OTTO WARMBIER

A federal judge has ruled that the parents of a U.S. student Otto Warmbier, who died after being imprisoned by North Korea, should receive about $240,000.

The family of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea for 17 months and died in 2017 shortly after being returned to the U.S. in a coma, was awarded more than $240,000 in seized assets from Pyongyang, a New York federal court ruled.Why it matters: The payment is part of a $500 million wrongful death lawsuit, in which Warmbier's family alleged that North Korea took him hostage, tortured him and was responsible for his death.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios

The Biden administration is extending for one year a Trump-era ban on the use of U.S. passports for travel to North Korea.

Tensions remain high between the U.S. and Iran amid President Donald Trump's maximalist pressure campaign over Tehran's nuclear program. In a ruling dated Thursday, the U.S. District Court in Washington found Iran owed Levinson's family $1.35 billion in punitive damages and $107 million in compensatory damages for his kidnapping. The court cited the case of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died in 2017 shortly after being freed from captivity in North Korea, in deciding to award the massive amount of punitive damages to Levinson's family. In a statement, Levinson's family called the court's award “the first step in the pursuit of justice.”“Until now, Iran has faced no consequences for its actions,” the family said. In December 2013, the AP revealed Levinson in fact had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations.

Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - Alek Sigley, the Australian student who was detained in North Korea, was deported for spreading anti-government sentiment, the country's state media has said. His family said in a statement that he first visited North Korea in 2012 and is fluent in Korean and Mandarin. Alongside his studies, Sigley has written about his experiences in North Korea for the news site NK News. He also founded Tongil Tours, a business specializing in educational visits to North Korea. Sweden is one of the few Western countries with an embassy in North Korea and often acts as an intermediary for foreign governments and Pyongyang.