The United Nations Security Council extended for one year a measure to allow member states to inspect certain vessels for violating the UNSC's arms embargo on Libya, according to a June 5 news release. The measure allows states to inspect “vessels on the high seas bound to or from Libya, given reasonable grounds to believe” the ships are violating the arms embargo.

Abu Dhabi’s customs authority recently introduced a series of measures to help importers during the COVID-19 pandemic, a June 8 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The incentive package allows importers to defer customs duties for 90 days from the date of their customs statement, and provides “pre‑clearance services” for imports through the agency’s “customs online operations system,” which is expected to save importers time and money. The agency will also offer “self-clearance services,” allowing companies to clear cargo “without the need for intermediary customs brokers.” Certain firms may also issue a customs warehouse license without paying license fees, and deposit and withdraw goods from warehouses without paying service fees, the report said.

Vietnam will exempt auto parts from import duties if those parts are not also available from domestic suppliers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a June 8 report. The measure, effective July 10, will cover “all automotive parts” imported for domestic assembly and manufacturing, including “input material” imported for production of “automotive components,” the report said. To qualify for the exemption, parts must have been assembled without having undergone a “manufacturing process” before they were imported, the report said. The measure will apply to all auto parts imported before 2025. Manufacturers will only be eligible to access such benefits for six months of the year, January through June, or July through December.

Laos recently clarified its law on antidumping and countervailing measures to specify procedures for determining whether dumping is taking place, a June 5 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The revised guidance clarifies “two methods for the determination of the ‘normal’ price of imported goods” if those goods are suspected of violating antidumping measures. Laos issued the guidance to ensure it's complying with World Trade Organization requirements.

While the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 gives the president clear authority to terminate Hong Kong's special status if China violates the island's autonomy, the fact that Hong Kong has its own membership in the World Trade Organization could complicate the matter, the Congressional Research Service says. In a June 5 “legal sidebar,” CRS said that not only is it not clear when the administration would end Hong Kong's special trade status, it's also not clear whether the U.S. would say it no longer acknowledges Hong Kong's membership in the WTO.

The State Department is seeking comments on recent measures that allowed for temporary suspensions and exceptions to provisions in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 2004240017), it said in a notice. The agency seeks feedback on the “efficacy” and impact of the measures on industry and whether it should extend the measures' expiration dates. The agency is also accepting comments on additional ITAR measures it can take to mitigate burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A State Department official recently said the agency is considering extending some measures, including allowing employees involved in ITAR-related activities to work remotely (see 2005080038). Comments are due June 25.

The U.S. is seeking to withdraw a case against a man convicted of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran (see 2003180019), according to court records filed June 5. U.S. prosecutors said the case should be dropped due to “disclosure-related issues” during the March trial, which would likely lead to “continued litigation about” suppression of evidence. “The Government has determined that it would not be in the interests of justice to further prosecute this case,” prosecutors said in a letter to the court.

The U.S. may add new tariffs on cars from the European Union unless the EU ends tariffs on U.S. lobsters, President Donald Trump said while speaking in Maine June 5. “European Union charges us a tariff; they don’t charge Canada a tariff,” Trump said. “This is for the press: So Canada doesn’t pay a tariff for the same exact lobster in the same waters, but we pay a tariff. If European Union doesn’t drop that tariff immediately, we’re going to put a tariff on their cars, which will be equivalent -- coming in -- come in for nothing, which is ridiculous.” Trump said White House adviser Peter Navarro would be in “charge of that one.” Navarro will “be the lobster king now,” Trump joked.

The United Nations Security Council granted a one-year sanctions exemption to UNICEF for humanitarian shipments to North Korea, a June 3 Security Council letter said. The exemption will allow shipments “essential” for UNICEF’s programs in North Korea, including sanitation products, water and shipments related to “health” and “nutrition.” The exemption also authorizes shipments related to “the effective treatment of individuals admitted to hospitals.” The UNSC said it approved an extended one-year time frame for the exemption because of “challenges related to the manufacturing and shipment of goods” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State Department designated Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara, formerly chief of staff to then-Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom, for corruption, the agency said June 8. The agency also sanctioned family members Beatriz Jansa Bianchi, his wife; his two sons, Jose Javier Alejos Jansa and Gustavo Andres Alejos Jansa; and his minor daughter.