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title: Putin Smarts, China Defies, and Cartels Swarm
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Plus: Hedge Fund Sues Compliance Consultant for Millions After Crushing Regulatory Probe...

| View in browser 1/26/24 In partnership with Happy Friday!  It's January 26, and we're tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: U.S. sanctions on Russian gas begin to bite, China's moves to dethrone the dollar, Mexican military swarms resorts as crime surges, hedge fund demands $100M from compliance team after regulator's probe, five cool new podcasts, and much more...   Spread knowledge! Share Illicit Edge... Featured Story   🎯 U.S. Sanctions on Russian Gas Are Starting to Bite. White House sanctions on new liquefied natural gas plant in Siberia have upended plans to start exports this month. Bloomberg    Top Stories   🌎 Lots More on China's Moves to Create a Dollar Alternative (podcast). China, having seen Russia get cut off from the dollar system, has an increased incentive to protect itself from a similar fate. Bloomberg   🌎 Mexican military swarms popular American tourist spot amid crime surge. Additional 30 members of the Mexican Navy were added to the existing law enforcement presence in the bustling Caribbean coastal destination. Fox   🌎 Hedge Fund Demands $100M From Its Compliance Team After SEC Probe. The $6B hedge fund is demanding that Adviser Compliance Associates not only cover Chatham’s costs for settling a US probe last year, but also damage to its business. Bloomberg   🌎 Lawyer sentenced to 10 years in $400M crypto money laundering scheme. A court convicted Mark Scott of two felony counts related to bank fraud and money laundering in November 2019. Cointelegraph   🌎 The Story of the Decade: New documents strengthen – perhaps conclusively – the lab-leak hypothesis of Covid-19’s origins. City Journal 🌎 Pentagon Report Predicts New Age of COVID Bioweapons and Brain Chip Warfare. New study provides a unique window into the views of military planners and how they see future forms of warfare. Lee Fang   🌎 Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking by WWE Staffer He Paid to Keep Quiet. Janel Grant files lawsuit saying McMahon pressured her into sex with him and other men at wrestling business. USA Today   🌎 Can an American Hold the United Arab Emirates Responsible for a Smear Campaign? The U.A.E.’s rulers destroyed Hazim Nada’s business. Now he’s fighting back with a lawsuit that challenges what states can get away with outside their borders. New Yorker   🌎 Hunter Biden Snagged a Cushy Bank Job After Law School. He’s Been Trading on His Name Ever Since. At the beginning of his career, Hunter Biden faced a choice: head out into the world to make it on his own or stay close to home and take advantage of his name. Politico   🌎 Biden’s border dereliction forced Gov. Abbott’s hand, and caused a national crisis. Border Patrol will be actively removing protections put up by the state not just to protect the state but to protect the whole country. NYP   🌎 Ecuador uncovers largest stash of cocaine in its history: 22 tons hidden in a pig farm. The drugs were packaged in bricks labeled with the names of airlines they were destined to be sent. El País   🔑 Which city will host the prized new anti-money laundering agency? Euronews IN THE NEWS Russia   🇷🇺 Russia struggles to sell Pacific oil, 14 tankers stuck Reuters   🇷🇺 Russian appeal against Olympic sanctions set to be heard by top sports court Reuters   🇷🇺 Russian TrickBot Mastermind Gets 5-Year Prison Sentence for Cybercrime Spree Hacker News   🇷🇺 New Jersey’s anti-Russia law drastically scaled back after court loss Politico   More news... China   🇨🇳 China Hands Former Top Bank Official 20 Years In Jail For Bribery AFP   🇨🇳 WuXi AppTec, Wuxi Bio Tumble as US Lawmakers Propose Ban Bloomberg   🇨🇳 A British Businessman Worked in China for Decades. Then, He Vanished. WSJ   🇨🇳 ASML’s China Sales Surged Despite Secret Dutch Deal With US Bloomberg Crypto & Cyber   🔐 US Will Sell $117M in Bitcoin Seized From Silk Road Drug Trafficker Decrypt   🔐 Big-Name Targets Push Midnight Blizzard Hacking Spree Back Into the Limelight Wired   🔐 iPhone Apps Secretly Harvest Data When They Send You Notifications Gizmodo   🔐 NSA secretly buying Americans’ data without a warrant Washington Times Corruption & Financial Crime   💸 The White House’s Big Gamble on Venezuela FP   💸 GOP senators demand info on pardon of Maduro fixer Alex Saab during swap with Venezuela NYP   💸 Steve Bannon Admits Bank Account May Have Evidence of Fraud Daily Beast   💸 Samlit Moneychanger in Singapore sued after China police freeze cash Straits Times Weekend Pods   🎙️Pirate of Prague Apple   🎙️Bug bounties with Chinese characteristics Click Here   🎙️Davos, WWIII, Essential Books GoodFellows   🎙️How Secure is the U.S. Election System? Free Expression   🎙️West Coast Cartel Wars Hold These Truths   More news... Have a wonderful weekend! 📩 Share Illicit Edge with friends! They can subscribe here for free and never miss a story. The Illicit Edge, P.O. Box 20559, New York, NY 10025 Manage preferences |
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