All posts tagged: Illegal

Panic in Spain as 100 illegal migrants arrive in 24 hours | World | News

Panic in Spain as 100 illegal migrants arrive in 24 hours | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Nearly 100 illegal migrans landed on the shores of the Balearics in Spain in just 24 hours. This comes after the news that over 3,200 migrants arrived in around 170 small boats since the start of the year. The Guardia Civil, the Formentera Fire Brigade and the Red Cross intercepted 32 subn-Saharans at 9.10am on July 17, off the coast of Cabrera, according to the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands. At 1.40pm, six north Africans were assisted to shore. At 5.10pm, a further 30 sub-Saharans were rescued by the Maritime Rescue Service. And just after midnight on July 18, 27 Africans were intercepted. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands, more than 3,200 migrants have arrived in the Balearics so far this year on 170 small boats. This comes after at least 12 people travelling in a small boat from Algeria to Spain went missing on June 29, according to the NGO Alarm Phone. There has been no news from them since, leaving family worried …

Brazil Uses Forensic Science to Trace Gold’s Origin and Tackle Illegal Mining in the Amazon

Brazil Uses Forensic Science to Trace Gold’s Origin and Tackle Illegal Mining in the Amazon

Published by Sam Flores

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil is using forensic science to tackle illegal gold mining in the Amazon, a top threat to the rainforest, Indigenous groups and other communities there that has accelerated deforestation and driven mercury contamination to dangerous levels. The work takes place at the National Institute of Criminalistics in Brasilia, the country’s capital, where federal police have set up a “gold lab” that collects and analyses samples from across the country. The objective is to determine if a newly acquired sample — gold seized in a police raid, for example — comes from a protected area, meaning it has been illegally mined. It’s called “gold fingerprinting” — tracing the origin of gold samples with high precision. Tracing gold is like looking at a person’s DNA, experts say At the lab, sparkling gold flakes are kept in tiny, coin-shaped vessels, but the most valuable thing about them is the data they hold. Each speck is unique because while it forms in nature, inside a rock or a riverbed, the gold deposits absorb particles from …

Eight arrested after coordinated raids hit suspected illegal gambling venues Doncaster

Eight arrested after coordinated raids hit suspected illegal gambling venues Doncaster

Published by skeptic

Authorities have arrested eight people after carrying out coordinated raids at two suspected illegal gambling venues in central Doncaster. The enforcement action involved several agencies working together to investigate businesses believed to be operating without the required licenses. Investigators carried out the operation under the name Operation Snaresbrook. Officers from the Gambling Commission, South Yorkshire Police, Immigration Enforcement, and City of Doncaster Council’s trading standards and licensing teams all took part. The coordinated effort focused on disrupting suspected unlawful gambling activity and gathering evidence from the two premises. According to officials, one person was arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Gambling Act 2005. Seven other people were arrested over alleged immigration offenses. During searches at both locations, officers seized nearly £9,000 in cash. They also recovered poker tables, slot machines, and account books that investigators said could provide important evidence. The Gambling Commission said the latest action is part of its continuing partnership with police forces and local authorities to identify and close illegal gambling operations. The regulator added that it will keep working …

France orders internet providers to block access to Polymarket over illegal gambling concerns

France orders internet providers to block access to Polymarket over illegal gambling concerns

Published by skeptic

France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) has ordered French internet service providers to block access to the Polymarket website, saying the platform promotes gambling services that are not authorized to operate in the country. The order was issued on Thursday (July 16) after the ANJ concluded the platform was still reaching users in France despite earlier enforcement efforts intended to restrict access. According to the regulator, it has been monitoring services provided by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. through the Polymarket website since November 2024. Officials said the company’s offerings may qualify as unauthorized gambling under French law. Promotion d’une offre de jeux d’argent illégale : blocage du site Polymarket Le 16 juillet 2026, le président de l’ANJ a ordonné aux fournisseurs d’accès à Internet français de bloquer l’accès au site Polymarket.  + d'infos : https://t.co/BwGoNmH5YZ pic.twitter.com/upPEx4gYQg — Autorité nationale des jeux (@ANJ_FR) July 17, 2026 After receiving an initial formal notice from the ANJ, the company introduced geoblocking intended to stop financial transactions linked to its gaming services from French territory. The regulator said those measures …

