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🎯From Russia With Gold: UAE Cashes In As Sanctions Bite. Records that contain details of nearly a thousand gold shipments in the year since the Ukraine war started show the Gulf state imported 75 tons of Russian gold worth $4.3 billion – up from just 1.3 tons during 2021. [more]
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🔸Russian accused of money laundering lobbies to be included in potential US-Russia prisoner swap. The Russian man, Alexander Vinnik, is accused of running a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange that did business with drug dealers and identity thieves. He was extradited from France to California last year. [more]
🔸China Hacks US Critical Networks in Guam, Raising Cyberwar Fears. To remain stealthy, the hackers use tools already installed or built into infected devices that are manually controlled by the attackers rather than being automated, a technique known as "living off the land." [more]
🔸U.S. State Department's top China policy official to step down. Some Biden administration critics have questioned US overtures to Beijing, arguing that past decades of engagement have failed to change China’s actions on a range of trade, security and human rights issues. [more]
🔸IRS veteran goes public as whistleblower in Hunter Biden criminal probe. Gary Shapley, who was recently removed from the Justice Department investigation, opened up ahead of a scheduled meeting with the House Ways and Means Committee Friday. [more]
🔸Biden administration sanctions al-Shabab leaders for charcoal smuggling, terrorism. The U.S. sanctioned 26 individuals and entities tied to the Somali terror group al-Shabab in a sweeping action that targeted illegal charcoal smuggling from the African country. [more]
🔸US Senate Republicans reintroduce bill to sanction enablers of 'terror groups' in Palestine. The “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad International Terrorism Support Prevention Act” would impose sanctions on individuals or “foreign states” that “knowingly assist, sponsor, or provide significant support for the terrorist activities of Hamas or PIJ". [more]
🔸Confidential Report Flags Bitfinex Security Lapses in Huge 2016 Hack. In the space of barely more than three hours in August 2016, over 119,000 bitcoins were quietly siphoned out of wallets on the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange. Before anyone had noticed, the crypto – worth $71 million at the time – was gone. [more]
🔸Bank of Russia Chief Visits Iran in Rare Trip Abroad Since War. Feted as one of the world’s best monetary policymakers before the February 2022 invasion, she is now shunned by counterparts in the US and Europe as she has worked to stabilize the ruble and manage the economic fallout from international sanctions on Russia. [more]
🔸DOJ Says More Companies Are Voluntarily Disclosing Possible Wrongdoing. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. said the criminal division has already seen an increase in the number of corporate disclosures since the announcement of an expanded policy. [more]