Huat Zai

@socrates469bc See? what have you been doing while your ex-corlicks sip cocktails on their own private islands?

UNITED STATES: A Russian man, identified as Feliks Medvedev, has admitted to purchasing over US$65 million worth of gold bullion from Singapore Precious Metals Exchange (SGPMX) as part of a money laundering conspiracy, as stated in a press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia on 22 February. The funds, intended to support the Russian military’s activities in Ukraine, were transacted through unlicensed operations based in the United States. Medvedev, 42, who resides in Georgia, USA, pleaded guilty on 22 February 2023 to multiple charges, including operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and 39 counts of money laundering. He managed over US$150 million through more than 1,300 transactions, directing over US$65 million to purchase in gold bullion from the SGPMX. The scheme also involved Alexey Chubarov, 42, and Lev Solyannikov, 31, who are alleged to have assisted Medvedev in managing the illicit funds. Both individuals, alongside the Moscow-based KSK Group where they are employed, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Georgia on 13 February 2024 for their roles in the conspiracy and money laundering activities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia reported that the involved companies, though registered in Georgia, did not engage in typical business operations and were primarily used to facilitate illegal financial transactions. “America’s financial institutions provide critical stability to our economic and national security. Thus, these corporations are rightly the envy of the world. They are not, however, a tool to be exploited for the illegal transfer and laundering of illicit Russian money,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “After fraudulently transferring and partly laundering over $150 million, Feliks Medvedev has pleaded guilty and will face severe consequences for his crimes. The indictment of others involved in his offenses demonstrates our resolve to pursue individuals in the Northern District of Georgia and across the world who seek to facilitate the illegal transfer of Russian money.” The Straits Times reported that the Singapore Police Force is aware of the case, highlighting the complexities of international financial crimes and the need for cooperation across borders to effectively address such issues. ST also quoted SGPMX saying it could not provide details on the matter due to privacy laws. The U.S. Department of the Treasury added Chubarov and KSK Group to its list of sanctioned entities on 14 September 2023. In response, U.S. Attorney-General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney-General Lisa Monaco emphasized the commitment of the U.S. Justice Department to disrupt financial networks supporting Russian military efforts against Ukraine. This case is part of a broader initiative by Task Force KleptoCapture, a unit of the United States Department of Justice established in March 2022. The task force aims to enforce sanctions against Russian oligarchs and, since its inception, has seized nearly US$700 million and charged over 70 individuals for violating sanctions against Russia. Medvedev is scheduled for sentencing on 7 May 2024. SGPMX, a privately run trading and storage company headquartered in Singapore and touted as the world’s first precious metal exchange that is fully backed by physical precious metals, facilitates the trading of actual gold via an online global exchange, similar to stock exchange operations. The company, located at Le Freeport, a high-security logistics hub in Changi North Crescent, prides itself on providing clients with the ability to physically verify their investments at any time, promising high standards of due diligence and confidentiality in compliance with local regulations. The 2016 mutual evaluation report on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) highlighted Le Freeport as an emerging risk. The report cited it as presenting “a medium to high” money-laundering and terrorist-financing risk, with authorities showing a lack of comprehensive understanding of the activities within the Freeport. https://gutzy.asia/2024/04/22/russian-national-pleads-guilty-in-us-to-laundering-us65-million-through-singapore-gold-exchange/

Woman thanks rescuers who saved her after she was pushed off cliff at Pha Taem National Park On 20 April, 37-year-old Wang Nan reunited with rescuers who saved her life when her then-husband pushed her off a cliff in Thailand. Since the attempted murder five years ago, her husband has been sentenced to 33 years in prison by Thailand’s Supreme Court. According to The Straits Times (ST), Wang Nan has also filed for divorce from him. Woman visits rescuers who saved her after she was pushed off Thailand cliff According to a Facebook post by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wang Nan visited Pha Taem National Park on 20 April bearing gifts for the rescuers who saved her after she was shoved off a cliff by Yu Xiaodong, her then-husband, in 2019. Photos showed Wang Nan embracing her rescuers while shedding tears of gratitude. She even visited the site of the incident. Attempted murder allegedly to settle debts Quoting Wang Nan, ST reported her claim that her husband attempted to murder her to pay off his debts. Yu Xiaodong apparently had gambling debts that Wang Nan’s wealthy family had refused to settle for him. Source: ประชาสัมพันธ์ กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช on Facebook At the time of the incident, the couple had been living in Thailand for three years. Wang Nan was even pregnant with their child when Yu Xiaodong pushed her off the cliff on 9 June 2019. She fell 34 metres, suffered multiple fractures, and lost her foetus, stated Bangkok Post. Park officials later took her to the nearby Sapphasitthiprasong Hospital. While there, Wang Nan’s then-husband stayed by her side and threatened her to keep her silent. Thai authorities eventually arrested him during one of his hospital visits. Woman still believes in love despite experience Despite the attempted murder, 17 broken bones, and painful rehab, Wang Nan still believes in love. In an interview with South China Morning Post, she said that she wants her story to be an example for other women. She emphasised the importance of seeing if he is “a man of his word” and not just focusing on “sweet nothings and lofty promises.” https://mustsharenews.com/pushed-off-cliff-thailand/

