Banks, crypto firms and Kremlin oil reserves also targeted in 21st set of measures since full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The EU hopes to ban Russian soldiers from entering its territory as part of further sanctions against Moscow that also target banks, crypto firms and the Kremlin’s oil revenues.
Announcing the proposals on Tuesday, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “We propose for the first time to ban from entry into the European Union anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war. So Europe stays off limit for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine, as simple as that.”
Madrid 1974: A Retro Spy Comedy Through the Secret Files of a Chaotic Bureaucracy
Description
A cinematic retro series set in a fictional 1974 Madrid, blending spy comedy, bureaucratic absurdity, street chases, secret archives, analog surveillance and vintage Spanish urban life. The images recreate a world of confidential folders, smoky offices, rotary telephones, typewriters, old taxis, crowded markets, railway stations, rooftop antennas, hidden laboratories, newspaper presses and suspicious government corridors. The atmosphere feels like a lost espionage farce from the seventies: serious men in ill fitting suits, anxious messengers, improvised agents, comic confusion, urgent missions and a constant sense that every secret operation is seconds away from becoming a public disaster.
The collection moves between interior and exterior scenes with strong narrative continuity: intelligence offices full of papers, tense investigations, chaotic pursuits through Madrid streets, undercover activity in cafés and markets, and surreal technical experiments in improvised laboratories. Its visual language combines photorealistic period detail with comic exaggeration, creating a nostalgic but dynamic tribute to classic European spy parody, Spanish popular culture and analog detective fiction.
These images have been generated by Artificial Intelligence.
PUTRAJAYA, June 8 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has recorded 1,095 charges and secured 563 convictions from 2,633 investigation papers opened since 2024, said Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman.
He said 583 of the investigation papers involved high-profile and public interest cases, reflecting the commission’s commitment to taking action regardless of rank or position.
Abd Halim said the MACC’s focus goes beyond prosecuting offenders, with equal emphasis placed on dismantling corruption networks through aggressive asset recovery measures.
“Based on records from the Legal and Prosecution Division up to April 2026, a total of 115 asset forfeiture applications were filed in court, compared with 179 applications for the whole of last year.
“During the period, the MACC seized assets worth RM16.49 million, froze assets amounting to RM425,464.60 and secured forfeitures totalling RM3.42 million. Compounds amounting to RM10.47 million were also collected,” he said in his inaugural address at the MACC Monthly Assembly here today.
Abd Halim stressed that he would not allow the people’s rights to be eroded by those driven by greed.
He said the MACC is also strengthening the capabilities of its officers to tackle increasingly complex financial crimes involving advanced technology, cross-border transactions and cryptocurrencies.
“We can no longer work using old methods. The use of advanced technology, stronger strategic intelligence, data analytics and cooperation with international agencies is essential to ensure we remain one step ahead of criminals,” he said.
Nearly a month into his tenure, Abd Halim introduced five key leadership principles: uncompromising integrity, fair enforcement, prevention over punishment, technology and transparency, and building public trust.
“My personal principle is simple: ‘If you dare to do it, dare to take responsibility for it.’ No one in this organisation should become a liability that tarnishes the image of the MACC, which is currently at its strongest,” he said. — Bernama
Shutterstock has agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) $35 million over allegations that the photo agency misled customers and illegally made millions of dollars from them.
China’s market regulator announced a sweeping investigation on Friday against three major brokers running cross-border trading, as it launched a two-year crackdown on investment leaving the country.
Photo: David Dennis via Flickr.
China does not allow private individuals to directly invest in overseas markets, requiring them to trade assets only through approved third-party channels.
However, regulations differ in the semi-autonomous city Hong Kong, and some brokers have been able to legally operate there, attracting investors from mainland China to open trading accounts in the Chinese finance hub.
Authorities have sought to regulate the loophole in recent years, and in 2022 barred private Chinese investors from opening accounts with such brokers.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Friday it will probe and impose penalties on Hong Kong-registered brokers Futu and Longbridge, as well as New Zealand-registered Tiger Brokers.
Regulators said the brokers had conducted securities-related business in China “without obtaining the necessary approvals or licenses”, violating China’s securities law.
The CSRC said in a separate statement Friday it will join forces with seven other bodies, including the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Bank of China, to carry out a two-year campaign targeting illegal cross-border securities activities.
