Sanctions |

Money Laundering Tied to Pig-Butchering Scams is Increasingly Sophisticated, Report Finds

Pig-butchering schemes have scaled into a multibillion-dollar criminal industry, according to a new report by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic cited by CoinDesk.
photo credit “Modified from ‘Estonian Museum of Natural History Specimen No 196264 photo (g159_g159-1_jpg).jpg’ by Estonian Museum of Natural History, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sanctions Gap Allows Russia-Sourced Nickel to Flow West: Global Witness

A gap between European and U.K. sanctions is allowing nickel from Russia to flow into the United States months after Washington banned Russian-origin metal, according to a new investigation.
U.S. Blacklists Wife of Brazilian Judge Who Oversaw Bolsonaro Case

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes, escalating a confrontation over the judge’s handling of cases against former president Jair Bolsonaro.
photo credit John Thune. Photo by the U.S. Senate, taken in 2024. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

GOP Senators Signal Greater Support for New Russia Sanctions

Republican lawmakers are intensifying calls for President Donald Trump to impose sweeping sanctions on Moscow following the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace.
photo credit Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin walking at Zhongnanhai (2025), 21 May 2025. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

EU Weighs Sanctions on Chinese Refineries Linked to Russia

The European Commission is preparing to target several independent Chinese refineries in its forthcoming sanctions package against Russia, Reuters reported, citing unnamed EU officials.