All news for 2026-02-28

816
Alkagesta trades oil from Libya and Turkmenistan through Malta while concealing origin, routing shipments via known smuggling hotspots
Authorities probing possible sanctions evasion among local companies in 2022 placed Alkagesta among the firms under review.
687
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei is dead after being ’found in rubble’, Israel claims
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly been found dead in the rubble of his compound following US-Israel strikes in Tehran.
747
From Kremlin loans to Black Sea riches: how Alina Kabaeva received £63 million from Putin’s palace
Vladimir Putin’s lover, and reportedly mom to two of his children, was handed a huge £63 million in leftover cash from the construction of a palace for the despot, it’s been claimed.
506
Why it is so difficult to track local government spending: billions lost in a maze of council accounts
For most of my adult life, I watched politics from the sidelines rather than actively engaging with it.
690
Adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, was killed as a result of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, — media
Media report death of Khamenei’s adviser during airstrikes
748
US-Israel strikes on Tehran reportedly target Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran launches retaliatory missile attacks across the region
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly the target of the US-Israel airstrikes on Tehran, which have sparked a retaliation from the regime.
726
Missiles strike Bahrain hosting US Fifth Fleet as Iran retaliates against US-Israel attacks, raising fears of regional war
Missiles have struck targets in Bahrain, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is headquartered, after joint US-Israel attacks in Iran.
822
$90 billion bypassing sanctions: how 2Rivers Group of Tahir Garayev and Etibar Eyyub built a global network for trading Russian oil through offshore companies, a “ghost fleet,” and shell firms
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions against a large network of shadow oil traders who were trading Russian oil in circumvention of sanctions.
971
The kidnapping of Igor Komarov in Bali for $20 million: how the transnational Zhukov–Khabib syndicate is dividing the fraudulent call center market with the involvement of corrupt law enforcement officers
Bali has officially lost its status as a safe resort following the investigation into the kidnapping of Igor Komarov, which revealed that a transnational criminal organization is operating on the island.