Greetings! It’s April 28, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: International criminal networks are stealing high-priced pigeons, Israeli court uncovers covert Hamas funding network, How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression, Operation Gangsta's Paradise, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

The Pigeon Mafia: International criminal networks are stealing high-priced pigeons. Finn was not for sale, but he was a priceless stud. Fanciers paid up to $100,000 for Finn's offspring. And then one night, as Van Gaver slept, a nightmare unfolded in his pigeon loft. CBS News

🔥 TOP STORIES

Israeli court uncovers covert Hamas funding network, key figures sentenced The Jerusalem Post

Tall Tales: How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression The Citizen Lab

Operation Gangsta's Paradise: Feds dismantle Mexican Mafia hierarchy in Southern California FOX 11

Jalisco cartel leader captured in Mexico months after death of notorious drug lord 'El Mencho' ABC

U.S. Mint Buys Drug Cartel Gold and Sells It as ‘American’ The New York Times

Guatemalan Drug Kingpin With $10 Million Reward Arrested in San Diego U.S. Department of Justice

Under cover of trade truce with Trump, China expands economic pressure toolkit Reuters

Iran offers U.S. deal to reopen strait but postpone nuclear talks Axios

U.S. Sanctions Zigzag in New World of Economic Warfare The New York Times

22 Buddhist monks arrested at airport after record drug bust CBS News

JNIM and allied rebels surge across Mali, take several cities, pressure capital Long War Journal

Swiss money laundering trial of Uzbekistan's Karimova and Lombard Odier begins Reuters

US Treasury chief says businesses working with Iranian airlines risk sanctions Reuters

Italy to extradite suspected Chinese hacker wanted by U.S. authorities DOJ

France Charges 88, Including Minors, in Crypto ‘Wrench Attack’ Crackdown Decrypt

22-year-old sentenced to 70 months for money laundering tied to $263 million crypto syndicate The Block

Medtronic confirms breach after hackers claim 9 million records theft BleepingComputer

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

China's Hengli Petrochemical denies trade with Iran in response to US sanctions Reuters

Phony whistleblowers, fake journalists and cyber spies: ICIJ network targeted after China Targets probe ICIJ

Beijing’s United Front and the Quiet Transfer of Western Technology War on the Rocks

One belt, one Donbas: China is gaining a foothold in Russian-occupied Ukraine The Insider

Battlefield rare earths: How the U.S. lost to China NPR

Chip toolmaker Tokyo Electron cuts ties with executive linked to Chinese rivals Financial Times

🚀 SANCTIONS

'Stolen' grain shipments spark furious clash between Ukraine and Israel NBC News

Hengli Petrochemical dives after US imposes Iran oil sanctions Reuters

EU extends sanctions against Myanmar by a year Reuters

US, Iran clash at UN after Tehran gets nuclear non-proliferation role Reuters

US Sanctions Turkish Textile Firm Tied to Iran Weapons WWD

💥 TERROR

Malian defense chief killed in attack that saw jihadis and rebels seize towns, military bases The Washington Times

Keir Starmer pledges to proscribe Iran’s IRGC as terrorist group The Times

‘Jihadist planned bomb in Red Bull can’ for Taylor Swift concert The Times

Trump warns Iraq over Iran terror proxies as US reportedly blocks cash payments Fox News

Hamas organizing pro-Palestinian protests, raising funds in Netherlands The Jerusalem Post

Iranian propagandists ‘given platform by British charities’ The Telegraph

Blood diamonds, crypto: Hezbollah’s financial operations in Europe serve as major terror lifeline The Jerusalem Post

Islamic State claims responsibility for attack that killed dozens in Nigeria's Adamawa state Reuters

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Qatar and the ICC Prosecutor The Wall Street Journal

Trump administration to target corruption in Mexico Los Angeles Times

Former Alabama tackle pleads guilty to defrauding investors using wigs to impersonate NFL players AP

Prediction markets in hot seat over rogue bettors and insider trading CBS News

India's Asteria, the Reliance unit at the center of a bribery scandal Reuters

Former Philippine President Duterte to Stand Trial at ICC After Judges Confirm Charges The Diplomat

Blood in Barcelona as Balkan Crime Clans Kill Each Other in the Streets OCCRP

Convicted MAGA fraudster should get 30 years in prison Mother Jones

He was Venezuela’s spy chief. Will he become a star witness in the Maduro trial? CNN

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Teen Charged In Chicago Was Part Of International Scattered Spider Hacker Group Feds Say Chicago Tribune

U.S. Cyber Agency Doesn’t Have Access To Advanced AI Hacking Tools Forbes

Who’s pledging to Aave’s $300 million DeFi recovery effort after massive Kelp DAO exploit CoinDesk

AI threats in the wild: The current state of prompt injections on the web Google

Critical infrastructure giant Itron says it was hacked TechCrunch

Litecoin rewrites three hours of history to undo its first major privacy-layer exploit The Block

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Somalia piracy: Another vessel seized as threat level increased BBC

US strike kills three on alleged narco boat as campaign death toll hits 185 The Guardian

US woman speaks of ordeal in France Al-Fayed trafficking probe Al-Monitor

4 Arrested In Delaware As Part Of Nationwide Human Trafficking Crackdown NBC

Roughly $5M worth meth found in cargo trailer at port of entry Border Report

Colombia offers record $1.4m-reward for rebel it blames for deadly bomb attack BBC

“Money often costs too much.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

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