By Andre Pienaar The US Treasury Department has sanctioned a Hamas-linked non-profit network, including a key international front organisation and six Gaza-based charities, citing their role in financing and supporting Hamas’s military wing through sham humanitarian operations. US officials and national security analysts say the case exposes how terrorist organisations continue to exploit the global non-profit sector, including networks with ties to South Africa and the United Kingdom, to move money, raise funds, and expand political influence. According to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions target the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) and six…

By Staff Writer More than 36,000 unarmed Iranian protesters calling for a change of government have in the Islamic state been shot dead by security forces, it has been alleged. The killings are believed to have taken place between January 08 and 09 according to Iran International, a London-based Persian-language news channel covering political developments and human rights issues in Iran. Details of the deaths have emerged at the same time as the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln accompanied by three warships arrived in the Middle East, bringing a renewed potential that President Donald Trump could opt to order…

By Staff Writer Once viewed as pariahs, cryptocurrencies have now seen their legitimacy and value widely recognised by the world’s largest institutions. Nowhere is this clearer than at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, the annual epicentre of institutional finance and power, where cryptocurrencies have taken centre stage. This is particularly true of the fast-growing $260 billion stablecoin market. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to another asset. The most prominent of these are US dollar-backed stablecoins such as USDC, issued by Circle. In contrast to the outdated and unwieldy legacy international banking system, USDC…

By Sean Rayment Donald Trump ruled out using force to acquire Greenland as he called for immediate negotiations over his desire to purchase the island, which he described as a “big, beautiful piece of ice”. Addressing thousands of business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the US president said he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States”. “People thought I would use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the US is asking for is a place…

By Staff Writer South Africa’s government is engulfed in a row about control of the military, following allegations that the top brass might have ignored orders to sideline Iran from controversial naval exercises. A board of inquiry is due to investigate this week whether Cyril Ramaphosa’s instructions were disregarded or miscommunicated during naval drills off Cape Town last week. The incident has sparked debate about whether the elected government has a constitutional grip on one of the most well regarded militaries in sub-Saharan Africa. Three Iranian warships arrived in False Bay earlier this month to join a week of BRICS…

By Andre Pienaar, Chief Executive and Founder, C5 Capital Davos, Switzerland The World Economic Forum (WEF) convenes this week under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” at a moment when two prevailing forces are rapidly rewiring the global economy: energy security and the infrastructure of money itself. Today at Davos, C5 and our partners announced OIL1, the world’s first energy-backed stablecoin, which will be collateralised with verified crude oil inventory, fusing energy and money into a new energy security instrument for the 21st century. OIL1 is not another cryptocurrency experiment. It is a settlement instrument designed to harden the financial…

By Sean Rayment MI5 has warned that it is unrealistic to “eliminate every potential risk” posed by the new Chinese mega-embassy in London. Sir Ken McCallum, the MI5 director-general, and Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, have told the home and foreign secretaries that it is not feasible to expect “to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk” associated with the new site. Ministers approved the establishment of China’s new mega-embassy in central London on Tuesday, a move hoped to facilitate new trade deals with Beijing. But the decision is expected to attract significant political backlash due to…

By Staff Writer Pressure is mounting on European Union member states to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Several capitals, including Germany, are publicly pushing for a decision that would place the Guards on the EU’s terror list alongside groups such as Daesh and al-Qaeda. But legal and political constraints remain, and key states such as Italy, France, Spain and Luxembourg have not yet backed the move amid reports that at least 16,500 protesters have been killed and about 330,000 injured during Iran’s unrest, according to a report compiled by doctors inside the country. European concern…

By Staff Writer In the wake of the lethal repression of civilian protests across Iran, with fatalities now estimated to exceed 15,000, the board of MTN-Irancell dismissed Alireza Rafiei as the company’s chief executive yesterday for “disobeying orders from security bodies” to implement the internet shutdown immediately. Tasnim, the media group owned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported on Monday 19 January that it took Rafiei and his management team at MTN-Irancell several hours to implement the order from the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) to shut down the internet nationwide. The SNSC issued the order on the…

By Sean Rayment The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced an investment of more than £200 million to ensure the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Typhoon fighter jet fleet remains operational and ready to protect the UK and its NATO allies. The initiative is set to secure 250 highly skilled jobs across the country, according to the department. The contract, awarded to British firm QinetiQ, will provide essential technical and engineering support to the Typhoon fleet over the next five years. The MoD said the £205 million deal highlights the government’s commitment to investing in capabilities that bolster national security while…

By Sean Rayment The US president has suggested that his plan to seize control of Greenland was driven by resentment at being overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize. Donald Trump told Norway’s prime minister in a letter that, in retaliation for not receiving the award, “I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace” and would instead consider “what is good and proper for the United States of America”. He also accused Denmark on Sunday of failing to protect the island from Russia and questioned the country’s claim to sovereignty over Greenland. Mr Trump has repeatedly insisted that…

By Staff Writer Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has warned that “the slaughter has not stopped” inside the country, as the United States withdraws personnel from the region and foreign governments scale back their presence in Tehran. United States officials said Washington had begun withdrawing some personnel from military facilities across the Middle East, describing the move as a precaution. The decision follows repeated warnings from Tehran that any US strike would be met with retaliation against American bases in neighbouring countries. United States President Donald Trump told reporters he was monitoring developments closely and suggested that reports of…