Reported by Steve Lohr (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/business/ai-business-payoff-lags.html) Nearly four decades ago, when the personal computer boom was in full swing, a phenomenon known as the “productivity paradox” emerged. It was a reference to how, despite companies’ huge investments in new technology, there was scant evidence of a corresponding […]

Reported by BEN MUNSTER (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.politico.eu/article/vatican-financial-obscure-transactions-claims-bank-transfers-money-laundering/) The Vatican is facing allegations it used a “skeleton key for money laundering” by illegally manipulating bank transfers. The city state’s former top financial cop ― who was forced out in 2017 ― has claimed that its payroll agency was able […]

Reported by Richard Pollina (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/us-news/california-usps-worker-mary-ann-magdamit-stole-cards-and-checks-from-mail-to-fund-lavish-lifestyle-she-flaunted-online/) A California postal worker allegedly stole credit, debit cards and checks to fuel a lavish lifestyle that included luxurious tropical vacations and Rolex watches she flaunted on social media Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, a former letter carrier at the Torrance Main […]

Reported by Bloomberg  (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/mexico-sends-new-group-of-inmates-with-cartel-ties-to-us-19652934.htm/amp) President Claudia Sheinbaum is under intense pressure to crack down on cross-border drug trafficking as her US counterpart Donald Trump has threatened punishing tariffs on Mexican exports if more progress isn’t made. The latest transfer of Mexican prisoners to US custody took […]

Reported by Rachel Cormack (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/news/singapore-selling-seized-luxury-goods-1236973684/) One criminal’s loss could be another collector’s gain. Luxury goods seized in Singapore’s biggest laundering case will be sold off by Deloitte, according to Channel News Asia. Singapore police handed over 466 high-end items and 58 gold bars to the consulting firm at […]

Reported by Alexander Verhagen, Angela Luget, Vasiliki Stergiou, Debanjan Banerjee, and Olivia Conjeaud (Summary featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/how-agentic-ai-can-change-the-way-banks-fight-financial-crime#/) Banks are spending more than ever on know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance, but the return on investment remains alarmingly low. Interpol estimates that only around 2% of global financial crime flows […]

Reported by Lynsey Chutel (Excerpt featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/world/americas/drug-cartels-us-terrorist-designation.html?searchResultPosition=7) President Trump’s directive to the Pentagon to begin using military forceagainst certain Latin American gangs and cartels has turned a spotlight on those groups and raised a host of questions about legal issues, U.S. intervention abroad and which organization might be targeted. […]

Videos by Tom from Texas and Our Animals (TikTok) The first video below shows what familiar goods from the EU and U.S. you can still buy in a typical grocery in Russia. The other video shows that you can afford to own a pet bear in Russia.

Videos by Snydexplores (TikTok) Two videos below show how you can travel to Afghanistan and other countries with Sanctions

Reported by Ghost Ghost (Excerpt featured below. To read full report, go to: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/kyc-is-the-quiet-kill-switch) The know-your-customer (KYC) threat isn’t coming. It’s already here, and it didn’t arrive through a nationwide ban or an emergency executive order. It quietly showed up with a checkbox and a Terms of Service agreement. While the influencers make noise about CBDCs and paper […]