Sam Cooper
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Founder thebureau.news Bestselling Author. Award-winning journalist. Best contact is email, sam@thebureau.news
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Articles by Sam Cooper
Bribed Judges, Tortured Families and Protected Cocaine Routes: The Narco-Terror State Prosecutors Say Kept Maduro in Power
NEW YORK – As María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday, a new American indictment laid out how prosecutors say Nicolás Maduro subverted democracy: torture, bribery and coercion at home, and a transnational narcoterrorism conspiracy that bound Mexican cartels and Colombian guerrillas to Venezuela’s corrupted military, courts and police.
Kylian Mbappe vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Who reached 100 Real Madrid goals faster?
Kylian Mbappe ‘s Clasico-winning brace not only gave Real Madrid the victory over their biggest rivals but also saw him reach a special milestone for the club. Madrid headed to Barcelona as the outsiders given the hosts' perfect start to the season but pulled off the upset with two goals from Mbappe. His first though was one of the luckiest goals of his career. Yan Diomande's cross was cleared by Gerard Martin only to ricochet off Mbappe and into the net.
Aston Villa and Nicolas Jackson punish Man City with more costly Guehi and Donnarumma mistakes
When he sits down to analyse where it all went wrong, Enzo Maresca will lament the number of mistakes his Manchester City side made. For a team that going into this game had a 100% winning start to the Premier League, even against the backdrop of a guilty verdict, they looked far from an all-conquering outfit against an Aston Villa side that was more clinical and better in key areas. Villa started excellently.
Clinton Morrison names surprise candidate as manager with the biggest temper
Clinton Morrison recalled a time Chris Coleman threw a boot skip across a room when naming the managers who had the biggest temper. The hairdryer treatment, as made famous by Alex Ferguson, is an often effective tool in a manager's arsenal if he deems his team needs a half-time ticking off. And while the former Manchester United boss was the most notable for it, he was not alone in dishing out tongue lashings.
When Green Agenda Bureaucrats Decide Where Energy Capital Flows, Hidden Costs Mount and The West Loses
This week the UK Energy Secretary announced that the British government will remove its block on operations of the Jackdaw natural gas field, and that the gas produced there will reach British homes and businesses by the end of October. The decision took years, as UK governments and courts debated the merits of using the gas in light of Britain’s decision to adopt a net-zero economy and move away from fossil fuels. It is astounding that the question was even posed, let alone debated.
When Green Agenda Bureaucrats Decide Where Energy Capital Flows, Hidden Costs Mount and The West Loses
This week the UK Energy Secretary announced that the British government will remove its block on operations of the Jackdaw natural gas field, and that the gas produced there will reach British homes and businesses by the end of October. The decision took years, as UK governments and courts debated the merits of using the gas in light of Britain’s decision to adopt a net-zero economy and move away from fossil fuels. It is astounding that the question was even posed, let alone debated.
Manchester United’s most embarrassing European defeats ranked after Como humiliation
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David Eby’s Secrecy on Indigenous Land Deals Has Failed British Columbians and Set Back Reconciliation
By Elbert King Paul, CPA CA “The question of what remains of Aboriginal title after the granting of fee simple title to the same lands should be reversed.
Huawei Witnesses Risked Iranian Reprisals and Possible Chinese State Retaliation, Prosecutors Warned Judge
BROOKLYN, New York — Three Iranian witnesses in Huawei’s criminal trial possessed knowledge so distinctive and closely held that their testimony alone could identify them and expose them to reprisals, according to a newly filed judicial opinion obtained by The Bureau. Prosecutors described inside access to Huawei and Skycom operations in Iran—including projects that few others knew about—and said the witnesses would expose Tehran’s efforts to suppress dissent.
