Russians

The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Lagoonarium, typically welcomes a few hundred Russian guests a year, but over the weekend this message appeared on its social media pages - 'With regret, Russians are banned from our hotels until every single Russian soldier has left Ukraine.'

The post has since been deleted but Tata Crocombe said he stands by his decision despite critics calling it 'discriminatory'.

However, Crocombe said the resort ban would eventually be softened to only apply to Russian citizens who support Vladimir Putin's war.

Chief federal investigator Alexander Bastrykin and two men wanted in the UK for the murder of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko are among them.

The sanctions come amid worsening ties, including claims Russia ran a cyber campaign to influence the US election.

President-elect Donald Trump is seeking to restore closer relations with Russia.

US officials say the sanctions are not related to the hacking but come under a 2012 law designed to punish human rights violators.

The paper said ledgers earmarked $12.7m (£9.8m) in undisclosed cash payments from a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine to Mr Trump's campaign head Paul Manafort between 2007 and 2012.

His lawyer said Mr Manafort had not received any such payments.