• Spain Seizes Property of Russian Helicopters CEO: Report

    Spanish authorities have seized property linked to Nikolai Kolesov, the chief executive of state-owned Russian Helicopters, on suspicion of money laundering, according to an anti-corruption group founded by the late Alexei Navalny. 

  • photo credit Horacio Cartes en su visita oficial a Ecuador by Cancillería del Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horacio_Cartes_en_su_visita_oficial_a_Ecuador.jpg — License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

    Blacklisted by Biden, Paraguay’s Ex-President See Sanctions Lifted by Trump

    The United States has removed former Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes from its sanctions list, a shift that comes amid warmer ties between the Trump administration and President Santiago Peña’s conservative government, Bloomberg reported.

  • Pope Leo Curbs Vatican Bank’s Role in Holy See Investments

    Pope Leo XIV has approved new rules that redistribute control over the Holy See’s financial investments, diluting the exclusive authority the Vatican Bank has held since 2022 and formalizing a shared model of oversight across church institutions.

  • photo credit Mstyslav Chernov / UnFrame, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes made. Source: Wikimedia

    Consumer Data Giant’s Russian Subsidiary Expands Business in Occupied Ukraine

    NIQ, the world’s largest consumer-data provider, has been conducting business in occupied Ukraine despite international sanctions against the Russian Federation, the Financial Times reported. 

  • U.S. Supreme Court Clears Way for Halkbank Prosecution

    The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Halkbank, leaving the lender to face criminal charges over allegations that it helped Iran evade sanctions and launder billions of dollars through the American financial system.

  • photo credit “Gisele Bundchen-003 (16251945946)” by Renan Katayama, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0., edited

    Brazilian Fraudsters Used Celebrity Deepfakes to Reap Millions

    Police in southern Brazil have arrested four people accused of running a nationwide Instagram ad scam that used AI-generated videos and images of supermodel Gisele Bündchen and other celebrities, Reuters reported. 

  • photo credit “Jack-up rig in the Caspian Sea 1” by Rehman is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0., edited, Source: Wikimedia Commons

    How a Secret Chinese Barter Arrangement Helps Iran Skirt U.S. Sanctions

    China has quietly built a financial workaround allowing it to keep paying for Iranian oil despite sweeping U.S. sanctions, according to new reporting by The Wall Street Journal.