Exclusive: A Romanian Money Courier, a Jet Ski Across the Akwesasne Border and a Los Angeles Deli Point to an Epidemic of Transnational Scams Targeting North America
OTTAWA — The money was scammed from Canadian victims. The Romanian theft-gang operative sent to collect it, an Ontario fraud investigator said Tuesday, flew from Paris to Montreal and then crossed into the United States on a jet ski at Akwesasne, the Mohawk territory that straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and New York. “Literally it was a two minute jet ski ride that this guy hopped on with a human trafficker,” said Detective Sergeant John Armit of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Inside Taiwan’s Hunt for the Prince Group’s Money: How Financial Intelligence Analysts Traced $343 Million Laundered By Scam Empire Linked to PRC Officials
OTTAWA — For nearly six years, analysts inside Taiwan’s financial intelligence unit followed the Prince Group’s money. The Cambodia-based conglomerate, United States prosecutors allege, ran slave-labor scam compounds and drained billions of dollars from victims around the world, many of them in North America.
China-Linked Filing Returns to Foreign-Influence Registry With Payment Amount Removed
OTTAWA — The only publicly listed filing in Canada’s new foreign-influence registry connected to a Chinese principal has reappeared after weeks offline—but in significantly revised form, with its payment disclosure amount removed and additional information linking editor Aidan Jonah to several of the outlet’s social-media channels. Meanwhile, only three registrations are publicly displayed after a troubled launch.
From “Elbows Up” to “Shoulder-to-Shoulder”: Hardening North American Security Against Our Common China Threat
Xi Jinping offers the world a seductive promise: a “community with a shared future for mankind.” Its intellectual ancestry is rooted in tianxia—a sinocentric ordering that encompasses “all under heaven.” This is the vision Beijing presents as harmony without hegemony, and for many years, both Canada and the U.S. swallowed this line, and the accompanying promise that China would liberalize and democratize its governance model—a misguided proposition which James Mann correctly labeled the...
Newcastle United will sack Matthias Jaissle and solve only one of their problems
The opening results of the season were a tad misleading but the truth is that Newcastle United are having an awful campaign. They lost for the third time this season – beaten at home by Aston Villa 1-0 – courtesy of a player they failed to sign in the summer. Newcastle are 11th in the table and level with Villa, but they are heading in very different directions. It's not too long ago that these two clubs were on similar trajectories.
Six Premier League summer sales that already look a mistake: Spurs, City, Arsenal
While buyer's remorse is common amongst Premier League clubs, seller's remorse can be just as maddening for fans. We're only a few months into the new campaign and the closing of the transfer window but there are already some obvious questions of “why did they sell him?” and, in some cases, “why did they sell him for so little?” Here's six summer sales that already look like miscalculations.
Decree 841: Beijing Locks the Door of Its Legal Cage
By Mehmet Tohti OTTAWA — Canada’s current trade strategy of expansion and diversification is actively encouraging more Canadian companies to enter the Chinese market. However, once these businesses register in China, they automatically fall under the authority of Chinese statutes, regulatory frameworks, and State Council decrees. Monitoring China’s rapidly evolving legal landscape is no longer optional; it is essential to protecting our citizens.
Sikh Separatist Leader Targeted in Foiled Indian Assassination Plot Says FBI Warned Him of “Imminent Threat” Ahead of Tomorrow’s Edmonton Referendum
Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar (left), assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023; former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau (center), who accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing; and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (right), the target of an alleged Indian government-directed murder-for-hire plot in New York, who says the FBI has warned him of a new threat ahead of an Edmonton Khalistan Referendum. Photo: Hindustan Times.
Huawei Founder Downplayed Rule Against Trade-Show Photos in Late-Night FBI Interview, Former Agent Tells Jury
BROOKLYN, New York — The agents had been trying all day to get Ren Zhengfei alone. Every time they approached the founder of Huawei, he was surrounded by a larger group of people. So, in the early hours of July 11, 2007, they called his room at the St. Regis hotel in Midtown Manhattan and asked him to come downstairs. He told them he had a 6 a.m. flight. But he agreed to meet them, accompanied by two female associates.
Huawei Founder Downplayed Rule Against Trade-Show Photos in Late-Night FBI Interview, Former Agent Tells Jury
BROOKLYN, New York — The agents had been trying all day to get Ren Zhengfei alone. Every time they approached the founder of Huawei, he was surrounded by a larger group of people. So, in the early hours of July 11, 2007, they called his room at the St. Regis hotel in Midtown Manhattan and asked him to come downstairs. He told them he had a 6 a.m. flight. But he agreed to meet them, accompanied by two female associates.
