Mining China’s ‘Little Red Book’ for Open Source Gold - bellingcat Xiaohongshu, a female-focused lifestyle app, is a rare window into China for researchers outside the country.

Researching China isn’t easy. With many foreign sites blocked, journalists depend on domestic platforms. Even under tight controls, Chinese apps are the main window into the country. Chu Yang’s latest guide explains how to research Xiaohongshu (Rednote). www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions - bellingcat Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US levied sanctions against the cartel.

Breaking: Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in Dubai. It follows a Bellingcat investigation last month that traced him to an MMA event in Dubai - providing the first proof that the cartel's leadership was still in hiding in the UAE. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Daniel Kinahan arrested in United Arab Emirates Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates. He was arrested on foot of an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts in relation to alleged serious organised crime offences.

It's finally happened www.rte.ie/news/2026/04...

Painkiller Pipeline: 300 Million Tapentadol Pills Sent from India to West Africa - bellingcat Indian companies have sent more than 320 million synthetic opioid pills to West Africa – where they have not been approved by regulators – in three years.

India has exported more than 320 million unapproved synthetic opioid pills to West Africa in just three years. Trade data shows over 1,400 shipments of tapentadol — a potent painkiller — were sent to a region already facing an opioid crisis. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Inside Deal - josimarfootball.com Ahead of the World Cup, Fifa has signed a prediction market partner. But the company, ADI Predictstreet, which is backed by the Abu Dhabi royal family, has no working product yet, is unlicensed in alm...

Fifa's prediction market partner, ADI Predictstreet, has no working product yet, is unlicensed in almost all jurisdictions and is run by a man who last year paid a six-figure sum to settle an accusation of insider trading in India.

By @uglygame.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2026/04/06/i...

My name is “Smith”, “Alexander Smith” - josimarfootball.com How did a computer science academic and reality TV show contestant from Zagreb end up representing illegal sports-betting operator Z6 when it signed a sponsorship agreement with the Croatia national f...

How did a computer science academic and reality TV show contestant from Zagreb end up representing illegal sports-betting operator Z6 when it signed an agreement with the Croatia national football team?

By @philippeauclair.bsky.social and @bellingcat.com

josimarfootball.com/2026/04/01/m...

New YouTube doc out today by the brilliant team at Search Party. A deep dive into the Kinahan cartel and our ongoing investigations with @johnmooneyirl.bsky.social into their global (and surprisingly digital) footprints.

How an Irish drug cartel conquered boxing YouTube video by Search Party

Bellingcat and @thetimes.com revealed that two of the world’s most wanted men were visible at a live-streamed MMA event in Dubai. Now, Search Party digs into the Kinahan cartel and their US-sanctioned leaders. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj0G...

Agents of Chaos: Unpacking the Actions of Border Patrol Agents Across US Bellingcat and our partners analysed over 85 hours of footage, analysing the actions of Border Patrol agents across the United States.

Bellingcat and our partners at @evidentmedia.org and @calmatters.org have tracked US Border Patrol agents, analysing over 85 hours of footage taken across the country to try and unpack the circumstances around multiple use-of-force incidents. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Ex-UFC Fighter and Kinahan 'Friend' Mounir Lazzez Linked to Iran Sanctions - bellingcat Mounir Lazzez, the ex-UFC fighter photographed with the Kinahan cartel bosses, is linked to multimillion dollar deals for oil tankers that were later sanctioned by the US government for helping the Ir...

Records uncovered by Bellingcat & @thetimes.com link MMA fighter and Kinahan ‘friend’ Mounir Lazzez to multimillion shipping deals, orchestrated by companies in a secrecy jurisdiction, for oil tankers later sanctioned by the US for helping the Iranian regime. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

😂

Mounir Lazzez, the ex-UFC fighter who is pictured talking to Daniel and Christy Kinahan at an event in Dubai last year, has business interests far beyond combat sports... Our follow-up to last week's investigation.

We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support. Bellingcat is a not-for-profit. Consider donating so we can continue to create impact in 2026. www.bellingcat.com/donate

New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions - bellingcat Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US levied sanctions against the cartel.

We found footage of Daniel and Christy Kinahan at the 971 Fighting Championship MMA event in Dubai last summer, the first visual evidence in years that the cartel leaders remain in the UAE. Read our full @bellingcat.com investigation in collab with @thetimes.com 👇 www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

“Bombs will fall Everywhere”: The American, Israeli and Iranian Weapons Being Deployed in Middle East - bellingcat Bellingcat has been monitoring strikes across the Middle East and has identified a wide variety of weapons that have been used in the conflict so far, including missiles and drones.

