Illicit Finance

Russia is reaping a financial windfall from the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, as supply disruptions in the Middle East drive up global fertilizer prices and sharpen debate in Europe over whether to ease curbs on Russian exports.

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Federation of Builders have launched a campaign to help the construction industry combat invoice fraud, warning that the crime costs businesses millions of pounds and poses a particular threat to firms handling complex supply chains and high-value payments.

French financial prosecutors searched the Paris offices of private bank Edmond de Rothschild last week as part of an investigation into suspected bribery involving former employee and diplomat Fabrice Aidan, in a case linked to documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

An Irish alumina refinery owned by Russian metals group Rusal is part of a supply chain that appears to end with Russian arms manufacturers involved in the war in Ukraine, according to new reporting by The Guardian that cites leaked records and public trade data.

Iran-linked hackers have stepped up cyberattacks on Israel in recent weeks, wiping data at more than 50 small businesses and compromising about 50 public security cameras, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing Israel’s top civilian cyber official.

South African authorities have accused captive rhino breeder John Hume of leading one of the largest rhino-horn trafficking syndicates on record and using domestic reporting requirement to conceal his illicit activity.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has obtained a blue check mark on his official English-language X account, despite the social-media platform’s policy barring sanctioned individuals from purchasing its premium subscription service, CNBC reported.

House Republicans have opened an investigation into alleged hospice fraud in California, citing a CBS News investigation that found widespread warning signs among hospice operators in Los Angeles County and raising concerns about potentially tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer losses.

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) defended its decision to award a short-term artificial intelligence contract to Palantir Technologies on Tuesday, telling lawmakers the U.S. firm would not have access to regulatory intelligence as concerns mounted over sensitive data and the growing reach of major technology providers in government.

Companies owned by 13 men close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán won more than €28 billion in public contracts from 2010 to late 2025, according to a Financial Times investigation based on an analysis of nearly 350,000 state procurement contracts.