The House on Nov. 1 voted 363-46 to pass a bill that would impose sanctions on any person, entity or state that offers financial or material support to Hamas and its affiliates. Along with financial sanctions, the bill calls on the president to block exports of any item on the U.S. Munitions List or Commerce Control List to any foreign state that provides support or “engages in a significant transaction” with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion’s Den or “any affiliate or successor thereof.” The administration would also have to submit regular reports to Congress detailing the “disposition of the assets and activities” of those groups, a list of foreign states knowingly giving them support and more. The legislation includes certain exceptions, including for humanitarian aid.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is placing the newly approved drug zuranolone in Schedule IV of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in an interim final rule. Effective Oct. 31, zuranolone, which was granted FDA approval in May, is subject to new registration, labeling, record-keeping, and import and export requirements. DEA is accepting comments on the rule until Nov. 30.
The DEA is finalizing its modification of its listing of 4-anilinopiperidine as a List I chemical under the Controlled Substances Act so that it includes halides of 4-anilinopiperidine, the agency said in a final rule that takes effect Nov. 30. Persons manufacturing, distributing, importing, or exporting halides of 4-anilinopiperidine or a chemical mixture containing halides of 4-anilinopiperidine must apply to handle List 1 chemicals by Nov. 30 if they are not already registered.
President Joe Biden this week renewed a national emergency authorizing certain sanctions related to the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, the White House said. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the "means of delivering them" continues to pose a threat to the U.S., the White House said. The emergency was renewed for one year from Nov. 14.
The U.S. this week announced a spate of new Russia-related sanctions and export controls, targeting people and companies supplying Russia’s military, aiding its defense industrial complex or operating in various Russian financial, metals, government and procurement sectors. The measures include additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 200 combined sanctions by the Treasury and State departments targeting businesses in China, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere for sending export-controlled components to Russia.
The U.K. corrected one entry under its Russia sanctions regime Oct. 31, removing an alias for Veniamin Ivanovich Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar territory.
The EU updated a frequently asked question under its Russia sanctions regime pertaining to the Central Bank of Russia. The question asked whether the payment to fulfill the "obligation to pay voluntary transaction" falls under the definition of "transactions related to the management of reserves as well as assets" under the bloc's sanctions regime. The EU said the Russian Governmental Commission sets the obligation to pay a voluntary transaction, or so-called "exit tax," which is not part of Russia's official tax legislation. Sanctions don't apply because payment is a "precondition for" allowing EU companies to divest from Russia and doesn't lead to "enabling the Russian Central Bank to manage its reserves or assets."
The Rotterdam District Court on Oct. 31 sentenced an unnamed Russian businessman to an 18-month prison term for violating the EU's Russia sanctions, according to an unofficial translation. The charges against the man include selling dual-use goods, including a "certain type of integrated circuit" and drones to Russian companies, along with selling, delivering, transferring and exporting nine other integrated circuit types to the same unnamed Russian companies.
Japan sanctioned nine people and one entity under its terrorist sanctions regime for their links to Hamas, the Ministry of Finance announced, according to an unofficial translation. The designations target three Palestinian nationals, four Jordanian nationals, one Sudanese national and one Egyptian national. It also sanctioned Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company.
The Commerce Department again renewed a temporary export denial order for Mahan Airways because the airline continues to violate the order and the Export Administration Regulations. Mahan Airways has been on the banned list since 2008, and Commerce in its Oct. 31 notice said the Iranian airline has continued flights between Iran and Iraq, Russia, China and Pakistan in violation of U.S. export controls. BIS also highlighted its "continued investigation" into Mahan’s recent acquisition of an Airbus A340 with Iranian tail number EP-MJA, which the agency said had flown between Tehran and Moscow as recently as Oct. 25.