The European Commission on Jan. 16 imposed antidumping duties on fused alumina from China. The duties range from 88.7% to 110.6% and are paired with a tariff rate quota that allows a "limited volume of Chinese imports to enter the EU without duties," the commission said. The quota will apply for an initial five-year period. Fused alumina is used in the production of steel, other metals, glass and ceramics and is "widely used in defence-related applications," the commission added.
The State Department last week approved a possible military sale to Peru worth $1.5 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. The sale includes services related to the design and construction at Peru's Callao Naval Base, along with "related elements of logistics and program support." The principal contractors haven't yet been chosen.
An Indian national was sentenced Jan. 15 to 30 months in prison for conspiring with others to illegally "export controlled aviation components and a navigation and flight control system to end users in Russia," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon announced. Sanjay Kaushik pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to sell export-controlled dual-use goods to Russian end users.
Reps. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla., introduced a bill Jan. 14 aimed at preventing sales of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China and other "foreign adversaries."
Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Maria Salazar, R-Fla., reintroduced a bill Jan. 14 that would impose economic sanctions on Nicaragua’s government for human rights violations, including the persecution of clergy and political dissidents. The Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act, which the lawmakers previously introduced in the last Congress (see 2401110055), was referred to the House Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill Jan. 14 that would direct the president to impose financial sanctions on foreign government officials who prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and elsewhere.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a bill Jan. 14 that would add the Interior Department to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review transactions involving land next to sites owned or managed by the agency and help identify potential national security threats to valuable natural resources.
The House voted 341-79 on Jan. 14 to pass a compromise two-bill FY 2026 appropriations bill package that includes $237.7 million for the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, up 4.8% from the FY 2025 enacted level, and $185.2 million for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, down 2.6% (see 2601120009). The legislation now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Jan. 16 that he would “advise” President Donald Trump against allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China.
The Council of the European Union on Jan. 16 extended its sanctions measures on Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for one year, pushing the measures to Jan. 20, 2027. The restrictions currently apply to 11 people and three entities.