Russia’s foremost opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner on Monday woke from a medically-induced coma he was placed into after he was poisoned with a state-developed nerve agent in what critics believe was a targeted attack by the Kremlin.

A Hawaii businesswoman pleaded guilty on Monday for her role in an “unregistered lobbying campaign” that attempted to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests. Her testimony may contribute to the future prosecution of other individuals with close connections to the current administration. 

Protesters arrested during the widespread anti-government demonstrations that erupted in Iran last year have been beaten, electrocuted and otherwise tortured, according to a new report Amnesty International published on Wednesday. 

During televised remarks that followed a cabinet meeting on the coronavirus pandemic, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte publicly called on the country’s top customs official to simply execute drug smugglers. 

At the behest of the Crown Prince, the King of Saudi Arabia has sacked the commander of the country’s armed forces in Yemen, along with five other officers including the commander’s son, over allegations of corruption, referring them to the country’s anti-graft agency for investigation.

Authorities in Ukraine have seized assets belonging to an organised criminal group alleged to have orchestrated a pyramid scheme to defraud up to 600,000 people of more than US$250 million since the beginning of 2019.

Steven Crea, second in command of New York City’s Luchese crime family, has been sentenced to life in prison for murder and racketeering, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday. 

Three Baltic countries on Monday imposed travel bans on 30 top Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, in response to a brutal crackdown against protesters who claim the authoritarian ruler rigged the August 9 election.

A recent investigation by an anti-corruption agency has revealed how Kremlin-linked actors are orchestrating the election campaign for one of Georgia’s conservative, pro-Russia opposition parties.

The Vatican is establishing a new department that will try to disassociate the reverence of the Virgin Mary with Italian organised crime.