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🎯 Russia dodges G7 price cap sanctions on most of its oil exports. Not only is a higher proportion of Russian oil being sold outside the cap, but Moscow’s increasing independence as a seller has coincided with a strong rally in oil prices, which topped $95 a barrel for the first time in 13 months. Independent
Top Stories
💥 Taliban weighs using U.S. mass surveillance plan, met with China's Huawei. The discussion with Huawei occurred several months after China met with Pakistan and the Taliban's acting foreign minister, after which the parties stressed cooperation on counterterrorism. Reuters
💥 Bloodthirsty female kingpins of nationwide sex trafficking ring circulated brutal torture videos. The depraved ringleaders of a Queens-based, nationwide sex-trafficking and prostitution ring with significant ties to China posed for cheery selfies hours after a victim they targeted was “viciously beaten by a rolling pin.” NY Post
💥 ‘You could fill a museum with it’: The $963m Roman Abramovich art collection revealed. Leak suggests the oil and gas tycoon and his ex-wife Dasha Zhukova amassed one of the most significant collections of modern art in private hands. Guardian
💥 Taxpayers Stuck Paying the Bills for Oligarchs’ Seized Yachts and Mansions. Assets taken from sanctioned Russian billionaires are costly to maintain as legal hurdles hold up sales: $28K a week to keep mold out of the Alfa Nero. WSJ
💥 Smartmatic implicated in bribery scheme involving top Filipino election official. The court documents indicate that the Justice Department has filed money laundering charges against former Filipino election administrator Andres Bautista and other co-conspirators. CNN
💥 Iraqi Central Bank to Restrict Internal Trade to Iraqi Dinar. The step appears aimed at curbing the dealing of the US dollar outside Iraq’s banking sector, as well as limiting smuggling it abroad. Bloomberg
💥 For Egypt, Menendez Was Key to Access to Billions in U.S. Aid. For Egypt, the United States is an indispensable patron, one that it constantly tries to convince of its value on issues like terrorism, security for Israel and migration to Europe. NYT
💥 Predator in the Wires: Ahmed Eltantawy Targeted with Predator Spyware After Announcing Presidential Ambitions. Rare ‘zero-day’ exploit used in failed hacking attempt that researchers say was probably conducted by the Egyptian government. Citizen Lab
💥 'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM, Caesars. Ransomware attacks are not new, but this group was extraordinarily skilled at social engineering and bypassing multi-factor authentication. Reuters
💥 Behind Libya’s Dam Catastrophe Lies a Long Trail of Conflict and Corruption. Decades of ignored warnings stretch back to the Gadhafi regime. ‘Negligence was the prelude to the whole disaster.’ WSJ
💥 Cash, Mules and Paid Protests: How a Fraudster Seized an Ethnic Enclave. The war in Ukraine is intensifying longstanding frictions in a region of Moldova called Gagauzia. A Moldovan convicted of plundering his country’s banking system sees an opportunity. NYT
💥 India anti-terror agency seizes properties of alleged Khalistan militant. The seizure of a house and land owned by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in India's northern state of Punjab "comes as a big boost to the country’s crackdown on the terror and secessionist network being operated from various countries, including Canada.” Reuters
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