In coordination with DOJ and the FBI, the Office of Foreign Assets Control has added one individual and two organizations to its Specially Designated Nationals list, according to an Oct. 19 notice.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added three individuals and four entities to its Specially Designated Nationals list in connection with alleged narcotics trafficking, according to an Oct. 19 notice.
The Satellite Industry Association recommends that the National Space Council make regulatory changes to the U.S.'s commercial remote sensing rules and its export control regime for radio frequency (RF) remote sensing satellites and data. In a white paper Oct. 19, SIA said commercial remote sensing rules should change to reflect emerging applications such as RF remote sensing and the use of hyperspectral and short-waved infrared remote sensing. It said the "Fundamental Goal" for language in the national security policy directive adopted in 2003 should be updated to include economic leadership and commercial space innovation. In a separate paper, the industry group said there should be an interagency review of existing International Trafficking in Arms Regulations rules and "a more pragmatic policy and licensing approach" to ITAR, rather than the assumption that all RF remote sensing satellite products for all users and use cases fall under the State Department rules. It said an alternative could be putting RF remote sensing with other space systems without ITAR controls.
Many companies are still trying to assess the “exact implications” of the U.S.’s new export controls on China (see 2210070049) and are hoping guidance from the Bureau of Industry and Security provides some answers, said Paul Trulio, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trulio told Bank of America that the controls are “still in the early stage” and it's too soon to “quantify the impact,” according to an Oct. 19 readout of a call published by the bank.
Artificial intelligence export controls should only be imposed multilaterally and should contain no ambiguity in order to minimize harm on U.S. competitiveness, trade groups told the Commerce Department this week. They said the controls also should clearly distinguish between “general purpose” and “application specific” AI software so the restrictions only cover items that pose genuine national security concerns.
The U.K. implemented a General License Oct. 17 permitting individuals and entities designated under the Belarus and Russia sanctions regimes and companies owned or controlled by these sanctioned parties to pay funds to the London Court of International Arbitration to cover arbitration costs. The license also permits the LCIA to use funds deposited by sanctioned parties, companies owned or controlled by sanctioned parties or their legal representatives before their listing. The license "is of indefinite duration."
Stellantis may stop making cars in China, given rising geopolitical tensions and sanctions worries. Speaking to reporters at a Paris car show Oct. 17, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the automaker may roll out an "asset-light" strategy for its Peugeot and Citroen brands, importing to China cars made in Europe and the U.S., Bloomberg reported. Tavares' comments come after the company shuttered its only Jeep factory in China due to local political interference in the market (see 2207280018). Other car manufacturers, including Volkswagen and General Motors, are further expressing concerns over the Chinese market, wondering whether the sanctions hitting Russia could apply to China if it were to invade Taiwan, Bloomberg said.
French global building materials manufacturer Lafarge along with its Syrian subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria, pleaded guilty on Oct. 18 to conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and the al-Nusrah Front, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced. Both ISIS and ANF are sanctioned foreign terrorist organizations. Immediately following the guilty pleas, Judge William Kuntz sentenced the companies to probation terms and financial penalties. The companies will pay $90.78 million in criminal fines and $687 million in forfeiture, totaling $777.78 million.
The Biden administration should impose sanctions on people in Ethiopia responsible for war crimes, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, each said in recent days. The two lawmakers both pointed to a recent escalation in violence in the country and said those responsible should be held accountable.
The Biden administration should cripple Huawei’s plans to build a semiconductor foundry in Shenzhen through additional export controls, five Republican senators said in a recent letter to the White House. They said Huawei is using Pengxinwei (PXW) IC Manufacturing -- a startup launched by a former Huawei executive, Bloomberg reported -- to build a new chip foundry in a bid to evade U.S. trade restrictions. The letter was signed by Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both of Tennessee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.