kyiv.

What is happening to Cuban fighters in Ukraine?
Recruits have allegedly suffered beatings, abuse and unpaid wages in the Russian army, as well as the withholding of passports. "They have not given us documents," a Cuban mercenary said in a viral video. "They keep scamming us, they keep deceiving us, we keep dying and no one does anything."

For many, Russian citizenship also turned out to be a poisoned chalice. As "newly minted Russians", Cuban recruits – even if they only signed up for a one-year stint in the army – are "no exception" to Russia's mass mobilisation, said Politico. "Now they're telling us that, since we're Russian citizens, we have to continue fighting until the end of the war," said one recruit.

What is Cuba's position?
Cuba forbids its citizens to fight abroad for personal benefit – with the threat of hefty jail sentences or even capital punishment. But Havana has sent "contradictory signals" over citizens' involvement in Ukraine, said Bloomberg.

For Cubans fighting on the other side of the world, said CNN, "their choices now seem to be exile in a war zone, or prosecution and a lengthy jail sentence back home".

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might have hoped their decision to quit royal life five years ago would tamp down speculation about their private lives. But if anything, absence has only intensified the gossip.

The latest article about them, by ­Vanity Fair – with the cover line  "American Hustle" – "has proved to be difficult reading for the Sussexes", said The Times. The feature makes several claims about their marriage, business challenges and local community relations in California that the couple reportedly found "distressing".

'Mean Girls'
Accusations of bullying levelled at Markle date back to 2018, when palace staff were said to have been left in tears by her behaviour. Vanity Fair has reportedly spoken to people who described working for Markle as "very painful". One said there was "talking behind your back" and "gnawing at your sense of self" in a manner reminiscent of teenagers in the film "Mean Girls". Sources close to the Sussexes said previous employees had gone on record in the past to dispute these claims.

"Even the Sussexes cannot deny, however, that they have an unusually high team turnover," said Tatler. Their chief of staff, Josh Kettler, recently left his position after just three months, although it was reportedly a mutual decision, with both sides agreeing "it wasn't the right fit".  Kettler has called the couple "dedicated and hardworking".

'Misogyny and racism'
Markle has taken considerable flak. Her public support of the Los Angeles wildfires relief efforts, where she was filmed on a walkabout in the badly affected areas, saw "'Princess Markle'" being "castigated for being no better than an 'ambulance chaser' in a city where she doesn’t 'live'", said The Independent. Then the delay of her "With Love, Meghan" cookery series on Netflix due to the wildfires was met with cynicism. The furore "marks a sad and tedious continuation of the misogyny and racism" surrounding her, said Vogue.

Publications such as People magazine later confirmed the couple had worked a full day at an evacuation centre, "but that was not the story that rose to the surface", said Mamamia. The desire to be "the first one to the Meghan Markle commentary or critique has overridden our desire to look for the truth, the empathy or even the humour".

"The White Lotus" fever is "hitting Thailand", said Abby Montanez in Robb Report, as a recent teaser trailer confirms the Asian nation is the location for season three of the hit HBO TV series.

Once synonymous with backpackers and "slightly tatty resorts", Thailand has "artfully" delivered a "post-pandemic rebrand as the luxury destination in Asia", said Lucie Grace in The Independent. And the rebrand "campaign" will continue to "roll out oh-so-elegantly" over the next few months as "flames are stoked" by "The White Lotus".

"Needless to say", Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui offers pure extravagance, said Jessica Shaw in The New York Times. The swanky hotel offers a "stunning array of plunge pools, outdoor showers and postcard-worthy vistas that could make a director of photography drool".

Located along a stretch of white, sandy beach on the northwest coast of the island, the resort features 70 elegant villas and residences "dotted amid" the coconut trees, said Lee Cobaj in The Telegraph. There's also a "wonderful" spa "squeezed into the forested hillside", with five treatment rooms "teetering on stilts".

Anantara Mai Khao on the northwest coast of Phuket also features in season three. And the "Lotus-vibes" start from the moment you arrive, said Hannah Summers in Condé Nast Traveller. "Flower garlands are strung around your neck and you'll have a moment or two to sit next to the lotus-filled lagoon." All of the standalone villas are "huge" with "high walls" and" extensive outdoor terraces", but the "real star of a stay here" is a Japanese omakase restaurant "built into the branches of an ancient banyan tree".

There's a way to beat a far-right takeover in the UK. So why has Starmer gone silent about it?
Polly Toynbee in The Guardian
Donald Trump's inauguration "signalled the drum beat of the far right sweeping across western democracies", writes Polly Toynbee. The UK's first-past-the-post electoral system is "wildly volatile" and "voters are easily seduced", but a proportional voting system would preclude "a minority hard right – or a hard anything – taking power" here to "govern alone without moderating parties". Keir Starmer must "win backing for change" and "shore up Britain's democratic defences".

Axel Rudakubana case highlights incredible failures in police handling of terror threats
Paul Baldwin in the Daily Express
"Exactly how wasn't the Southport murders a terror attack?" asks Paul Baldwin. The police have "always maintained" that Axel Rudakubana, who has admitted stabbing three young girls to death, is "not a terrorist", even though he was charged with the production of ricin and for having a computer file called "The Al Qaeda Training Manual". This all "stinks of the same police and politician complicity as the rape gangs scandal", but "just tell us the bloody truth".

Sociability is vital but true solitude is precious
James Marriott in The Times
"Loneliness is a scourge", writes James Marriott, but "voluntary, genuine, well-used solitude" counts as "one of life's high pleasures" – one that's "rather underrated". Our "concern with the evils of isolation" means we "forget its rewards". Those "compulsively sociable characters" head out "every evening" because "they cannot stand their own company", but "it is only when we are really alone that we see ourselves". I'm "not opposed to sociability" but solitude is "a source of contentment and self-knowledge".