France orders Polymarket blocked over illegal gambling promotion

France orders Polymarket blocked over illegal gambling promotion

Published by skeptic

France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has ordered the country’s internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market. This decision came after determining the platform was illegally promoting gambling and games of chance to French users. The blocking order, issued July 16 by the ANJ’s president, applies to all Polymarket sites operated by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. SEE ALSO: Spotify deletes 500K streams of popular song for suspected Kalshi, Polymarket user manipulation The regulator says it has tracked Polymarket’s activity in France since November 2024. An earlier formal notice prompted the company to geoblock financial transactions from French users, but the ANJ said that the restriction was being circumvented. The agency noted that prediction markets are not authorized under French law and had already warned the public in February that using such platforms carries risks, including addiction and market manipulation. Mashable Trend Report The ANJ also pointed to an active investigation, opened in May by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit, into allegations that weather-related bets on the platform were manipulated through compromised …

EGBA complaint targets Walletto over alleged illegal gambling payments in Lithuania

EGBA complaint targets Walletto over alleged illegal gambling payments in Lithuania

Published by skeptic

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has lodged a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania, accusing Lithuanian payment service provider Walletto of processing payments connected to illegal online gambling operators. The trade body wants the central bank to investigate its findings and take tougher action against the financial networks that help unlicensed gambling websites reach customers across Europe. EGBA has filed a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania against a Lithuania-based payment service provider over the alleged processing of payments linked to illegal online gambling operators. Our press release: https://t.co/b9mp78p5kg#IllegalGambling #Payments pic.twitter.com/zeqmyIgZkx — EGBA (@EUgambling) July 10, 2026 The complaint follows an EGBA investigation into illegal gambling websites and mobile apps aimed at European consumers. During that work, the association said it carried out test transactions that indicated Walletto’s payment services were linked to deposits on several illegal gambling platforms. EGBA has now asked Lithuania’s financial regulator to examine those findings. EGBA links payment access to illegal gambling growth in Lithuania Although the complaint focuses on one payment provider, EGBA says the …

Jewish charity investigated for illegal settlement fundraising

Jewish charity investigated for illegal settlement fundraising

Published by Sam Flores

A Jewish charity in London is being investigated by the regulator for funding a religious school in an illegal Israeli settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron, it has been reported. According to The Guardian, the charity Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron sent almost £200,000 to the religious school between 2019 and 2024. The UK Government has “a clear position on Israeli settlements: Settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” “We strongly advise against conducting any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements”, it adds. The charity is registered under the charitable purposes ‘the advancement of religion’ and ‘the advancement of education’. Registered charities are legally required to act for the public benefit and are exempted from most forms of income tax. Last month, Labour MP Melanie Ward claimed 32 charities in England and Wales have donated at least £28m to fund illegal Israeli settlements. The taxpayer may have subsidised up to £5.6m of this, she said. It is not known …

ACMA warns MMA fighter Jamie Mullarkey over illegal gambling promotion 

ACMA warns MMA fighter Jamie Mullarkey over illegal gambling promotion 

Published by skeptic

Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jamie Mullarkey has been formally warned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after an investigation found he promoted an illegal offshore gambling service through sponsored posts on his Instagram account. The enforcement action follows an ACMA investigation that concluded Mullarkey breached Australia’s online gambling laws in 2025 by promoting the offshore gambling operator Leon on social media. According to the regulator, his Instagram profile included references to a sponsorship arrangement with the service, a link directing followers to the gambling website and promotional posts using branded hashtags. Australian law prohibits promoting illegal online gambling services, including through social media posts, livestreams, hyperlinks to unlicensed gambling websites and promotional giveaways connected to illegal operators. MMA fighter’s illegal gambling promotion triggers first ACMA enforcement action The investigation began on Nov. 11, 2025, after a media inquiry raised concerns about possible illegal advertising of offshore gambling services during a mixed martial arts event. While the ACMA found no illegal advertising in the event broadcast itself, investigators traced the inquiry to …

Roosevelt enforcement operation leads to two arrests as illegal gambling machines seized

Roosevelt enforcement operation leads to two arrests as illegal gambling machines seized

Published by skeptic

Two men are facing charges after Nassau County police said officers found illegal electronic gambling machines during a quality-of-life enforcement operation in Roosevelt. The inspections took place Monday (July 6) when members of the Nassau County Police Department’s Strategic Response Team visited businesses as part of a wider effort focused on community enforcement and licensed establishments. Investigators began at Good Food & Shake, located at 90 Nassau Road. During the inspection, officers said they discovered two illegal electronic gambling machines inside the business. Authorities seized both machines and recovered $1,276 in cash. Police charged Erick Hernandez Martinez, 33, of Freeport, with possession of gambling devices, unlicensed public assembly, disorderly premise, and operating without a valid New York State liquor license. Hernandez Martinez was issued an appearance ticket and released. He is scheduled to appear in First District Court on July 20. Second inspection in Roosevelt uncovers additional hidden gambling machines The operation continued at Stop & Go Food Market at 135 Babylon Turnpike, where investigators said they located four illegal electronic gambling machines that had …