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🎯 Putin’s mafia state: How despotic leaders are buying power across the globe. Putin crafted a new type of authoritarianism that would become “the model and inspiration for many other modern dictatorships.” NYP
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🌎 TikTok sent sensitive data on U.S. users to parent company ByteDance in China. U.S. DOJ has accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues. Fortune
🌎 A man dubbed 'pirate of the unknown' is extradited to U.S. in cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Radonjic was a high-ranking member of a transnational drug organization that used commercial cargo ships to transport tons of cocaine. AP
🌎 Terrifying opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl, deadly animal tranquilizer discovered in NYC drug supply. The substances are usually shipped from China and India to Central and South America, where cartels cut narcotics like cocaine and heroin with the drugs. NYP
🌎 State Street to Pay $7.5M to Settle Allegations of Russia-Related Sanctions Violations. A subsidiary of the financial services firm received payments from two Russian entities facing U.S. sanctions. WSJ
🌎 Crypto Use in Terror Financing Rises but Is Still Relatively Small. A Singapore terrorism threat assessment noted an increasing use of cryptocurrencies in terror financing, though cash and other means remained dominant. CoinDesk
🌎 WazirX to ‘socialize’ $230M security breach loss among customers. WazirX will “rebalance” customer portfolios, returning only 55% of their holdings while locking the remaining 45% in USDT-equivalent tokens. TechCrunch
🌎 U.S. Sanctions Grapple With China's Murky North Korea Networks. From restaurants staffed by North Korean waitresses to grizzled traders in rundown border towns, Pyongyang has openly conducted trade in China since the end of Covid restrictions. AFP
🌎 Seven banks share data with UK law enforcement in 'dirty money' crackdown. Britain has ramped up efforts to tackle economic crime, which lawmakers say costs the economy up to $452B each year. Reuters
🌎 Mexican drugs lord ‘El Mayo’ has been captured, but does targeting kingpins work? The structure and story of the Sinaloa cartel since 2012 has been one whereby some strengths became weaknesses. Guardian
🌎 Posing as ‘Alicia,’ This Man Scammed Hundreds Online. He Was Also a Victim. A multibillion-dollar cyberfraud industry operating out of Southeast Asia relies on forced labor and torture. WSJ
🌎 Short Sellers Feel Heat After U.S. Charges Andrew Left With Fraud. For a group that has long courted controversy by taking on some of the biggest names in business, it’s a particularly sobering moment. Bloomberg
🌎 U.S. may 'calibrate' Venezuela sanctions policy post-election. The Venezuelan presidential inauguration is in January, so the response would play out over the rest of the year. Reuters
🌎 The most chilling words today: I’m from NewsGuard and I am here to rate you. The rating of sites is arguably the most effective way of silencing or marginalizing opposing views. Hill
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