Accused Beijing Agent’s Underground Money Transfers and Real Estate Circle Bring MSS Spy Case Into Cartel and Scam Compound Terrain
CBS linked a photograph of a luxury vehicle posted on social media by Heather Zhang to a suspect targeted in the Prince Group scam compound investigation. LOS ANGELES — A California realtor accused of spying on the family of Taiwan’s leader for Beijing also coordinated underground banking transfers from China into the United States, according to an FBI declaration obtained by The Bureau.
Accused Beijing Agent’s Underground Money Transfers and Real Estate Circle Bring MSS Spy Case Into Cartel and Scam Compound Terrain
CBS linked a photograph of a luxury vehicle posted on social media by Heather Zhang to a suspect targeted in the Prince Group scam compound investigation. LOS ANGELES — A California realtor accused of spying on the family of Taiwan’s leader for Beijing also coordinated underground banking transfers from China into the United States, according to an FBI declaration obtained by The Bureau.
Leaders Like Mark Carney Sold the West a Renewable Energy Story. China Is Cashing In.
Responding to the current global energy crisis, many Western leaders have declared that the way to remove geopolitical threats to energy security is to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This is a grave error. It rests on the faulty assumption that renewable energy is riskless, immune to price volatility, and secure because it is produced at home. Follow the renewable energy deals far enough, and they mostly lead back to Beijing.
Leaders Like Mark Carney Sold the West a Renewable Energy Story. China Is Cashing In.
Responding to the current global energy crisis, many Western leaders have declared that the way to remove geopolitical threats to energy security is to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This is a grave error. It rests on the faulty assumption that renewable energy is riskless, immune to price volatility, and secure because it is produced at home. Follow the renewable energy deals far enough, and they mostly lead back to Beijing.
Where are they now? The last Leeds United XI to beat Manchester United at Elland Road
It's been 24 years since Leeds United last had the pleasure of defeating their biggest rivals Manchester United at Elland Road and this weekend looks like a great opportunity to do just that. While Leeds picked up their first league win over their rivals in 24 years last season, that came at Old Trafford and the home fans will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins on Sunday. Arguably never before have Leeds been fancied so much in the fixture.
Canada Is Building a Bigger Money Laundering Bureaucracy While Professional Criminal Networks Exploit Legal System
OTTAWA — Canada’s September 2026 evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should serve as a defining moment for the country’s financial sector. The report recognizes substantial improvements in Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing framework. Financial intelligence has become more sophisticated, inter-agency cooperation has improved, and important advances have been made in beneficial ownership transparency.
Canada Is Building a Bigger Money Laundering Bureaucracy While Professional Criminal Networks Exploit Legal System
OTTAWA — Canada’s September 2026 evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should serve as a defining moment for the country’s financial sector. The report recognizes substantial improvements in Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing framework. Financial intelligence has become more sophisticated, inter-agency cooperation has improved, and important advances have been made in beneficial ownership transparency.
9 forgotten ballers playing in the UEFA Conference League this season
With Mo Salah currently operating in Turkey, he is one of a number of recognisable names that will be playing in the UEFA Conference League this season.
Beijing-Aligned ‘Reunification’ Groups Condemn Canadian MPs’ Taiwan Trip in Statement Published by Toronto Chinese-Language Site That Countered Election Interference Reporting
OTTAWA — As a cross-party delegation of Canadian members of Parliament traveled to Taiwan this week, a coalition of Chinese Canadian “reunification” associations demanded that the federal government “restrain its members of parliament from inappropriate behavior related to Taiwan.” The statement was published on October 13 by CC.News, a Toronto Chinese-language news site.
Beijing-Aligned ‘Reunification’ Groups Condemn Canadian MPs’ Taiwan Trip in Statement Published by Toronto Chinese-Language Site That Countered Election Interference Reporting
OTTAWA — As a cross-party delegation of Canadian members of Parliament traveled to Taiwan this week, a coalition of Chinese Canadian “reunification” associations demanded that the federal government “restrain its members of parliament from inappropriate behavior related to Taiwan.” The statement was published on October 13 by CC.News, a Toronto Chinese-language news site.