People, if he/she hits you, leave.

A 40-year-old man in Singapore was sentenced to 20 years' jail on Apr. 22 for beating his girlfriend to death between Jan. 16 and 17, 2019. He was drunk at the time and had hit her after she told him that she had sexual relations with other men. M. Krishnan, who cohabited with Mallika Begum Rahamansa Abdul Rahman in a flat in Woodlands, pleaded guilty on Apr. 12 to a reduced charge of culpable homicide for causing her death by beating her continuously, reported The Straits Times (ST). What happened Krishnan started hitting Mallika while they were consuming alcohol at home on Jan. 15, 2019 after she confessed to having sex with other men. According to ST, she was kicked and slapped in the face, punched in the ribs and kicked in the thigh. She had previously revealed to him from Jan. 11, 2019 that she had slept with other men even while he was imprisoned in 2018. He also grabbed her neck before pushing her twice, causing her to fall and hit her head against a wardrobe and a kitchen cabinet. On Jan. 16, 2019, Mallika went to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment but results of a CT scan did not show any medical abnormalities. After a phone call with Mallika's sister that evening discussing her relationship with one man, a drunk Krishnan became angry about her affairs and began assaulting her. He then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force at about 1:35am on Jan. 17, 2019 after he moved her to the bed and noticed that she was no longer breathing. Mallika was pronounced dead at the scene. She had died due to a head injury and also sustained several injuries and bruises on her body. Has history of domestic abuse Krishnan then turned himself in to the police at around 1pm on Jan. 17, 2019. He is still married to his wife, whom he cheated on with Mallika since 2015, and had hit her face when she caught the couple red-handed in November 2015. Although Krishnan and Mallika continued dating, he also confessed that he had abused Mallika in 2017. Has intermittent explosive disorder Krishnan's psychiatric evaluation revealed that he has intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a behavioural disorder that causes frequent bouts of uncontrollable anger and violent behaviour in people. However, it was concluded that it had not directly affected his judgment and self-control. According to ST, Justice Valerie Thean said Krishnan understood that he was subject to such behaviours and that consuming alcohol excessively only amplified those actions. The deputy public prosecutor called for 15 to 18 years’ jail for Krishnan and was countered by his defence counsel Ramesh Tiwary, who argued that the accused remained cooperative and also confessed to the crimes. Krishnan was initially charged with murder and it is unclear why the charge was amended. He previously had criminal records, including cases of verbal abuse and spitting on police officers. https://mothership.sg/2024/04/singapore-man-20-years-jail-beat-girlfriend/

