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Tomb of Askia, Mali.

Iran has acknowledged that Western sanctions over its controversial nuclear program have reached their toughest level, as the European Union begins a total ban on Iranian oil imports.

Amb. Li Baodong of China (left), presides over Security Council meeting.

Left to right: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, Major-General Robert Mood and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated two exchange houses, the Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar Money Exchange (HKHS) and the Roshan Money Exchange (RMX), which principally operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, pursuant to the U.S. government’s terrorism sanctions authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, for storing or moving money for the Taliban. Treasury is also designating the co-owners of HKHS, Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai and Haji Khairullah Barakzai, pursuant to E.O. 13224 for donating money and providing financial services to the Taliban. Both HKHS and RMX operate as hawalas and have been used by the Taliban to facilitate money transfers in support of the Taliban’s narcotics trade and terrorist operations. Today the United Nations also added Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, Haji Khairullah Barakzai, HKHS and RMX to its 1988 List of individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban in constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan.

President Obama says the Supreme Court ruling upholding the health-care reform law, his landmark legislative achievement, is a victory for all Americans. Although the ruling is a major victory for the president, Republicans are describing it as a momentary defeat, and they vow they will repeal the law.

Many countries continue to face terrorism threats.

Syrian refugees receive supplies from UNHCR in northern Lebanon.

Turkey said Thursday it is stationing anti-aircraft batteries on its border with Syria following the downing of one of its warplanes.