N. Zealand drops sanctions for Zimbabwe cricket tour (AFP)

WELLINGTON (AFP) – The New Zealand government has approved a tour by the Zimbabwe cricket team, saying Sunday it would waive travel sanctions on teams from the African nation.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play in New Zealand next year for the first time in 11 years and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the government would not block the tour.

Sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe several years ago to express opposition to alleged human rights abuses by the government of Robert Mugabe.

McCully said visas would be granted to the cricketers and management conditional on the situation in Zimbabwe "not deteriorating in a significant way."

A proposed tour of New Zealand by Zimbabwe in 2005 was cancelled when the government refused to grant the players visas.

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U.S. slaps new sanctions on Iran

The U.S. government has imposed new sanctions against IranThe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij Resistance Force, and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces are targetedSecretary of State Clinton says officials responsible for Iran's crackdown on protesters must be held accountableWashington has also imposed sanctions against Iran to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. government announced Thursday that it has imposed a new round of sanctions against Iran's regime, which has come under intense criticism for its recent crackdown against pro-reform protesters.

Sanctions have been imposed against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij Resistance Force, and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, according to a statement released by the State Department.

A specific individual -- Law Enforcement Commander Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam -- has also been targeted by the sanctions.

"While Iran's leaders hypocritically applaud protesters abroad calling for self-determination, many of Iran's own citizens -- including founding members of the revolution -- are being held as political prisoners merely for holding views contrary to Iran's leaders," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

"Iranians are being executed for crimes based on dubious charges and without the due process guaranteed under Iran's constitution."

Clinton said that the "United States stands with all Iranians who wish for a government that respects their human rights, their dignity and their freedom."

"We call on the Iranian government to end its systematic human rights abuses and political hypocrisy," she added. "Today's sanctions reflect our commitment to hold accountable those governments and officials that violate human rights and deprive their citizens of the opportunities and future they deserve."

Relations between the United States and Iran -- chilly since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution -- have been further strained in the wake of Iran's controversial 2009 presidential election. The reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad angered supporters of Iran's opposition movement and sparked massive protests that were followed by a government crackdown.

Washington has also imposed numerous other sanctions against Tehran in part to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In May, the Obama administration imposed sanctions against seven companies for working with Iran in the energy sector -- part of the effort to suppress Tehran's nuclear program.

CNN

U.S. sanctions target Syrian president and Iranians

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is the target of U.S. sanctions.Six senior Syrian officials are targeted by the sanctionsTwo Iranian Quds Force commanders are also designatedThe move is an effort to stop Syria's fierce crackdown on protesters

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama Wednesday imposed tough sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and six other senior Syrian officials in an effort to stop the regime's fierce crackdown on protests, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

The sanctions also target two top Iranian officials whose unit was a "conduit for Iranian material support" to Syrian intelligence, according to a copy of the executive order issued by the White House.

Obama signed the order Wednesday, a move a senior administration official described as a "decisive step to increase pressure" on the Syrian government to end violence, intimidation and pressure "and begin transitioning to a democratic" process.

Condemning Syria's use of violence and intimidation against its people, the official said al-Assad "must put an end to the attacks on protesters, mass arrests and harassment" of citizens expressing rights and "must begin to introduce change."

The Syrian government has launched a clampdown on peaceful demonstrators since mid-March. The United Nations last week said as many as 850 people have died in the protests, and there have been thousands of arrests.

Along with al-Assad, the other senior Syrian officials are Vice President Farouk al-Shara, Prime Minister Adel Safar, Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, Defense Minister Ali Habib Mahmoud, head of Syrian Military Intelligence Abdul Fatah Qudsiya and Political Security Directorate chief Mohammed Dib Zaitoun.

"As a result of this action, any property in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons in which the individuals listed in the Annex have an interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them," the Treasury Department said in a statement detailing the steps.

The senior administration official said it's too early to estimate how much will be frozen.

"As I am sure you know, when we take actions obligatory for institutions to freeze, many institutions around the world might" do the same thing, the official said. "Amplifications around that may be significant."

Treasury also announced the designation of 10 individuals and entities under an executive order signed by Obama on April 29.

It targets Syrian officials and others "responsible for human rights abuses, including repression against the Syrian people, as well as a set of companies tied to Syrian corruption."

One is Hafiz Makhluf, a cousin of al-Assad and a senior official in the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, the overarching civilian intelligence service in Syria.

"Makhluf was given a leading role in responding to protests in Syria, and was heavily involved in the Syrian regime's actions" in the city of Daraa, the official said, where many protesters have been killed.