A new report from researches at Washington-based North Korea watchdog program 38 North raises flags that animation artists in the country have worked on animated projects from overseas studios. Files discovered on a DPRK internet server included animations, written instructions and comments that appear related to certain productions, and appear to be tied to subcontracting work from Chinese studios. The 38 North revealed that potentially involved productions include Season 3 of Amazon MGM Studios/Skybound Entertainment’s Invincible, for Prime Video. Files contained both the series title and that of a Skybound subsidiary, Viltrumite Pants, LLC, the production label behind the show. Skybound told Reuters it had no knowledge of North Korean studios working on its animation, and has initiated an internal review as well notifying and cooperating with “proper authorities.” Also possibly impacted is Iyanu, based on the African superhero comics created by YouNeek Studios and being produced by Lion Forge Entertainment for Cartoon Network and Max. No additional comment from the studios and streamers was offered. U.S. sanctions prohibit nearly all commercial activity with North Korea. An employee with Google-owned computer security firm Mandiant who worked on the research project notes that there was no indication the Western studios were aware of the activity. The 38 North report says that as researchers continued to observe traffic to the server through January, “Each day, a new batch of files would appear that included instructions for animation work and the results of that day’s work. Often the files contained editing comments and instructions in Chinese, presumably written by the production company, along with a translation of those instructions into Korean. This suggests a go-between was responsible for relaying information between the production companies and the animators.” Mandian helped the project determine three IP addresses in China were accessing the server, including two in the Liaoning Province which abuts North Korea and is home to many North Korean-operated business and IT workers who have relocated in search of higher pay. A DPRK defector who formerly worked at Pyongyang’s biggest animation studio, SEK, told Reuters that many animators have left the country for China and worked as artists under false pretense of being construction workers, where they are paid “$100 per month … compared to $1 back home.” SEK (also known as April 26 Animation Studio) had in the past worked on international projects. The U.S. Treasury designated it as a state-owned enterprise in 2016 and put it under sanctions. These were followed by additional sanctions against Chinese companies that worked with or liaised for the studio, imposed in 2021 and 2022. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/04/north-korean-animators-may-be-working-on-western-shows-report-finds/

The German Federal Prosecutor's office on Monday said three German nationals were arrested under the strong suspicion of having worked for the Chinese secret service. Prosecutors believe the three may have been involved in research projects that could be useful for China to expand its maritime power. What are the allegations? The three suspects, Herwig F, Ina F. and Thomas R, were arrested by officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in the western German cities of Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg. The defendants' homes and workplaces were also searched. The charges relate to espionage "at a point in time that cannot be precisely determined before June 2022." homas R. is said to have acted as an agent for an employee of the Chinese secret service MSS. It is alleged that he obtained information about innovative technologies that could be used for military purposes. Prosecutors believe he used Herwig F. and Ina F., who were running a company in Düsseldorf, to obtain the information. The company served as a way to contact and work with German scientists and researchers. The couple agreed on a deal with a German university on behalf of a Chinese partner on state-of-the-art machine parts for the operation of powerful ship engines that could be used in combat vessels. The pair are alleged to have violated German Foreign Trade and Payments Act. Chinese state authorities are said to have financed the project. One of the accused was allegedly in further negotiations about other research projects for the Chinese navy. Prosecutors allege the individual bought a special laser from Germany, with payment from the MSS, and exported it to China without authorization, despite the item being subject to the European Union's Dual-Use Regulation. Last week police arrested two men in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth on suspicion of spying for Russia and seeking to undermine German support for Ukraine. Soon after news of the arrests, police in the UK said two men had been arrested there on suspicion of passing on sensitive information to China. How has Germany responded? German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Monday that Berlin was monitoring a significant threat posed by Chinese espionage in business, industry and science. "We look very closely at these risks and threats and have clearly warned and raised awareness about them so that protective measures are increased everywhere," she said in a statement. Faeser added that the potential use of German innovative technologies for military purposes was "particularly sensitive." Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted his congratulations to prosecutors for their success." "This shows once again that we must be vigilant," he said. Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, told DW the case showed that Germany, like Russia, is actively engaged in espionage in Germany. "The [BfV] was involved in the investigation very early on, or we initiated these investigations, and once the evidence was clear, we were able to hand this case over to the police and public prosecutors," Haldenwang said. The arrests come just a week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China to press Beijing on its support for Russia's wartime economy and to raise issues of intellectual property theft. China rejects espionage allegations The Chinese Embassy in Berlin issued a statement rejecting accusations it was spying in Germany. "We call on Germany to desist from exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China," a spokesperson for the embassy said in an emailed statement. Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases. https://www.dw.com/en/germany-arrests-3-suspected-china-spies/a-68885712

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=730730239269230

This is normal, and will keep happening in cycles as you grow. Just remember that all your gifts, shortcomings, belief structures, techniques, etc are meant to be tools for your growth, don't become too attached or you will have a rude shock when it's time for them to move on.

@ManOfTheHour @noobmaster @classyNfabulous @CannotTahanLiao @canot_lidat_lah @ExTreMisTxxx @pigpigoink @coffeenut

@ManOfTheHour @noobmaster @classyNfabulous @CannotTahanLiao @canot_lidat_lah @ExTreMisTxxx @pigpigoink @coffeenut

NSFW (you have been warned) @ManOfTheHour @noobmaster @classyNfabulous @CannotTahanLiao @canot_lidat_lah @ExTreMisTxxx @pigpigoink @coffeenut