- Erasmus warns Springboks to beware 'desperate' England
- England's Feyi-Waboso out of South Africa match
- Israel urges fans to skip France-Israel football tie after clashes
- Arsenal stretch winless run in Chelsea draw, Ipswich shock Spurs
- Troubled Arsenal must 'show their teeth': Arteta
- Ukraine must get justice under any peace deal: EU's Borrell
- Chakravarthy heroics not enough for India as South Africa win 2nd T20
- Marvellous Marmoush inspires Eintracht to thrilling win in Stuttgart
- Neto rescues Chelsea draw as Arsenal title bid suffers fresh blow
- Mapimpi at the double as South Africa again prove too strong for Scotland
- Dozens detained after defying Amsterdam protest ban
- Tottenham inconsistency 'unacceptable' for Postecoglou
- 'Venom' stays potent, again leading N.America box office
- Ferguson hat-trick stuns Sri Lanka to level New Zealand T20 series
- Kean fires Fiorentina level with leaders Napoli, crisis-hit Roma sack Juric
- Atletico scrape narrow Liga win at Mallorca
- US says to spend $6 billion for Ukraine before Trump arrives
- Van Nistelrooy thankful for 'special' period as Man Utd boss
- Wales coach Gatland shrugs off job concerns after Fiji loss
- Sane replaces Undav in Germany Nations League squad
- Lille held to draw by late Nice goal in Ligue 1
- Crisis-club Roma sack Juric amid Mancini reports
- Man Utd win to end Van Nistelrooy's interim spell, Ipswich shock Spurs
- Muntz shines as Fiji condemn Wales to record-equalling defeat
- Medvedev rages in opening ATP Finals defeat to Fritz
- Itoje wants England to make fans proud against Springboks after November woes
- 'I live in hope': A Channel drama survivor's search for missing dad
- Waring finishes with flourish in Abu Dhabi to end title drought
- Lebanon says 7 children among 23 dead in Israeli strike north of Beirut
- Test debut 'so much fun' for Suaalii as Wallabies triumph at Twickenham
- Bestaven ready to 'write a new story' as Vendee Globe yacht race starts
- Mauritius votes in poll clouded by phone-tapping scandal
- France's Dupont wary of New Zealand 'threat'
- France's Dupont wary of New Zeland 'threat'
- Cycling great Cavendish wins final race in Singapore
- Lebanon says 20 killed in Israeli strike north of Beirut
- Deadly strikes on Gaza, Lebanon as Israel faces aid deadline
- Pakistan win first ODI series in Australia since 2002
- Olympics star Kim takes break from shooting for family
- Gunmen kill 10 in central Mexico bar attack
- Egyptians exhume the dead as historic cemetery partially razed
- Syrians, Iraqis archive IS jail crimes in virtual museum
- N. Korea's World Cup-winning footballers get heroes' welcome home
- Female artists set to dominate MTV Europe Music Awards
- Mauritius votes in election clouded by wire-tapping scandal
- Pakistan on fire as Australia crumble to 140 in deciding ODI
- Kim A-lim edges Guseva in Hawaii to win second LPGA crown
- Ennis overpowers Chukhadzhian to retain IBF welterweight crown
- Asia, the world's economic engine, prepares for Trump shock
- Cuba says it made arrests after protests over hurricane blackout
Visa, Mastercard, Amex block Russian banks after sanctions
US credit card giants Visa, Mastercard and American Express said they were blocking Russian banks from their payment networks following international sanctions in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"As a result of sanction orders, we have blocked multiple financial institutions from the Mastercard payment network," Mastercard Chief Executive Michael Miebach said in a statement released Monday night.
"We will continue to work with regulators in the days ahead to abide fully by our compliance obligations as they evolve."
Visa said on its website that it is "taking prompt action to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions, and is prepared to comply with additional sanctions that may be implemented."
While American Express said its business in Russia was "small," it stressed that "since the beginning of this crisis, we have been complying with US and international sanctions."
Amex CEO Stephen Squeri said that "has resulted in us halting relationships with impacted bank partners in Russia, and we will continue to comply with all relevant laws as the situation evolves."
The statements follow moves by western governments to sanction Russian banks and Russian nationals as the United States, the European Union and other powers seek to isolate the country and punish its economy.
The steps taken by the credit card firms prevent these entities and individuals from accessing their platforms.
Mastercard also said it is working to guard against cyberattacks, "the threat of which is heightened significantly in the present environment," Miebach said.
"American Express is taking all necessary steps to detect, prevent, and respond to any malicious activity through our layered defenses," said Squeri for his part.
K.Brown--BTB