A Microsoft subsidiary said it received a U.S. sanctions license to provide its services to software developers in Iran. GitHub, which provides hosting for software development, said it was able to convince the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls that use of GitHub “advances human progress,” international communication and improves free speech, the company said Jan. 5. GitHub called the two-year process with OFAC “lengthy and intensive” and said it is “in the process” of rolling back “all restrictions on developers in Iran, and reinstating full access to affected accounts.” The company said it is also working to secure similar licenses for developers in Crimea and Syria. OFAC didn’t comment.
The European Union will consider more sanctions against Venezuela if Nicolas Maduro's regime does not soon begin a “transition process” to cede power, the European Council said in a Jan. 6 news release. The council called Venezuela’s December elections undemocratic and said the country “urgently” needs a political solution. “The lack of political pluralism and the way the elections were planned and executed, including the disqualification of opposition leaders, do not allow the EU to recognise this electoral process as credible, inclusive or transparent,” the council said. “The EU stands ready to support such a process. It also stands ready to take additional targeted measures.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 6 issued two new frequently asked questions related to President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban U.S. investment in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026). In FAQ 863, OFAC said U.S. people can “custody, offer for sale, serve as a transfer agent and trade” in securities covered by the order “to the extent that such support services are not provided to U.S. persons in connection” with certain “prohibited transactions.” Those transactions include “clearing, execution, settlement, custody, transfer agency, back-end services, as well as other such support services,” OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 5 issued two new frequently asked questions and amended two other FAQs to clarify sanctions against Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The FAQs cover OFAC’s non-blocking menu-based sanctions, certain definitions and other sanctions clarifications.
The Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations and Export Administration Regulations to control new chemicals used in chemical weapons. The final rule, effective Jan. 7, aligns U.S. export controls with recent changes made by the multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Bureau of Industry and Security clarified and expanded the scope of export controls for certain vaccines and medical products (see 2012090006), the agency said in a final rule effective Jan. 7. The changes align U.S. export controls with decisions agreed to at the Australia Group’s 2019 plenary group. The updated controls also have implications for vaccines related to COVID-19, BIS said.
Akin Gump promoted two trade lawyers to partners, it said Jan. 4. Jaelyn Edwards Judelson advises clients on sanctions and export controls, and Yujin Kim McNamara advises clients on international trade issues, including dispute settlements and trade remedies.
American Association of Exporters and Importers CEO Marianne Rowden will step down effective March 31 “to pursue new opportunities,” AAEI Board of Governors Chairperson Susie Hoeger said in a Jan. 5 message. “The Board has named a committee to lead the search for the next leader of AAEI, and hopes to make the transition as smooth as possible,” Hoeger said.
Singapore Customs issued guidance to industry about claiming tariff benefits for goods exported to and imported from the United Kingdom under the U.K.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (see 2012100017). The documents, issued Dec. 31, detail which tariff rates affect which imports, rules of origin criteria for exports, and the procedures for benefiting from the preferential tariffs.
Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Mark Warner, D-Va., said Jan. 4 that they strongly encourage European Union officials “to delay any agreement with China so that the next Congress and president can work alongside them in ending China’s illegal and unfair trade practices and threats to global supply chain integrity.” Some trade negotiators worry that the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (see 2012300030) will allow China to divide and conquer. “America’s go-it-alone approach to trade over the past four years has harmed American workers, consumers, and businesses, all of whom have paid the cost of various punitive tariff campaigns,” the senators said in a statement, adding it also undermined America's global standing and slowed economic growth. “It is encouraging that President-elect [Joe] Biden would like the European Union to wait until he takes office to finalize an investment deal with China. A multilateral approach is necessary to confront China on issues like its abusive labor conditions, unfair and opaque subsidies, forced technology transfers, intellectual property theft, and more,” they said.