The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 18 entities related to Russia's financial services sector, according to a Dec. 15 press release. The State Department also issued a set of Russia sanctions, primarily targeting oligarch Vladimir Potanin, three members of his immediate family and his business network, the department said in a Dec. 15 press release.

The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation notified industry this week that it has removed an expired general license that authorized certain energy payments related to Russia’s Gazprombank. The license took effect in April and expired in October.

The State Department recently added four people as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, according to a notice released Dec. 14. The designations apply to Osama Mehmood, Atif Yahya Ghouri and Muhammad Maruf, leaders of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, and Qari Amjad, a leader of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Jose Calderon Rijo, leader of a Dominican Republic-based criminal organization, for engaging in major drug trafficking, according to a Dec. 14 news release. In addition to drug trafficking, Rijo's organization allegedly engages in money laundering and public corruption. The organization directly controls several drug trafficking routes into the U.S. and is "one of the most prolific drug trafficking organizations in the Caribbean," OFAC said. Calderon Rijo was arrested and charged with drug trafficking offenses by Dominican Republic law enforcement authorities in 2012 but continued to oversee the organization from prison. In September, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida charged him with multiple drug trafficking offenses.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed a general license that authorizes certain transactions related to safety and environmental measures for certain sanctioned vessels. General License 21A, which replaces GL 21, is valid through 12:01 a.m. Jan. 14. The license was scheduled to expire Dec. 15 (see 2211150053). OFAC also amended one of its frequently asked questions, FAQ 1097, to reflect the renewal.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week deleted various sanctions entries related to Iran, Syria and others, including some that were previously determined to be “sanctions evaders.” The agency also updated one North Korean sanctions entry. OFAC didn’t immediately provide more information on the decisions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four Zimbabweans and two Zimbabwean entities in an effort to tackle corruption in the country’s government. The agency also removed 17 Zimbabweans from its Specially Designated Nationals List because they “no longer undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes.”

The U.N. Security Council voted last week to establish a humanitarian carve-out across U.N. sanctions regimes, allowing nongovernmental organizations, banks and others an exemption for certain aid-related transactions involving sanctioned jurisdictions. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen applauded the new carve-out, which she said will allow “the flow of legitimate humanitarian assistance supporting the basic human needs of vulnerable populations while continuing to deny resources to malicious actors.”

Canada on Dec. 9 announced new sanctions on people and entities in Russia, Iran and Myanmar for human rights violations. The sanctions target 67 people and nine entities, including 33 current or former Russian senior officials and six entities involved in human rights violations against Russian citizens; 22 people “complicit in gross and systematic human rights violations” in Iran; and 12 people and three entities that “perform key functions on behalf of the Myanmar military regime.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 9. designated "a diverse array" of over 40 people and entities connected to corruption or human rights abuses in recognition of International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day. The sanctions target people and entities across nine countries, OFAC said.