Seven more public sites in Sydney, including a school, sports hub and supermarket, were exposed to asbestos, authorities said on Monday, as the contamination of the toxic material widened and officials rushed to remove it from public spaces.

Traces of bonded asbestos in mulch have been found in 41 spots scattered across Australia's most populous city since early January when it was found in a playground.

In response, the New South Wales state government has set up an asbestos task force to give more resources and support to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), in one of the agency's largest probes in decades.

Authorities have so far cordoned off areas in parks, some in popular tourist spots, and closed two schools. Contaminated spots in other sites have been blocked from the public.

In a brief video shared by Russian social media channels, a person who appears to be the exiled mercenary chief says he is recruiting “real strong men.”

More than 200 extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government officials and security forces have taken place since the Taliban took over the country two years ago, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday.

The groups most targeted by the Taliban have been former army, police and intelligence forces, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Greece’s offer to train Ukraine’s fighter pilots comes after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they would supply F-16s to Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be notably absent when Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders from the BRICS group of emerging economies start a three-day summit in South Africa on Tuesday.