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Deep Dive

Four spicy spy stories

15 July6 min read

We devoted yesterday to some of the political grandstanding on the world stage, so figured we'd devote today to some of the wild stories playing out in the shadows, like...

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  1. 01

    UNITED STATES

    Tax on, tax off.

    Hours after tweeting it, President Trump has now gone back on his 20% Hormuz shipping fee, instead again threatening Iran with strikes on its bridges and power plants unless the regime returns to the negotiating table. (BBC)

  2. 02

    UKRAINE

    Azov today, there are no more ships.

    In the last couple of weeks, Ukrainian armed forces have claimed 100+ hits on Russian shipping through the Sea of Azov (between Russia and Ukraine, exiting via Crimea). Expanding to hit oil and cargo ships, the idea is to further squeeze Putin’s oil exports and further isolate his forces on Crimea. Meanwhile, Brussels has greenlit plans for Ukraine to use EU funds to buy China-made drone components, highlighting a critical Western reliance on China’s supply chains. (Guardian)

  3. 03

    LITHUANIA

    Politician’s regret?

    Lithuania’s new centre-left prime minister (Sinkevicius) has now officially taken office, and is reaffirming his intention to stand behind Ukraine but seeks a reset of ties with China. (Bloomberg $)

  4. 04

    COLOMBIA

    Inauguration drama deepens.

    Colombia’s presidential transition seems to be descending into gridlock, with outgoing leftist Gustavo Petro banning the right’s incoming Abelardo de la Espriella from using military bases for his inauguration. The tough-on-crime Abelardo, hardly dubbed ‘The Tiger’ for his conciliatory vibes, is doubling down on his garrison inauguration plans as a tribute to Colombia’s armed forces. (MercoPress)

  5. 05

    SINGAPORE

    Take it back immediately.

    A court has ordered US media outlet Bloomberg to pay a cool $356k in damages to two Singaporean cabinet ministers after a reporter factually cited their ritzy property transactions. While accurate, the judge found when read as a whole, the article (about mansion deals increasingly shrouded in secrecy) implied wrongdoing. (BBC)

  6. 06

    SUDAN

    Rebel leader sentenced to death.

    A Sudanese court has sentenced to death in absentia the leader of Sudan’s notorious RSF paramilitary, known as Hemedti, over war crimes and the murder of a regional governor. It’s the first such ruling since this civil war broke out in 2023. (AJ)

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