ICIJ-led investigation Cyprus Confidential reveals how the EU member state powered the Kremlin’s financial machine, moving vast sums for oligarchs, including after Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion. The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has long been a geopolitical crossroads, a prize contested by empires and a meeting point of peoples, religions — …
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A Ukrainian billionaire’s ties to a $122 million London penthouse raise questions about the UK’s foreign ownership crackdown
The Register of Overseas Entities was meant to “root out corrupt oligarchs and elites” in the U.K. real estate market, but experts say it’s falling short. Leaked documents show Ukraine’s richest person was behind offshore moves to buy a luxury penthouse in London, raising questions over why he isn’t listed …
Read More »Alleged Hamas financier holds stake in Cyprus company that mines Egyptian gold, leaked files reveal
Sudanese businessman Abdelbasit Hamza — whose company holdings feature in Cyprus Confidential documents — has been accused of being “a central figure in Hamas’ investment portfolio.” An accused financier of Hamas has extensive business ties in Europe and owns a stake in a lucrative Cyprus firm that mines Egyptian gold, …
Read More »An oligarch’s chef-turned-personal assistant, a Moroccan casino mystery, and more Cyprus Confidential stories from ICIJ’s partners
More than 270 journalists around the world collaborated on ICIJ’s latest investigation — here’s some of what they found in a trove of millions of leaked documents. A new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Paper Trail Media and nearly 70 media partners around the world exposed how …
Read More »Houthis Continue Threats Despite New U.S.-Led Multilateral Red Sea Operation
Latest Developments Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen vowed on December 19 to continue threatening international shipping in the Red Sea. “No matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop,” said Mohammed Albukhaiti, a member of the organization’s ruling council. The statement came in response to the …
Read More »Kosovo and Switzerland, Switzerland and Kosovo
The two small European mountain countries have a deep political, economic, historical but above all human relationship, through numerous personal ties. About 250,000 people belong to the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland. This is significantly lower than Italians living in Switzerland, for example. And yet it’s a high number. After all, …
Read More »Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Claims Two Of Its Fighters Were Killed In South Lebanon In Combat Against Israel
On December 7, 2023, Saraya Al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), eulogized two of its fighters who allegedly were killed in south Lebanon in a combat against Israel. Citing a Quranic verse that promises heavens for “martyrs,” the statement, which was posted on the group’s Telegram …
Read More »Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthi Movement – A Brief Primer In View Of Recent Escalation Against Israel And The U.S.
Introduction Yemen’s Ansar Allah Houthi Movement – a delisted foreign terrorist organization (FTO) – has, since October 7, launched six rounds of aerial projectiles at Israel,[1] downed a U.S. drone in Yemen,[2] captured a shipping vessel in the Red Sea,[3] and, most recently, fired ballistic missiles and drones in the …
Read More »US announces naval task force to respond to Houthi attacks in Red Sea
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday Operation Prosperity Guardian, which he said was in response to “reckless Houthi attacks” from Yemen in the Red Sea. Countries joining the naval task force include the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain. “The recent escalation in reckless …
Read More »What does Palestine have to do with Africa?
Zionism is an extreme, but by no means exceptional, manifestation of the divisive logic of the nation-state. How should we understand the vicious violence that the state of Israel is unleashing indiscriminately on Palestinian children, mothers, fathers, hospitals, schools, and places of worship in Gaza? Most importantly, how does this …
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