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44 stories from Planck Standard. Latest: September 16, 2026.
John Coale's deals with Alexander Lukashenko have now produced about 500 releases since last year. Viasna counts 912 political prisoners still behind bars, and opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says new arrests continue as fast as the old ones are freed.
The Colombian businessman admitted skimming at least $195 million from six Venezuelan food-import contracts with 'the approval, participation and protection' of top officials. Maduro himself is awaiting trial in Manhattan after his capture in January.
Argentina's president called the British-developed project a 'clear and present danger' and asked for a law change to punish contractors. He moved after Trump questioned Washington's long-standing position on the islands.
The former student leader admitted conspiring to seek Western sanctions on Hong Kong and China. The charge carries three to 10 years, or life if a court calls the offense grave.
WatchThe conflict passed its half-year mark on Friday with the Strait of Hormuz still contested, roughly 6,000 sailors on 400 ships still stuck in the region, and Tehran refusing to yield to what the Treasury Department is calling an economic D-Day.
The unit pulls in case officers, analysts, cyber specialists and covert influence operators — but is not authorized to arm proxies or run lethal operations, according to officials briefed on it.
Officials say the network laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in oil revenue through shell companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai. "Every facilitator that keeps the regime afloat is putting a target on its own back," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
The state electric utility said the national system went down late Sunday, leaving about 10 million people in the dark. Crews began reconnecting circuits on Monday.
European foreign ministers approved a Dutch-French initiative barring purchases of gold from Sudan and blocking exports of the mercury and cyanide used to mine it, targeting a revenue stream that has fueled more than two years of war.
The State Department launched a whole-of-government effort to 'systematically disable' the court, widening sanctions to its prosecutor, judges and a United Nations investigator.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled Trump acted in bad faith and 'improperly' used the courts to legitimize a sweeping immunity pact and a $1.776 billion fund for his allies.
Standing alongside President Erdogan in Ankara, Trump declared it was 'time' to drop the 2020 penalties imposed over Turkey's purchase of Russian air defenses — and floated returning Ankara to the F-35 stealth-fighter program.
WatchPresident Trump ordered retaliatory strikes and reimposed oil sanctions after Iranian forces attacked three commercial vessels near the world's most important oil chokepoint. Tehran vowed a 'decisive' response as explosions rocked the port of Bandar Abbas.
French President Emmanuel Macron plans to travel to Damascus with a business delegation to meet President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a striking sign of Syria's rehabilitation two years after the ouster of Bashar Assad.
WatchPresident Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding that reopens the world's most vital oil chokepoint, lifts U.S. sanctions and starts a 60-day clock to settle the fate of Tehran's nuclear program.
U.K. troops detained a sanctioned oil tanker off England's south coast on Sunday in what London called the first British-led operation of its kind against Moscow's sanctions-busting fleet.
Britain's defense ministry confirms this marks the first time British forces have acted independently to intercept vessels in Russia's sanctions-evading fleet.
WatchA senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader told CNN the negotiations are stuck over Tehran's demand for the release of $24 billion, warning the war could spread far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Facing a June 5 U.S. Treasury deadline to sever ties with the Cuban military's tourism conglomerate, the two chains pulled their brands from at least 27 hotels, deepening the island's tourism collapse.
Six Republicans and an independent joined Democrats to force measure to floor after party leaders blocked additional Ukraine assistance.
Tehran insists $12 billion must be released before meaningful negotiations can begin, while U.S. officials say Iran must abandon uranium enrichment first.
President Trump claims agreement is "largely negotiated" while American and Iranian officials describe terms differently, raising questions about actual progress.
Federal prosecutors have indicted the former Cuban leader on murder charges, marking a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Cuba relations.
After months of avoiding direct confrontation, the Trump administration has escalated tensions with Beijing through coordinated actions targeting Iran partnerships, artificial intelligence restrictions, and espionage activities.
The effort involves plans to send weapons through other nations to hide the origins of shipments as tensions escalate.
Secretary Bessent named the package the latest salvo in his 'Economic Fury' campaign, hitting firms in Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Dubai and Minsk that allegedly supplied ballistic-missile materials and UAV components.
Tehran's conditions include U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to American sanctions.
Government-imposed internet shutdown has crippled entire sectors as Iran's economy struggles with widespread instability and international isolation.
The landlocked body of water takes on new significance as Russia ships military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran's ability to withstand American assault.
Speaking at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, the president said an American carrier offshore would be "all it takes" — President Miguel Díaz-Canel replied that Cubans "would die" before surrendering.
Tehran's capture of the Ocean Koi comes amid broader confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing Iran war.
President ratchets up economic sanctions but Iran's government unlikely to make deal without major face-saving compromise, officials say.
After months of conflict and upheaval, many Iranians attempt to maintain daily routines while quietly grappling with grief, financial stress, and diminished optimism.
The United States has halted dollar shipments to Iraq's cash-based economy in an effort to force Baghdad to distance itself from Iran.
Treasury's action marks a significant escalation aimed at cutting off Iran's drone supply chain, and draws an angry response from Beijing.
The Russia-friendly exchange claims Western intelligence services orchestrated the sophisticated heist targeting their cryptocurrency operations.
President Trump implements Strait of Hormuz blockade to pressure Iran into negotiations, but Iranians bet on his limited tolerance for political pain from rising energy costs.
The vast scale of destruction wrought by U.S. and Israeli bombardment will make sanctions relief all the more vital to Iran's government as it tries to negotiate a peace agreement.
Tehran demands release of blocked Iranian assets before negotiations can begin, as Trump warns against overplaying their hand.
US agencies have tracked sodium perchlorate shipments — a key rocket propellant ingredient — flowing to Iranian defense facilities through third-country intermediaries, officials say.
The tanker carrying crude oil is expected to reach its destination Tuesday, providing critical energy relief to the Caribbean island amid mounting U.S. pressure.
Republicans and Democrats warn the moves benefit U.S. adversaries despite administration claims about oil market stability.
The nationwide blackout was caused by a failure at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant, highlighting Cuba's decaying infrastructure amid U.S. sanctions and fuel shortages.
Texas Republican breaks with administration on easing Russian oil sanctions, citing Moscow's active support for Tehran