US Reimposes Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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US Reimposes Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)

The United States on Wednesday reimposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories who has harshly criticized Israel, after an appeals court overruled an earlier order prohibiting the action.

A notice on the Treasury Department's website showed that it had reimposed a sanctions designation on Albanese that blacklists her globally, making it impossible for her to use major credit cards or carry out bank transactions.

Albanese, who is Italian, has been a relentless critic of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians in her role as the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.

The US Treasury's move came after a Friday order from an appeals court issued an administrative stay on an earlier ruling while the court considers the merits of the case.

The case was brought by Albanese's husband, Massimiliano Cali on behalf of their child, a US citizen who is still a minor.

Albanese has been at the forefront of accusing Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza in its devastating military campaign after the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announcing sanctions against her in July last year, said she has "spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West."

Albanese denies allegations of antisemitism, which have also been made by Israel.



Trump Voices Support for Armenia PM Ahead of Tense Vote

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives to attend the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. (AFP)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives to attend the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. (AFP)
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Trump Voices Support for Armenia PM Ahead of Tense Vote

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives to attend the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. (AFP)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives to attend the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump voiced support on Wednesday for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the upcoming elections, which polls show as an exceedingly tight race.

The June 7 parliamentary vote is seen as a litmus test for Pashinyan's moves to loosen Armenian dependence on Moscow while forging closer ties with the West.

The South Caucasus nation is also still reeling from Azerbaijan's 2023 military takeover of the Karabakh region and the mass exodus of its 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Armenia agreed as part of a US-brokered peace deal to establish a transit corridor through its territory that would connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave -- dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said "soon, the United States and Armenia will break ground together" on the TRIPP, "which will transform the South Caucasus, and help our wonderful American Energy Companies gain access from Central Asia all the way to the United States."

He called Pashinyan "a great friend and Leader" who was "making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure!"

"Nikol completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region," Trump wrote.

"For these reasons, Nikol has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election on June 7, 2026," Trump said, copying his favored formulation for his frequent domestic political endorsements.

Pashinyan thanked Trump in an X post Thursday for his "high appreciation and friendly words."

The endorsement comes a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Armenia on a return trip from his multi-day tour of India.

Trump, in his post on Wednesday, said that Rubio had "advanced several important Deals for both our Countries."


China Vows to Support Cuba Against ‘Power Politics and Bullying’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP)
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China Vows to Support Cuba Against ‘Power Politics and Bullying’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP)

China's foreign minister Wang Yi vowed to support Havana and confront "power politics and bullying" during talks with his Cuban counterpart in New York, state media reported Wednesday, as the Caribbean island faces mounting pressure from the United States.

Cuba is suffering under a US energy blockade, and President Donald Trump has openly mused about taking over the country.

China has close ties to the communist state and has promised to donate 60,000 tons of rice to help Cuba deal with shortages, the first batch of which arrived on Sunday.

"China will continue to uphold justice and speak out on Cuba's behalf, support the just cause of the Cuban people, and contribute to the development of Cuba's economy and the improvement of its people's livelihoods," Wang told Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, according to a Chinese readout of their meeting.

"It is essential to steadfastly respect the sovereignty and independence of all nations, and to oppose all forms of power politics and bullying," he added, in an apparent reference to the US.

The Trump administration cut off Cuba's supply of oil from Havana's ally Venezuela after it ousted Nicolas Maduro in a raid in January.

Washington tightened the screws last week by indicting former Cuban president Raul Castro over the downing of two civilian US planes in 1996, fueling fears that the US was seeking a pretext to overthrow the government in Havana.

China's foreign ministry urged the US to "stop brandishing... the judicial stick against Cuba and stop threatening force at every turn", in response to the indictment last week.

"China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes external interference," spokesman Guo Jiakun said at the time.


US Jails Man Over Plot to Kill Iranian-American Journalist

Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad speaks outside Manhattan federal court after the sentencing of a man who admitted to agreeing to try to kill her on behalf of the Iranian government, Jan. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad speaks outside Manhattan federal court after the sentencing of a man who admitted to agreeing to try to kill her on behalf of the Iranian government, Jan. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP)
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US Jails Man Over Plot to Kill Iranian-American Journalist

Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad speaks outside Manhattan federal court after the sentencing of a man who admitted to agreeing to try to kill her on behalf of the Iranian government, Jan. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad speaks outside Manhattan federal court after the sentencing of a man who admitted to agreeing to try to kill her on behalf of the Iranian government, Jan. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP)

A man who admitted to taking part in a plot to kill an Iranian-American journalist who is a prominent critic of Tehran was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison.

Jonathan Loadholt, 37, was arrested in November 2024 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking and money laundering in the plot targeting Masih Alinejad, who is 49.

He and another man, Carlisle Rivera, were charged with accepting $100,000 to kill Alinejad, who lives in the United States.

Rivera was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January after pleading guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

The US Justice Department has said the plan to kill Alinejad was ordered by Iran's government.

"Tehran attempted to murder a US journalist in the United States simply because she exposed a few of that regime's many abuses," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg.

Another suspect remains at large: Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan living in Iran who is accused of recruiting the other two men on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful ideological branch of Iran's military.

Alinejad is one of the most prominent dissident campaigners against Iranian authorities and for years has pushed for the abolition of the obligatory headscarf in Iran under the banner of "MyStealthyFreedom." She left Iran in 2009.

Alinejad was the target of another assassination attempt thwarted at the last moment in the summer of 2022.

She has nearly nine million followers on Instagram.