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Uncovering: China’s Long Arm in the UK

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52 minutes ago

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China’s Long Arm in the UK

A parliamentary report reveals a growing threat to safety and sovereignty

Source:  Internal Consortium of Investigative Journalists:

The Big Picture: A U.K. parliamentary committee has named China a “flagrant perpetrator” of transnational repression — using intimidation, surveillance, and state influence to target dissidents on British soil.

“The UK should be a place of sanctuary… but repression is going unchecked.”
— Lord David Alton, Chair, U.K. Joint Committee on Human Rights

What’s happening

A new report by the U.K. Joint Committee on Human Rights says China is leading an alarming trend of authoritarian regimes extending their reach beyond borders — with Russia and Iran also named.

China’s tactics include:

  • ️ Surveillance and harassment of exiled critics
  • Online influence campaigns targeting Hong Kong exiles
  • Abuse of Interpol’s Red Notice system
  • Pressure through Chinese NGOs tied to the Communist Party

Real-world impact

On individuals:
Dissidents and exiles, including Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, report constant fear, threats, and even bounties on their heads.

“It’s long-overdue recognition of the insidious threat we face.”
— Simon Cheng, Hong Kong activist with a $130K bounty

On democracy:
Transnational repression undermines free expression, human rights, and community safety in the U.K. and beyond.

Key findings in the report

  • China uses a broad range of tactics to harass critics abroad
  • Victims include ethnic, religious, and political minorities
  • Interpol tools are exploited for political targeting
  • The U.K. lacks a cohesive strategy to stop it

What’s recommended

The committee urged the U.K. government to:

  • ✅ Define “transnational repression” officially
  • Launch a victim support hotline
  • Train law enforcement to recognize and respond
  • Require foreign agents to register under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme
  • Pressure Interpol to stop abuse of Red Notices

A global problem, a local battleground

“China’s targeting doesn’t stop at borders. It shows up in courtrooms, community centers, and UN sessions.”
— ICIJ “China Targets” investigation

As authoritarian regimes grow bolder, Western democracies must reckon with foreign interference — and protect those who sought refuge.

What’s next

“The government must follow through — not selectively, but comprehensively — to protect rights, democracy, and safety.”
— Simon Cheng

Bottom line:

The U.K. is now a front line in a global fight against authoritarian overreach.

Sanctuary must mean safety.
Democracy must mean protection.

“Transnational repression is not just foreign policy — it’s personal.”

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Behind Closed Doors: Putin, Power & The Private Empire

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49 minutes ago

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August 6, 2025

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Behind the Curtain: Putin, Power & The Private Empire

A bold new book rips the veil off Vladimir Putin’s secret life — exposing the mafia ties, personal betrayals, and power plays that shaped modern Russia.

Courtesy: Organized Crime and  Corruption and Reporting Project

The Tsar In Propria Persona by Roman Badanin & Mikhail Rubin pulls no punches.

Why it matters

Russia’s president has crafted an image of tradition, discipline, and moral superiority. But behind that curated façade is a reality of strip clubs, criminal mentors, marital collapse, and oligarchic favoritism — a parallel system that helps explain the logic behind modern authoritarian rule.

“Putin’s private life is many times more important than his public life.”
— Roman Badanin

Key revelations

  • Mob mentorship: Putin’s early mentor was violent gang figure Leonid Usvyatsov — possibly instrumental in his law school admission.
  • Marital breakdown: His marriage collapsed under “constant humiliation,” lavish living, and affairs housed in state-owned apartments.
  • Strip club diplomacy: Putin held meetings at Luna, a St. Petersburg strip club protected by a mob boss — his signed photo still hangs there.
  • State-sponsored scandal: Putin helped orchestrate a “honeytrap” against the General Prosecutor to secure the Kremlin’s loyalty.

Big takeaway

Behind the nationalism and war rhetoric lies a man of wealth, revenge, and relationships — not values.

“Oblivion is Putin’s main ally… The bad guys are erasing our memory of them.”
— Roman Badanin

Systemic decay

  • Courts and archives sealed
  • ️ Media crushed
  • Truth-tellers exiled

“This book cost us our homeland.”
— Badanin, now in exile with Rubin in the U.S.

The deeper system

  • Kremlin-controlled media
  • ✝️ Orthodox Church as political tool
  • Family & friends profiting from Putin’s power

This book joins the canon of Putin’s Kleptocracy and Putin’s People — offering a uniquely personal lens into authoritarian power.

Bottom line

The real Putin isn’t the one behind the podium. He’s the one behind closed doors — where power is personal, history is rewritten, and no one is safe.

