Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10h

The radical right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has fired its head of parliamentary security after it was discovered that he had been convicted of menacing two Syrian children with a gun.

AfD security head threatened Syrian children with gun

Philipp Roensch has been fired by the radical right-wing party’s parliamentary group — but he is still listed as a member of its co-leader’s local committee

www.thetimes.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 1d

Interview for the Spanish publication El Confidencial about the drone wall that is being discussed and is expected to be built in Europe. The eastern borders are being militarized, and it was time for the EU to realize the realities.

Hace un año era un plan improbable. El "muro" de drones es ahora el futuro de los cielos de Europa

La idea de un "muro" antidrones fue promovida por países como los bálticos para intentar frenar a Rusia, y esta semana ha sido uno de los principales temas a tratar en la cumbre europea de Copenhague

www.elconfidencial.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 1d

I didn't expect much, but even by these low standards, the foreign press coverage of the first elections in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime is abysmal.

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 1d

China’s infowar in the Philippines. Reuters is shedding light on a 2021 campaign by a Chinese company that created fake social-media accounts to push narratives as Beijing’s naval forces ramped up efforts against the archipelagic nation—and worked to drive a wedge between Manila and Washington.

How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines

The Chinese embassy in Manila hired a marketing firm that ran fake social media accounts praising China, undermining the Philippines’ security alliance with the U.S., and criticizing Western COVID vaccines, Reuters found.

www.reuters.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

Apache reported that the European Investment Fund committed €21.2 million in 2020 to a venture fund that invests in Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware company co-founded by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

European Investment Fund financed Israeli spyware company Paragon

Paragon's spyware has been used against activists by multiple governments.

apache.be

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

Mediapart has identified at least nine former members or candidates of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party implicated in far-right terrorism cases, including a trial concerning the Islamophobic group Action des Forces Opérationnelles (AFO).

L’ombre du RN plane sur des dossiers terroristes

Au moins neuf hommes condamnés ou en attente d’un procès dans des affaires de terrorisme d’extrême droite ont exercé des responsabilités au sein du Rassemblement national ou l’ont représenté à des él…

www.mediapart.fr

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

Brussels has called such practices “very likely violations of sanctions” and imposed duties on Kazakh and Turkish plywood, but critics say enforcement remains weak – allowing sanctioned Russian wood to keep flowing into European homes.

The Battle for Birch: How Russian Timber Keeps Flowing into Europe - VSquare.org

Czech company Orlimex used to be one of the largest importers of Russian birch plywood in Europe. Today, Russian timber is under sanctions, yet loopholes in the EU’s complex legal framework still allo...

vsquare.org

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

EU imports of Kazakh plywood jumped from zero to nearly 100,000 cubic meters after 2022, mirroring a surge in Russian exports to Kazakhstan. Georgian suppliers are also accused of mixing in Russian wood while self-certifying its origin under EU trade rules.

The Battle for Birch: How Russian Timber Keeps Flowing into Europe - VSquare.org

Czech company Orlimex used to be one of the largest importers of Russian birch plywood in Europe. Today, Russian timber is under sanctions, yet loopholes in the EU’s complex legal framework still allo...

vsquare.org

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

Despite sanctions, Russian timber is reaching Europe. @vsquare.bsky.social found that birch plywood is being rebranded and rerouted through Kazakhstan and Georgia, then sold on EU markets.

The Battle for Birch: How Russian Timber Keeps Flowing into Europe - VSquare.org

Czech company Orlimex used to be one of the largest importers of Russian birch plywood in Europe. Today, Russian timber is under sanctions, yet loopholes in the EU’s complex legal framework still allo...

vsquare.org

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 2d

A joint investigation by the OCCRP, iStories, All Eyes On Wagner, Slidstvo.Info, and the Belarusian Investigative Center found that the Oleinikova family, owners of a trendy tapas bar in Barcelona, is under investigation for smuggling EU-sanctioned chemicals to Russia.

Tapas and Toxins

An investigation by IStories, OCCRP, All Eyes On Wagner, Slidstvo.Info, and Belarusian Investigative Center

istories.media

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 5d

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expired on Tuesday. For 25 years, the trade pact offered many African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market. Its termination could impact more than a million jobs across the continent.

Thousands of jobs at risk in Africa as US trade deal expires

A major US-Africa trade deal, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, has ended, cutting duty-free access to U.S. markets for thousands of African products

abcnews.go.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 5d

“I won’t do it again,” Putin responded to accusations against Russia of launching drones into EU airspace.

