All news for 2026-03-03

Crime syndicates and hostile states — particularly Russia, North Korea and Iran — are increasingly using cryptocurrency to launder money and bypass international sanctions, according to a new report estimating that about $350 billion was laundered worldwide between 2005 and 2025.

Several official Syrian government accounts on the social media platform X were briefly compromised, the country’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced on Tuesday, sparking concerns about the security of state digital infrastructure during a period of heightened regional tensions.

Russian entrepreneurs Ignatiy Nayda and Filipp Shrage have reportedly maintained ties to the Podolsk organized crime group for several years.

The owner of Ibox Bank, Alyona Shevtsova (Dehrik), who became a suspect in an investigation by the Bureau of Economic Security and was placed under sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council, hopes to return to Ukraine and may have grounds for this, as her connections reach very high levels.

Five Azerbaijani citizens — Tahir Garayev, Ahmed Kerimov, Anar Madatli, Talat Safarov, and Etibar Eyyub — have been placed under UK sanctions.

On the morning of October 17, 2025, Cyprus was shaken by news of the murder in Limassol of one of the leaders of the local mafia, Stavros Demosthenous. He was shot near his home in the Agios Athanasios area.

Experts have warned that far-right groups are increasingly utilizing coded language and imagery on gaming platforms to circumvent content moderators and radicalize young people.

New data shows that the number of independent corruption investigations launched by the police watchdog has dropped by 70% over the past five years.

Oil prices have risen further as the Middle East war rages - with Iranian officials saying the country would "set fire to anyone who tries to pass through" the Strait of Hormuz, a key crude oil shipping route.

Armed police rushed to the Alum Rock area of Birmingham on Tuesday after a man was seriously injured in a stabbing near a primary school.

King Charles is set to offer Royal Lodge - Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home - to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it is reported.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s private jet left Riyadh for Madrid on Monday night following the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to respond to the latest economic outlook as a sharp surge in global energy prices threatens to undermine expectations of easing inflation.

The Daily Mail’s royal editor has denied using a private investigator to “blag” information about the Duke of Sussex and his former girlfriends, as she was shown emails suggesting the investigator “went out on a limb” to help her.

Donald Trump has criticized Keir Starmer again over the UK’s refusal to aid the offensive strikes on Iran, saying the “relationship is obviously not what it was.”