In January 2024, Brazilian law enforcement announced the arrest of five administrators of a Grandoreiro banking trojan operation. The Grandoreiro operation has been an important cybersecurity menace across Spanish-speaking countries since 2017.  Grandoreiro introduces its malware through phishing emails impersonating recognized organizations.[1]

           On May 14, 2024, after a four-year undercover sting operation, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) issued a report, finding that since 2017, an average of over 500,000 tons per year of timber has been exported from Mozambique to China.  The exports violate the country’s log export ban and part of the trade funds Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah (ASW) insurgents[1] in Cabo Delgado, a province in the northern part of Mozambique. Once again, the EIA has done a superb job in exposing the enormous gap in lack of enforcement in the illegal timber trade.

           On May 28, 2024, the American Bar Association hosted a webinar[1] on “Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Environmental Crimes in West Papua.” This event was co-sponsored by the South Asia, Oceania, and India Committee in co-operation with the International Association of Genocide Scholars. The panel featured Szilvia Csevár, Lecturer and Researcher of Public International Law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, as well as Fadjar Schouten-Korwa, a human rights lawyer in the Netherlands, and David Whyte, Professor of Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London. Bruce Zagaris, Partner at Berliner Corcoran & Rowe LLP in Washington, D.C. moderated the event.

           On May 23, 2024, with a unanimous decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) denied Mexico’s request for provisional measures in the case Embassy of Mexico in Quito (Mexico v. Ecuador).[1] ICJ indicated that, under the current circumstances, there is no urgency nor any need to dictate provisional measures[2] following the forcible and unauthorized entry on April 5, 2024, by Ecuadorian authorities into the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador.

           At its sitting held on April 17, 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted three resolutions addressing several interrelated topics: the death of Alexei Navalny, the need to counter Putin's totalitarian regime and its war on democracy, the arbitrary detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza, the systematic persecution of anti-war protesters in the Russian Federation and Belarus, and sanctions against persons on the “Kara-Murza list.”  

           A trial in Curaçao has brought to light an alleged multi-country money-laundering scheme surrounding ex-President of the Central Bank of St. Maarten and Curaçao (CBSC) Emsley Tromp, as well as his associate, ex-Interim Director of the CBSC René Lourents.  

           On May 23, 2024, the Kosovo parliament ratified a treaty with Denmark allowing the return of the Kosovo nationals sentenced to prison terms, to serve their sentences in their home country. This treaty sends a clear signal to criminal foreigners that their future is not in Denmark, and therefore they should not serve their time there.

           On May 29, 204, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a court-authorized coordinated international law enforcement operation disrupted a botnet used to commit cyber-attacks, large-scale fraud, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats, and export violation.

           On April 30, 2024, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted a roundtable on Americans Detained Abroad.  This article discusses the hearing and U.S. government and non-governmental infrastructure for supporting the release of Americans detained abroad.

           Saudi Arabia has lately developed into a vibrant and fast-expanding economy that seeks to diversify and attract investment in various sectors, such as healthcare, education, tourism, infrastructure, and technology.  As the Kingdom's economic environment evolves, competition has become a critical engine of development, innovation, and welfare standards. Recognizing the importance of fair market processes, Saudi Arabia has taken serious action to address anticompetitive activity, notably cartels.