The campaign aims to “completely eradicate the illegal cross-border operations of overseas securities, futures and fund management institutions”, it said.
Futu said in a filing that Chinese authorities have proposed a fine of about 1.85 billion yuan (US$271 million).
Futu “has already ceased opening accounts for applicants with mainland Chinese identities… has consistently engaged in active dialogue with regulatory authorities and complied with their rectification requirements”, it said in a statement.
Photo: Rhoda Kwan/HKFP.
Chinese investors accounted for about 13 percent of the firm’s total client base of 29.2 million users registered globally, it added.
UP Fintech, a US-listed brokerage firm who owns Tiger Brokers, said CSRC fined the company 308.1 million yuan and confiscated 103.1 million yuan of illegal income.
The firm “accepts the penalty with sincerity,” it added.
The two brokers’ CEOs were also fined.
Chinese authorities’ aim “is to gain full control of capital outflows, and to block any loopholes of these illegal activities”, Kelvin Lam, a China-focused economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told AFP.
“What China is trying to do at the moment is to make sure no overseas branches of these companies… take funds out of Chinese investors and help them to invest overseas,” Lam said.
Hong Kong cross-border brokers have operated in a regulatory grey zone until now, he said, but authorities are seeking to fully stem the flow of Chinese investment out of the country.
“Rather than worrying the fact of capital leaving China illegally, the aim of Chinese authorities is to seek full control of the situation rather than anything else,” Lam said.
Shares in Nasdaq-listed Futu tumbled more than 25 percent in Friday’s trading, with UP Fintech dropping about 20 percent.
The U.S. has announced a new partnership with Japan on science and artificial intelligence. Energy Department Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil told reporters Thursday that each country would invest $500 million in the joint venture. “This is the defining moment for the next era of science,” he said. “We’re linking our brightest minds and...
KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — An investigating officer told the Sessions Court today that he was unaware that former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli had links to another construction company that participated in the open tender for the Penang undersea tunnel and three main roads project.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Headquarters Investigation Division Senior Superintendent Zulhilmi Ramli said that besides Consortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group (CZBUCG), VST Cemerlang Sdn Bhd had also submitted a bid for the mega project through the open tender process.
However, he said he was unsure whether Zarul Ahmad had planted VST Cemerlang as a bidder, and only knew that the businessman had links with CZBUCG.
The 38th prosecution witness said this during cross-examination by defence counsel Haijan Omar in the corruption trial of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng involving the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel and main roads project.
When asked by the lawyer whether his investigation showed that Zarul Ahmad had secretly placed VST Cemerlang in the bidding process, Zulhilmi replied that he was not sure.
Further questioned on whether he knew if Zarul Ahmad had any influence or interest in VST Cemerlang that enabled the company to participate in the tender, Zulhilmi answered: “I do not know.”
Haijan then suggested that the witness had never investigated the matter and was unaware of the reasons, basis and interests behind VST Cemerlang’s participation in the tender.
However, Zulhilmi disagreed and said his investigation was conducted based on the complaint lodged.
When the lawyer suggested that the matter had been overlooked during the investigation, Zulhilmi again maintained that he disagreed.
Earlier, in his witness statement, Zulhilmi said CZBUCG was the best company among the five bidders evaluated for the project.
According to him, CZBUCG scored 93 per cent compared with the nearest bidder, VST Cemerlang, which scored 77 per cent, resulting in CZBUCG being awarded the tender for the project.
Lim, 65, is charged with using his position as Penang chief minister to obtain gratification of RM3.3 million for himself by helping a company owned by Zarul Ahmad secure the RM6,341,383,702 Penang roads and undersea tunnel project at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office between January 2011 and August 2017.
For the second charge, the Bagan MP is accused of soliciting a bribe amounting to 10 per cent of the profits to be earned by Zarul Ahmad as an inducement for helping the businessman’s company secure the same project. The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, here, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.
He also faces two charges of causing two plots of Penang government land worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to a developer company linked to the undersea tunnel project. The offences were allegedly committed at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on July 23. — Bernama
BEIJING, June 5 — China today tightened oversight of the country’s 23 trillion yuan (RM13.7 trillion) private fund industry, in a bid to reduce financial risks and channel money into technology innovation and emerging industries.
China’s securities regulator said it would raise the bar for private fund registration, crack down on illegal fund activities and encourage long-term “patient” capital to support tech-focused venture capital investments.
