The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a new general license authorizing certain activities, including purchases of tickets for flights or “rail journeys” originating in Russia. The license, issued May 23, authorizes those activities with sanctioned Russian entities PJSC Aeroflot, JSC Rossiya Airlines, JSC Ural Airlines, Russian Railways or any of their subsidiaries.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added a Hamas finance official, three Hamas financial facilitators, and six companies that have generated revenues for Hamas to its Specially Designated Nationals list, it announced May 24. The "expansive network" has generated revenue for the group through the management of an international investment portfolio, a related press release said. Hamas’s Investment Office is in charge of the day-to-day management of its estimated $500 million portfolio, including companies operating in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. “Today’s action targets the individuals and companies that Hamas uses to conceal and launder funds. ... The United States is committed to denying Hamas the ability to generate and move funds,” Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Elizabeth Rosenberg said.

Canada last week imposed another set of sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, designating 14 people and banning exports and imports of “targeted” luxury goods to and from Russia. The designations apply to Russian oligarchs, their family members and “close associates” of the Vladimir Putin regime. The trade restrictions apply to exports of alcohol, tobacco, certain textile products, luxury clothing, jewelry, art and accessories, and imports of alcohol, seafood and nonindustrial diamonds.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control said it will not renew the expiring General License 9C, with its authorizations set to end at 12:01 a.m. EDT on May 25. The license allowed transactions necessary to dealings in debt or equity with Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs Vnesheconombank, Bank Otkritie Financial Corporation, Sovcombank Open Joint Stock Company, Sberbank of Russia and VTB Bank (see 2204080046).

The U.K. amended four entries under its Russia sanctions regime. In a May 20 notice, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the entries for Olga Petrovna Gryaznova, Yuri Nikolayevich Shamalov, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya and Marina Vladimirovna Magdalina, still subjecting them to an asset freeze. The updates corrected details on the sanctions listings such as the spellings of names and dates of birth.

Russia announced new sanctions against U.S. citizens, including two Treasury Department officials and two former Bureau of Industry and Security officials, according to an unofficial translation of a May 21 notice. Russia designated Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, who has overseen some of the agency’s sanctions work, and Andrea Gacki, the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control is alerting users of its website and sanctions list data files of upcoming technical changes. The agency is beginning its annual renewal of the public certificate for its website, including its sanctions list downloads, and said its existing certificate will be replaced May 26 beginning at 9 p.m. The process will take about three to six hours for the replacement to be widely distributed, OFAC said in a May 23 notice. Users may need to update their configuration to trust the renewed certificate in order to prevent a loss of functionality.

The departments of state, the treasury, commerce and labor issued an advisory concerning U.S. Businesses in Sudan, to highlight the growing risks to American interests conducting business in the country, especially with Sudanese state-owned enterprises. Recent actions undertaken by the Sudanese government and security forces could adversely impact U.S. businesses and their operations in the country and the region, according to the advisory.

The U.K. sanctioned three Russian airlines under its Russia sanctions regime in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Per a May 19 notice from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, JSC Rossiya Airlines, JSC Ural Airlines and PJSC Aeroflot will be subject to an asset freeze. OFSI also removed wrong information from the sanctions listings of Garantex Europe OU and Kamaz under the Russia sanctions list.

The State Department recently revoked and updated the terrorist designations for several groups and people, notices released May 19 said. The agency revoked the Foreign Terrorist Designation status of the Aum Shinrikyo, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty, the Gama’a al-Islamiyya, the Kahane Chai and the ​​Mujahidin Shura Council. The agency also revoked the Specially Designated Global Terrorist status of six people: Mohad Moalim, Farah Mohamed Shirdon, Musa Abu Dawud, Aliaskhab Kebekov, Ibrahim al-Rubaysh and Abu al-Wardah as-Syarqi. The State Department maintained its designation of al-Qaida as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.