Here's what Bellingcat has been up to this week:
Bellingcat analysed imagery and reporting from the first days of the conflict with Iran to identify US, Israeli and Iranian munitions now being deployed.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Analysis of Alex Pretti Shooting in Minneapolis YouTube video by Bellingcat

We just posted a quick analysis of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Mineapolis. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkFc...

Analysing One Federal Agent’s Use of Less-Lethal Launcher in Minneapolis After the fatal shooting of Renee Good, Border Patrol agent "EZ-17" was filmed shooting less-lethal munitions at protesters five times in five minutes.

Just hours after Renee Good was shot, one member of Customs and Border Patrol’s elite tactical team on an adjacent street fired a less-lethal weapon five times in less than five minutes, with four shots aimed at the faces of protestors. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

Inside the Strike: The US Munition That Hit a Residential Building in Venezuela - bellingcat A Bellingcat investigation has identified remnants of an AGM-88 series missile inside a three-storey apartment complex that was hit in Catia La Mar during the US military raid on Venezuela on Jan. 3, ...

NEW: Bellingcat has identified the US munition that struck a residence in Catia La Mar on January 3, killing a 79-year-old woman named Rosa Gonzalez.

It was an AGM-88 series missile, which is used to strike radar-emitting targets like air defense systems.

www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

Reads: Journalism that won't be _____ bellingcat.com/donate

Bellingcat’s 2026 won’t be possible without you. Your generous support makes our investigations possible. Here’s what we’ll be focusing on in the year ahead. www.bellingcat.com/donate

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists - ICIJ We work together with investigative journalists around the globe to investigate the most important stories in the world.

Only a few hours left donate in 2025. Each time you engage with our work, you help ensure these stories don’t fade into silence. But attention alone doesn’t fund the reporting.

Please consider making a year-end gift to support investigative journalism:

Bellingcat’s work in 2025 verified war crimes, exposed deepfake abuse, and challenged disinformation. We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support: www.bellingcat.com/donate

This is how we cut through the digital noise to tell stories that matter.

Video: How ‘Turn and Burn’ Immigration Operations Unleash Chaos — and Sweep up U.S. Citizens A video analysis of one early morning raid in Los Angeles revealed the vast web of consequences brought by new aggressive Border Patrol tactics.

Take 25 minutes to watch the "turn and burn" tactics used in U.S. raids targeting migrants and citizens alike -- meticulously reconstructed by @robinsteinnyt.bsky.social @devonlum.bsky.social @ajcardia.bsky.social & more.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

How We Found the Man Behind Two Deepfake Porn Sites Business documents, website code and leaked data all led us back to one person profiting off non-consensual sexual imagery of women.

Bellingcat’s @koltai.bsky.social uncovers the Hungarian national behind two deepfake porn websites. The key figure rakes in profits and vacations in luxury hotels in Dubai and Bali, whilst website visitors create sexually explicit images and videos.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

Russia’s Smuggled Grain Finds New Market in Saudi Arabia - bellingcat New grain route identified from sanctioned Crimean port that Russia is eyeing in latest peace deal.

An investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List found that Saudi Arabia joined the countries importing grain directly from a sanctioned port in occupied Crimea. Meanwhile Russia attempts to secure recognition of the Ukrainian territory via a US-led peace plan. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

“Digging for Gold in Import-Export Data” with Bellingcat's Katherine de Tolly | Podcast Episode on RSS.com In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Us...

How do investigators turn raw trade data into real stories?
Bellingcat’s Katherine de Tolly uncovers hidden supply chains, red flags in import-export records, and key pitfalls in trade-data investigations.
Search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' on podcast platforms: rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Fetisov Journalism Awards Journalism’s richest prize, celebrating world class reporting in a global campaign for public interest news and information

Thrilled that our @bellingcat.com investigation "Unmasking MrDeepFakes" has been shortlisted in the 2025 Fetisov Journalism Awards (Contribution to Civil Rights category). In collaboration with @tjekdet.dk, @politiken.dk & the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
fjawards.com/events/%2Fsh...

Mali Under Siege: Tracking the Fuel Blockade Crippling Bamako - bellingcat Attacks by a jihadist group on fuel convoys bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali, have destroyed more than 130 tankers since September, a Bellingcat investigation has found.  The systematic attacks b...

Life in Bamako, the capital of Mali, has been brought to a standstill after a jihadist organisation launched a series of attacks on inbound fuel convoys. Bellingcat has verified six attacks since September, which together have damaged more than 130 fuel tankers. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

This and Ireland's performance last week, feels like the 90s again 🤩

Ireland winning goal and end of match with Irish commentary