Tag: Crime
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Lebanon Foils Money Smuggling Operation from Iran to Hezbollah via Türkiye
Lebanese airport security intercepted an attempt to smuggle $2.5 million in cash from Iran to Lebanon via Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Türkiye. The funds were believed to be destined for Hezbollah after Lebanon banned Iranian civilian aircraft from landing in Beirut and imposed strict inspections on flights arriving from Iraq. Authorities at Beirut Airport seized…
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Cuts at USAID and Elsewhere Strains Global Journalism
Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Federal Funding Crackdown Imperils Global Newsrooms Investigative journalists around the world relied on funding from the U.S. Now, those watchdogs are scrambling to survive a sudden cash crunch. Galina Timchenko, the publisher of Meduza, an independent, Russia-focused start-up in Latvia, in 2015. The U.S. funding cutoff has left “some kind of a…
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The Uphill Battle to Safeguard Rights
Freedom in the World 2025 Violence and the repression of political opponents during elections, ongoing armed conflicts, and the spread of authoritarian practices contributed to the 19th year of declining freedom. In the year to come, all those who understand the value of political rights and civil liberties must work together in the defense of…
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Venezuela’s Air Force Is A Disaster. Can Russia Help?
Venezuela’s economic conditions have repeatedly undercut the ability of its military to maintain the planes in its fleet. If there was one word to describe the otherwise-shambolic resistance movement mounted by the Venezuelan government against the United States, it would be “defiance.” That’s precisely what the Chavismo regime of Nicolas Maduro has been doing since…
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The Iran-Russia Strategic Partnership Agreement: Scope and Impact
Following President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Moscow on January 17, 2025, Iran and Russia signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement. The agreement encompasses a broad range of cooperation areas, including political and diplomatic relations, economic and trade partnerships, military and security collaboration, and energy cooperation. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022,…
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A ‘High Risk Jurisdiction’: FATF Keeps Iran on Blacklist, Calls for Countermeasures
• Iran’s Failure to Comply: The intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced on February 21 that Iran will remain on its blacklist, citing the clerical regime’s failure to complete an action plan aimed at addressing Tehran’s financing of terrorism. FATF, which sets global standards for countering money laundering and terror finance, said in a…
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Iranian Newspaper Calls for New Approach to Negotiations with Trump
An Iranian newspaper close to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government has called for a fresh approach to negotiations with the United States. Citing encouragement from several Arab nations and mediation offers, along with a shift in the tone of US officials, including President Donald Trump, the paper interpreted these developments as a sign of easing tensions…
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Batman vs. the British Empire (or, the Alfred Mystique)
You should always take care which dark alleys you walk down, for you never know where you might get mugged by the ambiguities of the Anglo-American relationship. Take the alleys of Gotham City, for example. In a recent episode of the “Caped Crusader” miniseries on Amazon Prime, Batman investigates a highwayman ghost with an English…
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Iranian Newspaper Calls for New Approach to Negotiations with Trump
An Iranian newspaper close to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government has called for a fresh approach to negotiations with the United States. Citing encouragement from several Arab nations and mediation offers, along with a shift in the tone of US officials, including President Donald Trump, the paper interpreted these developments as a sign of easing tensions…
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Kimberly Donovan testifies to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission on the Axis of Autocracy
Testimony February 21, 2025 • 4:17 pm ET Kimberly Donovan On February 20, Economic Statecraft Initiative Director Kimberly Donovan testified to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission at a hearing titled, “An Axis of Autocracy? China’s Relations with Russia, Iran, and North Korea.” Below are her prepared remarks. Commissioner Friedberg, Commissioner Stivers, and members…
