#us-sanctions

#us-sanctions

Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek. We desperately need a wide ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated in the interests of the people. Imran Ahmed gave evidence to the select committee's inquiry into social media, algorithms and harmful content, and he was an articulate advocate for greater regulation and accountability.

The U.S. Treasury Department took a swipe at the Mexican prison system on Wednesday, disguised as a sanctions announcement against a criminal leader one of many it reports each year. The Treasury explained that it has decided to sanction Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, alias El Marro, head of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), for his industrial-scale fuel theft operation in the state of Guanajuato, in central Mexico.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, increasing the pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government. Trump has not disclosed how his administration would block the sanctioned oil vessels, nor whether he will ask the Coast Guard to intercept vessels like last week. The US has already deployed thousands of troops, nearly a dozen warships and an aircraft carrier in the Carribean.

Once in the East African country, the former soldiers are allegedly used to train the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been locked in a power struggle against Sudan's government forces. The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow, Treasury official John K Hurley said in a statement.

Vladimir Putin has told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, that Russia is ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of oil to India, signalling a defiant stance as the two leaders met in Delhi and affirmed that their ties were resilient to external pressure.

Meeting to boost ties comes as India seeks reprieve from US oil sanctions related to war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have kicked off a daylong summit in the capital of India, where trade and Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine were set to loom large. Friday's summit is the first time Putin has visited India since the start of Russia's full-fledged war on Ukraine in 2022, and comes as India is seeking a reprieve from United States sanctions related to its purchase of Russian oil.

In late October, the US Treasury announced sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil producers. The changes sent seaborne shipments from these companies down 42%, to about 1.7 million barrels a day. However, Russia's total oil exports slipped by just 100,000 barrels per day after the sanctions came into effect. This means that Russia rapidly rerouted shipments through smaller, non-sanctioned producers.

The United States ramped up pressure on Venezuela on Monday by designating the so-called "Cartel de los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns) group as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month the US would announce the designation of the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) for its alleged role in importing illegal drugs into the United States.

In an expansion of its sanctions targeting Brazil's judiciary, the administration of US President Donald Trump on Monday imposed sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. list of 3 itemsend of list It also imposed sanctions on the Lex Instituto de Estudos Juridicos, a financial entity controlled by Barci de Moraes and other family members that the US government believes could serve as a vehicle to evade pre-existing sanctions, a Treasury Department notice said.

Southeast Asia's cyber scam industry not only threatens the well-being and financial security of Americans, but also subjects thousands of people to modern slavery, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley said in a statement, adding that Americans last year lost more than $10bn from scam operations originating in the region. The department said it had issued sanctions against Tin Win, Saw Min Min Oo and Chit Linn Myaing Co for acting