Tag: Region Europe

May 7, 2022. A new leak of Dubai property data has exposed just how many foreigners have poured their money into apartments and villas there. The data, which dates from 2020, was obtained by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that researches international crime and conflict. It was then shared with Norwegian financial outlet E24, which coordinated an investigation into the real estate. The leak provides the first detailed public overview of…

  On the 4th May 2022, the UK government announced further sanctions, restricting Russia’s access to the UK services industry. Under the new sanctions, Russia is barred from accessing the UK’s management consulting, accounting and PR services, which represent 10% of Russian imports in these sectors. The UK government has also announced 63 new sanctions aimed at individuals and entities furthering the Russian narrative on the invasion of Ukraine.  Those sanctioned include: Evgeny Poddubny, a war correspondent for the All-Russia…

Germany’s federal police office, criminal prosecutors and the country’s financial watchdog BaFin raided Deutsche Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt on Friday, prosecutors said in a statement. The prosecutors said that a search warrant was issued by Frankfurt’s district court, based on the suspicion that unnamed Deutsche Bank employees may have violated anti-money laundering laws. They declined to give further details. Deutsche Bank confirmed the raid and said it was linked to suspicious activity reports issued by the bank that flagged potential…

Vladimir Putin announced last month that if “unfriendly countries” wanted to continue buying Russian natural gas, they would have to pay in rubles starting April 1. It seems not everyone believed he was serious. Would Russia really turn away profit by refusing payment in other currencies? Apparently so. Many media outlets are calling the move a ‘weaponization’ of the gas supply, though clearly Russia may set its own terms and do as it pleases with its own natural resources, even…

The Pentagon says the U.S. is monitoring events in the Eastern European country of Moldova after the breakaway republic of Transnistria bordering Ukraine said explosions over the past two days hit a radio center and a security headquarters. The reports of explosions prompted Moldova’s president to convene a meeting of the country’s security council as she vowed to prevent an escalation. A Russian military commander said Sunday that one goal of the war in Ukraine was to establish a southern…

You don’t want to call sanctions a hoax because they legitimately put compliance pressure on our businesses and people. But do they put any pressure on the actual targets? It’s part of our news cycle and even our language to think so. After all, what is a “sanction” if not a punishment for breaking the rules? In a move that was presented as severe by the press and by government, the Treasury Department promised sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment…

  On April 6, 2022, the US imposed full blocking sanctions on Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, by designating Sberbank and 42 of its subsidiaries as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs).  According to the US Treasury Department, Sberbank holds approximately one-third of all bank assets in Russia. Also on April 6, 2022, the US imposed full blocking sanctions on Alfa-Bank, Russia’s largest private bank.  Alfa -Bank, six of its subsidiaries, and five 5 vessels owned by an Alfa-Bank subsidiary have also…

  On March 31, 2022, the US expanded the focus of US-Russia related sanctions to include the aerospace, electronics and marine sectors of the Russian economy. Since the onset of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the US has designated over 700 individuals and entities (persons) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). As the assets of such SDNs – and entities they owned 50% or more – that are in the US or within the possession or control of US persons are blocked, such…

  On 29 March 2022, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs (the Minister) designated 39 individuals, including a number of Russian individuals engaged in serious corruption and human rights abuses, using the new powers set out in the Magnitsky sanctions amendments. Targeted financial sanctions and travel bans will apply to these persons from 30 March 2022.  This is the first time the Australian Government has implemented sanctions under its Magnitsky-style (or thematic sanctions) laws, which were introduced in December 2021.  These…

Key takeaways Russian and Belarusian individuals and entities are subject to extensive asset freezes and travel bans under Australian law. The export of alumina, aluminium ores, and aluminium hydroxide to Russia is banned Australian businesses with ties to Russian energy or telecommunication industries need to assess their exposure to these sectors as specific sectoral sanctions will apply from 28 March 2022. Bans on the import of oil and other energy products from Russia will apply from 25 April 2022 Australian…

History Nuclear weapons owned by the United States have been deployed in Europe since the mid-1950s, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized their storage at allied North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bases on the continent for use against the Soviet Union. Though NATO officially declares itself a “nuclear alliance,” it does not own any nuclear weapons. Historically, the United States has deployed both nuclear bombs and nuclear-armed missiles to allied European states, including Greece and the United Kingdom, but since…

The new president of Interpol has been placed under investigation in France over allegations of “torture” and “acts of barbarism”. Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi has been accused by an NGO of mistreating one of the main opponents of the Emirati regime. France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (Pnat) has opened a preliminary investigation, AFP sources reported on Friday. Al-Raisi was only appointed Interpol’s president in November, despite backlash from several human rights groups that he undermined the organisation’s mission. He has also served…

  On 24 March 2022, the UK Government announced 65 new Russian sanctions, targeted at strategic industries (including defence and transport), banks and business elites. The new sanctions, particularly those targeted at CEO’s and business leaders, represent a shift in the UK Government’s approach, which previously focussed sanctions activity around financial institutions and oligarchs. Those subject to the sanctions will have their UK assets frozen and no UK citizen or company will be able to do business with them. Individuals…

As reported by Times of Israel and X, Ukranian President Zelensky said that “Uman was brutally bombed where hundreds of thousands of Jews come every year to pray,” referring to the Hasidic pilgrimage site in central Ukraine. “Then Babyn Yar, where hundreds of thousands of Jews were executed.” And despite reports, the rocket that damaged the Kyiv TV tower did not in fact harm the Babyn Yar memorial, located in an adjacent area, according to a veteran Israeli journalist, Ron Ben…

The UK Government has today (11 March 2022) announced sanctions against 386 members of the Russian parliament who voted to recognise two rebel-held regions in Eastern Ukraine Luhansk and Donetsk, as independent. The announcement means that 400 of the 450 members of Russia’s Duma, are now subject to British sanctions. The sanctions include asset freezes, UK travel bans and a prohibition on conducting business in the UK. UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, explained that the sanctions were intended to target…

Feb 26, 2022. (3:31 a.m. CET) SWIFT Preparing to Comply With Russian Measures  “We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures,” the organization said in an email. “We are preparing to comply upon legal instruction.” Feb 26, 2022. (2:12 a.m. CET) Elon Musk Activates Starlink Satellites for Ukraine  Feb 25, 2022. (8:03 p.m. CET) Abramovich Hands Over ‘Stewardship’ of Chelsea  Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich said he would hand…