The State Department on July 22 designated Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, the former president of Paraguay, for “significant corruption." Also designated are his adult children: Juan Pablo Cartes Montana, Sofia Cartes Montana and Maria Sol Cartes Montana.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 22 updated a Russia-related entry on the Specially Designated Nationals List. The entry is for Joint Stock Company North Western Regional Center of Almaz Antey Concern Obukhovsky Plant. The agency didn't immediately provide more information.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 22 issued two new Russia-related general licenses.

As part of its seventh sanctions package on Russia, the European Council added 48 individuals and nine entities to its sanctions list, including Russia's largest bank Sberbank and high-ranking members of the political class, Russian military and cultural establishment. The newly listed entities are Avlita Stevedoring; Nightwolves MC, a nationalist motorcycle club; Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund; Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent State Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation; Russkiy Mir Foundation; JSC Research and Production Assocation "Kvant"; Sberbank; Forss Group; and All-Russia "Young Army" Military Patriotic Social Movement.

President Joe Biden this week extended for one year beyond July 24 a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against transnational criminal organizations, the White House said. The groups continue to “pose a direct threat to the safety and welfare of the United States and its citizens,” the White House said July 21.

The U.K. imposed new sanctions on Russia, the Export Control Joint Unit announced in a July 21 notice. The restrictions include a ban the import, acquisition and supply or delivery of oil and oil products and coal and coal products. The coal ban comes into force Aug. 10; the oil ban, on Dec. 31. The new measures also prohibit exports of items listed on the G-7 Dependency and Further Goods List to, or for use in, Russia, along with bans on the supply of these items from a third country to Russia. The restrictions also expand bans on the export or supply of energy-related goods, and ban the import of gold from Russia.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control should clarify its rules surrounding sanctioned ransomware groups, which are vague and are leading to industry confusion, a senior FBI official said this week. Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, said the FBI has specifically urged OFAC to change its procedures around ransom payments and incident reporting for victims.

The U.N. Security Council this week amended one entry on its sanctions list. The change revises the entry for Abu Zayd Umar Dorda, a Libyan official, to reflect his presumed death.

The U.K. adopted an amendment to its Russian sanctions regime that alters the designation criteria for listing an individual or entity. The new criteria expand the definition of "involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Government of Russia," to include working as a "manager" of or "holding the right, directly or indirectly," to nominate a director, trustee or equivalent of a Russian government-affiliated entity; an entity conducting business as a government affiliate; or an entity conducting business of economic significance to the Russian state.

The U.K.'s new restrictions on investment in Russia entered into force July 19. The measures bar individuals and entities from directly acquiring any ownership interest in Russian land and entities linked with Russia, indirectly acquiring any ownership interest in Russian land and Russia-linked entities for the purpose of making funds available to individuals connected with Russia, and directly or indirectly acquiring any ownership interest in entities with a place of business in Russia. The restrictions further bar individuals and entities from establishing joint ventures with a person linked to Russia, opening representative offices and establishing branches and subsidiaries in Russia, and providing investment services for all of the aforementioned activities.