A Silent Handoff, a Memo From Beijing: Huawei Whistleblower Describes Cash Rewards in “A Directive to Steal”
BROOKLYN, New York — Heather Campbell was walking through a quiet sixth-floor hallway at Huawei’s Texas offices when the company’s in-house lawyer approached from the opposite direction. They had arranged to meet near the training room, where few colleagues were likely to pass. Charles de Chateauvieux handed her an envelope. Neither said anything. The envelope changed hands, and they kept walking. Campbell headed straight for the stairwell.
Every Lionel Messi Champions League record that Mbappe, Haaland & Yamal will break
A couple of long-standing Lionel Messi records have fallen after another round of Champions League football. Erling Haaland's two goals against PSG saw him become the youngest player in UCL history to reach 60 goals, beating Messi's previous record by a single day. Haaland scored his 60th at the age of 26 years and 85 days.
Premier League newbie managers ranked from Arbeloa to Pep 2.0
The summer saw almost half of the Premier League install new managers, and with six games gone, they have all had time to get their feet under the desk. From returning managers to brand-new faces, there was a lot of change in the dugouts of the Premier League but not every appointment has worked out well.
Huawei Policy Offered Cash for Competitors’ Information, Prompting Whistleblower Report to FBI
Huawei’s 2013 reward scale for competition information, from a Justice Department exhibit in the company’s Brooklyn criminal trial. Obtained by The Bureau.
Bank of America Ignored Its Own Compliance Warnings as Chinese Money-Laundering Networks, Mexican Border Cash and Sanctioned Funds Flowed, Treasury Finds in $1.2 Billion Penalty
WASHINGTON — For years, as money bearing the hallmarks of Chinese laundering networks moved through its accounts, Bank of America looked past warnings from its own compliance staff, the U.S. Treasury Department has found. Treasury has imposed more than $1.2 billion in penalties that also cover suspicious flows tied to the U.S.–Mexico border and used-car sales, along with apparent sanctions violations involving Iran and Russia. The case echoes the failures at HSBC and TD Bank.
Viktor Gyokeres: Revisiting the 6 alternatives Arsenal considered in 2025
With Mikel Arteta preferring a half-fit Kai Havertz to Viktor Gyokeres, it looks increasingly like Arsenal made a mistake with their expensive summer purchase. Having had a gaping hole where a striker was supposed to be, Arsenal spent £55million to bring Gyokeres to the club last summer after an impressive stint at Sporting.
Meng’s Admissions Reach Huawei Jury Via Former FBI Agent
BROOKLYN, New York — The admissions Meng Wanzhou signed before returning to China have now been read to the jury deciding Huawei’s criminal case in Brooklyn, as courtroom closures and disputes over redacted evidence complicate public scrutiny of the proceedings. On October 7, former FBI agent Leigh Ann Sweeney read Meng’s agreed statement of facts into the trial record. Sweeney worked on the investigation in 2017.
Meng’s Admissions Reach Huawei Jury Via Former FBI Agent
BROOKLYN, New York — The admissions Meng Wanzhou signed before returning to China have now been read to the jury deciding Huawei’s criminal case in Brooklyn, as courtroom closures and disputes over redacted evidence complicate public scrutiny of the proceedings. On October 7, former FBI agent Leigh Ann Sweeney read Meng’s agreed statement of facts into the trial record. Sweeney worked on the investigation in 2017.
The Bureau Is Endorsing Joe Tay for Markham Regional Councillor, After China Targeted His 2025 Federal Campaign and Canada Has Left Him Largely to Fend for Himself
OTTAWA — The Bureau has never endorsed a political candidate. We do so now because Markham’s regional council race poses a question few Canadian voters have been equipped by their institutions to answer, and one we have spent years investigating. What does a democracy owe an earnest citizen whom a foreign state has decided to silence, repress and potentially harm with violence? Joseph Tay is that citizen.
Liverpool ridiculously bought a £100m-plus reserve in Barcola and it shows…
Bradley Barcola is the 11th most expensive player of all time and yet there is something that differentiates him and the 10 ahead of him on that list; he was not a first-choice player. Last season, Barcola played 2,971 minutes for PSG in all competitions while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played 2,908. But in the Champions League final, it was Kvaratskhelia who started. It was the same in both legs of the semi-final against Bayern and the same in the quarter-final against Liverpool.
