The U.S. extended for one year a national emergency that authorizes sanctions against people and entities engaged in terrorist activities, drug trafficking and other actions in Mali, the White House said July 23. The White House said activities in Mali continue to “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the U.S. The extension is through July 26, 2021.
The aerospace industry applauded the U.S. decision to loosen export restrictions on unmanned aircrafts, saying the change may allow U.S. companies to better innovate and compete in emerging markets for new aircraft technologies. The decision, announced by the State Department July 24, will no longer subject exports of certain unmanned aerial systems to a “strong presumption of denial,” but will instead impose a case-by-case review policy on a “subset” of unmanned aircrafts that fly at speeds below 800 kph.
The Department of Justice issued a forfeiture complaint against four companies that allegedly laundered money on behalf of U.S.-sanctioned North Korean banks, the agency said July 23. The complaint calls for the forfeiture of more than $2 million used to buy goods for the North Korean government, the Justice Department said. The four unnamed companies were part of a money-laundering scheme involving three sanctioned entities: Velmur Management Pte. Ltd, Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co. and multiple branches of North Korea’s Foreign Trade bank. “This complaint illuminates how a global money laundering network coordinates with front companies to move North Korean money through the United States,” acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin said in a statement. “This case demonstrates that we will use all tools … to target companies that harm U.S. national security, regardless of where they are doing business.”
The Customs chapter in the U.S. Code, Title 19, will be reorganized by subject matter, not chronologically, the Office of Law Revision Counsel recently announced. Title 19 appeared in 1926, and has 30 chapters. “The new Title 19 -- renamed as Customs and International Trade -- will enable general and permanent laws related to customs and international trade to be better organized and maintained," the Office of Law Revision Counsel said on its website. "Using an act-centric organization framework, the structure of the new title reflects the structure of included acts where possible.”
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on July 23 revised an entry under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime. The entry is for Noor Wali Mehsud, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan leader sanctioned by the U.K. July 16 (see 2007170017). Mehsud remains subject to an asset freeze.
Forty-three countries accused North Korea of violating a United Nations cap on refined petroleum imports and asked the U.N. to end all oil shipments to North Korea until year-end, Reuters reported July 24. The countries -- including the U.S., the United Kingdom and France -- told the U.N. that North Korea used illegal ship-to-ship transfers to import more than 1.6 million barrels of petroleum January through May. The countries asked the U.N. Security Council to issue a determination that North Korea has surpassed its annual cap of 500,000 barrels and to “inform member states that they must immediately cease selling, supplying, or transferring refined petroleum products to [North Korea] for the remainder of the year,” the report said.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on July 23 extended a measure to “allow continued telework operations” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure, first announced in April (see 2004240017), suspended an International Traffic in Arms Regulations requirement to allow employees involved in ITAR-related activities to work remotely. The measure, which was to expire July 31, will be extended to Dec. 31, the agency said.
The Senate on July 23 passed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes an amendment that would increase oversight of exports of gun silencers. The amendment, proposed July 20 by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., would require Congress to review and certify all proposed export licenses for silencers, mufflers and firearms sound suppressors before the sale can be completed under the license. The requirement would apply to exports to any “foreign nongovernmental person, group, or organization … regardless of the dollar value.” The amendment would also require the secretary of state to determine that the export does not pose a risk of being retransferred to terrorist groups or criminal organizations. The State Department recently relaxed its policy for exports of gun suppressors to handle those shipments similarly to other U.S. Munitions List controlled technologies (see 2007130014).
The White House extended for one year beyond July 24 a national emergency that authorizes sanctions against people and entities associated with transnational criminal organizations, a July 22 news release said.
The United Kingdom on July 22 issued two orders to implement its global human rights sanctions regime for its overseas territories and the Isle of Man. The orders detail U.K. sanctions authorities and extend the regime to cover 12 overseas territories, including the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Anguilla. The U.K. announced the regime earlier this month with a set of sanctions against 49 people and entities for human rights abuses, marking the first time the U.K. has issued its own designations for human rights violations (see 2007060025).