A transition deal on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union failed for a second time in the U.K. Parliament on March 12, setting up a series of votes on whether to leave the EU with no deal and whether to delay Brexit, according to a statement following the vote from U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May.

Crowell & Moring has hired partners Nicole Simonian and Evan Yee-Fan Chuck, and counsel Jackson Pai, in the firm's Los Angeles office, and senior counsel Robert Clifton Burns is joining the Washington, D.C., office. The firm is also launching an office in Shanghai with seven trade, transactions and tax professionals. The lawyers were formerly with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:

The Mexican Tax Administration Service recently released guidance on implementation of electronic cargo manifests for rail cargo at the Nuevo Laredo port of entry. The guidance includes filing instructions for railroad companies, customs agents and Mexican customs officials around the transition, which is scheduled to occur at 2 p.m. on April 29. After that time, these transactions, which may include import, export and transit shipments, will have to be submitted through the Mexican Single Window (VUCEM).

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for March 11 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency sent an AIRS update announcing that it changed the release recommendation for the Pacific cupped oyster originating in the U.S from “Refer to CFIA -- NISC” to “Refuse entry" when destined to the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. The change affects goods of Canadian tariff subheading 03.07.11.1888.75.

A recent court ruling in India makes the country’s “Advance Authorization Scheme” for duty exemptions on imported inputs more useful for exporters, KPMG India said in a recent client alert. Indian revenue authorities had made several changes to the program in 2017, making Goods and Services Tax potentially exempt but also creating a “pre-import condition” where the same goods had to be imported, used as inputs and exported for those goods to qualify as duty-free under the AA program. An exporter had sued, saying that the new interpretation made it impossible to use the scheme where goods are manufactured and exported in anticipation of an authorization, and then inputs are imported duty-free against the authorization for further manufacturing and export. The high court of Gujarat sided with the exporter, KPMG said. As a result, all enforcement proceedings against Indian companies for improper use of AA due to the “pre-import condition” rule “would no longer survive,” KPMG said. “This judgment comes as a big relief to these exporters as there would have been a cash flow and interest impact on account of the payment of the disputed IGST [the Integrated Goods and Services Tax]. However, it needs to be seen whether the government issues any clarification or challenges the judgment,” KPMG said.

The Department of State updated its Cuba restricted list, adding five “subentities” and making two clarifications, the department said in a notice. This is the second update to the list since it was published in November 2017, the notice said, and the department will continue to update the list “periodically.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added an entity to its Specially Designated Nationals List, with a Venezuela-related designation, OFAC said in a March 11 notice. The entity, Evrofinance Mosnarbank, is associated with a Moscow address in Russia, according to the notice, and is linked to Petroleos de Venezuela, the Venezuelan state-owned and U.S.-sanctioned oil company.

The Bureau of Industry and Security will hold its annual “Update” Conference on Export Controls and Policy in Washington on July 9-11, it said in an emailed update. “This major outreach activity draws business and government representatives from around the world to learn and exchange ideas about export control issues,” it said. “The 2019 BIS Annual Conference will be at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Conference room rates, detailed registration and program information will be provided as it becomes available.”