WASHINGTON, April 19, 2024 (AFP) – The United States fined a Thailand-based firm $20 million on Friday for more than 450 possible Iran sanctions violations — a day after Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Iran following last weekend’s attack on Israel. The move is the latest attempt by the United States to hit Iran financially, even as it works to dial down the military tensions between Iran and Israel following recent tit-for-tat attacks. Bangkok-headquartered […]
Tag: Sanctions
Russia faces backlash as veto ends UN’s N. Korea sanctions monitoring
SEOUL, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – Russia faced a mounting backlash Friday after using its veto power to effectively end official UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea amid a probe into alleged arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang. Russia’s UN Security Council veto on Thursday blocked the renewal of the panel of experts tasked with investigating violations of sanctions tied to North Korea’s banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. South Korea’s foreign ministry on […]
S. Korea slams ‘irresponsible’ Russian veto ending UN N. Korea sanctions monitoring
SEOUL, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – South Korea slammed Russia’s “irresponsible” veto blocking the renewal of a panel of UN experts monitoring international sanctions on North Korea, with the vote following accusations Pyongyang is aiding Moscow in its war in Ukraine. South Korea “clearly points out that the Russian Federation, despite its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has made an irresponsible decision”, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The […]
Biden slaps sanctions on 500 targets in Russia ‘war machine’
By Beiyi SEOW, Shaun TANDON WASHINGTON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia Friday, on over 500 targets, to mark the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine while vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putin’s “war machine.” The sanctions, described as the largest single tranche since the start of the war, also seek to impose a cost for the death last week in a Siberian prison of […]
US to level more sanctions as Russia claims fresh gains in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – The United States plans to impose sanctions Friday on more than 500 targets involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Moscow claims fresh battlefield advances two years after its invasion. Ukraine, grappling with hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid, has been pushed back from the front line in recent months. Already outgunned, Kyiv is rationing ammunition as political wrangling in Washington, Ukraine’s biggest ally, stalls a critically needed […]
UK sanctions six officials at Russian prison where Navalny died
LONDON, Feb 21, 2024 (AFP) – UK Foreign minister David Cameron said Wednesday that London had imposed sanctions on six officials at the head of the Siberian penal colony where Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny died. “Those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion — we will hold them accountable,” Cameron said. The sanctioned individuals will be subject to freezes of any UK assets and travel bans. They include Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, […]
US strikes in Yemen after Huthis re-designated ‘terrorist’ entity
WASHINGTON, Jan 18, 2024 (AFP) – American forces targeted 14 missiles that were ready to launch in Yemen, the US military said Wednesday, after Washington re-designated the Iran-backed Huthi rebels as a “terrorist” entity for their attacks on merchant vessels. The Huthis — who have already faced multiple rounds of air strikes in response to their targeting of international shipping — struck a US-owned bulk cargo carrier in the wake of the designation announcement, and […]
French sports retailer Decathlon secretly supplying Russia: report
PARIS, Dec 19, 2023 (AFP) – French sports retail giant Decathlon has secretly continued selling clothes in Russia despite officially pulling out in protest at Russia’s war in Ukraine, a media report published Tuesday said. The multinational retailer, which posted sales of 15.4 billion euros ($16.9 billion) last year, announced within weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that it would withdraw from the Russian market. In October of this year, it sold its 60 […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin urges officials to act as inflation rises
MOSCOW, Nov 1, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for officials to act on high inflation, as he warned the economy faced increased pressure from Western sanctions. Inflation has remained stubbornly high in Russia, ticking upwards as the economy grapples with a weaker ruble and rising military spending on the offensive in Ukraine. “I once again draw the attention of the government and the Bank of Russia to the importance of […]
US ‘deeply concerned’ as Myanmar junta extends emergency
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is “deeply concerned” by the decision from Myanmar’s ruling junta to extend the country’s state of emergency for six months, a State Department spokesman said Monday. The extension, announced earlier in the day, spelled a delay for elections the military had pledged to hold in August as it battles anti-coup fighters across the country. “The United States is deeply concerned by the Burma military regime’s extension of […]
US imposes economic, visa sanctions over violence in Sudan
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – The White House on Thursday announced economic and visa sanctions against Sudanese leaders responsible for breaking a ceasefire and provoking “appalling” bloodshed. “We are following through by levying economic sanctions, imposing visa restrictions against actors who are perpetuating the violence,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement. “Despite a ceasefire agreement, senseless violence has continued across the country — hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and hurting […]
Biden says Sudan conflict ‘must end,’ threatens sanctions
WASHINGTON, May 4, 2023 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Thursday said weeks of urban fighting in Sudan “must end” and authorized potential new sanctions against those responsible for the bloodshed. “The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy — and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy,” he said in a statement. “It must end.” Clashes between rival factions began on […]