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 5d

Unmasking Visegrád24: Tracing the People, Money, and Political Connections - VSquare.org

Visegrád24 became famous for its anti-Muslim and anti-migration stance as well as waves of disinformation. A recent report by the Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) brings to light a p...

vsquare.org

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 5d

Recorded Future uncovers new details of a CopyCop operation (widely known as Storm-1516). Since March, the network has launched more than 200 fake websites (totalling over 300 domains).

CopyCop Deepens Its Playbook with New Websites and Targets

CopyCop expands Russian influence ops with 300+ fake websites targeting the US, France, Canada & more—using AI, deepfakes, and GRU-backed infrastructure.

www.recordedfuture.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 5d

ISD reveals how a Czech-language community of 70 accounts on X systematically spreads Kremlin-aligned messages ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Investigation | An anti-Ukrainian community on X: A gateway for Russian propaganda in the Czech information space

A Czech X community of 70 accounts is acting as a conduit for Kremlin propaganda, amplifying anti-Ukraine narratives ahead of the 2025 elections.

www.isdglobal.org

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 6d

A suspected scam network operating out of Serbia duped an estimated 70,000 people worldwide into making bogus investments, profiting €250 million in the process. The transnational scheme involved a former Premier League team sponsor and a convicted money launderer.

Behind the scam: how an alleged criminal network set a trap for thousands of Europeans to fall for ‘fake’ investments and raked in millions

A suspected scam network operating out of Serbia duped an estimated 70,000 people worldwide into making bogus investments, profiting €250 million in the process, Investigate Europe and the Balkan Inve...

www.investigate-europe.eu

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 6d

Read this text carefully. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 6d

Europe’s favourite farmed fish, such as salmon and sea bass, are carnivorous and most are fed fishmeal made from other species through complex and opaque global supply chains. For instance, Senegalese sardinella is a staple fish for local communities.

How Farmed Fish in Dutch Supermarkets Undermines Food Security in West Africa

This story was produced in partnership with the investigative journalism platform Follow The Money. On a beach strewn with plastic and fish waste on the eastern side of the Senegalese capital Dakar, a...

www.desmog.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 7d

😐 Because this is precisely what we all need right now.

OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos

The platform appears to closely resemble TikTok and is powered by Sora 2, OpenAI's latest video generation model.

www.wired.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10d

Austria is the world’s top handgun exporter but relies on a weak end-use system, allowing middlemen to divert weapons onto black markets. Even pistols from 2021-22 surfaced in Yemen, and authorities said they would track the guns but admitted diversions cannot be fully stopped.

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10d

De Standaard, Paper Trail Media, and ARIJ uncovered how Glock pistols ended up with Houthi rebels in Yemen despite a UN arms embargo.

Wie Glock-Pistolen aus Österreich zur Huthi-Miliz im Jemen gelangten

Lokalisierte Glocks mitten im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen zeigen, dass Österreich die Kontrolle über die globale Güterkette im Waffenexport verloren hat

www.derstandard.at

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10d

Lighthouse Reports and Democracy for Sale, in collaboration with the New Statesman, reveal how Larry Ellison’s foundation has pledged £257m to the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) – making it one of the richest and most influential think tanks in the UK and beyond, with 900 staff across 45 countries.

Inside the Tony Blair Institute

Who really benefits from the former PM’s tech evangelism?

www.newstatesman.com

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10d

The database, which contains profiles of all companies that have received arms export licenses exceeding CHF100,000 since 2015, reveals the central role Switzerland plays in Russia’s war in Ukraine, including 20 Russian companies that have benefited from a recent relaxation in Swiss export rules.

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 10d

The Swiss weekly WOZ has published the 2025 edition of its annual armaments report, containing the names, addresses, and backgrounds of 150 Swiss exporters of weapons, other military goods, and surveillance technology.

Rüstungsreport 2025: Das blutige Vermächtnis der FDP

Die russische Kriegsmaschinerie kann auch auf Schweizer Hightech zurückgreifen. Ermöglicht hat dies eine massgeblich von der FDP erwirkte Exportlockerung für Werkzeugmaschinen. Rekonstruktion eines fo...

www.woz.ch

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Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad.bsky.social · 11d

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned that scam compounds are expanding to new territories, including East Timor and Papua New Guinea.

Asian organised crime scam centres setting up on Australia's doorstep

As scam centres run by organised crime find it harder to operate in South-East Asia, evidence emerges of them moving into the Pacific and setting up lucrative operations estimated to net billions each...

www.abc.net.au

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