Plus: High Powered DC Lobbyists Shield Russian Oligarchs From Sanctions...
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9/1/23

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Happy Friday! Itโ€™s September 1, and weโ€™re tracking top stories to take you into the long weekend: U.S. charges Russian tech smugglers, how TikTok evades U.S. ban, Nobel Prize banquet welcomes Iran and Russia back, DC lobbying firm shields Russian oligarchs from sanctions, and much more...  

 

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๐ŸŽฏ U.S. charges man with helping smuggle microelectronics with military uses to Russia. Petrov and two unnamed Russian co-conspirators were accused of using shell companies to conceal the fraudulent procurement from U.S. distributors of microelectronics subject to American export controls. Reuters

 

Top Stories

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ How TikTok is cleverly evading calls in DC to ban China-owned app. After a dramatic spring in which calls to ban TikTok on US soil reached a fever pitch โ€” made worse by a disastrous Congressional testimony from CEO Shou Zi Chew โ€” the fervor died down this summer. NY Post

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Russia and Iran invited back to Nobel Prize banquet. Swedish Liberal MEP Karin Karlsbro accused the Foundation of setting a "dangerous precedent" by "giving a green light to inviting Russia to a glamorous party while missiles fall over Ukrainian cultural centers and murder children." BBC

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ How a high-powered lobbying firm worked to shield a Putin-tied oligarch from sanctions. When the Ukraine war broke out, the U.S. moved to sanction several Russian figures. But two oligarchs with ties to the lobbying shop BGR were not among them. Politico

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ JPMorgan processed more than $1 billion for Epstein. The U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned two private islands, is suing JPMorgan for at least $190 million and likely much more, saying it ignored red flags that Epstein was running a sex trafficking operation because he was a lucrative client. Reuters

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has an ambitious plan to rid his country of corruption. Anwar joined forces again with Mahathir in 2018 following the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, in which over $4 billion was stolen from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, aided by a former Goldman Sachs managing director. Fortune

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Fintech giant Wise allowed Russia sanctions target to withdraw money. Though the sum of money involved in the sanctions violation is small, itโ€™s a black eye for one of Britainโ€™s fintech darlings and highlights the industryโ€™s ongoing struggle to prevent sanctions breaches following the Ukraine war. CNBC

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ US hits North Korean and Russian accused of supporting North Korea's ballistics missile program. The action was taken a day after the White House said it had new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea to supply more munitions for the war in Ukraine. AP

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Taliban signs mining contracts worth $6.5 billion in Afghanistan. The seven contracts are with locally based companies, many of whom have foreign partners in countries including China, Iran, and Turkey. AP

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Why Singapore Banks Are Worried About Foreign Customers. Financial institutions in Singapore are scouring client records after police raided a sprawling criminal organization with stockpiles of cash โ€“ and dozens of bank accounts. WSJ

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Itโ€™s unlikely that the medical marijuana programs now licensed in 38 states โ€” to say nothing of the legal recreational pot markets in 23 states โ€” would meet the production, record-keeping, prescribing and other requirements for Schedule III drugs. AP

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IN THE NEWS

Russia

 

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ A Manโ€™s Hobby Becomes a Crucial Tool in Global Efforts to Enforce Sanctions on Russia VOA

 

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Poland charters tankers used for Russian oil to import Arab crude Reuters

 

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Gazprom Claims It Accounts For Over Half Of Chinese Gas Import Growth Oil Price

 

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ukraine cries foul as fuels refined from Russian oil pour into the EU Politico

China

 

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ASML Says It Can Ship Restricted Chip-Making Gear Until Year End Bloomberg

 

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ US Customs finds garments made with banned Chinese cotton Reuters

 

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Chinese illegal migrant numbers boom under Biden as Beijing tensions grow NY Post

 

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Huawei and Alibaba among companies seeking Chinese deepfake approvals Reuters

Corruption & Financial Crime

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Fallout From Europeโ€™s Biggest Tax Scandal Is Only Getting Larger Bloomberg

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Adani shares slide after report alleges โ€˜opaqueโ€™ offshore investment funds CNBC

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Businessman at center of FBIโ€™s Sen. Bob Menendez probe went from foreclosure to luxury after meeting Democrat NY Post

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Nigerian president appoints new minister accused of helping a former dictator launder looted billions ICIJ

Latin America

 

๐Ÿšฉ Rise and fall of 'Mula' โ€“ the hitman and drug mule who links MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia Daily Star

 

๐Ÿšฉ Bolsonaro stays silent in police probe of undeclared Saudi, Bahrain jewelry gifts Reuters

 

๐Ÿšฉ Colombian luxury handbag designer extradited to US over illegal animal leathers Euro News

Crypto & Cyber

 

๐Ÿ” French data watchdog probes Worldcoinโ€™s Paris hub Politico

 

๐Ÿ” Classiscam fraud-as-a-service expands, now targets banks and 251 brands Bleepingcomputer

 

๐Ÿ” Microsoft joins opposition to current version of UN cybercrime treaty The Record

HAVE A WONDERFUL LONG WEEKEND!

๐Ÿ“ฉ

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