How a vulture capitalist quietly took over Europe’s festival scene
U.S. investment giant KKR has quietly bought up major European music festivals like Sónar and Sziget. Investigative journalists Henk Willem Smits, Salsabil Fayed, Nick de Jager, and Remy Koens have uncovered ties between KKR and Israel-linked firms, including controversial projects in the occupied Palestinian territories. As outrage grows over Israel’s war in Gaza, artists and festivalgoers are pushing back. They accuse the private equity firm of putting profits over the community spirit and cultural values that have long defined such events.
Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/private-equity-buys-festivals
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/brett-christophers-asset-manager-society
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The Western oil tankers that fund Putin's war
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has generated over 900 billion euros from fossil fuel exports – funds that have helped sustain its military aggression. To circumvent Western sanctions on oil trade, it had to build a ‘shadow fleet’ of hundreds of old oil vessels. Led by Follow the Money’s Birte Schohaus, Jesse Pinster and Dimitri Tokmezis, an international team of investigative reporters has followed the money trail of the shadow fleet. They revealed – amongst others – that Western shipowners have profited significantly, earning over 6 billion dollars from the sale of oil tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet.Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/who-is-behind-the-russian-shadow-fleethttps://www.ftm.eu/articles/infrastructure-northsea-european-companies-russian-mappinghttps://www.ftm.eu/articles/north-sea-3-interview-with-christian-buegerFollow the podcast:https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcastFollow FTM on social media:Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.euLinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/Become a member and support independent investigative journalism!https://www.ftm.eu/subscribeFollow Birte Schohaus BlueSky:birteschohaus.bsky.socialFollow Alexander FantaBlueSky: alexfanta.bsky.social
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Inside the Huawei corruption scandal that rocked Brussels
The Huawei corruption scandal has cast a long shadow over Brussels. Several individuals have been charged over allegations that lobbyists for the Chinese tech giant bribed Members of the European Parliament. Investigative journalists Simon Van Dorpe, Alexander Fanta and Lisanne van Vucht have revealed exactly how Huawei’s lobbying campaign in the EU went rogue – and shed light on the man accused of pulling the strings. After Qatargate rocked Brussels in 2022, this latest bribery probe raises fresh questions about whether the EU is doing enough to root out fraud and corruption.
Related stories ➪
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/how-huawei-lobbying-campaign-in-europe-went-rogue
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/huaweis-eu-bribery-scheme-exposed
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/huawei-lobbyist-bragged-about-corruption-office
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Shein’s toxic business model
Millions of people across Europe buy their clothes on the fast fashion app Shein. But the Chinese company’s aggressive tactics for recruiting users have attracted the attention of European regulators. Investigative journalists Yara van Heugten and Alexander Fanta looked into this ultra-fast fashion firm that is dreaming of entering the stock market. They cut through the smoke and mirrors behind this fashion mogul’s flashy claims and found that behind the dazzling numbers, cracks are starting to show – and Shein may be losing its shine.
Reckon you know who’s running Europe? Think again. Every week, we dive into a Follow the Money investigation exposing the continent’s hidden powerbrokers: from deceiving companies and influential lobbyists to corrupt politicians and financial fraudsters. Tune into our podcast and join our journalists as they reveal how they uncovered the truth and held power to account.Presented by Emma du Chatinier and Alexander Fanta.
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