Available now in Russian.
Translations pending.
MobilizedNews.com/PutinFiles

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Uncovering Brazil’s Devastation Law Project

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49 minutes ago

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August 6, 2025

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A national rollback with global consequences

The Big Picture: Brazil is on the brink of enacting PL 2159/2021, a sweeping environmental rollback known by civil society as the Devastation Law Project — a move that risks accelerating deforestation, gutting oversight, and violating Indigenous rights.

“This isn’t just bad for Brazil — it’s a global threat.”

⚠️ Why it matters

The Amazon and other Brazilian biomes play a critical role in climate stability, biodiversity protection, and carbon absorption. Weakening Brazil’s environmental licensing system will:

  • Accelerate legal and illegal deforestation
  • Increase greenhouse gas emissions
  • Violate Indigenous peoples’ rights and global climate treaties
  • Undermine EU-Brazil trade negotiations, especially the EU-Mercosur deal

What’s in the bill (PL 2159/2021)

If passed, the law would:

  • ✅ Allow self-licensing of polluting activities via online forms
  • ❌ Remove requirements for environmental impact assessments
  • ️ Shift licensing power to states and municipalities, creating regulatory chaos
  • Exempt entire sectors like agribusiness from federal environmental review

“This bill legalizes deforestation and fragments national environmental protection.”
— Civil society organizations in Brazil

What this means for the world

For Brazil:
Undermines national climate targets, weakens biodiversity safeguards, and threatens Indigenous and Quilombola communities.

For the EU:
Contradicts core values of human rights and environmental protection — and could derail the EU-Mercosur agreement.

“This law is incompatible with EU environmental and human rights standards.”
— Members of European Parliament

️ How we got here

Brazil’s current government, under pressure from agribusiness and extractive sectors, has prioritized deregulation over protection — enabling this law to pass the Senate in May 2025. A vote in the Chamber of Deputies is expected soon.

“Environmental governance has been dismantled. What remains now is resistance — and international solidarity.”
— Brazilian civil society leaders

What the experts say

“The bill poses serious and irreversible risks to human rights, climate stability, biodiversity, and Indigenous sovereignty.”
— EU Special Rapporteurs

What must happen next

EU leaders are being urged to:

  • ❌ Denounce the law publicly
  • ✅ Condition trade agreements on environmental protections
  • Delay ratification of EU-Mercosur until this law is defeated
  • Stand in solidarity with Indigenous and environmental defenders

Bottom line:

PL 2159/2021 isn’t just a law — it’s a climate test for Brazil, the EU, and the planet.

  • It will set the tone ahead of COP30 in Belém.
  • It will reveal whether global leaders walk the talk on environmental justice.

Environmental protection is not a local issue. It’s a global pact.

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Behind the Scam: How Fraud Rings Steal Millions

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50 minutes ago

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August 6, 2025

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Modern scammers aren’t lone wolves — they’re global operations backed by shell companies, software, and social media ads.

Source: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

A new investigation by OCCRP reveals the architecture behind two major international scams — and the businesses powering them.

Why it matters

Fraud is no longer just a crime — it’s an industry.
Scammers rely on marketing pros, tech platforms, shell firms, and unregulated payment systems to siphon billions from victims around the world — and often go unpunished.

️ The Scam Blueprint

Fraud follows a 3-step pipeline — each powered by a network of legitimate-looking service providers:

1. Catching Victims

Scammers use slick digital marketing to lure victims:

  • Affiliate marketers create fake ads with phony celebrity endorsements.
  • Ad platforms like Meta, Google, and Taboola profit by running the ads.
  • Goal: Capture personal info from “leads” — then sell them to call centers.

Notable marketers involved:
MGA Team, Sierra Media, Oray Ads, CRYP

2. Running the Scam

Once leads are in, call centers act fast:

  • CRM software tracks every interaction and deposit.
  • VoIP tools spoof international numbers.
  • Admin firms hide the true operators.

Tech & Services Used:
Getlinked.io, PumaTS, AnyDesk
VoIP: Coperato, Squaretalk
Admin: Za Traiding, Maximateam, Clear IT

3. Getting the Money

Scammers guide victims through transferring funds:

  • Payment service providers use fake documents and shell firms to move funds.
  • Shell companies obscure the final destination of money.

Financial enablers named:
Revolut, Wise, Santander, BBVA
Payment networks: Bankio, Britain Local
Shell firms: Selterico SL, Greencode, Purplesun

The Takeaway

This isn’t petty crime — it’s infrastructure-enabled fraud.

“Billions are stolen through an industrialized pipeline of deception,” OCCRP reports.

Each piece — the ad, the call, the fake platform, the fake company — builds the illusion.
⚠️ And the same systems that enable startups and remote work also power global crime rings.

️ What’s next?

Governments are behind the curve.
Enforcement lags while scams scale up.
Without accountability for tech platforms and tighter oversight on shell firms, these scams won’t stop — they’ll grow smarter.

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