The United Kingdom on Nov. 4 updated guidance and provided more information on its recently signed trade deal with Japan (see 2010260007). The new documents include explainers on agriculture and food trade, rules of origin and geographical indications.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation renewed two designations under its terrorism and terrorist financing sanctions list, a Nov. 4 notice said. The U.K. renewed sanctions against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

Two Iranian businessmen sanctioned by the U.S. said they were illegally targeted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and asked the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to vacate their designations. Behzad Ferdows and Mehrzad Ferdows, residents of Germany and Iran, said in a Nov. 5 lawsuit that OFAC violated “constitutional norms,” statutory requirements and failed to follow due process when the agency sanctioned both men in September.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is considering export controls on certain “software” that can be exploited to develop biological weapons (see 2010010003) and requested feedback from industry about the impact of the controls, the agency said in a Nov. 5 notice. The controls would target software “for the operation of nucleic acid assemblers and synthesizers” that can design and build “functional genetic elements from digital sequence data.” The controls would fall under BIS’s emerging technology effort, and comments are due Dec. 21.

The United Kingdom will continue to apply a European Union antidumping duty order against imports of certain types of Chinese wire rods after the U.K. leaves the EU Jan. 1, 2021, the U.K.’s Department for International Trade said Nov. 4. Then, a “transition review will be conducted to assess whether the trade remedies measure is appropriate” to the U.K.

The European Union will begin tracking bioethanol imports to allow the industry to better assess the economic impacts caused by a recent spike in imports, the European Commission said Nov. 4. The commission said bioethanol imports “significantly increased in the last months, at low prices,” and that the industry is concerned that evidence suggests that more imports would “cause economic damage” to the sector. The tracking system will provide “quick monitoring” to give the bioethanol industry “fact-based information to help them explore the need for further actions,” the EU said, but stressed the move does not impose import restrictions.

The Canada government issued the following trade-related notice as of Nov. 4 (some may also be given separate headlines):

India will restrict unscheduled cargo charter flights by overseas carriers to six of the country’s airports, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a Nov. 3 report. The restriction will apply to “ad hoc and non-scheduled freighter charter service flights” and is aimed at maximizing the “air cargo handling opportunities” for domestic operators, the report said. Overseas operators can apply for special clearance to fly from other airports, but there is “no guarantee” their applications will be accepted. The six airports are Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The report said that “many traders freighting perishable/time‑sensitive goods from areas not in easy reach of one of the designated facilities” have complained about the arrangement.

The State Department approved another potential military sale to Taiwan worth about $600 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Nov. 3, drawing backlash from China. The sale includes four “Weapons-Ready MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft” and related equipment. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. will be the principal contractor.

The State Department approved a potential military sale to Romania worth about $175 million, the Defense Cooperation Agency said Nov. 3. The sale includes F-16 fleet modernization and logistics support and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.