The European Council on Nov. 19 called on all U.N. members to fully implement sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council in response to North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone last week. The council said North Korea is trying to "develop ever more menacing means to deliver weapons of mass destruction," threatening "all countries." In response, the council urged North Korea to comply with its obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions and ditch all its nuclear weapons. "The EU recalls the duty for all UN Members to take action to fully implement sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council," the council said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing mesocarb, a substance with stimulating properties marketed in Russia for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that has no approved medical use and no known therapeutic application in the U.S., under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Nov. 22. “This action imposes the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle mesocarb," DEA said. The listing takes effect Dec. 22.
Canada this week imposed additional sanctions on the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus for aiding Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The new designations apply to 22 Belarusian officials, including people involved in stationing and transporting Russian military personnel and equipment. Canada also sanctioned 16 Belarusian companies involved in military manufacturing, technology, engineering, banking and railway transportation.
The U.S. is considering additional sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with drones, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a Nov. 22 call with reporters. The Biden administration has already designated Iranian firms and people involved in the sales of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia (see 2211150060), including for UAV support efforts in Ukraine, but Kirby said the U.S. can still impose further sanctions.
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The U.S. needs to provide universities with clearer guidance on what types of research activities they can conduct and share with China, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said in a report this week. The report, authored by MIT’s China Strategy Group, said U.S. schools face challenges managing outside “pressures” while also “preserving open scientific research,” which risks damaging American research abilities and chilling technology collaboration.
Ton miles, a key industry measure representing the volume of cargo transported by oil tankers multiplied by the distance it travels by sea, are expected to jump by 4.3% this year, resulting in a surge in revenue for supertankers due to sanctions stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. According to data from Clarkson Research Services, daily earnings for the industry's largest supertankers rose to $99,628 on Nov. 18, a mark which is four times the average of the past four years. All of this shows the disruption in the crude oil trading market, Bloomberg said. The disruption stems from Europe's move to ban purchases of Russian oil, which takes effect in December. As a result, cargoes flow instead from Asia, resulting in ships travelling thousands of more miles and driving a key aspect of demand, Bloomberg said.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will hold a webinar Dec. 8 to discuss information technology modernization updates. The webinar will include an overview of recent updates to DDTC’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System, BIS’s “IT Modernization roadmap” and the two agencies’ “collaboration efforts on data sharing and customer experience opportunities.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Nov. 21 extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes the payment of certain taxes and import fees to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation despite the sanctions imposed on those entities. General License 13C, which replaces GL 13B (see 2209080047), extends the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EST on March 7, 2023. GL13B was scheduled to expire Dec. 7.
Canada recently announced sanctions against three Haitian political elites for providing “illicit financial and operational support to armed gangs.” Canada said the three people use their positions as current or former public office holders to “protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through money laundering and other acts of corruption.” Canada previously sanctioned Jimmy Cherizier, the leader of the Haitian gang G9 (see 2211140008).