Liverpool ridiculously bought a £100m-plus reserve in Barcola and it shows…
Emma Hayes Now USWNT projected lineup vs. Spain today: Will Emma Hayes make major changes? USA TODAY Sports - Seth Vertelney • 40m The U.S. women's national team will face Spain on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the second of two friendlies between the world's top two teams. Spain defeated the USWNT 2-0 on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Audi Field.
Why Ipswich Town look better equipped for Premier League survival than last time
If there was one thing that summed up Ipswich Town 's Championship promotion in the 2023/24 season, it was late goals. Jeremy Sarmiento only spent a season on loan at Portman Road and yet he achieved cult hero status when he scored a 97th-minute toe poke to turn 2-1 defeat against Southampton to a 3-2 win. Games against Birmingham, Bristol City and Blackburn were all decided in the dying embers during the promotion run-in.
Ranking the funniest possible outcomes of Liverpool v Man City
Manchester City travel to Liverpool on Sunday after a three-week build-up of hype, but what is the objectively funniest outcome? Morally, Liverpool dispatching City is probably the right thing for football but frankly where's the fun in that? That would all be rather predictable and so we want chaos. Here's the possible outcomes of Sunday's match ranked on how funny they would be. 5) Liverpool hammer City While this is the situation most would want that therefore makes it the least funny.
From Xinjiang Fish Farms to Canadian supply chains: Ottawa Must Investigate
Ottawa has been continuously warned that Canada is inextricably linked to forced labor within China’s seafood industry, yet a profound silence persists from the federal government. For years, the troubling narrative surrounding forced labor in China’s seafood sector was understood as a coastal issue.
Prince Harry booed at rugby club after he's seen in stands
Prince Harry was greeted by a mixed reception as he arrived at the Leicester rugby club. The Duke of Sussex, who only recently relocated back to the UK with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, is a passionate rugby union fan. Yet as he attended Welford Road for the club's game against Gloucester, he was greeted by boos. He was shown on the big screen during the Gallagher Prem clash with Gloucester today.
30 years on, this ridiculous goalkeeper free-kick still defies belief
30 years ago today, Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel scored a ridiculously good free kick against Argentina in what is one of the best goals ever scored by a goalkeeper. Usually when a keeper scores, it is when they have gone up the pitch late on to try and head in a corner or maybe the wind catches a particularly long goal kick but goalkeepers taking set pieces is a true rarity. Enter Rafael Dudamel.
A Hong Kong Bounty, a Liberal Lawmaker’s Toronto Consulate “Joke” and a RCMP Safety Warning Upended Joe Tay’s Federal Campaign. Now He’s Running Against the Same Man, With the RCMP File Unresolved Original
MARKHAM, Ontario — Joe Tay reacted viscerally when a campaign volunteer sent him the photograph last week.
Washington Targets Alleged Chinese Crime-State Networks in the Pacific, Sanctioning Fiji Businessman Accused of Bribery and Foreign Interference
Zhao Fugang, director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, pictured outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. U.S. authorities have accused Zhao of advancing Chinese government, business, and criminal interests through bribery.
Washington Targets Alleged Chinese Crime-State Networks in the Pacific, Sanctioning Fiji Businessman Accused of Bribery and Foreign Interference
WASHINGTON - The United States has escalated its campaign against alleged Chinese-linked transnational criminal and corruption networks, publicly designating a prominent Chinese-Fijian businessman accused of bribing citizens of the Pacific island nation to advance the interests of the Chinese government, business and criminal actors.
When the Evidence Changes, the Threat Assessment Must Change Too
Editor’s note: In Part One of this series, former Canadian defence and national-security practitioner Ian Bradbury examined Mark Carney’s U.S. military contingency and the distinction between a possibility, a threatening communication and evidence that an attack is likely.
With British Columbia Headed to a Snap Election, Chinese Interference Belongs in Any Serious Reading of the Province’s Political Turmoil
OTTAWA — As British Columbia heads toward an October 24 snap election, I spoke with Jason James about something I believe is missing from much of the political analysis: the documented history of Chinese foreign interference in the province, and the unanswered questions surrounding Premier David Eby.
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