The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued new FAQ 172 on Oct. 31 to address whether licenses are required for certain dealings related to Russia's sanctioned National Settlement Depository (NSD). The FAQ specifically addresses a situation in which funds are allocated to the U.K. entity by an "International Central Securities Depository," but Russia's NSD has seized International Central Securities Depository funds held at the NSD. The U.K. said an OFSI license wouldn't be required by a U.K. financial institution to deal with or receive those funds as long as:

Two Alabama men have been charged with trafficking over 300 weapons and ammunition into Mexico, DOJ announced. Emilio Ramirez Cortes, a Mexican citizen legally residing in the U.S., and his son Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz, are both charged with "smuggling firearms, ammunition, magazines and other firearms accessories as well as trafficking of firearms," DOJ said.

An Australian national pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to two counts of theft of trade secrets, DOJ announced. Peter Williams admitted to selling his employer's trade secrets to a Russian "cyber-tools broker," the agency said.

New Mexico resident Canyon Anthony Amarys, a U.S. national guardsman, was arrested last week after DOJ said he tried to provide an export-controlled radio to someone he believed was a Russian intelligence official. He was charged with attempting to violate the Export Control Reform Act.

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged Bryce McFerran to resign from his position as acting chief banking officer at the U.S. Export-Import Bank because of his ties to Russian metals and mining company Evraz, which the U.K. sanctioned in 2022 for conducting railway work that supports Russia’s military.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, urged the State Department Oct. 30 to designate three Colombian criminal groups Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced a bill Oct. 30 that seeks to ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations. The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act, which also would apply to federal agencies that handle domestic sales, was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Three Republican senators introduced a bill Oct. 30 that would allow the president to sanction Chinese entities that manufacture, distribute or finance the production of nitazene precursor chemicals.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Commerce Department on Oct. 30 to support Malaysia’s new efforts to prevent the country from being used to smuggle export-controlled U.S. chips to China.

U.N. member states last week voted 165-7, with 12 abstentions, to approve a resolution aimed at urging the U.S. to end its trade embargo against Cuba. The resolution, which has been adopted for 33 consecutive years, called on the U.S. to end the "economic, commercial and financial embargo" on the island country. The U.S., Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, North Macedonia and Ukraine voted against the measure, while Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Czechia, Ecuador, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Moldova and Romania abstained.