Hello Tuesday! It’s January 21, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: Obscure Pentagon watchlist offers blueprint for China sanctions, Russia imposes 2B euro damages on Austrian bank Raiffeisen, serious misconduct in report former UCLA professors sought to block, cattle gallstones - worth twice as much as gold - drive a global smuggling frenzy, and much more…

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🎯 Obscure Pentagon Watchlist Offers Blueprint for China Sanctions. The Pentagon list was mandated as part of an annual defense bill passed during the waning days of the first Trump administration to expose the connection between China’s military and commercial interests. Bloomberg

Top Stories

🌎 Russian court imposes 2B euro damages on Austrian bank Raiffeisen Reuters 

🌎 Serious misconduct alleged in report former UCLA professors sought to block LAT

🌎 Cattle Gallstones, Worth Twice as Much as Gold, Drive a Global Smuggling Frenzy WSJ

🌎 Putin on the brink as Russian collapse 'happening right now' amid fears of nuclear chaos Express

🌎 Fate of $300M Russian Superyacht Hangs On US Trial Bloomberg

🌎 Panama opens audit of Chinese port operator while Trump threatens to take canal back Fortune

🌎 Trump quickly puts Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism Politico

🌎 Trump Reverses Sanctions on Israelis in Day 1 Executive Order Free Beacon 

🌎 ICC braces for swift Trump sanctions over Israeli arrest warrants Guardian

🌎 A Break in the Argentina Murder Case Tied to Iran JST

🌎 Myanmar deports over 50,000 scam center workers to China amid crackdown SCMP

🌎 Romance scam "money mules" sentenced in case that ended with Illinois woman's death CBS 

🌎 ‘QAnon Shaman’ says he’s buying ‘motha f‑‑‑- guns’ after Trump pardon Hill

China

🇨🇳 China Has Raised the Cyber Stakes Foreign Affairs

🇨🇳 RedNote Recruited US Influencers to Promote App Amid TikTok Ban Uncertainty Wired

🇨🇳 China signals willingness to allow TikTok sale Axios 

🇨🇳 As China wields rare earths in US trade war, weaning off that reliance could take time SCMP

🇨🇳 China's crude oil imports from top supplier Russia reach new high in 2024 Reuters

Russia

🇷🇺 Russia's Budget Revenue Surges to Record in December Despite Sanctions Bloomberg 

🇷🇺 Russia's Huge Overspending As War Rumbles On Newsweek 

🇷🇺 Russian Oil Flows Stall as US Sanctions Start to Buffet Tankers Bloomberg 

🇷🇺 Russian ransomware hackers increasingly posing as tech support on Microsoft Teams Record

Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Biden’s Final Craven Pardons Free Beacon 

💸 Roman Abramovich’s life of luxury in Turkish exile Telegraph 

💸 Illegal mining ringleader escaped during South Africa disaster with help from officers AP 

💸 The new GOP-led Congress will likely pass a bill targeting nonprofits Fast Company

Crypto & Cyber

🔐 Experts alarmed by Trumps’ crypto meme coins Guardian 

🔐 HPE investigating security breach after hacker claims theft of sensitive data TC 

🔐 Bitcoin crypto fraudsters ordered to repay £24m BBC

🔐 Indian Crypto Vendor Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Money Laundering Decrypt

Trafficking

🚚 Mexico defends sovereignty as US seeks to label cartels as terrorists AP

🚚 Trump launches sweeping border crackdown, mass deportation push Reuters

🚚 India Set to Take Back 18,000 Citizens From US to Placate Trump Bloomberg

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