The U.S. Justice Department under President Donald Trump has ended Task Force KleptoCapture, which targeted Russian oligarchs under U.S. sanctions. Attorney General Pam Bondi said resources will now focus on drug cartels and international gangs, marking a major shift in enforcement priorities.
The task force was established under former President Joe Biden to freeze assets linked to Russian elites and enforce sanctions imposed after the war in Ukraine. It led to indictments of figures like Oleg Deripaska and Konstantin Malofeyev, as well as seizures of yachts owned by sanctioned billionaires Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg.
According to Bondi’s directive, prosecutors assigned to the task force will return to their previous roles, and the new policy will be in effect for at least 90 days, with the possibility of renewal.
Trump has expressed interest in improving U.S.-Russia relations and previously vowed to end the war in Ukraine, though without detailing how. His administration’s shift toward combating drug cartels follows his designation of cartel groups as terrorist organizations, part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.
The decision also affects enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a U.S. foreign bribery law that has led to major corporate cases over the last decade. The Justice Department’s FCPA unit will now prioritize cartel-related bribery investigations, a move some legal experts call a significant departure from past enforcement strategies.
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Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state, a move that has been condemned by Somalia, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the African Union (AU).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Russia is using territory in neighbouring Belarus to support attacks on Ukrainian targets and to circumvent Kyiv’s defensive positions, warning that the practice undermines Belarusian sovereignty.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he ordered a military strike targeting Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh) militants in Nigeria to be delayed by one day, calling the attack a “Christmas present” to the terror group.
At least eight people were killed and 18 others injured in an explosion at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood of Homs on Friday, Syrian authorities said.
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Polish fighter jets on Thursday intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near Poland’s airspace over the Baltic Sea and escorted it away from their area of responsibility.
The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday.
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Four members of Syria’s General Directorate of Ports were injured on Friday when their vehicle came under fire east of Aleppo, local authorities reported.
Russia is likely preparing to station its new nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles at a former airbase in eastern Belarus, a move that could extend Moscow’s strike reach across Europe, according to an exclusive Reuters report.
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