“Strengthening oversight of private funds will help remove bad actors, create a sound environment for the industry ...and protect investors,” the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement.
The announcement came two weeks after China launched a major crackdown on cross-border investment and tightened capital controls. It’s also part of Beijing’s broader campaign to direct resources into the tech sector, which is key in the Sino-US power rivalry.
The latest move represents a deepening of clean-up efforts that started in 2023 that saw the de-registration of more than 5,000 private fund managers. Chinese private funds can invest in securities or make private equity investments.
“The industry is big, but not strong. Funding structure is imbalanced. And some funds have even become the tools for criminals,” the CSRC said.
According to the latest rules, regulators will set up a cross-agency monitoring platform to identify risks and misbehaviours. The watchdog will also step up monitoring of operation by government-backed funds.
The CSRC said it will clamp down hard on illegal activities including illegitimate cross-border flows, illicit fundraising and misappropriation of money. — Reuters
Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has announced that it is considering criminalising bid-rigging, proposing a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.
Barrister Jat Sew-tong, chairperson of the Competition Commission, announced on Friday plans to amend the Competition Ordinance to criminalise bid-rigging, local media reported.
Barrister Jat Sew-tong. File photo: GovHK.
The commission hopes to table the amendment by the end of this year, Jat said, adding that the proposed maximum penalty would be seven years in jail.
Under the Competition Ordinance, bid-rigging is currently a civil violation, not a criminal offence, and it is penalised with a fine.
Jat said that he had been discussing the proposal with the city’s leader John Lee and the Hong Kong Bar Association, NowTV reported.
He said Lee had conveyed “orders” or “expectations” but did not specify what.
The commission’s move comes after a deadly fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in Tai Po, in November. The estate was undergoing a large-scale renovation at the time of the fire.
Residents told HKFP in February that they had suspected graft and bid-rigging in the renovation project, and had attempted to report it to authorities without any success.
People watch smoke coming from Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 27, 2025, a day after the fire broke out at the housing estate. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Jat also said on Friday that investigations by the Competition Commission revealed triads were involved in rigging bids for many large-scale maintenance projects.
However, due to the Competition Ordinance’s limitations, the commission cannot prosecute the cases and has to transfer them to law enforcement departments.
The Competition Commission is a statutory body established under the Competition Ordinance in 2012.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said in February that the city’s corruption watchdog had received multiple complaints involving bid-rigging in building maintenance works over the past five years.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) received 24 complaints in 2025, more than double the number in 2021, Linn said.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — Two investigation papers involving former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki have been referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) for further action.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M. Kumar, in a statement today, said that investigations into the cases had been completed and the investigation papers were submitted to the AGC on Thursday (June 4).
On Wednesday, Kumar said the police had recorded Azam’s statement under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code to assist in the investigations.
He said the first case involved an investigation into a Bloomberg.com article that allegedly contained defamatory statements regarding the shareholding ownership of Velocity Capital Partner Berhad.
The second case concerned allegations of abuse of power and criminal intimidation involving a businessman, Albert Tei. — Bernama
The Forgotten Archive of a Spanish Spy Agency. MORTADELO Y FILEMON
Description:
A cinematic retro espionage collection set in a fictional 1970s Spanish intelligence world, filled with dusty archives, classified files, typewriters, surveillance rooms, laboratories, old telephones, secret maps, dim offices, deserted streets, vintage storefronts, and mysterious objects that suggest abandoned missions, bureaucratic conspiracies, and forgotten undercover operations.
These images were generated by Artificial Intelligence.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has decided to classify the investigation paper involving businessman Tei Jiann Cheing, better known as Albert Tei, and his complaint against Tan Sri Azam Baki as No Further Action (NFA).
In a media statement today, the AGC said it had reviewed the investigation paper submitted by the Royal Malaysia Police over Tei’s complaint against Azam for an alleged offence under Section 506 of the Penal Code.
“The comprehensive review of the investigation paper found that the elements of a criminal offence under Section 506 of the Penal Code could not be proven,” it said.
“Accordingly, the investigation paper has been decided to be classified as NFA,” it added.
Section 506 of the Penal Code covers criminal intimidation.
On June 6, Bukit Aman said two investigation papers involving Azam, the former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner, had been referred to the AGC after police completed their investigations.
Azam, the former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner, had previously denied Tei’s allegation.
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