Deaths mount in Syrian town

Also designated were two Iranians: Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, which is called "the conduit for Iranian material support" to the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, and the other is Mohsen Chizari, a senior IRGC-QF officer who serves as its commander of operations and training.

"It is a completely hypocritical act" of the Iranian government and the Quds force to "lend assistance in oppression" against those expressing human rights, the senior official said. "It is something we are concerned about," the official added.

Other agencies designated are the Syrian Military Intelligence, the Syrian National Security Bureau, which is an element of the ruling Baath party; and Syrian Air Force Intelligence.

All are said to be involved in the actions against demonstrators.

Air Force Intelligence personnel allegedly "fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds of demonstrators" in late April after noon prayers, the Treasury Department said. At least 43 people were killed.

CNN's Elise Labott and Adam Levine contributed to this report

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EU sanctions against top Syrian officials

The European Union accuses the officials of "violence against demonstrators"EU: Maher al-Assad, the president's youngest brother, is the "principal overseer" of the crackdown

(CNN) -- The European Union slapped sanctions on 13 top Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad's brother, for "violence against demonstrators," it announced Tuesday.

Maher al-Assad, the president's youngest brother, is commander of the army's 4th Division and "principal overseer" of the crackdown against protesters, the EU said.

The head of the head of Syrian intelligence, Ali Mamlouk, and Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Chaar, were also sanctioned, along with 10 other intelligence, security and business officials.

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Vatican sanctions Belgian bishop who abused nephew

Belga archives, AFP/Getty Images

A December 1984 photo of Bishop Roger Vangheluwe. He tendered his resignation amid speculation of phedophilia.

EnlargeCloseBelga archives, AFP/Getty Images

A December 1984 photo of Bishop Roger Vangheluwe. He tendered his resignation amid speculation of phedophilia.

The Vatican on Tuesday clarified the punishment against the former Bruges Bishop Roger Vangheluwe after Belgian bishops reported over the weekend that he had merely been sent outside Belgium for spiritual and psychological counseling, a seemingly cushy punishment given the seriousness of the crime.

The decision was the first known application of the Vatican

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U.S. Drops Financial Sanctions Against Qaddafi Defector

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The Obama administration, looking to lure more of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi's henchmen away from the regime, has agreed to unfreeze the assets of a prominent Libyan official who defected last week. 

The Treasury Department announced Monday it would lift financial sanctions against Moussa Koussa. Qaddafi's ex-foreign minister had fled to Britain to escape the fighting between the regime and rebel forces backed by the United States and NATO, marking a significant defection from Qaddafi's inner circle. 

The United States is now taking a delicate approach with Koussa. 

The ex-minister is suspected of having blood on his hands as a long-time adviser to Qaddafi, and U.S. officials want to interrogate him about possible terrorist activities. But the administration also wants to convince other wavering Qaddafi officials that it's in their self-interest to defect. 

David Cohen, undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, made clear that the United States was trying to create an incentive for Qaddafi loyalists. 

"As we've said from the beginning, these sanctions are preventive and are not intended to be permanent," he said in a statement. "Koussa's defection and the subsequent lifting of sanctions against him should encourage others within the Libyan government to make similar decisions to abandon the Qaddafi regime." 

At the same time, he warned that Treasury would soon announce more sanctions against officials other than the 13 already on the list. 

"Those who continue to serve in the Libyan government should be put on notice that Treasury will continue to aggressively identify and target senior officials for sanctions," Cohen said. 

Dan Senor, a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, described the announcement as a strategic move by the United States at a time when its military is pulling back and the war is in danger of entering a "stalemate." 

"Trying to flip these Libyan officials could become a substitute for the U.S. playing a more prominent role in trying to drive this through war fighting," he said. 

He said western officials will want to get Koussa's insight "on how to peel others way." He noted that, so far, Koussa has not been offered immunity. 

"If he's been close to Qaddafi, he's got a lot of blood on his hands and so this is the balance they're trying to strike," Senor said. 

Rebels claim Koussa was one of the Libyan officials behind the 1988 bombing that killed 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland, most of them Americans. A State Department official, asked about Koussa's involvement, said last week that the administration is "pursuing" him for information. 

Though the administration is freeing up his assets, the White House said last month that it was looking at the possibility of sending at least part of the more than $30 billion seized from Libyan officials to finance the rebels. 

However, the possibility of funding, and even arming, the opposition, has been a touchy subject, amid claims that Al Qaeda has a foothold in the movement. One Algerian official told Reuters this week that Al Qaeda is trying to exploit the conflict to acquire weapons.

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